Fashion fixes for less this winter

By Aoife Moriarty

As the days grow shorter and purse strings grow tighter, keeping up to date on this winter’s most sought after trends needn’t be a chore.  This winter’s trends are all about chunky luxury – from oversize cardigans to mittens and from fur coats to earmuffs, our wallets need not feel the chill. On the high-street and online, a host of straight-from-the-catwalk looks can be created for a fraction of the cost of the brand names.

Fur and faux-fur coats have been a fixture at all the runway shows this season, from Chanel to Versace. If you’re not prepared to spend the best part of a thousand euro, then on Grafton Street alone, the very same look can be achieved for far less. A-wear’s new line contains a number of faux fur coats in a number of lengths and different prints, ranging from solid block colours to the more ‘alternative’ animal prints. These coats have a price range of between €50 and €70.

Fairisle print has been seen in all the big brands this season, and is very in-keeping with the fast approaching Christmas season. Long, fitted cardigans and short-sleeved knitted dresses are a fashionable way of keeping spirits up in this increasingly bleak weather. The recent opening of the Flagship New Look store in the Jervis Centre may prove to be your best destination to find these items, in a host of different colours and styles in keeping with the trend, ranging in cost from €20 to €30.

If the weather is simply too bad to fathom venturing out into, then fear not, online shopping is fast becoming one of the most popular ways to achieve great style at low costs. ASOS has become a favorite site for many, offering very reasonable shipping costs, and a host of items that will easily keep your attention all day long. ASOS is particularly good for accessories, as not everyone is comfortable purchasing clothes online. From cable hooded scarves, to snug mittens and earmuffs, the site rarely fails to affordably spoil you for choice.

If it is chunky knits you are after, and if you are willing loosen the purse strings slightly, then Topshop is your best location to find the best quality pieces. Starting at around €50, a whole host of thick knitted cardigans and cable knit sweaters will be sure to keep you snug and warm in the long cold nights to come. If your budget can’t quite stretch to this, then Dunnes Stores Ladies wear line, and Savida line offer a more affordable option, with the range starting at €20 for a long line cable tunic, and scarcely surpassing €40 for a more substantial Baroque ‘Cardicoat’.

If high street shopping is not your thing, and you prefer to source your own unique items on a less commercial level, then George’s Street Arcade may be more your thing. The Arcade is host to a number of small unique shops and stalls which offer a host of fashions from wooly hats starting at about €5, to more niche knitwear, and one-of-a-kind pieces for a slightly higher price. If you can’t bear the thought of seeing someone else wearing the same outfit as you, then this is definitely the place for you.