OOTD: mini edition

So one of my resolutions for 2015 was to write more posts. It's been agreed amoung the 3 of us for ages that we should all be doing outfit posts, as we all have our own distinct styles, and frankly, we should be proud of them!

But here's the thing. I have a 3 month old baby. Aside from her taking up a lot of my 'getting ready' time, I also don't actually fit an awful lot of my clothes right now. I do indeed try to still look remotely like myself when I get dressed, and sometimes I look very nice, if I do say so myself. Today was not one of those days. While I went out in quite a cool casual outfit, my hair was a mess and the only makeup I managed was some foundation that I slathered on like sunscreen. But guess what? My daughter Georgie looked super cool! So I decided to make her the star of today's outfit post. 

Look, this might seem a bit lame, judge me if you want to. But frankly, she has cuter clothes than me right now, and she spends most of her time in public tucked under a blanket, so I'm gonna show her off. Plus, clashing two monochrome prints is a key look this season, as is sportswear...So there!

Long sleeve tee- f&f at Tesco

Varsity jacket- f&f at Tesco

Leggings- Bonds, handed down from her friend Isla(thank you Isla).

Booties- Converse from Lifestyle Sports

Dribble bib- Penneys

- Emily

Lammily The 'Normal Barbie'

Meet Lammily the 'Normal Barbie'. This chick has been popping up everywhere today and for some reason she bothers me. The designer (a guy might I add) is said to be frustrated with Barbie's frighteningly disproportionate body and therefore has created a 'realistic' doll. With this new doll, you can buy an add on pack which includes acne, cellulite, tattoos, grass stains and stretch marks.

I can't speak for anyone else, but when I used to play with my Barbies, I'd say I was about five or six, and I wouldn't have even been aware of what these things are and why should I at such a young age?

Dolls are supposed to be fun. I never saw Barbie as a role model, she was just a toy I'd play with and I'm sure my friends and sisters were the same. My Barbies used to date Ghost Busters so what, should I now be looking for a man who hunts down ghosts because that's what Barbie did?

I think some people need to have a think before bashing Barbie and maybe take a look at social media, reality shows, movies, music videos and magazines.

Overall, I just don't think we can blame a doll for any issues we might have with our bodies and the choices we make in life. It comes down to you as a person and the people that come and go along your journey.

Being Pregnant- the 28 week edition.

This week I reached a milestone- I am 28 weeks pregnant! On paper, the reason this is a milestone is because it means I am entering the 3rd trimester. But what does that even mean? Basically to me, it's the time that shit gets real. In 12 weeks (give or take!!) all going well, my husband and I will be bringing a real life baby home from hospital. Apparently that's what all this pregnancy lark is leading up to. A baby. From inside of me. It's crazy man!

In the meantime, I have to get on with the everyday stuff- like getting dressed in the morning. Some days I find this easier than others, I'm not going to lie. You see, your size genuinely does fluctuate from day to day- bloating, fluids and other fun things can all affect the way you look and feel. On top of days when you genuinely do fluctuate, you also have your bog-standard fat days, which may or may not have anything to do with anything that is physically going on. And on top of those days you have days where your feelings about yourself are a direct reflection of comments made by those around you- be they friends or strangers. I have some examples:

The not-so-complimentary...
(after touching my belly without asking) 'Your belly is so soft, it's like jelly. When my friend was pregnant her belly was like a rock, but yours is wobbly like jelly'
'How long have you got to go? 3 months??! Are you sure it isn't twins'
'You're only 28 weeks? You're HUGE. I know someone who is 35 weeks and she is VERY neat.'
And the complimentary...
'You look beautiful in that dress, your bump is very cute'
'You have really embraced your new shape'

You can see how one could take such comments on board. It's true to say that there are definitely more positive comments than negative, and I have been particularly encouraged by the lovely comments from strangers and customers where I work. That said, if you are in the wrong mood, one negative comment can instantly overrule 5 positive ones, although most of the time, I really think the 'negative' people just have no idea what they are saying- so it would be silly to take their comments to heart. Think before you speak people!!
So what can make you feel better about your blossoming body? Well I'm not claiming to be an expert, especially as this is only my first pregnancy and I still have 12 weeks to go. I am claiming to be incredibly moody, often insecure about my looks/body, and fussy about what I will and won't wear. Thus, I am in a pretty good position to give advice. Now, you will see, that not all of these tips are strictly fashion-related, but they are super important when it comes to looking good. Feeling good is looking good and all that jazz!

- First and foremost, you need to be comfortable, both physically (obviously) and within yourself, that is, you need to feel like yourself in what you are wearing. For me, that has been the hardest part- I can find clothes that fit me, but finding clothes that fit as well as suiting my individual style has been more of a struggle.
- Comfortable shoes. I can't emphasise these enough, they are very important. You can be bought pretty much to tears by sore legs and feet, so this is not the time to be a slave to footwear fashion- although there are certainly some great non-fugly comfortable shoe options out there.
- Clothing specifically designed for a bump. Yes, theres loads of lovely non-maternity wear out there that is great to invest in and that works really well, but I definitely find that when I am wearing even a basic singlet/vest that is designed to hug a bump, it is usually a lot more flattering.
- A form of exercise that you can actually keep up and enjoy throughout your pregnancy. For me, I started out with some low-impact dance classes. Now, my legs and feet are getting way too sore for that, so I have switched solely to swimming and walking (I can only walk on my days off though, my feet get enough pain at work!). I'll be honest, I don't go as often as I should, but when I do exercise it does indeed make me feel good. Plus, apparently women who exercise have shorter labours, and perhaps unsurprisingly find it easier to shift post-baby weight.

Now for the fun part- the clothes! Here are a few (mostly inexpensive) basics that will get you through:

 

Surprised as I was, the first things I found I needed were tights (stockings) and leggings. You'd think, because they are stretchy items that regular fit ones would be fine, but I found them really uncomfortable and unflattering. The maternity fit type come right up over your growing tummy without digging in, making it look rounder and feel more comfortable. I did my research and ended up getting tights on Asos- I've found them really comfy and they have a rubbery edge on the top of them that helps them stay up. Invest in one of the packs of 3 to get the best price. I have bought all of my leggings from Penneys/Primark- but purely because you can't beat the pricetag. The fit on these is atrocious! I am normally a size 12 so that's the size I got when I first bought them. I have since returned for smaller and smaller sizes until I settled on size 6 or 8, the smallest size I can get my hands on! So when I say that the fit is atrocious, I mean that while I am happy with the smaller sizes, if you normally take a 6 or 8 then you are screwed and I wouldn't recommend these. If you can deal with the sizing issues, they are an absolute bargain at only €6 a pair. New Look and H&M also offer reasonably priced maternity leggings, so you could always give them a go.

asos maternity tights 50 denier with supportive band, 3 pack €28.57
www.asos.com

Penney's/Primark Leggings, available at selected stores, €6

Jeans are obviously another really important purchase and an essential part of any maternity wardrobe. You can get away with adding an elastic extension to the button of your regular jeans for a while, but you eventually have to give in- and when you do, you will be all the more comfortable for it. One of the reasons jeans are so important, is because you will probably be able to get away with regular, non-maternity tops for quite a while, but you're going to need something to wear those with. If you are going to be expecting in the warmer months, a pair of denim shorts are a great investment too. I got these shorts from Topshop and was so glad I did. I didn't think they were worth investing in, but we had a particularly good summer and I definitely got great wear out of them. Because they only have the elasticated sides, they won't do you all the way until the end of your pregnancy, but you should still get good mileage out of them. The other thing to get in Topshop is a pair of Leigh jeans. Read the online reviews, and you will find that there are loads of comments about how these are the most comfortable maternity jeans around. I personally found them hard to get used to, as I am used to high waisted jeans- I am constantly pulling them up, but that's mostly because I'm not used to the low waist. I also ended up going down a size in the darker coloured pair (pictured), as the size 12 I got stretched way too much, but I am happy with the size 10.

Topshop Maternity Moto Denim 'Rosa' Shorts
£28.00 (topshop.com)

Topshop Maternity Leigh indigo jeans
£38.00 (topshop.com)

 I also got a couple of pairs of jeans from Penneys (before I invested other jeans) because I figured, for the price, they were worth a try! Plus I have quite a few pairs of their regular fit skinny jeans and have no problems with them. As with the Leigh's, these were fine once I went down a size. I do find they tend to want to fall down, but if you just pop a belt on under your bump, you will be good to go. But I really only wear these casually, or when my other jeans are in the wash! Lastly, I got an over-the-bump pair from H&M. These are my absolute favourite jeans in terms of the look. I find them the most flattering on my bump and I like the fit in the leg. I also love the over bump, as like I said, I would usually wear high waisted jeans. The only down side is, because they are more 'true' denim, they lack the stretch of the other jeans I've mentioned so they are harder to move around in. However, H&M also make a cheaper, more stretchy style that is more similar to Topshop's Leigh, if that's more your thing, but I found them less flattering when tried on.

Penney's/Primark Maternity Jeans- available from selected stores, €15.00 (yes, super cheap indeed!!)

H&M 'Mama' Slim jeans, €39.99

The basics. I have found, again, that Topshop, Penney's and New Look have provided me with the best basic tops, and it kind of feels like you can't have too many of these. The Topshop basic jersey pocket tee in the regular fit did the job for the first few months, and now the maternity fit is perfect on. Again though, I would recommend going down a size, unless you are lucky enough to have giant bazoonga's as a pregnancy side-effect (or just generally!). I got a couple of basic singlets/vests from Penney's in basic plain black and plain white (the only colours they offer in the Galway store) and I have found them great on their own or for layering under more flimsy tops. They were super cheap too at only €4. One of my favourite tops is a basic black and white striped vest/singlet from New Look that was only €7.99. There is something really cute about stripes on a bump! I always feel nice when I wear this top, especially with my H&M jeans.

3 pack Maternity Vests, €17.99, New look(newlook.com)

Topshop Maternity Stripe Raglan Tee,
£16.00 (topshop.com)

Topshop Maternity Washed Pocket Tee,
SALE PRICE £5.00 (topshop.com)

The next thing you should do, is try on items in your existing wardrobe, as regularly as you have time for- maybe about once a month. Pack the things away in storage that are just going nowhere near you- there's no point in having these items staring you in the face everyday, making you feel depressed that you can't wear them. Plus, you might discover things that look great when you weren't expecting them to. Shift dresses are perfect, and will do you for months- they may get shorter as your bump gets bigger, but that's when you can wear them over leggings like a tunic. You may even have some more fitted dresses that you don't normally find flattering on your tummy, that you can now wear with pride by showing off your bump! Here are some lovely non-maternity options that, especially if you go up a size or two, will still see you through quite a few months, if not your whole pregnancy.

Split-side chiffon tee, £34.00,
Topshop(topshop.com)

Shift dress, €22.00, boohoo.com

Pretty broderie sundress,
SALE PRICE £20.00, Topshop(topshop.com)

Shift dress, €22.00, boohoo.com

And here is my last hot tip! You won't look your best if you don't get a good nights sleep. One of the first things I wanted to buy was a special pregnancy support pillow- one of the amazing long ones that you hug- and seem to even spoon you back a little! Well I went into mothercare all excited and left exasperated. The cheapest one was €40! I promptly walked to Penney's and bought 4 cheap, regular pillows and positioned them around me at night. These were fine, but I managed to go up a notch on a recent trip to Ikea. I found a large V-shaped pillow for €8. It's quite long and quite soft, so its easy to manipulate the shape and get it into a comfortable position. Like I said, a good nights sleep could really be the key to looking good during your pregnancy, so buy one asap! Sweet dreams! -Emily

V-Pillow, Ikea, €8.00

Ladies day x 2

Two Thursday's in a row, two wonderful days out! Sinéad and I attended both Ladies Day at the Galway Races and Ladies Day at the Dublin Horse show in this past week or so. Both days were thoroughly enjoyable, and if you ever get the chance to attend either day I would highly recommend it.

Let's start with Galway, which took place on Thursday July 31st. We attended with our friend Leanne and had the most amazing day- honestly, we met so many lovely people and found the atmosphere infectious. We had spent months thinking about and planning our outfits and it was great to see everything come together so nicely (if I do say so myself!).

We started the day with a visit to our friend Robin (jewelstuddedgrunge.blogspot.com) to get our makeup done. To my knowledge, Robin doesn't have any makeup training, but she's awesome- she has quite a natural talent and a passion for makeup artistry, and it's always nice to feel pampered. We paid her in croissants and coffee & she did a great job- it was a long day & we hardly had to touch up at all! Apparently we can thank MAC Studio Finish foundation for that (we were both so impressed with it we invested in some!).

We were aiming to be sensible and be at Ballybrit for Best Dressed judging at 12... but that didn't happen. You see, to be considered for Best Dressed Lady, you just sort of have to hang out near the VIP tent and wait to be chosen. Everyone checks each other out, random people take your photo without asking- it's all a bit weird to be honest! Anyway we made it out there for 1:15 or so, and didn't spot a single judge which was disappointing- it would seem judging was all over quite early. But while we were mingling we chatted to some lovely and well, quite complimentary people!

First we met Ellen from Fab Fillies (www.fabfillies.com) based in cork- she loved our outfits and I felt very proud that she really loved the hats I made us. She took these pictures of us for her Twitter/Facebook:

Next we were talking to stylist Fiona Hayes (www.fhstyle.ie) who was writing a blog post about maternity style. She was super nice to chat to, and also pregnant herself. She was impressed with the colours I went for & that even though I am pregnant, I didn't go for the wallflower look (that certainly wouldn't be me!!). You can read her blog post here: http://www.fhstyle.ie/2014/08/nothing-knocked-up-about-the-style-at-the-galway-races/

Myself and Fiona working our bumps in bright hues!

While waiting to see who took out the Best Dressed awards, we also got talking to milliner David Ballantine and his lovely friends. Again they were all so complimentary and friendly, they really added to the atmosphere of the day. Born in New Zealand, raised in Australia and now based in Carrick-On-Shannon, he specialises in wire work and lace. His silk abaca creation certainly caught the attention of loads of photographers & his work currently features on the cover of Galway Now magazine.

Dramatic Silk Abaca creation my David Ballantine 

The winners were announced at around 3, with Helen Murphy from Cork taking the Best Dressed Lady crown, Paula Clancy from Galway winning best hat in an Edel Ramberg design, and Emer Nash from Limerick and taking home the 'Wear Irish' award. If I'm honest, I was quite underwhelmed by the best dressed lady. She looked beautiful, there's no denying that, and very elegant, but I personally feel she lacked that extra something- the X-factor if you will. But look, she was a completely inoffensive winner, and I have met quite a few people who absolutely loved her look! To each their own and all that...

L-R: Best Hat Paula Clancy, Best Dressed Helen Murphy
and Wear Irish Emer Nash.

Best Dressed Lady Helen Murphy.

Stylist Lisa Fitzpatrick (centre) was the main judge on the day. Enough said?

After the winners were announced, we ventured off to have a bet & eat some pizza, but found the crowd to be a little young & rowdy for us- so retreated back to the champagne tent shortly after. It was still quite busy there, even after the last race, but a welcome retreat from drunk teenagers in bodycon dresses and too high heels. After consuming over-priced drinks in the tent, we headed to The G Hotel for their annual best hat competition. I have always wanted to go to the event, and this year I finally made it! And god was it worth it! Loads more lovely people to chat to, great music, and of course, the best hat competition. Check out the pictures below (courtesy of @theghotel on twitter) of ourselves and others in attendance- the style was, well, fabulous!

We mingled in the crowd for a while, chatting and drinking lovely wine, cocktails and...sparkling water, while the judges searched for their 'Best Hat' finalists. We were absolutely thrilled and proud when Sinéad was selected! Don't we look happy?!

I guess you could say we were quietly confident. If the vibe from the room was anything to go by, people loved her hat! But I know from experience that doesn't necessarily mean anything to the judges, so we definitely weren't expecting a win. You can see from all the pictures of those in attendance that there were so many beautiful hats, on so many beautiful people! All of the finalists were called to introduce themselves and explain who their hat was by. I don't know exactly how many people were chosen but we guessed at least 30. Allow the following photographs to set the scene...

 

I tried to get a photo but this is as close as I could get...

We were sent away and the judges, Image Magazine Editor in Chief, Melanie Morris, Trionna Gannon from the g, and Triona McCarthy, Beauty Editor with the Sunday Independent, spent some time making up their minds deciding who would win a bespoke Philip Treacy creation! Finally the time came to announce the winner- and the three of us squealed with excitement when we heard Sinead's name! She had her very own Miss Universe moment when they removed her hat and replaced it with her prize by Mr Treacy- it was amazing! Unfortunately I haven't got a great photo of this yet- I just wasn't close enough, but we will share them when they are released by Image Magazine or The G.

  

 

I'm not gonna lie, after all of this, I was pretty damn tired. It had been a very long day! But we had to celebrate didn't we? So the girls got some champers and I played pretend with more sparkling water! We let our hair down by taking our hats off and relaxed on one of the beautiful couches at the hotel. We were just so excited and I couldn't bring myself to call it a night too early! To say I was proud would be an understatement and I am just so thankful to Sinead for doing my design justice- the effort she put into her outfit, her poise and her general attitude surely helped us get the win, so I think we're going to share that winning hat, fair and square!

 

Celebratory champers!

The prize!

Ok, so I know this post is getting pretty long now, so I will keep the details of the Horse Show to a minimum! Basically we decided to go at the last minute- we caught the bug in Galway and decided to go and play with the big kids in Dublin. We wore the exact same outfits so we didn't have to prepare too much and we did our own makeup this time, for which we were both very proud of ourselves!

The day itself was much more organised than in Galway, although we were struck by just how segregated the 'horse' people were from the 'ladies day' people. To get to the Blossom Hill stage where they were doing the judging, we had to walk through a section of stalls full of horse merchandise. We absolutely stood out like sore thumbs. It was insane! Then we crossed some kind of threshold and all of a sudden, we were home!

I try to blend in with the horsey people. Despite similar hair, they weren't buying it.

When we got there we were directed to sign in and line up to get our picture taken. Our pictures were printed and attached to our sign up sheets and we joined another queue. It turns out, the queue lead to the stage, where judges Brendan Courtney and Angela Scanlon were interviewing entrants...every, single, entrant. All 625 of us. Personally I think that's a little nuts, for everyone involved- especially the two of them! Anyway, we took our turns on stage, had our photos taken a bunch of times, got interviewed for SHEmazing TV and RTE ten, and again, chatted to loads of lovely people. Plus, the people watching was EPIC!

Sinead being interviewed for RTE ten...

...and being interviewed for SHEmazing TV.

 



My interview with SHEmazing TV



Unfortunately we were in a bit of a hurry to get back to Galway, but we hung around long enough see who had been selected as finalists. While I guess we were a little disappointed that we hadn't made the cut, we definitely weren't deflated. As in Galway, random people kept coming up to us just to tell us how nice we looked, and we thoroughly enjoyed the people watching! Here are the winners though, in all of the categories: 

Carol Kennelly: Best Dressed Lady. Carol is a well-known milliner from Tralee, and a veteran of the Ladies Day Circuit. Basically, Carol is super glam and knows exactly what she is doing so its not surprising she took the title on the day.

Aoibheen McGonagle: Most Colourful Outfit.

Belle Phipps (is that really her name? is she from 'Made in Chelsea'?!): Most Creative Hat

Danielle Gingell: Elegance is an Attitude. According to news articles, this lady is from Co. Mayo. I heard her speak and she sounded like an English Marilyn Monroe, not a bogger. I imagine that's obvious by looking at her.

Lisa Regan: Highly Commended Outfit

Maurice Keough: Best Dressed Man. The prize for Best Dressed man was worth like €5000, so Sinead and I are thinking we can convince Fergal and John to enter next year. We figure they can just pretend they are going to a fancy dress party that makes fun of posh people.

All in all we had a fantastic day at the Horse Show in Dublin for Ladies day! I am so glad we went and would recommend anyone who loves Fashion to attend next year. I would love to go along again myself, if I can arrange a babysitter- or maybe even pack a picnic and bring baby O'Regan in a hat of her own!  All I can say is, watch out ladies, next racing season, Sinéad and I are coming for you, and this time we will be even better prepared!!

- Emily x