30 Ways To Wear: Navy Rebecca Minkoff Medium MAB Tote Bag

I really enjoy putting these 30 ways to wear posts together, it's a good way to look back at my outfits, gives me some inspiration for things to wear in future. I hope it inspires you too!

This month I'm sharing my beautiful navy blue Rebecca Minkoff medium MAB tote bag. Don't let the name fool you, this bag is quite large! (Although it does come in a smaller size that I also own, and an even larger size too!)

30 Ways To Wear: Rebecca Minkoff Medium MAB Tote Bag

I'm surprised it's taken me so long to put this post together! This bag is often worn to the office, it's a great tote for fitting anything and everything in and still looking classy when it sits on my desk. While I have tried it casually once, I much prefer keeping it as an office only bag, when the structured design works better with my outfits.

Cost Per Wear

I picked this up in the Rebecca Minkoff sale for $202.65 back in 2015. At 39 wears, it's still got a lot to go to hit the "$1 per wear" figure people aim for (currently at $5.19) but I can see myself using this for many years to come, it is such a timeless tote design. I do tend to use it for work, which is why I'm only just past 30 wears now, I had a 18 month maternity leave from 2016 to 2017 so I haven't been reaching for it all 4 years I've had it!

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30 Ways To Wear: Navy Tote Bag Video Style

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MAB Tote Bag with Monochromatic Blue Outfits

Blue is my favourite colour - I wear it to boost my mood and my confidence and also when I'm just having a great day and want to continue that happy feeling! I love a monochromatic blue outfit, and paired with this navy blue Rebecca Minkoff medium MAB bag, it creates an outfit I adore. I just need a blue pair of shoes now to go head-to-toe blue!

Navy Tote Bag with Black

If you haven't tried it, navy and black is a great colour combination! I think the two neutrals work so well together. A navy bag with a black outfit is a nice way to try the colour combination out on a smaller scale. You can go monochromatic black with a dress, a little bit of black with a pencil skirt, and even break up the colour a little with a bright scarf if you're unsure about just wearing the navy and black side by side.

Navy MAB Tote Bag With Pink

Another much loved colour combination of mine! I like pink and blue together, in any combination of shades. As you can see from these otufits, from a pastel pink blazer to a hot pink tee, the navy MAB tote bag works with every intensity of pink. If you just want to try the colour combination in a small way, and a pink dress with a navy bag like the fits outfit is too bold for you, you could always add a pink scarf to your outfit.

MAB Tote Bag Matching Other Navy Pieces In Outfit

Matchy-matchy makes it so easy to pull an outfit together! When you're not sure what bag to wear you can just pick one that matches a colour in your outfit. It's a simple tip but it really helps an outfit feel more cohesive, even if it's just as simple as a navy scarf to match your bag.

Navy MAB Tote Bag With Printed Dresses For The office

Printed dresses are an office staple, they make getting ready for work so easy as you don't have to mix and match with a one and done outfit! As you can see in the pics, no matter the print or colour of the dress, this neutral navy tote works with them all.

MAB Tote Bag with Pencil Skirts At Work

Another staple work option for me, the classic pencil skirt. A big tote bag looks nice with a pencil skirt outfit, and works more formally with a blazer to dress up a more casual cardigan and skirt outfit. You can't go wrong with a structured tote and pencil skirt in the office!

Navy MAB Tote Bag With Print Mixing Office Outfits

It's nice to have a little fun with your outfit when you're wearing a neutral bag - you can be more adventurous with colour or prints. Even if you just add a little hint of print mixing to your outfit by adding a printed scarf on top of a different print, a neutral tote is a great complimentary accessory, as you don't have to worry about the big block colour clashing with any of the prints.

Rebecca Minkoff MAB Tote Bag Accessorised with Scarves

This is quite a large tote, and sometimes it can feel a little plain being a big neutral square. As you've seen in the outfits above, a bag charm is a cute addition to the bag to break up the colour a little, and in these outfits I've accessorised the bag by tying scarves around the handles. This works well on the way to the office when it's a hot summer day but you know you will need a scarf at your desk in the cold aircon! It's also a nice way to add another colour or print to your outfit.

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Where to Buy Rebecca Minkoff MAB Tote Bag:

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More Outfit Ideas:

For more outfit inspiration and ideas, you can view all the 39+ ways I've worn this navy tote in my blog archives, or browse the complete 30 wears series.

Similar Posts In The 30 Wears Series:

• 30 ways to wear red Balenciaga velo bag
• 30 ways to wear a grey Rebecca Minkoff MAM bag
• 30 ways to wear mustard yellow Rebecca Minkoff bag
• 30 ways to wear a red Rebecca Minkoff saddle bag
• 30 ways to wear Louis Vuitton Neverfull tote
• 30 ways to wear Rebecca Minkoff Love bag
• 30 ways to wear Balenciaga black Part Time bag
• 30 ways to wear Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAB Tote in plum purple
• 30 ways to wear Chloe Marcie Hobo Bag
• 30 ways to wear brown Balenciaga Day hobo bag
• 30 ways to wear purple Balenciaga Work Bag

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Handbags and Strollers: The Easy Hack for Any Brand! Baby Jogger, Bugaboo, Steelcraft etc

If you've read my blog for any amount of time you'll know that I love my handbags! Despite having a toddler, infant, dog, stroller and baby bag, I'm still using and and carrying my bags. After a few months of just using the baby bag when my eldest son was born, I figured out how easy it is to carry a handbag with a simple hack for any stroller!

Picking a stroller can be difficult. You might know you want one of the many baby strollers by baby jogger because a friend recommended them, or you might have seen a celeb with a Bugaboo or maybe you've come across a Steelcraft on sale. When trying to pick one you need to consider weight, ease of use, accessories, lifespan...there's a lot!

The Australian government has a stroller buying guide that's really helpful. Here's what helped us narrow down the options:

• Price - we started with a budget in mind
• Weight - there is everything from lightweight to heavier than a toddler strollers
• Ease of use - something foolproof to put up and down
• Size - we needed a stroller that would fit in the car boot
• Compatibility - we wanted a travel system so we looked for a stroller and travel capsule pack
• Safety - as the stroller came with a baby capsule we checked the government ratings to find a safe one
• Functionality - the ability to add another seat for a second baby and being able to change the direction the seat faced in were extra functions we liked.

I'm really happy with our Steelcraft Strider Compact stroller, but the one thing that I didn't think about when buying it was my handbags.

Having a baby doesn't mean you need to give up your handbags though. You know I have a lot of bags I wanted to use! I did think about how I'd juggle everything (baby, stroller, dog and baby bag) and figured I might just use my Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC bags for a while as they slide nicely into the pockets on our baby bag.

I really needed an extra set of hands if I wanted to carry a bigger handbag with my things in it when we went out though. Throwing it into the base of the stroller was tricky get to when I was babywearing, and not all my handbags fit nicely into the baby bag or could be worn cross-body. When baby T was a few months old I found the solution to my problem.

All you need is a bag hook! It can be as simple as a carabiner or a specifically designed hook for your brand of stroller. Since I spent a few dollars on one it's made it easier to have my handbag with me when I'm out with the boys. When baby boy was born earlier this year, I kept on using and enjoying my handbags as I had that handy little hook!


It's the plastic clip you can see on the stroller handle in some of my pics. Such a simple solution, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who hadn't heard of it before. I get a few comments now and then from people wondering how I use more than just a baby bag with two boys. That little plastic hook on the stroller is my secret!

If you're a mum, how you carry your things? Only wear cross-body bags? Put what you need in the baby bag? Did you think about it when buying a stroller?

This post was created in partnership with Diapers.com. 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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Ways to Wear JORD Wood Watches and a Giveaway

If you've read my blog for a while you might remember last year when I was given my first JORD wood watch. It became a firm favourite to wear to the office as glancing at your watch in a long meeting is a lot politer than pulling out your phone to check the time!

JORD kindly gifted me another beautiful watch. I was excited to start wearing a watch again, hoping it would help keep me on time for things. Really it's just become another way for me to see how late we are running! Typical of life with two under 3 I think. As well as a review, I wanted to show you some of the different ways I've worn the women's wood watches I'm lucky enough to own.

I picked the Cora watch as it's a little more dainty than the unisex Fieldcrest watch I have. I was also really intrigued by the purpleheart wood, which looks lovely with the mother of pearl face. As well as the little cut-out detail on the face to see the inner workings of the watch, the back of the face is clear so you can see all the cogs moving around inside which is fascinating - especially to a toddler!

Being a wood watch, it's splash-proof but not waterproof. It means I can wear it through all the constant hand washing that comes along with two boys still in nappies, although I do have to take it off when washing the dishes or showering. It handles stay at home mum duties perfectly. My Fieldcrest watch has held up to a year and a half of use and over 30 wears. It's also been tough enough to cope with being pulled off the bedside table and worn by the toddler more times than I can count, so I'm confident this Cora watch will last as well.

The ordering process was a little different this time around than last time. When you pick your wood watch, you can specify the size of your wrist and get it custom sized for you right out of the box. I used this feature, it's cheaper than getting the band changed at my local watch repair place and it fits perfectly. Being petite with tiny wrists and not always being able to find things to fit me properly, I appreciated this extra service.

The only downside I can find with this watch is that it's an automatic one, so it doesn't use a battery. This means if you get over excited and don't read the manual (guilty!) you won't wind the watch enough when you first set the time and you'll be confused the next day when it stops ticking. Once you read the manual and follow the instructions to properly setup the watch, you won't have any problems and the watch will keep the right time.

Just like my first experience with JORD watches, I was impressed with the speedy shipping time from the US to Australia and the absolutely beautiful presentation. I shared my delight at opening the box on my insta story. These wood watches make great gifts! They are so unique.

If you are inspired by the different ways I've worn my watches or have someone in mind to gift one to, you'll love this generous giveaway! Just by entering you'll get a little something and one lucky winner will get a $100 e-gift voucher. As this is my second wood watch from JORD, I'd be happy to help answer any questions you have about them in the comments too.


Click here for a $20 off code for JORD wood watches and a chance to win a $100 e-gift voucher!



Note: giveaway ends on 26th September. Giveaway is administrated by JORD for Away From Blue readers. I am simply promoting it through my blog. E-gift codes are automatically emailed to entrants. It is open world wide as JORD ships internationally and everyone who is reading here can enter.

This post was sponsored by JORD wood watches. As always, opinions and views expressed on this blog are my own.


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