Desire Lines: Luxury rental occasionwear designed in Ireland

Plus the colourful beach bag for seaside escapes

Check out this weeks highlights from the Weekend team

Sat, 27 Jun, 2026 - 01:00

SÓ by Rhoda McDonagh is a occasionwear label that caters to the rental market

The designer rental

Rhoda McDonagh, founder of Designer Room, has launched Ireland’s first occasionwear label designed exclusively for the rental market.

One of the first to introduce luxury dress rental to Ireland back in 2017, she has now designed and created SÓ by Rhoda, her own capsule collection built specifically for rental. The debut collection features eight black tie gowns crafted in Ireland using luxury fabrics sourced from Milan. Prices start from €200, including dry cleaning, while each piece has an estimated retail value of more than €1,100.

designerroom.ie

The organic cookware

Esk Mountain in Glengarriff came into the ownership of the Wood Lyndorff family in 2004, with husband and wife team Kurt and Sheena opening and running the hugely popular Ewe Experience. Today, their daughter, Kloe Wood Lyndorff, is custodian of the 270-acre site and has launched a nature restoration project that includes both a foraging trail and a nature trail.

The brand’s new cookware includes bowls and pestle-and-mortar sets, made from stones shaped over centuries by a stream running along the mountain’s eastern boundary. Pestle & Mortars, €90.00 each, are available for preorder online, each one completely unique.

eskmountain.com

The beach bag

Kipling’s new Naomi beach bag collection brings colourful capacity to seaside escapes. Carry your essentials with ease in one of the cheery new bags, which includes an extra pouch and signature Kipling monkey charm. Look out for the cute lifeguard ring bag charm that we love too.

The colourful collection comes in three block pastels and two striped options, €119.

eu.kipling.com

Executive Head Chef Eoghan O’Flynn at the Metropole Hotel. Picture: Brian Lougheed

The night out

Just in time for summer, the Metropole Hotel has launched a new Small Plates and Spritz menu, to be served in the recently renovated lobby.

Curated by executive head chef Eoghan O’Flynn, small plates, from chipotle barbecue pork belly to Glenmar seafood croquette, and Asian style chicken wings, will be available daily from 6pm to 9pm.

Guests can opt for two small plates and two spritzes or a charcuterie and cheese board and a bottle of house wine for €50. There will also be a live pianist every Friday and Saturday evening with a DJ on the first Saturday of every month.

themetropolehotel.ie

The new skincare buy

Irish skincare brand Pestle & Mortar has a new addition to their range — their Pore Reset Pads, €30, work as an exfoliating treatment to target visible pores, congestion, uneven texture and dullness.

Powered by a balanced triple-acid system of lactic, glycolic and salicylic acid, they combine to smooth the skin’s surface, support skin renewal and help dissolve congestion.

The aim? Smoother, clearer and more radiant skin without leaving the complexion feeling stripped.

pestleandmortar.com

The Yoga Picnic wellness festival will feature live cookery demos

The festival

Returning to the lakeside setting of Lilliput House in Westmeath on July 4, The Yoga Picnic wellness festival is introducing a new element for 2026 – the ‘Cook with Kia Kitchen’, featuring live cookery demos throughout the day from some of Ireland’s best-loved chefs, food creators and nutrition advocates.

Founded by friends, sisters and yoga teachers Alice Harrison, Mary Gardiner and Katy Harrison, The Yoga Picnic has grown from a small grassroots gathering into one with more than 100 experiences, including internationally renowned teachers Tara Judelle, Michael James Wong, Adam Husler and Hannah Barrett, alongside leading Irish practitioners in women’s health, reformer Pilates, breathwork, herbal medicine, nervous system regulation and holistic wellbeing. Tickets, €95.

theyogapicnic.com

The hayfever aid

With allergy season in full swing, we’ve been sniffing around (ahem) for anything that might help ease symptoms, and quercetin has cropped up more than once.

A naturally occurring flavonoid found in foods such as onions, apples and berries, some research suggests it may have antihistamine and anti- inflammatory properties.

Cork-based Somega’s liposomal quercetin provides 500mg per serving, and we’ve recently added it to our morning routine. €39.99, for 450ml (30 servings).