Oh my Mellow | No.16
WATCHING The Gilded Age
Socialites! Corsets and crinoline! Splendid set pieces! Withering dowagers! Miranda from Sex and the City! What’s not to love about Julian “Downton” Fellowes’s The Gilded Age? Season two has just “dropped” and now the nights have drawn in and electric blankets are on we couldn’t be happier than to curl up in our PJs early doors for a glossy period drama. The sumptuous HBO series chronicles the triumphs and tribulations of old money families and the nouveau riche in 1880s Manhattan, making for an historic romp that even Violet Grantham would enjoy.
LEARNING Focail na mBan: Women’s Words
Gaeilgeoir Manchán Magan is well known for celebrating the Irish language, his books tending towards travelogue and natural history. Which makes his latest release a bit of a curveball: Focail na mBan: Women’s Words – a book of Irish words for vaginas, vulvas, clitorises and periods. But before anyone accuses him of mansplaining, better to see him as an ally for curating artworks by 29 artists, among them Dorothy Cross, Alice Maher, Rachel Fallon, Dee Mulrooney, Kiki na Art/Ciarna Pham, and poetry by Annemarie Ní Churreáin and Dairena Ní Chinneide, each offering their rich linguistic insights. There are also launch events at Dublin’s Fumbally throughout the month.
LISTENING You’re Booked
’Tis the season for sitting fireside, or retiring early to bed, with a good book. But how to separate the wheat from the chaff? A good place to start is Daisy Buchanan’s long-running podcast, You’re Booked, which asks what’s on the bookshelves of big-name authors, from Cecelia Ahern and Marian Keyes to Ken Follett and Ian Rankin, from Emma Dabiri to Patricia Cornwell. Buchanan wisely casts her net wide so there’s a great cross section of popular fiction, essays, comedy and highbrow dramas.
DRESS CODE: The Long Set – Flora Pink & Burgundy
All the leaves are brown – which means our Flora print, which comes in pink and burgundy has never been more easy on the eye. Its large abstract blooms will brighten up the darkest of evenings, while a loose cut keeps things comfy (and if you’re between two sizes, choose the size above for extra comfort). Deep pockets, a soft elasticated drawstring waist and piped cuffs seal the deal for luxurious loungecore.