IMAGE Autumn hits shelves today, August 24. Here, editor Lauren Heskin introduces the issue and gives a sneak peek of what’s inside...
As the beginning of a new school term rolls around, September can feel like the start of a new year – whether you have school-going children or not. It’s hard-wired into us from childhood to feel that end-of-summer malaise creep in and the well of energy required to reboot each autumn.
However, if there’s anything to take from this issue, it’s the need to slow down and take stock. This slowness is a crucial part of the process, whether you’re attempting to pick up (and keep up) some healthy habits, looking to protect your mental health, or simply expand your lungs: taking small steps can have big effects.
With this slowness should come creativity and precision, as celebrated Mayo jeweller Nigel O’Reilly can attest, while fellow jeweller Sabine Lenz revels in the layered delights of her West Cork home that has been decades in the making.
New York-based Irish designer Maria McManus reflects on how her luxury sustainable clothing line could only have been born from the knowledge gathered in 20 years of working in the fashion industry, and a Galway chef relies on three generations of Italian cooking to create a subtly smoke-infused menu.
There is also a desire to reflect and reminisce. A discovery while clearing out her mother’s attic brings Ruth O’Connor down a memory lane of homemade clothes backdropped by a modern reawakening of slow skills like sewing, knitting and crochet.
And four Irish perfumers blend landscapes, stories, memories and even colours into unique olfactory encounters.
In keeping with this slow and methodical approach, there’s an emphasis on investing in staples in this issue. Belfast-based Amy Anderson of Kindred of Ireland makes all of her clothes to order, using ancient techniques and local mills to create contemporary linen pieces.
Elsewhere, Megan Burns goes long-line on coats, and speaks to Sinéad Keenan about the timelessness of checks and tartan, whether in a cinched-up 1950s pencil skirt or a punk-rock ode to Vivienne Westwood.
There’s a very wearable quality to this issue’s fashion shoot too, with an elevated street-style feel: stopping traffic in chunky knits, tailored jackets and crisp shirts in neutral hues.
However, if the arrival of September means a flurry of off-peak travel for you, then glide along Ireland’s waterways with the enigmatic adventurer Gwen Wilkinson, grab a napkin and take a seat at six culinary sojourns, or head to the desert for some old Hollywood charm with Édaein O’Connell in Palm Springs.
I hope you find a space to enjoy this issue, to take a breath, reflect and reconnect.
Find IMAGE Autumn in store now, or click here to buy online.
Also Read
