Wardrobe clearouts and body positivity: Smart Casual with Louise O’Reilly is now live

Smart Casual is IMAGE’s first fashion podcast, in collaboration with Kildare Village. In our bi-weekly chats, we examine why we wear the clothes we do and deal with personal style in a way that speaks to you. 

We’ve reached our tenth episode! As we near the end of what has to be the longest January in living memory, we’re gearing up to do the dreaded deed of the new year wardrobe clearout. And it seems we’re not the only ones — the trend of using the ‘Marie Kondo method’ to cleanse our minds by tidying up our homes has taken social media by storm, but does it really work? Does an item of clothing have to spark joy before we can keep it? Dominique, Marie and Édaein go through their own ways of clearing out their wardrobes, each with different opinions of how to cull a closet, and give their best advice on how to slim down your selection of outfits.

Our special guest on the show this week is a woman who wears many hats in the world of fashion — model, presenter, blogger and body positive activist Louise O’Reilly (or @stylemecurvy, as her followers may know her) sits down in the booth with Marie to chat about it all. From her beginnings in fashion, to a sometimes tumultuous career as a plus-size model, Louise gives her opinions on the current state of diversity in fashion and on the runway, how she navigates dressing for her body and her personality, and how her relationships with her followers is what keeps her so motivated.

Episode 10 of Smart Casual, in collaboration with Kildare Village, is available now on SoundCloud and iTunes – make sure to like, subscribe and rate us wherever you enjoy your podcasts. Smart Casual is hosted by Dominique McMullan, Marie Kelly and Édaein O’Connell, and produced by Erin Lindsay. If you can’t wait to download, have a listen to the new episode below: