My Lockdown Saviours: Yvonne Melinn

4 minute read

Yvonne Melinn is a mum of three and one of Ireland’s top fashion influencers with over 140,000 followers on Instagram @ystyleireland. Sites regularly sell out when Yvonne posts a discount code, and her fans rely on her virtual try-ons to get their fashion fix during lockdown. In between homeschooling, running her business and cooking delicious meals, Yvonne took time to share the things that are helping her survive Lockdown Three.

Almost one year into this experience, how are you doing?

Grand! It’s a totally bizarre time and this round of lockdown is the hardest, there’s no novelty to it anymore and no desire to buy one more item of loungewear. I wake up in the morning quite angry and have to simmer down. I mutter some grateful stuff to myself and heave the body out of bed.

What are the things that are helping to keep you upbeat at the moment?

It really is wine and food, even the walks have even taken a slide. I used to go daily, then twice a week and now it’s down to once a week. I am living for Friday’s and no homeschool and wine, cheese and couch!

Where’s your current favourite walk?

To Centra Post Office to do returns to Zara and leave with milk and wine. When the weather improves I’m sure I’ll have more pep in my step. It did take the first Lockdown for me to discover a fab walk down by the Liffey and Shackelton Mill which is really beautiful and I had never seen it in 42 years of living in Lucan. When we were in the first lockdown high of baking banana bread and the likes my husband Paul foraged some wild garlic and made pesto but that has not happened since. We were so enthusiastic back then. So young. So naïve.

What are you listening to?

Not podcasts – oddly enough. I’ve just never gotten into them. I should try harder because Paul is addicted to them, or addicted to having earpods in at ALL times. I listen to Jesse Ware, Birdy, Ray La Montagne and then some 80s power ballads. It’s a quality mix.

What are you reading?

I love reading. The last book was The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard, which was excellent! I read it in a few days. Now I am on Someone We Know by Shari Lapena. It’s grand and easy which is all my brain can take these days.

Are you a strictly loungewear lockdowner or are you getting dressed?

I am literally a ‘should I get out of my PJs today?’ lockdowner. When I do get dressed it is into activewear mostly – the old leggings and a hoodie combination. I have a few loungewear sets but it’s still a weird world to me, it’s like a step up from PJS but a step too far to leave the house in them. I feel safer in activewear than in my top to toe pink loungewear set. So basically, no, I am not getting dressed these days or wearing makeup. I am not sure who I even am anymore!

What are you doing for self-care?

I have said every single Monday morning since this all started that I’m gonna do some self-care tonight but then I get tired and cranky through the day and go upstairs and regret that we ripped out the bath so that the boys could have a shower. So I just get into bed with my book and think – my back is killing me I really need a better self-care plan. On Sundays, though I do try to wrap up the day earlier and just sit on the couch with fire, wine and a good book and that is a nice wind-down.

Is there an app that has helped get you through?

Zara? Seriously though I’m not the best with Apps, how do I even have this job! Just Eat is good for the old Chinese takeaway!

Give us your favourite Netflix recommendations.

I really like something that makes me cry laugh, that’s it! I loved The Wrong Missy, The Identity Thief, Just Friends. The bar is set quite low. I just need to laugh at the moment.

What total treat are you fantasising about when all this is over?

Italy! Just get me to Italy looking out over the sea with a gallon of rosé! We were meant to go there last year for our 20th wedding anniversary, so I am still dreaming of it! It is my favourite place in the world so just need to get back there to feel like this lockdown was all just a bad dream and wipe my brain of it all with intravenous rosé and cheese. Like a cleanse – a lockdown cleanse!