Corporate Style: Printed Dresses And Trench Coats For The Office

Easy corporate style for those 'I don't know what to wear' days, printed dresses! They are a great go-to outfit for any occasion, not just for office wear.

I picked these two dresses to wear as I felt it had been a while since I'd worn them.

What I wore:

Jacket: Temt black trench coat 

Cardi: Jeanswest Peggie kimono in purple mulberry marle
Scarf: Cotton On fuchsia pashmina
Dress: Jeanswest 'Melanie' paisley mixed print dress
Shoes: RMK Chester black ankle boots
Bag: Balenciaga giant hardware Day bag in 2009 tempete

Why I wore it:

It was little chilly in the morning, and this is quite a lightweight dress, so I added a purple cardi under my trench coat that you can kinda see peeking out in the first photo. Kept me warm at my desk too as the dress has short sleeves.

Hopefully I can re-create this look when the weather is warmer, without the trench coat as I really liked the cardigan and dress together. I thought the fuchsia pashmina complimented the purple well.


Last worn: black trench, pink pashmina, purple cardi, mixed print dress, ankle boots, Balenciaga tempete day bag.

Other ways to wear: trench coat and a pencil skirt, pashmina and a shift dress, purple cardi and jeans, dress in the third trimester, ankle boots and a maxi skirt, Balenciaga day bag and a maxi skirt.

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Shop more printed dresses at Shopbop:

Desk to drinks - printed dresses at Shopbop.

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What I wore:

Jacket: Barkins beige trench coat 

Dress: French Connection 'Fast Rhonda' dress in black/caramel
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs logo plaque flats in camel
Bag: Mulberry Bayswater in Oak NVT leather (previously owned bargain here)

Why I wore it:

A warmer day so less layers - just a trench over this dress. I didn't add a scarf, because I find this dress a little tricky to wear a scarf with. I don't have many plain scarves, most are printed! Could have done with a scarf to keep me warm in the early morning, but wasn't too bad without it.

It's been a while since I last wore this Mulberry Bayswater bag too! I wore it in March, on my first day back at work after maternity leave. Overall, I've only worn this bag 21 times in the past 3 and a half years (my blog archive is great for finding out info like this!). The leather is extremely sensitive to water, even after I've waterproofed it with the same product I use on all my bags. It tends to get worn mainly for the office. It's such a classic style that will never go out of date though, and some days you just want a formal bag like this for work, so that's why I've held onto it.

I've got a more detailed review of the Mulberry Bayswater on my youtube channel.

Last worn: beige trench, printed sheath dress, camel flats, Mulberry Bayswater tote.

Other ways to wear: trench with orange and burgundy, printed dress with a printed scarf, ballet flats with a boho dress, Bayswater and a baby bump.


Linking up with Let It Shine, Modest Monday, Style Sessions, Turning Heads, Confident Twosday, Wardrobe Wednesday, Whatcha Wearing, What I Wore today.



This post was created in partnership with Shopbop. Occasionally, Away From The Blue blog may receive vendor or brand sponsorships for mentioning their products or services. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own.

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Jeanswest Prima Denim Skinny Jeans and Colourful Prints and Bags

Wearing my Jeanswest Prima denim skinny jeans again, and adding some colour to my winter outfits with prints, as it starts to warm up a little here. Also my first wearing of my new Happiness Boutique necklace and a bit of a review.

What I wore:

Sunnies: Rayban new Wayfarers

Cardigan: Kmart striped maxi cardigan
Necklace: Happiness Boutique turquoise and coral pendant necklace (C/O)
Cami: Atmos&Here 'Isla' ruffle cami in floral print (get 40% off with code 'AUG40')
Jeans: Jeanswest prima denim super skinny jeans in absolute black
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs metallic mouse flats
Bracelets: the usual
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Swing bag in canary yellow

Why I wore it:

This was not the best outfit to showcase my new necklace, (this one on instagram is better) but I thought the colours paired nicely with the print in the top. I was looking for a tank to wear and saw this cami I hadn't worn in ages, so decided to wear this and have a little bit of print mixing with the striped cardi. Wore this out to take baby T for his first Sizzler meal...and quickly realised half way through lunch that skinny jeans are a bad choice for a buffet restaurant with all that food! Perfect place to take a hungry toddler though, he had so much food to taste and try.

You've probably read about Happiness Boutique on lots of other blogs already! I like their mission statement of 'being happy and spreading happiness every day'. I also like their range of accessories, they have lots of colourful and cheerful pieces with free worldwide shipping. They also have a reward program to help make loyal customers happy.

The necklace is nice, it's lightweight, stands up to a toddler tugging on it and it's adjustable so it's easy to wear. The only issue I have with the Happiness Boutique is the shipping. They sent the necklace to me on 17th July, and 2 weeks later were chasing me up asking if I had it yet. I didn't get it until the 10th August, so just over 3 weeks.
It's a little longer than their estimated time of 6-14 working days, but I wasn't expecting a free shipping service from Germany to Australia to be on the quick end of that estimate anyway! Just something to keep in mind if you are ordering for a special event, you might want to order early. My necklace is now sold out as it took a while to arrive, but it was called the 'turquoise and coral semi-precious stones pendant necklace'.


Last worn: Ray-Ban Wayfarers, striped maxi cardigan, botanical print cami, black skinny jeans, gold mouse flats, Rebecca Minkoff swing bag.

Other ways to wear: maxi cardigan with a dress, botanical print cami with a maxi skirt, skinny jeans and a plain shirt, mouse flats in the office, Rebecca Minkoff swing bag with a maxi skirt.

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More colourful printed camis and kimonos under $30:

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What I wore:

Jacket: Choies red vintage pattern kimono

Necklace: House of Harlow sunburst necklace in silver and grey
Tee:  Cotton On Denny boat neck long sleeved top in grey marle
Jeans: Jeanswest Bindi skinny 7/8 jeans in indigo luxe
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in black
Bag: Balenciaga giant hardware Day bag in 2009 tempete

Why I wore it:

My inspiration for layering up a kimono came from an instagram post that @beachstylemum did a while ago, near the start of winter. I thought the kimono over a long sleeved tee looked like a great idea, just took me a while to get around to wearing it as I wanted to wait until it warmed up a little more. My long sleeve tees are great, but they aren't the warmest. The weather was perfect for it on this day.

Loved the simplicity of this outfit - and it kept me comfortable all day with all the running around I did. All I had to do was run some errands in the morning and go to the post office to send a parcel to a friend. I got to the shops, got the stroller set up, went to put baby in it...and realised I'd brought every bag except the bag with the present in it! So had to drive all the way home and all the way back again, haha! At least it wasn't a long drive.


Last worn: printed kimono, grey tee, skinny jeans, Converse, Balenciaga tempete day bag.

Other ways to wear: printed kimono with gold jeans, grey tee with a lace skirt, skinny jeans and pattern mixing, Converse and a maxi skirt, Balenciaga tempete day bag in the office.

Linking up with Passion For Fashion, Friday Favourites, Casual Friday, Flashback Fashion, Fashion Friday, Fab Favourites, The Ultimate Rabbit Hole, Hello Monday also here today.

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Marc By Marc Jacobs Eliz-A-Baby Pretty Nylon Diaper Bag : Review and Contents

First up, Shopbop are having a handbag sale! Get 20% off classic bags with code 'INTHEBAG'.

Shop the classic bags on sale at Shopbop.

The sale ends on 20th August so you have to be quick! A handbag sale is a perfect way to start a post about a handbag.


I've been using my Marc by Marc Jacobs Eliz-A-Baby bag every day for over 14 months now, so felt it was due a review post. I thought I'd do what I used to do in the early days of my blog and share some more videos from my youtube channel.

When we started shopping for baby things, we checked out baby bags in every baby store, but hubby and I weren't too impressed with the options. They looked too small, too girly or both. We had always joked that I'd get a designer baby bag, so after a few weeks of unsuccessful baby bag hunting in person, I went to Shopbop! They have a great selection of baby bags.

Shop more baby bags at Shopbop

I read every review and did further research on ones that looked promising. A big part of that research was looking for youtube handbag videos, which is often my first stop before buying any bag. I like to know it can hold everything I need before I buy.


Of course I settled on the Marc by Marc Jacobs Eliz-A-Baby bag, which is available in grey or black at Shopbop. I let hubby pick the colour, and then as soon as I had a coupon code, I bought it.

As I like to know what fits inside a handbag, I did a 'what's inside my bag for a newborn' video after using it for a few months to help others considering the purchase.

Now that baby T is a toddler, what I carry around every day has changed. I also bought some cute travel pouches that I use to organise the bag a little bit more, so everything has place and it is easier to find. I recently did an updated video showing what is inside the baby bag right now.

If you are looking to organise your own baby bag, or even your regular handbag, Shopbop also has some very cute pouches you can use. If you prefer decorating the outside of your bag, they have that covered as well!


Overall, I love the Marc By Marc Jacobs Eliza-A-Baby bag I bought last year. I'd highly recommend it. After constant use, you'd expect a few irritations to develop. In saying that, the only problem I have with this bag is that it holds so much, it's easy to over stuff it and make it too heavy to carry when you're holding a toddler too. Of course it's a positive as well as it means I can throw my things in there on days I don't want to carry my own bag!

Pros and Cons of the Eliz-A-Baby bag:

Positives:

• It's HUGE and holds a lot (I chose the 'pretty' version of the bag over the 'preppy' version because it had the softer sides and looked easier to keep adding things to)
• There are different ways to wear it (handles and a cross-body strap) so it's easy to wear while holding a toddler
• It's easy to clean
• The handles haven't stretched out with use
• The bag is so light, being made of nylon
• The material has held up really well with no scuffs or scratches

Negatives:

• It's easy to just keep adding things to the bag and make it too heavy to carry effortlessly.
• If you don't buy it on sale, it can be a lot more expensive than other bags on the market.

This post was created in partnership with Shopbop. Occasionally, Away From The Blue blog may receive vendor or brand sponsorships for mentioning their products or services. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own.

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