One baby, three autumn occasions: a cousin's christening, a family wedding and the autumn photo session. This analytical guide compares velour, lace and tulle for cool churches and warm function rooms, explains how to size baby dresses for the whole season, and shows how cost per wear changes what good value means.

Why do summer-weight white frills look out of place at an Irish autumn wedding? A children's fashion critic looks at the October flower girl, from low amber light and cool stone churches to castle steps and the afters. The verdict: deeper colourways, richer fabrics, proper sleeves and a layer chosen with as much care as the dress.

Autumn is birthday season in Ireland, from the first party of the new class to soft-play afternoons and hotel function-room celebrations. My jewel-tone edit of girls birthday dresses in cobalt, burgundy and emerald shows how to style velvet and sparkle tulle with long sleeves, opaque tights and ballet flats for birthday photos you will love.

Why do September and October deserve more than a summer frock with a cardigan thrown over it? Our fashion critic judges girls dresses for harvest festival, autumn christenings, family portraits and half-term visits piece by piece: sleeve length, fabric weight and the deeper colours of the season.

My autumn style edit for the tween junior bridesmaid at a September or October wedding: the jewel tones of the season, from cobalt and burgundy to emerald and deep red, plus why velvet and long sleeves work so well. You'll also find tips on tying her look into the bridal palette, styling for golden-hour photos at a country house or barn, and keeping it grown-up yet age-appropriate.

A christening in Meath and a pair of tights twelve centimetres too short in the body sent me back to the labels. This is an analytical guide to children's occasion legwear for the Irish turn of season: what denier and fibre content actually mean, why cuff depth and leg height decide whether socks stay up, and why age is the weakest size on the packet. It ends with a scored comparison of knee-highs, ankle socks and tights across the school return, the September wedding season and early-autumn christenings.

Late September holds the most common birthdays in England and Wales, so the new class brings a whole season of parties rather than a single event. This guide compares velvet, jersey and tulle birthday dresses for village-hall, soft-play and restaurant parties on warmth, movement, washability, sleeves and cost per wear.

With weekdays sorted by school uniform, a small rotation of occasion skirts can cover every smart weekend of the autumn term. Here is my simple formula of one skirt, one knit, opaque tights and closed shoes, an outfit table for ballet shows, Sunday lunch, theatre trips and October half-term, plus a checklist on room to grow, washability and mix-and-match.

An Irish occasion day swings about eight degrees between the drinks reception and the speeches, so I plan my daughter's layers hour by hour instead of hoping one outfit will do. This guide sets out which bolero, cardigan or coat suits which dress silhouette, how to keep the cover-up on her shoulders for the photographs, and what to pack for a day that starts in sunshine and ends in a cold church porch or a marquee.

A fashion critic takes the girls' hair accessory to the one judge that never flatters it: the camera. Why a bow that dazzles in the hand reads as clutter in a school portrait, what low September sun does to glitter, and how backlight in a church nave rewards outline over detail. It closes with a five-piece kit that earns its place this autumn.

September is peak wedding season in Ireland, and this autumn the smartest occasion outfit for a girl is not a party dress at all. I am styling blazer suits, skort sets and knit co-ords in berry, bottle green, chocolate and cream, with mini-me pairings and layering that survives a cold church and a warm hotel. Three real looks from our own September, plus the accessories worth packing.

September has quietly become the biggest wedding month in Britain, and the tailored two-piece set has become the answer to it. This autumn edit covers the colour story of the moment, chocolate, burgundy, beige and the pastel blazer, and shows how to mix a blazer, blouse and skort for an older girl who has firmly outgrown the frilly dress. Three real September occasions, one hard-working set, styled from a barn wedding through a harvest christening to a birthday party.

Autumn christenings and family photo sessions mean wet grass, polished church floors and feet that have grown since the summer wedding. This guide measures little girls' shoes in centimetres rather than guesswork, sets out which walking stage needs a soft sole and which needs a firmer patent style, and explains the September switch from sandals to closed, lined shoes. It ends with an honest cost-per-wear comparison across the price range.