How to dress for January weather (and January blues): Smart Casual is back for 2019

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. 

It’s the new year, and the Smart Casual ladies are back in the booth to have some much-needed chats about fashion, styling and trends in 2019. But there’s been a change; our lovely host Niamh O’Donoghue has departed to warmer shores (specifically Bali) to go travelling, and although we’re already missing her, seeing her live it up on beaches around the world will be more than worth it. The podcast needed a new fashionable twenty-something to bring a youthful perspective on fashion news and personal style, and we are so excited to welcome our very own IMAGE.ie staff writer Édaein O’Connell to the Smart Casual fold. Édaein is not only an established writer at IMAGE, she is also renowned for having one of the best eyes for styling in the office, and despite her age, has wisdom about dressing for what suits you that’s far beyond her years. We can’t wait to hear her thoughts on the year’s biggest style stories.

Kicking off the year, our hosts are discussing a notorious month that often turns the best of outfits into fashion faux pa’s — it’s January, and the pain that is January dressing. Marie, Dominique and Édaein discuss how they fare in dressing fashionably in the colder months, and share their tips for experimenting with layering, chunky knits and autumnal tones for the winter months.

Our first Smart Casual guest of 2019 is Irish fashion veteran and Irish Times Fashion Editor Deirdre McQuillan, who Dominique has been close friends with since her own days at the Irish Times fashion desk. The two sat down to chat about Deirdre’s fascinating career path and how she made her way into the Irish fashion scene at a time when some of the biggest designers in the world were just beginning to break the mould. Deirdre shares her insights into the Irish talent to watch in 2019 and beyond, and her advice on how to navigate fashion journalism, dressing for your shape and the beast that is social media.

Episode 9 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: