4 Simple Dress Outfits For Beach Life At Tangalooma

This is an overdue post! Over Lunar New Year we stayed at Tangalooma with the in-laws, on the beautiful Mulgumpin Island. Last time hubby and I were there was for our honeymoon and I have no idea why it took us so long to visit again, it's the best place. Most of the time I was in a bikini, but I did also wear a few dresses for dinner and sometimes as a cover up over my bikinis. I packed light, with one bag, my big Neverfull tote, and just a few dresses. Didn't even take my camera so just Instagram pics from my phone.

What I wore:

Hat: Big W bow detail sunhat
Dress: thrifted peach and white floral print tiered sundress
Bracelets: the usual
Bag: Louis Vuitton MM damier azur Neverfull

Why I wore it:

This dress makes such a good cover up! Perfect for a lazy day by the pool. It was suitable for going out for lunch as well. We did have a little rain shower, which didn't bother the kids as they were already in the pool! And thankfully this dress dried quickly when the sun came back out.


Last worn: sunhat, tiered sundress, Louis Vuitton damier azur Neverfull.

Other ways to wear: tiered sundress and denim jacket, Louis Vuitton damier azur Neverfull and maxi skirt.

Perfect for pregnancy: Louis Vuitton damier azur Neverfull in second trimester.

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What I wore:

Necklace: thrifted gold and pastel blue beaded necklace with grey string
Dress: thrifted no label pastel floral print babydoll dress
Bracelets: the usual
Bag: Louis Vuitton MM damier azur Neverfull

Why I wore it:

Another great cover up, I've worn this dress to a pool party before as it's nice and light. It's a quick drying viscose and such a lovely print. As you can see in the photo, it was a bit of a rainy start to the day! We headed out to the pool anyway and thankfully the sun came out before we went scuba diving round the Tangalooma wrecks. It was a little scary as with the wind and the earlier rain the waves were really high, but under the water around the wrecks was just stunning, so many fish! We had the best time.

It stayed dry all afternoon, and hubby and the kids enjoyed the pool while I had a very indulgent beachside massage. Absolute bliss.


Last worn: floral babydoll dress, gold and blue beaded necklace, Louis Vuitton Neverfull (above).

Other ways to wear: floral babydoll dress and blazer, Louis Vuitton Neverfull worn 30 ways.

Perfect for pregnancy: Louis Vuitton damier azur Neverfull in second trimester.

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What I wore:

Necklace: double circle hammered pendant necklace
Dress: thrifted colourful geometric print maxi dress
Bracelets: the usual
Bag: Louis Vuitton MM damier azur Neverfull

Why I wore it:

While we missed the evening's kookaburra feeding there were still some of the birds hanging around after the event, so I tried to take a pic with them. This kookaburra quickly figured no more food was coming and flew off though!

I wore this fun geometric print maxi dress with my Louis Vuitton Neverfull and the gold statement necklace when we all went out for dinner. The barman even managed to knock up a mocktail for the kids that was similar to the 'welcome drinks' I enjoyed when I came to Tangalooma as a kid.


Last worn: hammered gold necklace, geometric print maxi dress, Louis Vuitton Neverfull (above).

Other ways to wear: geometric print maxi dress worn 2 ways, Louis Vuitton Neverfull and shorts.

Perfect for pregnancy: Louis Vuitton damier azur Neverfull in third trimester.

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What I wore:

Necklace: double circle hammered pendant necklace
Dress: Kmart strappy tiered sundress in watercolour blue and blush print
Shoes: slim navy and pink Havaianas
Bracelets: the usual
Bag: Louis Vuitton MM damier azur Neverfull

Why I wore it:

Another simple tiered dress for dinner. I picked this one, also another great bikini cover up, to wear out for dinner and for our dolphin feeding. The waves were pretty high and we had to go waist deep into the water so I figured a light dress like this one would be best as it would dry quickly afterwards.

Did get a little difficult walking into the surf trying to hold onto my son, a fish for the dolphin, and the dress that was floating up around me! But once we got further into the water the wetness held it down. It was so fun feeding the dolphins again. There's a pod of local wild dolphins that come up to Tangalooma pier every night for food and the dolphin we fed was the son of the dolphin that my sister and I fed a couple times as kids, and that my husband and I fed on our honeymoon! Such a special thing to share with our boys.


Last worn: hammered necklace (above), blue printed tiered dress, Havaianas, Louis Vuitton Neverfull (above).

Other ways to wear: blue printed tiered dress under a tee, Louis Vuitton Neverfull worn 30 ways.

Perfect for pregnancy: Louis Vuitton damier azur Neverfull at 38 weeks.

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30 Ways to Wear Kmart Floral Print Tiered Maxi Dress & Weekday Wear Link Up

A 30 ways to wear post for today's Weekday Wear Link Up! So pleased I've hit 30 wears on this Kmart coral floral print tiered maxi dress. I think it's the perfect way to showcase that you don't need to spend a lot of money to have clothes that last. Even if your budget restricts you to buying fast fashion from brands like Kmart you can minimise the environmental impact of your shopping by buying less and rewearing what you own. The most sustainable item of clothing is the one already in your wardrobe.

30 Ways To Wear: Kmart Tropicana Floral Tiered Maxi Dress

This pretty maxi dress was an impulse buy back in 2016, something I'd seen on Instagram on a few Aussie mums and had to get myself! I think it was a great impulse buy in the end! I knew that with all the different colours in the print it would go with so much, and I've been able to dress it up and dress it down over the years.

Note that this dress has broken and I have repaired it. One of the straps snapped off. But it was easily reattached and it's pretty impressive that its lasted this long with just that small fault. It really has been a staple in my wardrobe. And while I don't see it being worn and shared on Instagram now by the people who inspired me to buy it in the first place, I know it will continue to be a go-to piece for me for a long time yet, and still frequently reworn. 

Since edging closer to and finally reaching 30 wears with this dress, it's made me realise I'd rather buy less (even at those bargain Kmart prices) and pick pieces I'd be happy to wear over and over again when I do buy. This dress proves even cheap Kmart or fast fashion pieces can go the distance in your wardrobe!

Cost Per Wear

This floral maxi dress was a cheap and cheerful $25 at Kmart back at the end of 2016. With 30 wears so far, that works out to 83 cents a wear, pretty good! I've never had a problem trying to think of more ways to wear this dress, it goes with so much and even though my go-to is to layer over the top of it, it is perfect worn on its own as well. Here are all the ways I've worn it, with the Weekday Wear Link Up at the end.

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Coral Floral Maxi Dress and Yellow

Coral and yellow are a really nice combination! In each of these 3 outfits I'm wearing a slightly different shade of yellow with the coral maxi dress but it works so well, even though there is no yellow in the print.

Coral Floral Maxi Dress and Pink Bag

Coral and pink is a combination I was unsure about trying at first - even with the pretty pink flowers in the print of this dress! But I'm glad I gave it a go. Like the yellow above, all these shades of pink went great with the floral print.

Tiered Floral Maxi Dress With White Layers

If you're ever unsure what colour to wear with a bright printed piece like this, go with neutrals! Again there is no white in the print on this dress but these white toppers (and the white Louis Vuitton damier azur Neverfull) compliment the print nicely.

Matching Accessories To The Print In A Floral Dress

With all the pretty shades of blue in the floral print, of course I was going to bring out my matchy-matchy side and pair this dress with blue accessories! Blue, navy and turquoise are easy choices - from a big bold scarf to a little blue or turquoise tassel necklace.

Tiered Maxi Dress and Light Layers

When it's just a bit too cool for a spaghetti strap maxi dress, a light layer like a denim jacket or a waterfall jacket is perfect for keeping the chill off and keeping your shoulders covered. Ideal for autumn or spring!

Floral Maxi Dress Layered For Winter

This coral maxi dress is a very summery colour, style and print. But with the mild Brisbane winters it's easy to layer this up a little bit for a colder day! Knits, leather jackets, boots, scarves, layer easily with this dress and it's nice to wear something so colourful and cheerful in winter.

Knotted Tees Over Floral Print Maxi Dress

As you've seen from all these outfits, I do love layering a tee over this maxi dress! A knotted tee on top is an easy way to change up the look of a dress no matter how many times you've worn it.

Dressing Up and Down a Coral Floral Print Dress

Sometimes simple is best - this dress looks great worn on its own. Dressed up for Christmas day or a birthday party, or dressed down with converse or over a bikini for the beach. A floral maxi dress like this really is a wardrobe staple! Add a different bag, necklace or shoes and you've got the same dress working again for a different day!

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Where To Buy Similar Floral Print Maxi Dresses Under $56:

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Similar Posts In The 30 Wears Series:

• 30 ways to wear a navy printed jersey maxi dress
• 30 ways to wear a tie dye maxi dress
• 30 ways to wear a pink maxi dress
• 30 ways to wear a navy floral kimono

For more outfit inspiration, you can see all the times I've worn this dress in my archives, or browse the 30 wears series too.

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Weekday Wear Linkup #119

Welcome to the Weekday Wear linkup! A linkup for you to share your weekday outfits - whether that is office wear or stay at home mum wear - if you wore it on a weekday, you can link it up!

Guidelines:
1. Please link to a specific outfit post, not your blog homepage.
2. Link back to this post so others can find the link up.
3. Follow your host Away From The Blue on Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube.
4. Add up to two posts and be sure to visit and comment on as many other posts as possible to get some weekday outfit inspiration!
Optional: tweet the post you linked up with the hashtag #weekdayWearLinkUp so I can retweet!

Subscribe for The Weekday Wear Linkup reminder emails

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Shopping Haul: What I Bought In September & How I've Worn It

So.....after a rather large haul last month I wasn't expecting to buy much of anything this month. I ended up impulse buying quite a few things, with all of the sales going on tempting me!

What I Bought In September: Haul Video

In the video:

• Kmart teal tassel earrings
• Kmart mustard gold tassel earrings
• Kmart teal floral print midi dress
• Target Preview navy long sleeve collared shirt
• thrifted cream and navy statement flat bead necklace
• thrifted black and grey floral crystal statement necklace
• thrifted statement gunmetal hardware necklace
• thrifted Equip turquoise cream multi strand bead necklace

Why I Bought It:

With an event looming in October, I needed to find an outfit that fit the dress code. After trying a few options in my wardrobe I decided nothing was quite what I wanted to wear, and so I decided to hit up some local opshops. I had an idea in my head for what I needed to complete my outfit - either an accessory or something to go over my dress.

After spending a week looking for the perfect outfit topper I gave up and decided to go for an accessory instead. The difficulty with looking for necklaces that may work with a formal dress is that you can't wear the formal dress while thrifting, it's a tad overdressed, ha! So I ended up buying a couple of options...and then in the end my mum found the perfect thing in another opshop and bought it for me so I'm not going to wear any of the necklaces I bought to the event! I still like statement necklaces though so expect these to get some wear outside the event, and at just $3 each it was hard to say no.

The Kmart finds were kind of planned. My friend Jess had got an awesome earring haul from the Kmart clearance so I headed into the store to check them out, and ended up spotting this pretty floral dress too reduced to just $12 so that had to come home with me as well!

The Target blouse was a last minute buy at the end of the month - I went into Target to check out the clearance sale and this was reduced from $39 to just $10 so I had to buy it. Luckily for my wallet, none of the other bargains (tops for $5!) I tried on fit right on me.

How I've Worn It:

As you would expect from impulse buys, I didn't manage to wear everything twice to reach my goal of 'wearing things twice in the month I buy them'. A big flag to me that even if it's a bargain I don't need to buy everything I see! I need to take a moment to stop and consider how things will work for my life ahead for the month. After completing #6monthsWithoutShopping 2 years ago I was doing pretty well curbing the impulse buys, I need to make sure I don't fall back into my bad habits!

I do expect I will get wear from these pieces, but statement earrings and necklaces are not everyday wear for me and something I need to be considerate when I wear - pointy pieces are not good when giving toddler cuddles, and big bold necklaces are not the kind of thing I would normally wear to the playground with the kids.

Next month is "Buy Nothing New Month" and it would be great to achieve it this year! I do still have one Jeanswest gift card left from Christmas though...


The 30% off birthday sale at the Iconic is providing me further temptation, as is the Shopbop sale!

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