While I'll be having a break from blogging for a few days (although I'm sure to be on instagram a bit), I wanted to have something Christmassy posted.
I decided to do a flashback to some Christmas outfits from previous years that I could find photos for.
Over the past few years maxi dresses have been my go-to for Christmas day, and I'll be wearing a maxi dress again this year! (I've included some great ones under $100 at the end of the post too).
Fingers crossed you find your perfect gift under the tree. If you're celebrating the birth of Jesus, or just the fact that you have a day off, I hope you have a wonderful time with friends, family and food.
If you can't make it to church or want to celebrate while staying comfortable in your pajamas, check out Church Online, we have some special Christmas services running this week.
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. - Luke 2:10-11 NIV
Since I injured myself on the way to work the other week, outfit options have been limited. I have to wear my old knee brace, which is a big bulky compression bandage. It helps with the pain, but it definitely doesn't fit under my skinny jeans! It doesn't work nicely with tights either.
Even though we are nearing the end of winter, it's still not quite warm enough for bare legs. So when I've had no choice and had to get out of the house I've been wearing my maxi skirts. A lot.
I'm grateful for the fact that I have quite a few maxi skirts in my wardrobe, but I apologise in advance if things start looking a little repetitive around here!
We had a long over-due dinner and poker night with friends, so I was determined to attend despite my injured knee. As I couldn't wear skinny jeans as I had planned because of the knee brace, I figured a maxi skirt would be a good choice to keep me warm. I added the jacket too, but I probably could have done with a scarf as well, it was a bit cold on the way home!
It's been over 8 months since I last wore this tank! I didn't even get an outfit photo with it on the day I wore it last as baby T decided to fling his pumpkin all over my skirt before I had the chance to stand in front of the camera. I really, really like this tank and every time I wear it I wonder why it goes so long between wears. Probably because I just have way too many tops ;)
Had to work from home and go to the doctor's to get an opinion on how bad my knee injury was, so comfortable cosy maxi skirt outfit with flats again. Picked this cobalt top as it's been a while since its last wear and it makes a good backdrop for my Happiness Boutique necklace. You can read my review of the necklace the previous time I wore it here.
This outfit seemed a little dark with all the black - despite the bright top and bag. I think a colourful cardigan would have looked better.
Two casual and comfortable outfits for days with baby, featuring two new items that were given to me by Izabel London in return for showcasing them on the blog. I thought I'd include a review too, if you have been considering purchasing from them.
I was intending to add a scarf to this outfit for some more colour, but baby T was being cranky that morning so I forgot all about it and went out the door without one. At least there was a little bit of colour with the bag, and all I was doing was going to the doctors with baby and getting groceries so I didn't have to be over-accessorised for errands.
This skirt is one of the items I got from Izabel. It is so comfortable! I was a little unsure about ordering a maxi skirt from a new brand I'd never tried before, as I almost always have to have maxi lengths taken up at the tailor. Petite problems! This skirt has a fold-over waist detail though, so you can adjust the length to suit. I'm 5"2, and the skirt is the perfect length with the waist folded over all the way. It doesn't look bulky around the waist even with the top section folded down.
This cardigan I dug out of my wardrobe after getting rid of the other black cardigan I have. No need to have two black cardigans if I only love one of them. It was the perfect piece to keep me cosy and warm, and I'm glad I wore it because baby T was unwell and this cardigan was easily washed when we got home, unlike the leather jacket I wore last time.....
This cardigan is the best cardigan I have ever worn. I was showing hubby the new things I'd got and tried to explain to him just how awesome this cardigan is. It's part wool, so just as cosy and comfortable as a bathrobe, exactly what you need in winter.
This was the perfect outfit for a day at home as hubby helped a friend move, and then an evening out. We were overdue a date night, it's been quite a while since the last one! I just took my things out of the baby bag and put them into the clutch for our dinner/movie date, as well as adding the dangly necklace. I like a 'SAHM uniform' that can be dressed up for date night just be adding some accessories.
Izabel London Review
This was my first time visiting and ordering from Izabel London, so I thought I'd put a review together. (The company did not ask for this, this is just my thoughts). The big thing I like about their site is the fact that they share detailed measurements of the item and the model (like on the page for my waterfall cardigan). However, it's not on all items on their site so maybe it's a new thing they are rolling out. I was looking at some tunics but not all of them had the length listed so I didn't feel confident comparing them and decided to look at the other items instead, as I didn't want something too short. I'm pleased with the two things I did get though.
The customer service at is great - I've been dealing with Sohny and I've always gotten quick responses to emails and we have regularly kept in touch over the ordering process.
The shipping to Australia is good. It took 8 working days to arrive, so just under 2 weeks, and quicker than the estimated 10 working days specified on their website. I'd say it's similar to Asos standard shipping to Australia. They have an Australian returns address if you've ordered something that doesn't work out too. I didn't have to use it though, as I liked what I got style and fit-wise.
Sizing is comparable to Australian sizing, I ordered my standard Australian size and everything fit like I expected.
Overall, I'd recommend Izabel London. I think the products are great quality for the price, and I'm really happy with what I got. Plus if you're a fellow Aussie, a lot of their winter stock is on sale at the moment....I might be doing #noBuyJuly15 but there's no reason you can't have a browse. They ship worldwide too!
After some comfy and slouchy outfits while the household was getting back to normal after battling a bug, I took the chance to dress up a little more than usual for some evenings out, and use my Balenciaga clutches.
Here's what I wore to go out with my sister in law:
As everyone was feeling better I decided to go to a Coach event I'd RSVP'd for before we all got sick. It was a good excuse to get some time out of the house, have dinner and look at some pretty bags while spending time with my sister in law. I did want to wear heels with this, but when I tried them on earlier in the day I realised after 5 minutes they wouldn't be the best for an evening of standing and chatting. So wore my comfy flats instead, and was happy I'd made that choice by the end of the night.
I've worn this tank 4 times since I've been blogging (1, 2, 3 and now). There's nothing wrong with it, it's really a very pretty tank. The lace detail at the neckline makes it feel a little more dressed up than a plain black tank. But I so rarely wear it! I have a similar black tank (gathered waist, detailed neckline) that I love more than this one. When I last wore that tank, I commented that I'd hardly worn it and it was a shame as it was a top I loved. This top, I just like. And as it's so similar to my other black top...I'm going to get rid of it. I don't need things I just like in my wardrobe when I have the perfect alternatives that I love! Trying to be much stricter with what stays in my wardrobe this year!
This is what I wore for a Valentine's dinner with friends. First, let me comment on my hair! It is very curly. My sister found this amazing trick on Pinterest (she loves Pinterest!) where you get curls overnight without using any heat. We have similar hair, so I decided to try and replicate her curly hair style. I couldn't find the exact tutorial, but after texting back and forth before bed I think I got it right. I woke up, and instead of letting my hair down, I spent the morning tidying and looking after baby T. So I had my hair up for a little longer than you were supposed too...I actually took it out after lunch. To find that my hair was super curly. I tried running my fingers through it, I even tried brushing it - twice! - and well, it looked like it does above. I made the decision just to go with it and wear it that way anyway, hoping the curls would relax a little more through the afternoon and evening. They didn't of course! It's funny, I've tried the same trick again, leaving my hair in just overnight and I can never get the curls to stay....so I really did something wrong this time around!
My nail art was a DIY I tried that I liked a lot better - turned out not too bad, for a first attempt! I followed this tutorial from Marie, so easy to fit in during baby T's nap time! I'm also trying a new blush, one I won from Kim's giveaway on A Very Sweet Blog. That was another new thing that went well, I really like this blush. So it wasn't all bad :)
I liked the outfit (despite the hair). It was nice to dress up a little and wear some heels. And with baby T being baby sat again, I could wear another of my cute but mostly neglected clutches.
Two more Fox in Flats Darecember style challenge outfits I've worn. The first is what I wore for an early Christmas, maxi dresses are always a favourite of mine for Christmas, forgiving after you've stuffed yourself with delicious food!
Hope you have a wonderful Christmas! Just a few more sleeps!
Here's what I wore to celebrate Christmas with hubby's family:
A Christmas outfit already! As some of hubby's family were going overseas, we held a big get-together for an early Christmas. We exchanged gifts, ate a yummy Christmas meal and had fun celebrating early.
I'd made the decision this year not to buy a new dress to celebrate Christmas in, partly because we will be having so many Christmas get-togethers! I still hadn't decided what dress I'd wear to each Christmas event when I saw that the style challenge for the day was 'bare back', and this backless maxi seemed like a great choice for the party.
The clutch wasn't really necessary as I left it in the baby bag the whole time anyway, it just helped me feel a little more "dressed up" for the occasion. I wasn't sure about the pale pink sandals and the red clutch, but felt they were far enough apart that it didn't matter that they didn't match. I was eager to wear my new shoes!
It makes me really happy to see that the last time I wore this dress, I was pregnant and going for an evening out with hubby. Our last baby-free dinner date! This is a more casual and dressed down look then before.
My favourite of my style challenge outfits so far, 'print mixing' was the prompt and I knew stripes would be one of my prints. I do wear a lot more stripes now!
Wore this out to go into the city for the first time without baby T. He stayed at home as DH and I caught up after work to view the results of the family photo shoot we'd had a few days earlier. (I didn't get blog photos of my photo shoot outfit, it was just jeans and a tee). It was a really strange experience being in the city by myself! It was such a hot day I was glad I'd picked a simple outfit to wear as I got a little lost trying to find my way to the photo studio on foot.
So soon after the first wear above, this is the second wear of my new shoes, so my thoughts:
I'm really pleased I snapped these up in the Asos sale, I felt I needed a nice simple sandal option for those days when I want to be a little more dressed up than I am in my trusty Havaianas. I've owned a few Asos leather sandals, they always last a couple years and are super cheap, so I'm happy with this purchase and see the shoes being worn a fair bit. Hope you've enjoyed reading along as I analyse all my new purchases - it's certainly making me think more about things I buy and actually helping me to buy less, even though it's only been a few months since I started sharing my purchase reviews on the blog.
While I'm happy to have added the shoes to my wardrobe, this tee is leaving! I've worn it three times on the blog since I bought it (here, here and now), which isn't a lot for something I've had 2 years. It sounds good, a grey striped tee, and it was a bargain, so good that I picked it up and bought it without even trying it on. I've never been completely happy with it any time I've worn it, and this time around was the same, I worried it was sitting oddly or that the stripes looked weird...I have other striped tees and other grey tees I love more, so this tee is going in the donate pile. No point in holding onto and wearing something I don't love.
We had a busy Saturday! After our Australia Day BBQ was a wash out last week, we moved it to Saturday instead. Spent the morning setting up and rushing out for last minute things, had a wonderful time at the BBQ, and then we went to the in-laws for a family feast for Chinese New Year. Lots of good company and good food, but I was exhausted and ready for bed by 9pm, haha!
Had a new red top in mind to change into for dinner, but after everyone left from the BBQ I didn't have a lot of time or energy to change, so I wore the same maxi dress I'd worn during the day. Certainly was comfortable for both occasions.
Had a much quieter Sunday! Just a nice casual jeans and a tank outfit. It actually ended up being a little warmer than I expected, starting to wonder if I should consider getting a pair of maternity shorts. I know if I do, the weather will just cool off again though ;)
Had Church Online in the evening as always, we've started a new series called '30 second theology' where we watch some ads and think about the messages behind them. It's really good, feel free to click by and check it out :)
Saturday was the peak of our Queensland heatwave, and it was to get up to 41 degrees Celsius in Brisbane. Wore this light and breezy Zara tunic dress to keep cool, and to look a little dressed up for visiting family and attending a birthday dinner in the evening. We survived the day by staying in air conditioning as much as possible, haha!
Today was much cooler than yesterday thankfully. Lots of smoke haze from the Straddie bushfire though. Hope everyone is keeping safe.
Although this skirt has a little bit of volume on it's own, I've paired it with less fitted tops in the past and thought it looked okay, so I thought I would try it again today with the burgundy tee. What do you think?
Wore this casual outfit for a busy Sunday. Had a house warming, lunch with friends, and a little bit of shopping to do. Lunch was lovely and relaxed though, which was really nice. Was good making some time to catch up with everyone before the Christmas rush gets into full swing. It was really warm, so wore a singlet and maxi skirt to be comfortable and beat the heat.
Simple printed dress outfit for a Monday. Couldn't decide if I wanted to wear a belt with this dress or not in the morning, in the end I thought the yellow one looked nice. And kinda tied in with my yellow sunglasses, haha!
This outfit was completely inspired by Dash Dot Dotty blog! I was reading blogs on Tuesday evening and came across this post with a grey tee and printed pencil skirt. Knew it was the perfect outfit to wear to the office on Wednesday! Although I don't have an animal print skirt, I really liked this combination of the lace skirt and tee. Had a day with a few big meetings, but nothing too formal so the tee was okay. Such a comfortable outfit too.
Earrings: Chanel vintage camellia dangling charm earrings Necklace: gold necklace borrowed from mum Dress: Jeanswest 'Gisele' contrast lace dress Belt: Kmart thin gold glitter belt Shoes: Wittner 'Bloomy' black heels Bracelets: the usual plus Chloe Paddington crystal charm bracelet, and two gold bracelets borrowed from my sister Bag: Balenciaga envelope clutch in 2012 mangue with giant 12 RGGH
My sister is wearing: Necklace: Tiffany key Watch: Michael Kors Dress: Cotton On black lace dress Belt: Cotton On Shoes: Novo shoes black suede studded heels Bag: Balenciaga flat clutch GSH in 2010 Sang borrowed from me
First time I've featured my sister on the blog, and isn't she beautiful? We wore these outfits for dinner, drinks and a little bit of shopping after work. For work I had a normal bag and flats, I just changed to heels and a clutch for the evening. My knee is still healing so a full day and night in heels would have been a little too much for it! Couldn't resist getting a little glammed up for the 'Girl's Night Out' event at Michael Hill though.
Had lots of fun, and make a small sparkly purchase ;) The store in Brisbane Queen's Plaza stocks some very unique and beautiful designs. Jamie, one of the employees, was telling me that most of the range is only available at that store, and no-where else in Australia.
Highlight of the evening was getting to meet the lovely Jesse Heart, fashion director at my favourite mag Shop Til You drop. I'm looking forward to the fortnightly editions!
