Colourful Jeans, Balenciaga Tempete Day Bag

My brightly coloured jeans get worn most of the year, but they are definitely used most frequently in spring. It's a great cheerful way to add some colour to an outfit. To kick off spring I started playing along with two style challenges on Instagram, and the bright jeans worked nicely.

What I wore:

Sunnies: Ray-Ban new Wayfarers (on sale)

Jacket: Bubblegum denim jacket

Scarf: navy bird print scarf
Tee: Atmos&Here oversized stripe tee
Jeans: Emerson red skinny jeans
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in white
Bracelets: the usual plus Cora purpleheart and mother of pearl watch C/O JORD
Bag: Balenciaga giant hardware Day bag in 2009 tempete

Why I wore it:

This was another one of those outfits that hit all the style prompts for the two style challenges. The prompts were 'thrifted and gifted' and 'it's for me'. Thrifted was achieved with the red jeans I scored in an opshop a while back, and gifted was this beautiful scarf my mum got me. I'm sad it will be worn less and less as the weather heats up, it's so cosy. Being jeans and a tee, it was simple and made me happy, so it met the 'it's for me' challenge too.

It actually ended up being such a warm day - when we were outside at playgroup I ditched the jacket and the scarf was taken off when I wasn't using it as a breastfeeding cover up.


Last worn: Ray-Ban Wayfarer, denim jacket, striped tee, bird print scarf, skinny jeans, Converse, Balenciaga tempete day bag.

Other ways to wear: denim jacket and a maxi dress, striped tee and a baby bump, bird print scarf and winter layers, skinny jeans and printed cami, Converse and a maxi skirt, Balenciaga tempete day bag and shorts.

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Where to buy colourful jeans for under $50:

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What I wore:

Jacket: Paper Scissors grey wrap cardigan

Scarf: blue Coach twilly tied in a bow
Necklace: Ruby Olive Softies Ava elephant pendant teething necklace
Tee: Atmos & Here Avery marle tee in navy (on sale!)
Jeans: Jeanswest blackberry super skinny jeans
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs silver tuxedo flats (on sale!)
Bracelets: the usual plus Cora purpleheart and mother of pearl watch C/O JORD
Bag: Balenciaga giant hardware Day bag in 2009 tempete

Why I wore it:

I found these purple jeans at last! I mentioned a while back that our partial packing up of things in preparation for moving house (that fell through) has made it difficult trying to find where all the non-maternity pieces in my wardrobe ended up. These jeans have been missing for such a long time, I last wore them a year ago. I'm pleased I've found them now. I like purple and blue together so wanted to try wearing the jeans with the navy tee, and I liked the combination. 

I hadn't been sure what would meet the style challenges of 'tried something new' and 'tie one on', when I saw this twilly from my bestie. I've worn twillies in my hair before, but never tied one into a bow like this. I'm not sure this is an everyday look for me, it kept annoying me as I couldn't wear my sunnies on my head like I usually do! But it was fun to try something new, one of the reasons I participate in style challenges.

Ran a few errands in the morning and had my family over in the afternoon, a nice simple jeans and tee outfit was perfect for that.


Last worn: Coach twilly, grey cardigan, navy marle tee, purple skinny jeans, silver ballet flats, Balenciaga tempete day bag (above).

Other ways to wear: Coach twilly on a bag, grey cardigan and chambray, navy marle tee and a maxi skirt, purple skinny jeans and black tank, silver ballet flats and a pencil skirt, Balenciaga tempete day bag in the office.

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Maxi Lengths and Balenciaga Bags

Every now and then I'll get a comment that someone who's short (but actually taller than me) wishes they could wear maxi lengths. You can! In some cases you might need to get things hemmed, or buy a petite length, but both the maxi skirt and dress I'm wearing below haven't been altered in any way to fit my petite 5"2 self.

A slightly more formal and more casual way to wear maxi lengths, both with Balenciaga bags.

What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest brown marle waterfall cardigan

Necklace: Silhoupette gold plated Shih Tzu necklace layered with Tai gold alphabet necklaces
Dress: MEV Havana maxi dress C/O Zibibo
Belt: Asos metal keeper skinny waist belt in bright blue
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs metallic mouse flats (on sale in black or silver!)
Bracelets: the usual plus silver charm bracelet
Bag: Balenciaga envelope clutch in 2012 mangue with giant 12 RGGH

Why I wore it:

I feel like I say this every time I wear this dress, but I loved this outfit. It is my favourite dress - even in pregnancy it never fails to make me feel good. Wore this to baby boy's dedication ceremony. It's like a christening, the baby wears a traditional gown but there's no baptising. You just thank God for the amazing miracle you have, welcome baby into the family and circle of friends and promise to tell them all about God. It was exciting having baby boy wear the same gown his brother did almost two years ago, it was my dedication gown too and it's been in the family for generations.

Wasn't sure if the weather was going to be as cold and rainy as predicted or not so added this cardigan. It was warm enough to take it off for the ceremony and the rain stayed away until later that afternoon thankfully.

I've worn a yellow bag with this dress before, it's a great combination. The style challenge for the day was 'lighter' so the bright colour and smaller size met the theme nicely. The clutch did spent most of the time in the baby bag though, as if I wasn't holding baby boy or toddler T or Cooper I had a camera in my hand taking pics.


Last worn: brown marle cardigan, cobalt belt, pink maxi dress, gold mouse flats, Balenciaga yellow envelope clutch.

Other ways to wear: brown cardigan and khaki tank, cobalt belt and boho dress, pink maxi dress at 39 weeks pregnant, gold mouse flats and skinny jeans, Balenciaga yellow envelope clutch and a lace dress.

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What I wore:

Sunnies: Ray-Ban new Wayfarers (on sale)

Scarf: Marc by Marc Jacobs mauve square scarf
Top: Dorothy Perkins 3/4 sleeve wrap top
Skirt: Target black and white striped maxi skirt
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in black
Bracelets: the usual plus Cora purpleheart and mother of pearl watch C/O JORD
Bag: Balenciaga giant hardware Day bag in 2009 tempete

Why I wore it:

A much more casual way to wear a maxi! This maxi skirt was an awesome buy when I was pregnant with toddler T. It stretched to accommodate two pregnancies (have to love an elastic waist!) and is still so comfy post baby. With this wrap top it was an easy breastfeeding outfit. Picked the purple scarf as I wanted a little something to keep my chest covered in the chilly morning after all the coughs and colds we've battled the past few weeks, and I really like blue and purple together. Ended up taking the scarf off in the afternoon as it got warmer.

Wore this for a relaxed day - went to view a house in the morning and then the in laws came over for dinner. The Converse and maxi skirt together met the 'kicks and skirt' Spring Fling style challenge prompt, and the black maxi skirt was perfect for the 'darker' theme of the TRMstyle challenge.


Last worn: Ray-Ban Wayfarer, purple scarf, blue wrap top, striped maxi skirt, Converse, Balenciaga day bag.

Other ways to wear: purple scarf and pink bag, blue wrap top and printed jeans, striped maxi skirt and skull scarf, Converse and flares, Balenciaga day bag and denim shorts.


Linking up with Friday Faves, Passion for Fashion, Hello Monday, Let It Shine, Shoe & Tell, Modest Monday, Monday Mode.

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Jeanswest Prima Skinny Jeans, Autumnal Tops and Balenciaga Tempete Day Bag

It's spring here in Brisbane so the weather is starting to warm up. I'm still finding myself wanting to wear my darker more autumnal colours - I tend to wear most colours year-round if the fabric is right. It's nice to be inspired by the style challenges I'm doing to add some little spring touches to my outfits with a denim jacket or kimono though, even if I didn't love both resulting outfits.

What I wore:

Sunnies: Ray-Ban new Wayfarers (on sale)

Jacket: Bubblegum denim jacket
Scarf: blue tartan scarf
Tee: Atmos&Here rolled sleeve oversized tee in wine (similar in black or grey)
Jeans: Jeanswest prima denim super skinny jeans in absolute black
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs black logo plaque ballet flats
Bracelets: the usual plus Cora purpleheart and mother of pearl watch C/O JORD
Bag: Balenciaga giant hardware Day bag in 2009 tempete

Why I wore it:

I wore this simple jeans and tee outfit for a busy morning. My plan was to take the boys out to a local book sale, get some groceries and come home and clean the house in preparation for having a friend over for dinner. Of course we were running late in the morning which put me behind for the rest of the day, but we did manage to score an entire cardboard box of books for $40 (which you might have seen on my instagram story) and my friend didn't mind being picked up a little late even though it was raining. One of those crazy hectic days where you have a relaxing evening and all your running about doesn't seem so stressful in the end.

The scarf was a bit of an afterthought as it was a little cooler, but I liked the way the colours looked against the burgundy tee. It worked for the 'in check' style challenge prompt on instagram. I picked the denim jacket as I'd wanted to wear it a few days before but didn't think it looked great with that outfit. I really liked it this time around, as the jeans are black denim I felt fine attempting the double denim look for the first time in a long time! Was perfect for the 'cuff stuff' style challenge theme too with the cuffed sleeves.


Last worn: Ray-Ban Wayfarer, denim jacket, blue tartan scarf, burgundy tee, black Prima skinny jeans, ballet flats, Balenciaga tempte day bag.

Other ways to wear: denim jacket and a maxi dress, tartan scarf and a graphic tee, burgundy tee and a maxi skirt, black Prima skinny jeans and boucle, ballet flats and a wrap dress, Balenciaga tempte day bag and printed kimono.

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What I wore:

Sunnies: Ray-Ban new Wayfarers (on sale)

Jacket: Cotton On 'Gemma' cocoon kimono in Laos blossom navy print
Tank: Target embroidered khaki tank
Jeans: Jeanswest Bindi skinny 7/8 jeans in indigo luxe
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in white
Bracelets: the usual plus Cora purpleheart and mother of pearl watch C/O JORD
Bag: Balenciaga giant hardware Day bag in 2009 tempete

Why I wore it:

This was another big day! We had brunch by the bay, toddler T's swim lesson and dinner at my parents. Which involved some cookie decorating with toddler T and was a lot of fun. Again, I shared a bit of this on instagram stories.

Just thinking about it now as I write this post I'm realising I've finally hit that point where I'm managing to squeeze multiple trips and events into my day. A milestone for having two under 3, one of those things that seems impossible in the newborn days. I'm feeling happy about juggling two style challenges again too, and managing to hit so many (although not all!) of the prompts.


I knew I wanted to wear this comfy tank. The style challenge of 'man style' was kind of met with my Converse Chucks. I wasn't sure what to wear to meet the 'floral fantasy' prompt of the other style challenge when I saw this kimono in my wardrobe. This is an outfit fail - it doesn't look great. Even the skinny prima jeans can't cancel out the oddness of the voluminous tank and kimono together, it's not a combination I'll be repeating again. Despite that, I was happy wearing it. It felt super comfortable to wear and I really liked the navy and khaki colour combination!


Last worn: Ray-Ban Wayfarers (above), navy cocoon kimono, khaki embroidered tank, Prima denim jeans, Converse, Balenciaga tempte day bag (above).

Other ways to wear: navy cocoon kimono and denim shorts, khaki embroidered tank and flares, Prima denim jeans and tall boots, Converse and a chambray skirt, Balenciaga tempte day bag and a printed maxi dress.


Linking up with Thursday Moda, Fashion Files, Fun Fashion, On the Edge, Weekend Wear, Flashback Fashion.

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