Fashion

Get your wardrobe ready for Autumn with tweeds, florals and chunky jumpers

Combine traditional fabrics with florals and prints in contemporary ways

Mustard knit Fisherman Out of Ireland €205, long floral skirt Pablo €185, burgundy suede bag Coccinelle 350, crystal tulip hoop earrings Alexis Bittar at Loulerie €179, green suede boot, Jonak €165

Deirdre McQuillan's face
Deirdre McQuillan
Sat Oct 6 2018 - 06:00

The recent autumn/winter show at Arnotts showed how to manage stylishly some of the season’s trends and incorporate them seamlessly into existing wardrobes. Got a tweed jacket? Put it over a long floral skirt, but watch the proportions.

How to wear the longer lengths? Try matching a skirt with a chunky sweater but again note lengths of both. It demonstrated how blazers are useful both trans-seasonally and for winter and introduced the fresh new autumn shades – russet, rust, orange, sapphire and of course red, to brighten up dark days.

Buyer Valerie O Neill has brought in two exciting new Belgian brands to the store to whet the appetite – look out for Essentiel Antwerp and DMN whose affordable prices match their offbeat but accessible modern styles. Essentiel Antwerp was founded by a model and a fashion agent who joined forces to start a t-shirt range which eventually grew into a ready to wear collection and now includes knitwear, jackets, dresses and trousers with universal appeal. Today it is known for its graphic and floral prints and mixes of colour.

Brocade coat DMN €760, black velvet trousers Pablo €185, crystal hoop earrings Alexis Bittar at Loulerie €179, black lurex tweed bag Kurt Geiger (sample), black sock boots Kendall & Kylie €225

Check coat DMN €690, floral dress Pablo €295, burgundy leather bag Michael Michael Kors €350, Tribute drop earrings Lulu Frost at Loulerie €349, burgundy boot Vince Camuto €150

Red herringbone tweed coat Gant €365, floral top Essentiel Antwerp €159, sequinned skirt Essentiel Antwerp €129, Nova stud star earrings, Lulu Frost at Loulerie €199, olive suede pump shoe, Ash €190

Check tweed coat Pablo €550, blue check blazer DMN 760, blue silk shirt DMN €390, blue check mini skirt DMN €140, python bag, Longchamp €500, pear drop earrings, Lulu Frost at Loulerie

Shearling coat Pablo €1145, floral blouse Pablo €190, check trousers DMN €240, aquamarine and moonstone drop earrings Margaret Elizabeth at Loulerie €135, shearling bag Pablo €225.

Black floral dress Essentiel Antwerp €249, red faux fur stole, Essentiel Antwerp €119, salmon leather bag Kate Spade, nova stud star earrings Lulu Frost at Loulerie €199, black sock boots Kendall & Kylie €225

DMN is a Belgian brand that originally was called Mer du Nord and relaunched with a whole new look last year. It was one of the highlights of the Arnott’s autumn show with its green and navy velvet blazers and pants, pinstripe suits and fresh white shirts that were cool, contemporary and sharp, clothes for work and daywear.

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The outfits shown illustrate how to combine traditional fabrics with florals and prints in contemporary ways drawn from the new brands. Other popular brands included Pablo, the so-called “little sister” of the well known French label Gerard Darel along with items from the new Irish Collection Edit at the store that includes Magee and Triona Donegal  tweeds with knitwear from Fisherman out of Ireland. When it comes to coats, athere are choices from a wide spectrum from €360 for a simple black tailored number by Karen Millen to €690 for a relaxed check coat from DMN.

Photographer Eilish McCormick assisted by Andrew Rankin, stylist Sinead Keenan assisted by Alice Coffey, hair Stephen Kelly at Zeba, Arnotts, makeup Sarah Cullen for Nars at Arnotts, model Aoibhinn Lane Andrea at Morgan the Agency, location Bond Street Studios.