@26 WeeksΞ It is lashing rain out my window while I work on this post. Since my last post was all about my lack out outerwear, this one shall be about nothing but outerwear and my good ole trench coat. Yes, you’ve seen it before here, here, here, here and here. And if you ever see me on the street, I’ll probably be in it. But it is the perfect coat for spring and for Dublin. Ever gal, pregnant or not, should invest in a great little trench!

Rainy days require a good umbrella, but if you live in a blustery city like Dublin there’s no need to invest heavily in an umbrella that’s just going to break or get lost. This plain €6 number does the trick. Whatever you use please, please, stop taking those giant golf umbrellas out to walk along the narrow and crowded city centre sidewalks. You will stay dry with a normal sized one and you’re less likely to poke an eye out!

Rant over. This umbrella has provided loads of entertainment thanks to the self ejecting button that flings the thing open with unnecessary force. It’s pretty funny if you’re amused easily like me.

Back to the outfit. I didn’t want to wear a scarf, so I buttoned up the coat and popped up the collar. I don’t often do this, but I think it’s pretty cute. There’s great detailing in this Gap trench with big wooden buttons and a crescent shaped piece that connects the collar. PS: I saw a few non maternity version on the sale rack at the Dundrum Gap last week.

And the final touch to a rainy day outfit is the footwear. Good wellies are a must. It’s nearing festival season, so I’m sure there will be lots of welly-talk to come. The ongoing battle of fashion over function rages. In my opinion, it is worth investing in a good pair of proper boots by a trusted brand like Hunters or Joules. Cheap wellies split (especially if you use your foot to pull them off at the heel). Luckily the good brands come in a lot of cute patterns and colours if you need a little perking up on rainy days. I got these  Joules wellies 2 years ago as a gift from my MIL and they’ve lasted through some tough treks in the Wicklow Mountains and mean streets of Dublin.

The new season of wellies from Joules are super cute. Check them out

♥♥All:: Dress: Gap, Pumps: Rocket Dog at Office ♥♥ 1:: Oatmeal drape cardigan: Penneys ♥ Maternity Tights: Berkshire at Mom’s the Word Palo Alto ♥ Harem Embellished Carnival Rings Necklace: Courtesy of Accessorize ♥♥ 2:: Gold Obi Belt: Instant Vintage, Bath ♥ Teal & Purple Beaded Necklace: Courtesy of Accessorize ♥ Leggings: Gap ♥♥ 3:: White Skinny Belt: Vintage, Dublin Flea ♥ Long Black Boyfriend Cardigan: Penneys♥ Tights: Berkshire♥ Bluebell Corsage Necklace: Courtesy of Accessorize ♥

@18 WeeksΞ Work wear

You’ve seen this amazing necklace before and I’ve worn it tons with dresses, tunics, jeans and tshirts. Even though it is pretty bold, it seems to blend seamlessly into my wardrobe. I’ve always worn it with really colourful outfits, but I think it really pops against the neutral black and oatmeal. If you’re still not ready to tell the entire world about your pregnancy, a great necklace like this will draw all attention up and away from the baby bump.

@18 WeeksΞ For a dinner party

These photos aren’t the best because I got dressed about five minutes before our guests arrived. That’s the best part about simple accessories that pack a big punch–you can look really pulled together without putting too much effort into it. Any type of wrap or tied belt is a must for expecting gals. You get the great look of wide, waisted belts but can adjust it to fit. I found a few weeks ago that elastic belts were starting too get a bit uncomfortable. As of the time of posting, this necklace isn’t available online, but the Tropical Soul Bead Necklace is a close alternative. Actually, I might have to get it!

@20 Weeks Ξ Lunch Date and Meetings Around Town

On this occasion, I was running around town to meetings and a lunch date, so I wanted to look professional and stand out a bit. The skinny belt and corsage necklace give the look mod feel. If I wasn’t crisscrossing the Liffey, I probably would have worn my knee high boots. I also wore a long black cardigan for the office, but it wasn’t that cute in the pics. I love that the corsage necklace falls just at the neckline. Even though I’ve worn this dress a lot, gals in the office thought it was new and that the rosettes were part of the dress.
If you haven’t seen this necklace around, you just haven’t been looking hard enough. It has turned up on a ton of blogs and magazine spreads lately. You can get yours online here.

NOTE: This post is not at all sponsored by Accessorize. They just sent me a bunch of stuff that I really, really like and think you’d like too.

For a festive mince pie and mulled wine party I decided to break out my two favourite new items from Accessorize, the Oversize Woven Clutch and the preppy pearl necklace. I’ve been in the market for a gold clutch for well over a year, but am very picky. This bag is perfect and I probably would have bought it if I’d seen it first! And the necklace is too cute. I adore little bows and pearls and thought the navy shift would be a perfect match. Since it is the holidays, I added some ruby red tights and added a longer strand of pearls to give it a little more glam.

On Saturday morning we were up early for a quick trip to Kildare Village for some last minute Christmas shopping. This was my first trip out there, and I’d heard it was a posh outlet mall so I thought I’d attempt to dress the part. The outfit really centred around the cute tea cup and spoon necklace from Accessorize. Isn’t it adorable. The hubby has taught me the art of a good cup of tea and I love all the Accessorize pendants, so it really is the perfect necklace for me! To play up the classy ladies who lunch look, I wore my thrifty €1 pin stripe dress with a cropped blazer and soft pink pashmina. Nice outfit, but one essential item was missing…a coat! It’s very cold to shop outside in the snow without a coat or socks.

Now, it was only a quick trip to Kildare Village so I may need to take a visit during a comfortably temperatured time period to make a full assessment…but I was slightly underwhelmed. There are some great shops that are either missing or slightly cheaper than the high street (Cath Kitson, Levis) but some places were priced the same as the high street. Guess I just drive too hard a bargain. My only purchase for me was a pair of necessary black earmuffs for €7.50 from Accessorize (note: grey, white or brown were €25, same as the high street) because after all my Christmas shopping, I am…

(Po Lauren, get it?)

♥ Circle Statement Necklace: Courtesy of Accessorize ♥ Blue Dress as Tunic: Tesco ♥ Black Cardigan: Dunnes ♥ Jeans: Wallace ♥ Boots: Jones ♥ Orange Resin Bangle: Aldo ♥

The first piece I had to test out from my Accessorize gift box was the amazing circle statement necklace. Holy cow this necklace is a show stopper. I’ve been wanting to buy a necklace like this for a while, but indecision plagues me all the time. This one is prefect and can easily dress up the simplest outfits. I pulled this together for a day at the office followed by a casual Christmas party. I thought the jewel tone blue dress brought out the orange and golds. You may remember the dress from here, I rolled it up at the waist to turn it into a shorter tunic over my now ubiquitous jeggings and really let the necklace be the centre of attention. Oh yeah, how do you like my new fringe?

]]> http://stylebynumbers.info/2009/12/accessorize-outfit-no-1/feed/ 0 http://stylebynumbers.info/2009/11/birthday-shoes/ http://stylebynumbers.info/2009/11/birthday-shoes/#comments Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:15:50 +0000 laurendare http://stylebynumbers.info/?p=722 Today I tried to go to M&S to take advantage of the penny bazaar, but instead got distracted in the shoe section. Behold, my new birthday shoes*

Footglove Leather Lace-Up Shoe Boot €60/£45

M&S Leopard Pointed Court Shoes (€20/£15)

*Every year I like to get myself a birthday present from myself, because if anyone knows how much I deserve a gift, it’s me! Plus I had some winnings from a wedding speech bet.

Leopard print shoes are totally self indulgent and wonderfully suited for this birthday girl. I have wanted booties for, like, ever but haven’t found any that are comfortable. The stack heels on these will work for when I’m at work. My husband is totally anti-booties, but I’ll convert him yet. Looking at the prices in Sterling, I wish I’d gone into M&S while I was up North.

PS: This is yet another reason why I won’t being q-ing up for the Jimmy Choos at H&M. €60 is about the maximum I want to spend on shoes. And if I do, I better be able to wear them a lot.

Chris and I celebrated our 3 yr wedding anniversary at the end of October, which happens to be the leather anniversary. I got the wonderful 14″ yellow satchel from Cambridge Satchels I hinted at earlier (thanks again to WIW for introducing these fantastic bags)

This bag is excellently constructed, bright and cheery, and big enough to hold all my unnecessary essentials (and it still has that great new-leather smell). Best of all, it has my initials embossed on it. This is the first item I’ve gotten with my new post-marital initials (I’m pretty proud of that D!)

Thank you!

]]> http://stylebynumbers.info/2009/11/after-all-these-years/feed/ 0 http://stylebynumbers.info/2009/10/da-bootie/ http://stylebynumbers.info/2009/10/da-bootie/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:20:49 +0000 laurendare http://stylebynumbers.info/?p=534 I really want a pair of black booties this year, but I’ve been having trouble finding just the right pair. I think these might just be perfect.

Shula Ankle Boots at Monsoon £65

Dear Husband,

As you may recall, the traditional 3rd anniversary present is leather. Perhaps this lovely satchel (as modeled on What I Wore) would make a delightful gift for your darling wife.

14″ yellow leather satchel by The Cambridge Satchel Company, £57.59

I can’t be trusted to not sling a bag across my shoulder, so I picked up the Patent City Tote Bag from M&S today for a mere €40 (or £29.50). It is roomy enough for any work files, books, water bottles and my favourite bento lunch box. The short handles won’t fit over my shoulder, so that’s a good thing. There’s also a cross body strap for when I’m in a bind (but to be honest, even cross straps are starting to hurt my 27yr old shoulders, oi!) I was on the fence about the patent, but I think it makes an otherwise staid work bag more fun–it will look as cute with jeans as with a business suit.

Photos of the bag in action to come.