Summer Christmas parties are easy to dress for when I stick to a simple outfit formula like I have here. A printed tank, black maxi skirt and a matching bag and necklace in festive colours works well, never over or under dressed! While I wore these back in December for a couple of Christmas parties, they are not so festive that they couldn't be worn other times of the year!
I had this tank in mind for an upcoming Christmas party as I thought the red in the print would look so festive with green accessories! I really liked the way this outfit turned out. the matching necklace and Rebecca Minkoff mini 5 zip bag always look good together and with a subtle touch of red in the mixed print tank were a big festive touch. The black drawstring maxi skirt was a good base with all of the colour too!
It was a hot day with a big storm in the afternoon so I was thankful for the slits in the sides of this maxi skirt, kept me cool as we ran around running errands and getting some food to take to the party.
I'd planned to wear a green necklace with this outfit to look really festive for our final Christmas party of the season but wasn't sure it worked with the neckline of this fern print tank when I put it on. I didn't want to wear the green necklace above again, although I thought it would work, as it had been getting a lot of wear over December!
Again we had a busy morning before the party but spent some time with friends in the playground before it got too hot. The party was really fun too and worth the wait being the last one of December!
A printed tank is a fun option for a Christmas party, especially if you stick to festive colours like red or green. They are things you can easily wear year round too, and with all the colour and print a black maxi skirt is a good pairing.
For today's Weekday Wear Linkup I'm sharing what I wore for Christmas!
I wore a maxi skirt for Christmas eve and a maxi dress for the big day, both accessorised with cross body bags and some pretty gold earrings. Two very different outfits though, as we dress down for Christmas eve and dress up for Christmas day. Both days are filled with family but Christmas eve is a lot more casual as we decorate cookies, attempt Christmas craft and snack as we watch a Christmas movie. Christmas day we dress up to enjoy the family time, unwrap gifts, and have a big delicious feast.
Another year of wearing my novelty Santa tee! My sister bought us all these festive glitter tees one year and so every year my question about what to wear for Christmas eve is partially answered - depending on the weather I might wear shorts or a maxi skirt with the tee. It was a little cooler and threatening rain so I figured a maxi skirt was perfect to stop me being too hot or too cold. The day was rain free but there was a huge storm in the afternoon which meant we stayed a little later at my parents until it had blown over!
The gold earrings were a recent gift from my mum - I spotted them while we were out shopping before Christmas and she bought them for me when we were browsing Colette. They look so much little gold baubles I just had to have them, and knew that they would fit in with the glitter on my tee and the Christmas bell and ribbon bracelet (another tradition, just as much as the tee is!). I'm hoping that because they are a classic gold I will get some wear from them outside December too. They look a lot more subtle in the pictures than they do in person!
A much dressier outfit for the big day - we spent the morning at home with the kids, unwrapping presents and enjoying their surprise with everything Santa brought them. Then it was off to the first set of grandparents for more presents before leaving again to end the day down the coast with my family. It's a bit of travelling for one day but it's good to see everyone. Photo is a little dark as it was quite cloudy when I took this pic in the morning and I didn't want to open up the blinds - we had some toys in the back yard for a big Christmas surprise once all the presents were open!
If you're a frequent reader you'll know that I love my Kmart floral dresses! I had went into the store with my mum a few weeks before Christmas to check out another dress I'd never had a chance to try on when I was with the boys, and was disappointed to see it didn't look as good on as it did on the hanger. Mum had spotted this pretty maxi dress for me to take into the change room too and I fell in love with it! She kindly bought it for me and I knew it would be the perfect Christmas day dress.
The chandelier earrings were a gift from my mum too, last year! I thought the gold went nicely with the gold hardware on the vintage Chanel bag. With the statement earrings I didn't feel the need to add a big necklace to this, I thought the bag and earrings were enough, especially with all my silver bracelets. I decided on this delicate Tiffany necklace which matched the silver bracelet stack. Sometimes I like mixing metals with my accessories.
A classic maxi skirt or dress can be perfect for a Christmas gathering. They can be dressed up or down easily, and in our Queensland summers are a great choice to beat the heat. Might not be the best idea if you have a snowy Christmas though, unless you have a free hand to hold the hem up whenever you step foot outside! Adding a pretty pair of statement gold earrings can help you feel a little festive too whatever your weather.
Weekday Wear Linkup #52
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!
This post was created in partnership with Nakturnal. 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.
For today's Weekday Wear Linkup I'm sharing two different ways to wear a black pencil skirt - for the office and for mum life.
This linkup post will be up a little longer than normal as I won't have my usual post on Wednesday as it will be Christmas day. I'll be back posting as usual on the 27th December with some boxing day sales.
I was a little annoyed with this outfit! I love the metallic tank for a subtle bit of shimmer and the tweed blazer dresses it up nicely and covers my shoulders for the office. The beaded statement necklace was a bit of matchy-matchy with the silver, white and turquoise beads. It got broken and hastily repaired out at dinner one night so it's now a strictly worn without the kids piece. But it went and broke on me while I was in a meeting. A virtual meeting at my desk thankfully but I was still a bit frustrated!
Even with the turquoise in the necklace I thought this outfit needed a little more colour so went with the purple Balenciaga work bag, and added even more interest with the leopard print flats. I did really like this outfit until the necklace annoyed me!
Rushed out of the office early to get home and changed before heading out with family for an important event. Decided to keep the outfit base the same, with the same metallic tank and black pencil skirt, but swapped the ballet flats for these studded sandals, and the blazer for a more casual kimono. It's not the first time I've worn this kimono with a pencil skirt, I enjoyed it last time I wore that combination too.
Swapped the accessories out for a more kid-friendly necklace, and a cute little red bag to add some extra colour to my outfit.
Simple and quick outfit for a night out with family, followed by dinner at our place before putting two very tired kids to bed very late!
A pencil skirt is a wardrobe staple, and it's easy to layer it up with a blazer to fit a formal work environment. You can dress it down by changing the outerwear again - pick something more casual like a kimono for an easy outfit that's suitable for a hot summer night.
Weekday Wear Linkup #50
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!
Blue is my favourite colour and I do wear a lot of it! While I'm trying to stay away from the blue jeans, I do love my blue denim shorts. I paired the blue shorts with some blue tops to create monochromatic outfits, and accessorised each with different colours. Bright bags and kimonos with shorts outfits are a summer staple for me!
Wore this to spend the day with my sister. I love when our days off line up together, and the kids really love spending time with their fave aunt! We headed out to Bounce which is basically just a giant warehouse filled with trampolines. Wanted something simple to jump around in but cool for the hot day so picked this super soft tee and denim shorts. It felt a little plain so I added the kimono for a touch of colour, and the little red Rebecca Minkoff Avery tote matches the red in the print.
Still felt this outfit was lacking a little something so added this light thrifted necklace - didn't want anything too heavy while bouncing around! Ended up doing more bouncing than I expected, as my sister and I perfected the double bounce you can see below and also enjoyed bouncing off the trampoline onto a giant pillow with the boys. Was a great day, and after lunch we relaxed a little bit before an early dinner and when out again for a trial sports session in the evening for my eldest son.
I think part of the reason I love yellow so much is that it goes great with blue! I wasn't feeling the best on this day so decided to try brighten up my monochrome blue tank and denim shorts outfit with this bright yellow kimono. I felt it was a great topper for the navy and made me look a little more energetic than I felt! The long tassel necklace broke up the blue a bit, and this little green Rebecca Minkoff mini 5 zip bag was another fun way to add some colour.
While my breastfeeding days are behind me, I kept this tank in my wardrobe as it's a good basic and you wouldn't know just by looking at it that it's designed for breastfeeding!
Was a quiet day with the boys - headed to our local fenced in park so I could try sit and rest while they played. Bumped into my friend there so the boys had fun playing together and getting some of their energy out!
A navy top is a great basic to have in your wardrobe- tanks or tees, both look great with denim! To break up the monochrome combo when wearing it with blue denim, try adding other colours to your outfit like a colourful bag or bright kimono.
Taking advantage of the spring weather to wear two blue kimonos. Wearing two different brightly coloured jeans that match the bags I chose to wear too. I like being a little matchy-matchy when wearing a colourful bag. I've shared matching bags to shoes, scarves and printed tees before too.
Wore this for a warm spring day that quickly turned into a very hot day! I regretted picking this kimono a little, it's a cosy cocoon style which was a bit too warm by the time we got halfway around the bike trail the boys were scooting and biking around.
I regretted the white tee choice too when we did some baking later in the afternoon. Luckily the cocoa powder stains came out in the wash!
I did like the colour combo in this outfit though, navy and green look so nice together and the little green Rebecca Minkoff 5 zip bag complimented the green jeans nicely.
Sticking with the same simple outfit formula I wore above with a blue kimono, v-neck tee and bright skinny jeans. Went with red ones and picked my little red Rebecca Minkoff micro Avery tote bag as well. Just like the bag and jeans above, the shades don't match exactly but do compliment each other nicely.
Wore this on a day it was predicted to rain so we headed out to an indoor play place for the kids. It didn't rain but the boys did have a lot of fun, especially when the special guest arrived. Queen Elsa was very lovely and "remembered" them from Disneyland which made their day! Something a bit different for them and they really enjoyed it.
A brightly coloured bag can easily be matched to something else in your outfit, like these bright skinny jeans. Wearing them with other neutral pieces like the tees or pairing with your favourite colour like these blue kimonos makes for a simple colourful outfit.
I love a good slouchy tee and I love a maxi skirt – paired together
it makes a comfortable and practical outfit for days with the kids. To dress up
these outfits a little I wore statement necklaces with them, and my trusty little red Rebecca Minkoff micro avery bag.
A busy day when I wore this! I did a little opshopping in
the morning to pick up a few more necklace options trying to find the perfect
way to accessorise my dress for an event, and we had to stop by the library and
grocery store.
The afternoon was more relaxed, a leisurely stroll / bike /
scoot around our local park after a last minute rush to the bank to pickup a copy of a letter that never arrived . This comfortable outfit was just what I needed. I loved
this statement necklace against the red slouchy tee, I’ve worn it with a red tee before and liked it then too. The vertical striped maxi skirt has pockets
too which is so practical. And the gold mouse flats matched the gold hardware
on the little Rebecca Minkoff micro avery bag nicely.
Not the first time I’ve worn this beautiful red thrifted
maxi skirt with a blue tee! I like blue and red together so this skirt is worn
with blue a lot, and the $3 thrifted skirt with the tee that works out to about
63 cents makes for a very affordable outfit! I got the tee in a bag of clothes in the “fill a bag for $5” sale which is why it works out so cheaply! I was dressing for comfort as we headed out
to the airport early in the morning to pick someone up, and then lunch and shopping with
my sister later.
I picked this silk beaded necklace to use as distraction for the boys while we waited at the airport – but thankfully we didn’t have to wait wrong. The
extra pearl bracelets were another distraction tool – it’s so normal for my
boys to play with my accessories when I pick them up for cuddles – part of the
reason I rarely wear delicate or sharp statement necklaces on my SAHM days, preferring them for
office days!
There's a fashion "rule" that you shouldn't pair two voluminous pieces, like a slouchy oversized tee and a billowy maxi skirt together. But I say you should wear what makes you comfortable, and a maxi skirt and tee is such a comfy outfit! Perfect easy outfit for a mum too, no worrying about the skirt being too short as you run around with the kids! Linking up with Fab Friday, Weekend Wear, Lizzie In Lace, Fancy Friday.
