IMAGE Autumn is out now! Find out 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.

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.