I write this blog post on what is probably the first truly Autumnal day of the year in Ireland; rainy, windy weather coupled with a noticeable drop in temperatures have hailed the arrival of the new season. All that I want to do on a day like today is to stay inside drink tea, listen to the radio, and read something cosy and purposefully set in autumn or with autumnal themes. Read on for three ‘Beyond the Bookcase’ autumnal edition reading recommendations!
Last month I had the great good fortune to be back in Scotland for my summer holidays. As you may know Scotland, along with Italy, are my two favourite places on Earth. I have a deep love and affinity for Scotland through both ancestral links on both sides of my family and an appreciation of the beauty of Scotland and it’s culture, people, and landscapes.
As the beginning of the academic year fast approaches students are once again thinking of what to wear to university. To those who are inclined to vintage inspired academic looks then looking back at what past female graduates wore might prove some inspiration for your sartorial choices for this coming academic year. Alas I am not attending a university at a red-brick university strewn with autumnal leaves but can live vicariously through others! One of my favourite clothing websites Miss. Patina even has a new section on their website inspired by Edwardian inspired academic looks! These looking Victorian, not Edwardian, ladies are the ‘Nine Graces’ the first nine ladies to graduate from any university in Ireland in 1884. If it wasn’t because of these women I would not be a 21st century female graduate!
On my most recent trip to Scotland (two trips in one year!) I finally got to visit Inveraray Castle. I had been to Inveraray twice previously and either the castle wasn’t open as it was out of season or I was passing on my way through to Glasgow. This time I was determined to visit the castle and it did not disappoint. Inveraray Castle is set on the breath-taking shores of Loch Fyne and is home to the Dukes of Argyll; head of the Clan Campbell. Inveraray Castle is one of the earliest built in the gothic revival style of the early eighteenth century with building on the castle starting in 1743.
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Pictured above is perhaps the most famous Irish designer of the twentieth century, Sybil Connolly. Famous for dressing Princess Grace of Monaco and Jackie Kennedy amongst a plethora of famous clients. Connolly made her mark in the 1950s and 1960s with her dresses made out linen, tweed, and wool and highly influenced by imagery of traditional Ireland of cottages, shawlie women, the rugged west of Ireland, and other associated images.
