SAHM Style: Maxi Skirts and Cardigans - Cosy and Comfy

Just in case you missed it, Beth from Almost Posh and I had a chat to a newspaper about #noBuyJuly15. You can see the article online here. It has lots of great tips about reducing impulse buys, saving, and trying to spend more mindfully.


And now, what I've been wearing. I felt like I'd been wearing my skinny jeans a lot this winter, so I made more of an effort to wear my maxi skirts and get out of the denim rut. These two outfits were perfect for the days we had lined up with friends visiting from overseas. Maxi skirts and cardigans are such a cosy and comfortable combination.

What I wore:

Cardigan: Jeanswest Dana drape knit cardi in boysenberry

Necklace: Roie Designs long freshwater pearl necklace with tassel
Tee: Jeanswest 'Lucy' colour block tee in grey marle/rosebud
Skirt: Izabel London Aztec print maxi skirt (C/O)
Shoes: Ikwetta 'Circles of life' sandals (C/O)
Bag: Marc By Marc Jacobs Classic Q Fran bag with gold hardware in carob brown

Why I wore it:

Apologies for the bin in the background of this shot! I was in a bit of a rush that morning. We were up early to travel down to NSW with our friends, and visit some great beaches and points of interest along the way. I was excited to wear my new Ikwetta sandals too! They are so pretty and perfect for the beach. You can see a better pic of my colourblock tee here when I was on a beach with baby, it's got a pink panel on the back. I have to say baby T coped so well with all the travel, it was a big day for him. I usually like to be home for his afternoon nap (he's down to just one nap a day) but he was still happy and smiley despite not really getting a big nap.

The only time I didn't like this outfit was when we were in Surfers Paradise at sunset. While it was gorgeous, no more sun to heat me up and walking along the markets right by the breezy beachfront made me wish I'd worn different shoes. They were okay during the day, just wanted something closed in as the temperatures dipped at night. The cosy cardi didn't keep my feet warm! The hot chocolate for the drive home helped a little though ;)



Last worn: purple cardi, colour block tee, printed maxi skirt,, Marc by Marc Jacobs Fran bag. First time I've worn the sandals.

Other ways to wear: purple cardi and a tiny newborn baby, first time I wore this colour block tee, printed maxi skirt with grey and black, Marc by Marc Jacobs Fran bag at 40 weeks pregnant.

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More maxi skirts and cardigans:

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What I wore:

Cardi: Izabel London striped waterfall cardigan (C/O)

Necklace: House of Harlow sunburst necklace in silver and grey
Tee: Zalora Basics maroon stepped t-shirt
Skirt: Target grey marle maxi skirt
Shoes: RMK Chester black ankle boots
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff mini quilted affair bag in fire engine red (on sale in pink and on sale in black)

Why I wore it:

I don't know what my hair was doing this day either! Had to get ready in a rush as didn't want to be late - we went to farewell our friends at the airport. We had coffee together and then after they flew away baby T and I went out for lunch with my mum.

As above, a maxi skirt and cardigan seemed like a comfortable and cosy option - although ankle boots this time to keep my feet warm!

As it's the second time I've worn this tee (and I'm trying to wear and review everything I buy twice in a month after buying), my purchase review:
I am glad I bought this tee. It had been hanging around in my cart at The Iconic for a while when it was on sale, and as I had an extra discount code off sale items and I was buying some boots too it was a good time to purchase.
I mentioned when I did my June monthly purchase wrap-up that I still had tops from the previous month that I hadn't worn. As a result, I returned all the tops from my June Jeanswest order, but kept this one. Partly as it was only a couple of dollars and partly because I really like it! It's got a high-low hem so it's just a little different from a normal tee, but still just as comfortable and easy to wear. It also fills my wardrobe gap, being a plain block-colour top. I definitely don't regret purchasing this at all, and it was easy to wear this twice in a month. Unlike the shirt I bought in May that I still haven't worn yet....

#noBuyJuly15 challenge was definitely needed, as I'm not managing to wear everything I buy before buying new things!


Last worn: striped cardigan, red tee, grey maxi skirt, black ankle boots, Rebecca Minkoff mini affair bag.

Other ways to wear: striped cardigan and red tee together with jeans, grey maxi skirt with floral cami in spring, black ankle boots in the office, Rebecca Minkoff mini affair bag with printed maxi skirt.

Linking up with Pleated Poppy, Style Me Weekly, Cappuccino and Fashion, Oh Hey Girl, Style Me Wednesday, Wednesday Pants, Trendy Wednesday Fashion Files, Thursday Favourites, Throwback Thursday, Fun Fashion Friday, Weekend Link Up today.

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Corporate Style: Printed Pencil Skirts, Trench Coats and Scarves

It's starting to get really cold in the morning taking outfit pictures! Brisbane's winter has reached its single digit temperatures so it's at the coldest point. My trench coats have been getting a lot of wear, being the biggest jackets I have.

Around this time last year I wore a lot less as I wasn't commuting early in the morning and facing the cold temperatures. I had the luxury of being able to nap when baby did in the morning and only venture out with my tiny newborn in the heat of the day, or even staying inside all day and having people come visit us cosy at home. The middle of the night feeds were freezing, but walking around with a doona wrapped around your shoulders is acceptable when the only face you will see is a hungry baby. A trench coat is a poor alternative, although much more socially acceptable for a commute!

What I wore:

Jacket: Barkins beige trench coat 

Scarf: Alexander McQueen modal skull scarf in white/pink (on sale!)
Top: Asos crochet shell top in cream
Skirt: Cotton On 'Mica' mesh spot skirt in dusty pink
Shoes: Wittner 'Bloomy' black heels
Bag: Marc By Marc Jacobs Classic Q Fran bag with gold hardware in carob brown

Why I wore it:

It's been such a long time since I last wore this jumper, almost 2 years ago! I used to wear it a lot in the early days of the blog (with all my headless blogging pics). I realised the other day I haven't worn my jumpers often this winter, so this one was the first one I picked out to try wear more. Although it hasn't been worn in a very long time, I'm keeping it as I liked it in this outfit and I have more ideas for other ways to wear it in future.


Last worn: beige trench, pink skull scarf, crochet knit jumper, polka dot pencil skirt, ankle strap heels, Marc by Marc Jacobs Fran bag.

Other ways to wear: trench with a printed dress, skull scarf and shorts in summer, jumper layered over a dress, polka dot pencil skirt with polka dot top, ankle strap heels with a printed dress and bare legs, 40 weeks pregnant with Marc by Marc Jacobs Fran bag.

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Trench coats and pencil skirts:

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What I wore:

Jacket: Temt black trench coat 

Scarf: Cotton On turquoise pashmina
Necklace: Tai gold alphabet necklace
Top: Jeanswest Elise longline emroidered shirt coconut blue
Skirt: Asos blue textured lace pencil skirt
Shoes: Walnut Melbourne 'Ava' black lizard ballet flats
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff medium MAB tote in moon navy

Why I wore it:

I really liked this outfit, but hate the photos as I think the scarf looks silly! I looped it around like I normally do after the photos. I wore it this way just to try show off the detail on the top. I know this skirt looks better with heels than flats too, but my knee needed a bit of a break from heels as I knew I had a lot of walking to do that day.

Had been wanting to wear this shirt to the office with this skirt for a while, and I stumbled across a little week-long style challenge on instagram that called for a white shirt. I don't have a white shirt (hate ironing shirts and too clumsy for white) so I figured this white tunic was close enough. So even with the weird looking scarf placement and the stumpy legs the skirt and flats combination gave me, I was really happy in this all day.

That's one of the good things about sharing every outfit I have time to photograph - it means even if the photo is terrible, I still have a record of how great I felt in an outfit to help me on those 'I don't know what to wear' days. I search the blog every now and then when I'm staring at my wardrobe trying to think of what to wear! I'm never going to have perfect photos, and I'm never going to have perfect outfits. I'm happy with that, and I'm happy to have you reading along too. Life doesn't have to be perfectly posed and styled all the time - it never is behind the scenes.


Last worn: black trench, turquoise pashmina, embroidered tunic, blue lace pencil skirt, black ballet flats, Rebecca Minkoff MAB tote.

Other ways to wear: black trench with skinny jeans, turquoise scarf and purple jeans, embroidered tunic with flares, casual summer outfit with lace pencil skirt, black ballet flats with skinny jeans, Rebecca Minkoff MAB tote with more printed pencil skirts.

Linking up with Modest Monday, Mix It Monday, Style to Inspire, Manic Monday, Turning Heads, On Trend Tuesday, Style Sessions, Real Mom Style, Confident Twosday, Reasons To Dress, Wardrobe Wednesday, Trendy Wednesday today.

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SAHM Style: Maxi Skirts in Winter ~ Adding Some Colour

These pictures were taken earlier in June, before the 'Antarctic Vortex' hit Australia. No chance of going jacket-less now, ha! I'm just a little behind with blogging, so these are some different ways I've worn maxi skirts in winter with slightly more normal Queensland temperatures! I'd been feeling a little like I'd been neglecting my maxi skirts lately so I made more of an effort to wear them.

First, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is now open to the public! I mentioned it when it was open to card holders last week so you could add some things to your wishlist ready to purchase. Wanted to share the sale with you now it's open to everyone, even though I'm doing #noBuyJuly15 and won't be buying.
Don't let my shopping ban stop you from picking up some bargains! Unless of course you are also doing #noBuyJuly15, in which case don't click on the links, think of how much you're saving by skipping the sale instead.

What I wore:

Sunnies: Rayban new Wayfarers (on sale!)

Scarf:  Seed Heritage Paisley print snood (on sale!)
Jumper: thrifted blue Mossman knit jumper
Skirt: Target black and white striped maxi skirt
Shoes: RMK Chester black ankle boots
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff mini quilted affair bag in fire engine red (on sale in pink and on sale in black)

Why I wore it:

I was actually quite cosy in this outfit - good for a quiet Sunday doing some shopping. We had a big night the evening before with friends so a relaxing day was welcome! Did a little bit of print mixing with the paisley snood and the striped maxi skirt, and I thought the bright colours of the bag and jumper worked well together.

It's the second time I've worn both the jumper and the handbag, so I'll be doing purchase reviews for both. I don't know if it's the fact that I'm so behind with blogging or because I just bought so much in June, but I've really fallen behind with sharing what I wore immediately after buying it. Although I did manage to wear both these items in June, the same month I purchased them, it's just taken them a while to get onto the blog. I think #noBuyJuly15 will help me get on track and just wear and enjoy what I own for a while! I definitely need a break from shopping. Despite all the great sales at the moment!


This jumper was an impulse buy, I saw it as I walked past the local op-shop and couldn't stop thinking how perfect it was for winter. It met the 'wardrobe gap' I have of being a nice plain block colour top, so I bought it. It's cosy and comfortable and machine washable so great for winter with baby. I like the curved hem, it's a really good length on me for layering over skirts (or dresses!) as it's slightly cropped and hits at a flattering spot without overwhelming my petite frame. I did recently buy another blue knit, so this wasn't a real 'must have', more an impulse buy. I do think the two tops are different enough for them both to get some wear, and I got rid of a third blue knit I already had to make this purchase make a little more sense! Otherwise my wardrobe is going to turn into a big pile of blue again....

The handbag was another impulse buy! June really was the month of unnecessary purchases....I'd often thought about trying this style of Rebecca Minkoff bag, as I like my mini MAC bags, and I know this is similar in size. When I saw it on ebay, and then when it was relisted again...I decided to just go for it. It was a bargain! I'm still not sure it's a keeper in my bag collection - it's nice, but I do prefer the mini MAC style so this probably was not the best purchase. It's still going to get used, maybe just not as much as my other Rebecca Minkoff cross body bags.

I did a video review for the bag too:

Last worn: Ray-Ban Wayfarers, paisley print snood, blue knit jumper, striped maxi skirt, black ankle boots, Rebecca Minkoff mini affair bag.

Other ways to wear: snood in spring with chambray, jumper layered over a maxi dress, striped maxi skirt with purple, black ankle boots with denim, red bag with a neutral outfit.

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Some great maxi skirt options:

What I wore:

Scarf: Marc by Marc Jacobs scarf in Island pine-print

Top: Jeanswest 'Aubrey' pintuck yoke henley in deep teal
Skirt: Jeanswest plain jersey black maxi skirt
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in black
Bracelets: the usual
Bag: Louis Vuitton Damier Ebene 30 speedy bandouliere

Why I wore it:

This outfit was not warm enough, even with the scarf! I spent a bit too much time in the morning trying to see if any other scarves looked nice before I settled on this combination - which I've worn before - so that when I did manage to get out the door with baby I hadn't spent any time thinking I'd need a jacket! Luckily we weren't outside for too long.

I wasn't too sure of the combination of scarf and top together last time I wore them, but I really liked it this time around. I would have liked it even more if I'd remembered a jacket of course ;)


Last worn: printed scarf, teal henley, black jersey maxi skirt, Converse, Louis Vuitton Speedy bandouliere bag.

Other ways to wear: printed scarf with jeans and a blazer, teal henley with jeans, black maxi skirt with a printed tank, Converse with skinny jeans, Louis Vuitton Speedy bandouliere bag for the office.

Linking up with Passion for Fashion, Friday Favourites, Casual Friday, Flashback Fashion, Favourite Fashion Friday, Fab Favourites, Fashion Friday, The Ultimate Rabbit Hole, Let It Shine, Shoe and Tell, Modest Monday today.

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