With the winter weather arriving in Brisbane and it feeling a lot colder in the mornings, it gave me the wonderful opportunity to wear two of my newly purchased cardigans right away! I picked up these cardigans in the Jeanswest knitwear sale last month. I couldn't resist getting two of them!
Cooler weather means long sleeves more regularly too! I'm so pleased to be able to get this star print shirt out again. It's one of those pieces that is formal enough for work with the buttons but casual enough for stay at home mum style with denim. I love how it looked with the pencil skirt.
Sadly, this may be last time I wear this shirt. I stupidly didn't check the setting on the iron and burned literally right through it when I tried to go over it quickly. So annoyed with myself! I'm going to take it to my tailor and see if it can be turned into a tank after I burned right through one of the sleeves.
It was this navy cardigan I'd seen on the website that prompted my trip into Jeanswest. When I saw the red one above hanging next to it, I decided to take them both in to try on, to pick my favourite. I decided I liked them both enough to buy them! I think this navy will be the perfect neutral to add to my winter wardrobe. I like how it worked with the blacks in this outfit, and just as the red cardigan did above, it kept me cosy on my autumn morning commute to work.
With a neutral printed skirt and a black pencil skirt, you have an easy and professional outfit for work, especially when you add a classic bag like the Mulberry Bayswater. For a little fun and colour with your outfit, you can add a cardigan just as I have in these outfits here. If your workplace is more formal, just leave the cardigan in your bag when you get to your desk. Linking up with Confident Twosday, Trend Spin, Turning Heads, Style On The Daily, Fashion Frenzy, Oh Hey Girl, Fashion Files.
This 30 wears post has been a while coming, after I hit 30 wears on this cardigan in spring last year. It just didn't feel right to post about it over summer though. Now the weather is cooler and it's officially winter here in Brisbane, I'm happy to share some of the 30 ways I've worn this cardigan in the past. I even managed to find some of the ways I'd worn it before I had the blog so I could share that with you for something different.
30 Ways To Wear: Purple Cardigan
The past few times I've done a 30 wears post I've managed to calculate the cost per wear. Unfortunately, I bought this cardigan so long ago, I can't remember what I paid for it. I've only photographed my outfits consistently every day since I started this blog in 2012 so I'm not sure exactly how many times I've worn this. There have been over 33 times I've photographed it and I'm pleased with that. The earliest pic I could find was winter 2011, so it's at least 7 years old and still going strong.
How To Wear a Purple Cardigan Video:
Belting A Cardigan
One of my early blog pics there in the middle! It's fun seeing how things have changed. I used to have to balance my camera on the BBQ and use the self timer, so often it wasn't aligned properly. I much prefer the other pics, taken with my camera remote and tripod.
No matter what the photos look like, I love each of these outfit ideas though. I really like the way this cardigan looks belted. It's something a bit different, and good in the middle of winter as it keeps you warm as the cardigan stays closed in place. It makes the draped pieces sit really flatteringly too and almost creates a peplum effect as you can see in the last photo.
Colourful Cardigan and Matching Bag
Each season, Balenciaga come out with new colours for their bags. I always take a liking to the pinks, but the 2005 magenta is my favourite pink. As you can see in the photos above, my current magenta Balenciaga Day bag isn't the only magenta bag I've had, the old selfie in the middle is back when I had the same colour in the city style too.
With the touch of pink in this purple cardigan, and the touch of purple in the pink bag, the cardigan and bags are a nice combination. They aren't a perfect match, but the shade is close enough together that I like the almost matchy-matchyness.
Purple Cardigan With Blue Tops
It's not just similar colours I like wearing this purple cardigan with. Blue and purple is a combination I frequently wear, so I really like navy tops with this cardigan.
Of course that last outfit there is my favourite, it was Baby T's first outing after we got home from the hospital. Even though I'm exhausted, my postpartum tum is on display, and we were going to a clinic for breastfeeding help, it was still a comfortable outfit and my favourite photo of the post!
Purple Cardigan With Pink
Another frequently worn colour combination of mine is pink and purple. With the bright purple colour of this cardigan, it's easy to introduce just a little touch of colour through a small bag like this neon pink mini MAC I'm wearing in the last two photos. If you're feeling bolder or particularly colourful, you could wear it with a pink top too, like I've done with the ombre tank in the first outfit.
Purple Cardigan With Purple Accessories
You'll know from reading my blog (or looking at some of the outfits I've already shared!) that I like my colourful handbags. They are fun accessories with an outfit. And while the deep plum purple of these Rebecca Minkoff bags in the outfits above doesn't match the pinky-purple shade of the cardigan, I think they compliment each other quite nicely!
Even if your accessories aren't a perfect match to a colourful cardigan, it's good to give the combination a try - as you can see I loved the little purple MAB tote bag with this cardigan so much I've worn it quite a few times!
Colourful Cardigan With Neutral Outfits
If you're completely stumped about what to wear with a colourful cardigan, throw it on over a neutral outfit. It can be something as simple as a grey tee like in the first picture, or a monochrome black outfit like the last photo. It also works well with cream and neutrals as you can see in the middle there. I'm also employing my previous tip above of wearing a purple bag with the cardigan in these last two photos, but you could easily stick with a neutral brown like the Chloe paddington bag in the first outfit.
Colourful Cardigan and Printed Tops
The fun thing with a bright, single colour cardigan like this purple one is that it's so easy to wear with printed pieces in your outfit. The lack of print on it means it will go with anything. Stripes is my favourite combo, as you can see here! But a plain cardigan will go with any print you want to wear.
Draped Cardigan and Maxi Skirts
With a loose, drapey waterfall cardigan you'd usually follow the 'one fitted, one flowy' rule to balance your outfit. But I like the casual outfit created with a long maxi skirt and this long cardigan. It's a nice way to wear a maxi skirt outside of summer! And as you can see from the last picture, a cardigan is the perfect piece to wear when babywearing, soft for baby to cuddle up to when he's in the carrier.
Purple Cardigan and Dresses
The last way that you can wear a purple cardigan is with dresses! I smiled when I put this picture together as it shows off some of the other things I'd mentioned above! A purple cardigan with purple accessories, a neutral black dress, with blue, and with prints. Just like it does with with maxi skirts, a cosy and colourful cardigan is a nice way to make a spring or summer dress work into autumn, especially when paired with ankle boots!
I really like the beautiful purple shade of this cardigan, and I find it so easy to wear. One of those purchases that's proved it's worth in my wardrobe. I have had to spend a little more than what I originally paid on it after I accidentally snagged it and got a hole in it. Thankfully my tailor repaired it very affordably, and this cardigan will continue to be worn and loved in my wardrobe for a long time still.
Hopefully these outfit ideas gave you some ways to wear a purple cardigan, or even just a colourful cardigan, that you own. If you don't have one, it is very versatile as you can see from the outfits above, so I've included some similar pieces below you can shop.
While I did do some shopping, there is no haul video this month. One of my purchases hasn't arrived and so I'll wait until then to film a video. Instead, I'll share with you the two pieces that I do have after buying them this month.
The cardigan comes in three colours, so I went to the store to try them on, and ended up loving both colours I tried on and bought both. After donating 3 of the cardigans I'd just unboxed from my boxes of winter clothes I pulled out of storage though I felt justified in doing so!
As you can see from the photos below of how I wore the cardigans, you can wear them two ways which instantly appealed to me.
There are two buttons, one on each shoulder of the cardigan, and a button hole at the bottom of each hem. That means you can button up one or both sides of the cardigan when you wear it (like I did here). It's ideal for breastfeeding, as it turns your cardigan into a breastfeeding cover, and is something I wish I had when I was breastfeeding. I used to have to hold baby and the cardigan over the top of him when using my cardigans as breastfeeding covers. While my breastfeeding days are behind me, I'm still tagging breastfeeding friendly outfits on the blog. I'll just be making use of the feature when I want to wear these cardigans differently!
When I buy things, I think of two ways to wear them. With the buttons making these cardigans adaptable, it was an easy purchase to make as I have so many more ways to wear them. I'm thinking that the new thicker red cardigan will get worn more than the light one it replaced too.
How I Wore It:
I'm pleased I was able to wear these cardigans so soon after I bought them, unlike the last knit I bought back at the start of autumn when it took weeks for the weather to cool.
Special mention also to these two lovely kimonos the boys got me for Mother's Day that were added to my wardrobe in May!
For the third thing I bought, I will share a reveal video as soon as it arrives. I ordered something from the Rebecca Minkoff online sample sale. There will be a delay in shipping as the sale was so popular, and it takes a while to reach Australia from the US too. Can't wait for it to arrive. Make sure you're subscribed to my YouTube channel to see it before it reaches the blog!
While it's still summer here in Brisbane, a few weeks back we were hit with some very un-seasonal weather. A sudden cold snap lead to the coldest February day in over 100 years! While most of my winter things are boxed away over summer, I managed to find pieces to make my cami tops more appropriate for the cold weather. I've been wanting to wear them more, before summer ends.
I didn't include this cardigan in the box of winter knits I pack away for summer, as I keep it out to wear in the office now and then. I was so glad I kept this as it was perfect for a chilly day. With the grey cardigan, grey skinny jeans and metallic silver flats and the neutral printed cami it all looked a bit boring, so the purple accessories were the perfect way to add a little bit of colour. It met the purple style challenge theme perfectly too!
I didn't expect to be pulling out my jeans so soon into the year, but I wasn't too upset at having a chance to wear these grey skinnies. They are the most recent addition to my denim collection after I got given them last year and a pair I'm sure will get a lot more wear over winter.
It was nice how easily this outfit came together. There was a break in the rain in the morning too, so we managed to get out and have our morning walk before having a quiet Saturday at home watching the rain fall outside.
A little bit of double denim. Again, I had the style challenge theme to dress to. This time the theme was 'indigo'. I'd planned a lovely navy dress to wear, but the weather made me change that pretty quickly to the denim jacket. With the black skinny jeans, it's an easy way to do double denim, and it kept me warm enough on a cold and rainy day. As did all the running around I had to do - after a week where things seemed to go from bad to worse, Friday was me trying to keep things together and get everything done to get to the weekend.
I'd picked this cami to wear as I've been trying to wear my camis more recently, and this one is one of my least worn. It's a cropped style, but being petite it's normal length on me. While I like this cami in the photos, I didn't feel very comfortable wearing it. The cropped length becomes more apparent when you've got your hands full with a wriggly toddler, and I found myself tugging the top back down a few times. While the ruffles are beautiful and the colours mean it goes with so much, it was just too fussy to wear. The back is cropped shorter than the front too and I found myself wishing I'd worn a normal length top many times when bending down to the boys, even though my jeans are mid-rise.
Looking at it, I'm thinking I should keep it, it's so pretty! But I know it's so annoying to wear it's not worth keeping around just for me to realise in a few months it hasn't been worn, to wear it again and feel the same frustrations. I have plenty other camis I enjoy wearing more, so this one is leaving my wardrobe. 5 wears in 3 years is pretty bad cost per wear, but it's time to let it go!
Camis can easily be layered up for cooler weather! They are the perfect summer option with denim shorts, so they work just as well with jeans, with an extra layer like a jacket or cardigan to keep you cosy if it's cold.
I love tank tops, they are essentials for our Brisbane weather. As the two outfit photos below show, they can be layered up for a cooler day, and worn on their own when it heats up. Perfect for spring with the fluctuating temperatures!
As I shared on instagram, this is the 30th wear of this cardigan. I bought it pre-blog so I know it's been worn more times than that, but I didn't have regular outfit photos then. I've been wearing it a lot lately as I was so eager to hit that 30 wear mark before proper spring weather arrived and it got too warm for this to be worn. It's the reason why I packed it to take to Sydney!
I've worn this tank and cardigan together before too. Since I loved this outfit pairing of the printed tank with purple skinny jeans, I've been recreating that with the purple cardigan! To try and make it a little different I picked grey jeans this time instead of the black jeans I wore last time. I had a much nicer day than I did last time I wore the tank and cardigan together!
We spent the day at my parents, decorating biscuits before lunch, which the boys loved as always! While all the purples are slightly different shades in this outfit, I loved wearing this and think it turned it really well. Comfortable for a day visiting my parents too.
A quick stop at the post office in the morning, then we headed to my local ABA mother's group. The discussion topic was 'managing a newborn and toddler'. While those days are behind me now and I have two toddlers (time flies so fast!) it was great to share the things that helped me and smile at the stories of things happening now and in the past that were so similar to my own experiences.
Unlike the rainy and cool spring day above, this was a much warmer day that allowed me to wear the sleeveless tank without any extra layers. I haven't worn this tank for a while, it's been sitting near the front of my wardrobe to remind me to wear it. The colour is incredible and it's one of those pieces it's so tempting to just 'save' for special occasions! I'm trying to get more wear from pieces in my wardrobe and enjoy what I own, so this top was definitely due another wear.
As I love pink and purple together, the purple accessories seemed like a good choice with this tank. I thought that the printed jeans would be a nice pairing with the pink tank too, to add a little more interest to my outfit.
How You Can Wear It:
A button up tank is a great stay at home mum staple! It can feel a little more pulled-together than a regular tank, but is just as easy to wear. Button up tanks are perfect for breastfeeding, without the need to buy anything special just for feeding and that have the added bonus of being able to be worn afterwards too! Linking up with Fashion Frenzy, Fashion Files, Fun Fashion, On The Edge, Friday Faves, Passion for Fashion.
In October we took the boys on their first flight down to Sydney for a few days. I'm sharing what we did and things to see in Sydney if you're travelling with toddlers. If you want to skip that, I've included my regular outfits too.
Toddler T is 3, and Baby Boy is 19 months. Both are good walkers. We took a travel stroller and I had my Ergobaby carrier. The stroller was great for carrying the baby bag, layers to wear and food and snacks for the boys but we didn't think Sydney was very stroller friendly. Sydney had daylight savings time but it was only an hour different from Brisbane so we stuck to Brisbane time as normal.
I was looking forward to this day the most! I didn't have a lot of space as we packed light, mostly taking extra clothes for the boys. I still prioritised so while I wore the same Converse every day, I had room for a change of bag and instead of my Louis Vuitton speedy bandouliere I swapped out to this magenta Balenciaga day bag for our morning at the aquarium and spending the afternoon with my bestie. She has a magenta Balenciaga bag too so I had to wear this for the occasion!
Did wish I'd packed another jacket, as it was an overcast and colder day and this purple cardigan was the warmest piece I'd packed.
We landed in Sydney in the afternoon, and it was off to where we were staying for nap time. I will not be sharing the name of the place we stayed as it was the worst place I have ever stayed and if there had been other options available I would have demanded a refund and moved out.
After failed nap time for Toddler T, I took him with me on my bloggy date with Rachel from a Nesting Nomad. It was great to catch up with her again, after meeting her in Brisbane a while back. I followed Google Maps but failed to realise the route resulted in walking up a very long hill to get to the meeting point. Only slightly late. Sorry again Rachel!
We walked through Hyde Park to let Toddler T run around a bit, then met up with Hubby and Baby Boy once he'd woken up. We went for a walk around Paddy's markets and through Chinatown before going to Darling Harbour.
Tip: Darling Harbour playground is perfect for toddlers.
The boys had the chance to run around and play to expend some energy after sitting still on the flight. Lots of lovely restaurants nearby for dinner options too, although we went back to where we were staying and ordered takeout!
Day Two
A cold and dull day, it was supposed to rain so we headed to the aquarium as we suspected we might. We hadn't bought our tickets in advance, not wanting to tie ourselves down to anything much with two toddlers.
Tip: Buy your aquarium ticket in advance. The line to purchase was extremely slow.
The aquarium was worth the wait though, the boys loved it. Despite it being perfect indoors weather and a weekend, there was plenty of space for the boys to run around from exhibit to exhibit as it wasn't too crowded. There were roving staff members in a few rooms presenting and talking about things to see, as well as lots of helpful educational information near each tank. Made it easy to explain to the boys what they were seeing, even though they were a little young to read for themselves.
Tip: Take toddlers to the bathroom before you enter. The bathrooms are at the end of the aquarium which is not what you want to discover halfway round.
After the aquarium, we attempted to head over the Pyrmont bridge to get to the shopping centre for lunch. I have fond memories of walking along the bridge on holiday as a kid, back when the monorail was still there! So difficult to do with a stroller though. We'd walked past the lift a few times before we found it, and then getting the lift down into the shopping centre on the other side of the harbour involved getting out on the top floor, walking through the shopping centre, getting another lift down then walking back to go to where we wanted to eat for lunch. On our way back we just walked around the harbour in the cold rather than attempt the silly lift system again.
As the boys napped, my bestie arrived and I snuck out leaving hubby and the boys to rest as we went to the Lindt Cafe for some chocolate and a catch up. It might have just been the company, but it was easily one of my favourite meals in Sydney, as we shared the 'dome of decadence' between 3 of us.
Tip: Lindt Cafe might be a little too chocolate filled to be a good option with a toddler, but they do takeaway!
After an amazing afternoon catching up, it was dinner time and we just headed to the nearest McDonalds for a fuss-free meal, perfect for toddlers!
Day Three
The day Toddler T was looking forward to most - a trip to the zoo and a ride on a Sydney Ferry!
After a slight detour into the Rocks, we eventually made our way to Circular Quay and had the chance to take photos with the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.
Tip: The Rocks is NOT stroller friendly, don't even try it. Or you'll end up stuck looking down on the harbour realising the only way down is a very long flight of stairs with a stroller. Thanks again Google Maps!
I expected some excitement from the toddlers about the landmarks we'd been pointing out in books for weeks, but it was of course all about the boats! There was a big cruise liner docked while we were there which was exciting to see.
After buying our tickets we hopped on the ferry to go to Taronga Zoo. It's a short trip, just enough time for the toddlers to enjoy being on a boat and you to point out and take photos of all the landmarks before you arrive at the zoo.
Tip: You don't need to travel round all of Circular Quay to get landmark photos with toddlers - just hop on the Manly ferry and take photos from the boat!
When we arrived at the zoo, as we had bought our tickets in advance we were able to take the gondola up over the animals to the very top, with amazing views of the harbour. Of course it was the animals you fly over that the boys enjoyed more than the view! Tip: buy your zoo ticket in advance, even if just at the ferry terminal. It gives you the ability to take a gondola up to the top of the hill and work your way down.
Starting at the top of the zoo made getting around with the stroller very easy, no need to push up any hills. While we didn't see all the animals (we skipped the aquatic section after the aquarium the day before, and the line for the tiger experience was too long for a toddler's attention span) the boys had a great time running around and getting up close with the animals we did see.
We had lunch at 'The Fish Stop' which does have non-seafood options, and was less busy than the central 'Food Market' although it does have less choices. It was so easy to get food and then sit in one of the many picnic areas right next to it, with incredible views of the Sydney city and the harbour.
Tip: Grab a bite to eat at 'The Fish Stop' or bring a picnic and sit back on the lawns for an amazing view out over the harbour!
While the monkeys were the favourite animal of the day (and it was incredible watching one of them mesmerised by my teething necklace!) there were so many to choose from. There was a lovely playground in the farm animal section. Although it was geared towards older kids the boys really enjoyed playing there for a break from animal-watching.
The walk back to the ferry was a really nice downhill stretch, and while you do have to go through a gift shop as you exit the big shark tank and presentation that was on around the sharks meant the boys were nicely distracted as we left, souvenir free. If only that had been the case at the aquarium, ha!
Once we got back to Sydney, we headed to Helm Bar for dinner. I'd looked up a few places online for food and Helm bar was highly recommended, but seemed like a noisy party bar every time we passed it before. Having no luck finding anywhere else open on a Sunday night in our price range, we went there as it was listed as wheelchair accessible. While there's no easy way to get a stroller up the stairs to the bar, there is a lovely beer garden you can sit in and order food and drinks. It was perfect for families.
Food was so well priced, especially for Sydney, and the boys loved their kids meal. I'm still sad we tried it on the last night so I couldn't go back for another schnitzel burger - definitely will be next time I'm in Sydney!
Day Four
This was our travel day, we didn't do much other than pack up, prepare another lunchbox full of snacks for the plane trip home, and make our way to the airport.
Top Tips for Travelling With Toddlers
Have transport options
The toddlers can walk, and we had the stroller and Ergo Baby carrier for babywearing so there were options when the boys didn't want to walk any more.
Be flexible
We had a general list of the sights we wanted to see but didn't buy any tickets in advance so that our days could change if necessary, and we weren't feeling rushed as we didn't try to do too much each day. One activity or outing is fine, and just wing it for the rest of the day.
Pack snacks
This works for the plane flight too, but when you're in a new place you might not know how far away the next kid-friendly place to eat is, so having snacks with you for the toddlers and yourself comes in helpful.
Take lots of photos
The only regret I had in Sydney was that I didn't take a lot of photos (a few hundred over the 4 days instead of my usual couple of hundred I take a day when something exciting is going on!).
Would we do it again?
Not until the boys are bigger and the stroller isn't needed - it was a real pain trying to fit the stroller in places - even though we packed a small umbrella travel stroller instead of our usual big one. Sydney definitely felt a lot more cramped and less stroller friendly than Brisbane.
Unlike the outfit above, I actually found it too warm to wear the cardigan on this day and wished I hadn't brought it! We took the boys to see the Harbour Bridge and Opera House at last (our third day in Sydney...) and hopped on the Manly Ferry over to Taronga Zoo.
The benefit of wearing the Ergo Baby carrier in the back carry position (you can just see Baby Boy's little foot peeking out in the pic!) is that it's easy to wear a cross body bag, and my Louis Vuitton speedy bandouliere was perfect for keeping my camera close by for walking around the zoo.
