Plain Tees, Floral Kimonos, Denim Shorts and Rebecca Minkoff Darren Bag | Weekday Wear Linkup

Some casual weekday style for this week's Weekday Wear Linkup!

I extended my Christmas holidays from work into January. It gave me a lot more time at home with the boys, and we took advantage of the opportunity to try a different park to play at each day. I kept things simple for playground style: plain tees, denim shorts and fun kimonos for a little bit of sun coverage.

What I wore:

Jacket: gifted Target Karolina summer kimono in purple black floral
Necklace: Kmart pink multi-colour beaded necklace
Tee: Jeanswest black scoop neck tee
Shorts: Jeanswest Trinity Bermuda denim shorts
Shoes: Balenciaga studded sandals in sorbet RGGH
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff small Darren messenger bag in peony

Why I wore it:

Say hello to my new favourite kimono! This kimono was a Christmas gift from my mum, and one of those clothing pieces where you just pull it on and feel so happy with the outfit! Expect to see this popping up a lot more often on my blog. The pink beaded necklace added a little more colour to my outfit - it too was a Christmas gift from my mum. With the pink necklace, I added the pastel pink Rebecca Minkoff Darren bag as well as the studded Balenciaga sandals. I like pink and purple together and though none of these shades of pink matched I thought that they all worked nicely together and with the floral kimono.

I really enjoyed this outfit - nice and simple for a day at the park.


Last worn: black scoop neck tee, Bermuda denim shorts, studded Balenciaga sandals, Rebecca Minkoff Darren bag. First time I've worn the kimono as it was a Christmas gift.

Other ways to wear: black scoop neck tee and printed shorts, Bermuda denim shorts worn 30 ways, studded Balenciaga sandals and maxi dress, Rebecca Minkoff Darren bag in the office. 

Perfect for pregnancy: studded Balenciaga sandals in second trimester.

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What's In My Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Darren

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What I wore:

Jacket: gifted Cotton On Leah kimono in Juddy floral cerise
Necklace: gifted Kmart navy and gold beaded tassel necklace
Tee: Atmos & Here white essential v-neck tee
Shorts: Jeanswest Sara distressed hot short
Shoes: Novo Tawny rose gold sandals
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff small Darren messenger bag in peony

Why I wore it:

After a few days in a row of spending time around all the local parks, I felt a needed a little more coverage from the sun so picked out another new floral kimono - this one also a Christmas gift from my mum. With the plain white tee and the black denim shorts it was a nice pop of colour. And with the blue in the floral print, I thought this necklace (also a new Christmas gift) was a nice finishing touch. I kept with the Rebecca Minkoff small Darren bag as it compliments the colours in the flowers nicely.

We went to a new-to-me park that the boys have been to before, it has a big racing track for bikes and scooters which they had a wonderful time running around. I was glad I had the kimono for physical sunblock for my arms as there wasn't a lot of shade around.

Just like the first outfit, I stuck with gold shoes even though the bag has silver hardware - I figured that the metals were far enough apart from each other that they worked.


Last worn: white tee, black denim shorts, gold sandals, Rebecca Minkoff Darren bag (above). First time I've worn the necklace and kimono as they were Christmas gifts.

Other ways to wear: white tee and pencil skirt, black denim shorts and scarf, rose gold sandals and maxi dress, Rebecca Minkoff Darren bag and striped dress.

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Floral Kimonos Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

Shorts and a tee is such a staple summer outfit, and so easy to change up a little when you add a bright printed kimono on top. These floral kimonos are lightweight so an ideal way to add an extra layer of interest and colour to your outfit without overheating you in the middle of summer! They work well as an extra bit of sun protection too.

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Weekday Wear Linkup #05

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!

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30 Ways To Wear Purple Skinny Jeans ~ #30wears Challenge

As I try to move away from blue jeans, I've embraced other colours of denim! This purple pair of skinny jeans is a firm favourite, and the first pair of colourful denim in my collection that I've hit 30 wears with.

30 Ways To Wear: Purple Skinny Jeans

Cost Per Wear

I bought these 'blackberry' purple jeans back in April 2013. I've only been tracking prices with items for the past couple of years, but luckily I wrote on the blog how much I paid for these - $30! At 30 wears, that works out to the '$1 per wear' that seems to be the goal when calculating cost per wear. I'm not bored of these jeans either, despite having them for 6 years, so they will be staying in my wardrobe a little longer!
30 wears over 6 years seems like quite a low amount, but these jeans don't have a lot of stretch so wearing them over my two pregnancies was definitely out of the question! 30 times over say 4 years when you discount the pregnancy and postpartum phases is a bit of a better figure.

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30 Ways To Wear Purple Jeans: Video Style

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Purple Jeans For A Matchy-Matchy Outfit

If you've been reading my blog a while you'll know I love a little bit of matchy-matchy in my outfits! Having a colourful pair of jeans is a great excuse to continue that colour int eh rest of your outfit - a purple kimono, bag, cardigan or scarf works nicely with the purple jeans. Even if the shades don't match exactly it's a simple way to complete an outfit.

Purple Jeans With Pink

Pink and purple is a go-to colour combination for me, so of course I've worn these purple skinny jeans with pink pieces! If there's a colour combo you love, try it with a pair of colourful jeans! You can do it in a small way with a pink scarf, or go bigger and pair a pink blazer with purple jeans.

Purple Skinny Jeans With Navy

Blue and purple is another go-to colour combination. When I had my wardrobe detox a few years ago, the stylist was curious why I had so many purple pieces. Because they go so well with blue! A little navy like a printed tank, or a lot of navy like a navy tee or cardigan, any amount works well with purple jeans.

Purple Jeans With Turquoise

I could have called this out with the blue option above, but I wore these purple jeans with turquoise so many times it felt right to give it it's own category! I like the deeper purple paired with the bright turquoise, it really brightens up an outfit.

Purple Jeans With Neutrals

You've seen how well these jeans work with other colours, but of course they work perfectly with neutrals too. A bold colourful pair of jeans - or any bold piece in your wardrobe! - will so easily go with neutral pieces. Picking out a neutral piece to wear with something more colourful is a good go-to option when you're not sure what else to wear.

Purple Jeans With Prints

Just like the neutral top option above, a printed top is another fail-safe to wear with purple jeans. As you can see, I favour stripes a lot, but any print, or even a little print mixing, will work well with colourful jeans. Purple jeans make a simple outfit base you can add extra interest to with prints.

Purple Jeans In Winter

While summer in Brisbane isn't the ideal jeans weather, I do wear them a lot in winter. These purple skinny jeans are such a fun way to add colour to a winter outfit, but still just as cosy and practical as normal jeans. You can see I'm using some of the outfit ideas above here too, with the navy, turquoise and printed pieces worn with these jeans.

Purple Jeans and Tee Outfits

The forever classic outfit, jeans and a tee! Swapping our standard blue jeans for a fun colourful pair like these purple jeans adds a little extra interest to a jeans and tee outfit, while still being just as easy to wear as classic blue.

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Where To Buy Purple Jeans Under $50:

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More Posts In the 30 Wears Series

If you're looking for more outfit inspiration with purple jeans, see all 30+ times I've worn them in my archives.

For even more ways to wear ideas, here are some related posts in the 30 wears series:

• 30 ways to wear a black maxi skirt
• 30 different ways to wear striped maxi skirt
• 30 different ways to wear skinny jeans
• 30 ways to wear white and navy stripe maxi skirt
• 30 ways to wear a grey maxi skirt
• 30 ways to wear bermuda denim shorts
• 30 ways to wear a purple cardigan

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January Purchases?

Something I ordered in January didn't arrive in time so I'm going to do a wrap up of my January and February purchases together next month. You might have already seen some of the things I've bought like this thrifted tee, peplum tank and printed shorts on Instagram.


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Soft Shorts, Tees And Colourful Rebecca Minkoff Micro Regan and Mini MAC Bags

You know I love my bright handbags, and I have quite a few colourful Rebecca Minkoff bags. Making the most of the lovely summer weather here in Brisbane at the start of January, I headed to some different parks with the boys, and accessorised the plain shorts and tee outfits with some fun bags.

What I wore:

Necklace: gifted Kmart pink multi-colour beaded necklace
Tee: Jeanswest black scoop neck tee
Shorts: Jeanswest Parker printed shirred short
Shoes: black slim Havaianas thongs
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff neon pink mini MAC

Why I wore it:

This is one of those outfits that looks nice in the photos but really wasn't good to wear. I'd planned it the night before, while in the aircon, and decided that this plain black tee would look so good with the printed black shorts. They do look nice together, and the pink accessories were such a fun touch with all of the black - the hot pink mini MAC bag really pops against the neutral outfit.

However monochrome black was not such a good choice for a hot summer day on one of the local walking trails! Especially as I forgot my water bottle.

If I'd been inside for more of the day, or wore this on a cooler day or on a shadier trail, I would have liked it more than I did.


Last worn: black printed shorts, Havaianas, Rebecca Minkoff neon mini MAC. First time I've worn the tee as I recently got it from my sister's wardrobe, and the necklace was a Christmas present.

Other ways to wear: black printed shorts and kimono, Rebecca Minkoff neon mini MAC and printed dresses.

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Rebecca Minkoff Micro Regan Vs Mini MAC

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What I wore:

Necklace: gifted Kmart rose gold and pink beaded necklace
Tee: Jeanswest striped split hem tee
Shorts: Jeanswest Tessa olive embroidered shorts
Shoes: Novo Tawny rose gold sandals
Bracelets: the usual plus gifted rose gold pink and pearl bracelet stack
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff micro Regan satchel in Harvest Gold

Why I wore it:

This  outfit was much better suited for a day out in the sun! The tee is another new-to-me one from my sister's wardrobe. It's not the first time I've won these olive embroidered shorts with stripes, I really like the combo so when I got this navy stripe tee I knew I wanted to try it with the shorts right away.

The mustard micro Regan bag is another frequently worn option with the olive shorts too, I really like mustard and olive together.

Even with the mustard bag and olive shorts, I added another colour with the necklace and bracelets - I picked some of my new rose gold accessories. I have this Kmart necklace in navy and gold and I am thrilled to have the pink and gold version now too! I thought it matched matched my pink, rose gold and pearl bracelet stack well, especially with the addition of the rose gold sandals. The shiny accessories were a bit more dressed up than a playdate at the park called for, but it was a cute touch of sparkle for the final day of the year.


Last worn: olive embroidered shorts, rose gold sandals, Rebecca Minkoff micro Regan bag. First time I've worn the necklace and bracelet stack as they are recent gifts, and the tee is from my sister's wardrobe.

Other ways to wear: olive embroidered shorts and grey knits, rose gold sandals and maxi dress, Rebecca Minkoff micro Regan bag and skinny jeans.

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Soft Shorts Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

Shorts and a tee is a staple summer outfit. On hot days, soft lightweight shorts like these are a good option for dealing with the heat. A practical outfit for running around a playground with the kids too! Maybe just don't pair a black tee with them if you're out in the sun!


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Printed Dresses, Gold Sandals and Chloe Paddington Bag: Summer Style

You know I love my outfit formulas! Printed dresses are a great piece to include in an outfit formula as they make each outfit look different. I'm wearing two cute printed dresses below, with green necklaces, rose gold sandals and a Chloe Paddington bag, and because I changed up the dress each time they look completely different.

What I wore:

Necklace: Jeanswest Taryn turquoise tassel bead necklace
Dress: All About Eve striped black tee dress
Shoes: Novo Tawny rose gold sandals
Bag: Chloe Paddington in 2007 Brun

Why I wore it:

This dress is one that I got from my sister (video explanation here) and I'm surprised she wanted to give it away as I associate it with her so much! One of my favourite photos of her and my eldest son together she was wearing this dress. Of course I am extremely grateful to get it!

A striped tee dress has been on my want list for a while, but I figured I'd start shopping when the boys are bigger and there's less bending over and picking the kids up! I found the length on this really nice though. Hubby and I had a rare few hours to ourselves to do some boring bank stuff while the inlaws watched the kids, so it was the perfect opportunity to break out this tee dress. I actually really liked the length and could see myself wearing this around the boys. The slightly dipped hem in the back helps with that!

The style challenge for the day was 'pure gold' so I layered up the gold pendant necklace, rose gold sandals and gold padlock Chloe Paddington bag together. I really liked all of the gold with the black and white stripes.


Last worn: gold pendant necklace, rose gold sandals, Chloe Paddington bag. First time I've worn the striped tee dress as it's a recent addition to my wardrobe.

Other ways to wear: rose gold sandals and maxi dress, Chloe Paddington bag in the office.

Perfect for pregnancy: Chloe Paddington bag in second trimester.

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What's In My Bag: Chloe Paddington

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What I wore:

Necklace: Starfish Project Hannah turquoise bead necklace
Dress: Zara printed bib front tunic dress
Shoes: Novo Tawny rose gold sandals
Bag: Chloe Paddington in 2007 Brun

Why I wore it:

Again, another printed dress with a green and gold necklace, and the same rose gold sandals and Chloe Paddington bag. Despite being the same outfit formula as I wore above, I love how this looks completely different with the navy dress!

This dress isn't much shorter than the one above, but really feels it (especially as the hems are curved and split before they join in the middle. It's strictly a kid free dress, unless I wear it as a top, which I've done a few times in the past.

I wore the dress like this a couple days before Christmas, to get some last minute stocking filler things I hadn't been able to buy before when I had the kids with me, and to make a start on the Christmas food shopping to minimise what I needed to buy the weekend before Christmas. It was a productive few hours, and this dress was a nice light layer for the hot summer day.


Last worn: navy shift dress, green statement necklace, rose gold sandals (above), Chloe Paddington (above).

Other ways to wear: navy shift dress under a pencil skirt, rose gold sandals and maxi dress, Chloe Paddington and burgundy pants.

Perfect for pregnancy: navy shift dress in third trimester, Chloe Paddington in first trimester.

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Printed Dresses Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

A simple printed dress is a staple for a hot summer day. They are so easy to style too. Add some metallic accessories and a fun bag and you're set for the day. You can even repeat the same or similar accessories the next day with another dress for a completely different outfit despite following the same formula and wearing some of the same pieces.



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Navy and Pink Worn Two Ways With Louis Vuitton Speedy Bandouliere

I really like blue and pink together - I find that any shades of the colours work well! Below I'm wearing two different combinations of navy and pink, with a slightly layered up navy and hot pink outfit, and a simple summer shorts and tee blush and navy outfit.

What I wore:

Necklace: newly gifted blush pink and gold beaded tassel necklace
Tee: newly gifted Jeanswest Ruby frill sleeve Ric Rac detailed tee in deep iris
Shorts: thrifted pastel pink cotton shorts
Shoes: black slim Havaianas thongs
Bag: Louis Vuitton Damier Ebene 30 speedy bandouliere

Why I wore it:

I wore this on boxing day, to make the most of the milder temps (it was only 30⁰C / 86⁰F) and walk off some of the yummy Christmas food we'd been enjoying. Getting out the house for a bit also gave me a chance to wear some of my new pieces I got for Christmas! This pink and gold tassel necklace, fun tassel bag charm on my speedy and navy statement sleeve tee were all gifts from my generous mum, who knows my style so well!

I picked the Louis Vuitton speedy bandouliere bag as I wasn't going to carry the big baby around all morning and I just wanted something small and simple to carry everyone's water bottles in. And a little snack for halfway round the trail of course.

You know I like a little matchy-matchy, so I was so happy when I put the blush necklace and shorts together and saw they matched! It was a lovely quiet boxing day, and after our walk we had fun in the afternoon unboxing more of the toys the boys got for Christmas.


Last worn: pastel pink shorts, Havaianas, Louis Vuitton speedy bandouliere. First time I've worn the tassel necklace and navy tee as they were Christmas presents.

Other ways to wear: pastel pink shorts and printed tank, Louis Vuitton speedy bandouliere and maxi dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: Louis Vuitton speedy bandouliere in third trimester.

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What's In My Bag: Louis Vuitton Speedy Bandouliere

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What I wore:

Scarf: Fashion Scarf Girl plain crinkle scarf in hot pink (c/o)
Tee: Atmos & Here Avery marle tee in navy
Jeans: Jeanswest Cecile dove grey skinny jeans
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in black
Bag: Louis Vuitton Damier Ebene 30 speedy bandouliere

Why I wore it:

Even though I'm wearing jeans, this pic was taken a couple of days before Christmas, in the middle of Brisbane's heatwave! We had tickets for 'snow 4 kids' which is a big arena setup to resemble a winter wonderland, and long pants and closed in shoes were recommended. Of course as soon as the event was over we got changed back into shorts, it was far too hot in the humidity for jeans.

Such a fun morning playing in the snow though! While the event wasn't as big as I expected, I was still impressed with how much snow they managed to have despite the heat and humidity. I dressed the boys in layers and they ended up changing to just jeans and a tee as it really was warm when you weren't on the snow.

I anticipated the temperatures being cooler around the snow so I layered up my jeans a little adding this fun hot pink crinkle scarf. I like how it popped against the neutral navy tee and grey jeans outfit!

The Louis Vuitton speedy bandouliere was a necessary bag for the snow - I did slip and fall once so I was glad I'd picked a waterproof bag! There was also a bit of snow flying around in the air too. You can see a little clip of the event in my Christmas vlogs video round up.


Last worn: navy marle tee, grey skinny jeans, Converse, Louis Vuitton speedy bandouliere bag (above). First time I've worn the scarf as it's a recent wardrobe addition.

Other ways to wear: navy marle tee over a maxi dress, grey skinny jeans and blouse, Converse and olive pants, Louis Vuitton speedy bandouliere bag for travelling.

Perfect for pregnancy: Converse in second trimester, Louis Vuitton speedy bandouliere bag in third trimester.

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Navy Tees Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

Navy is a great alternative to black, and you will find that a navy tee goes with so many other pieces in your wardrobe! It works well with other neutrals like grey, and you can pair it with different shades of pink for a fun pop too. Pink shorts, or simple pink accessories like a necklace or scarf work well with a navy tee.


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Embellished Tanks and Maxi Skirts With Balenciaga Tempete Day Bag

The thing I like about maxi skirts is that they never feel over or under dressed. When wearing both of these maxi skirts below I added some embellished tanks to make them feel just a little more dressed up, and a little more festive for the parties we were going to (back in December!).

What I wore:

Dress: Jeanswest 'Darcy' embellished top in winter coral
Skirt: Target navy side split maxi skirt
Shoes: black slim Havaianas thongs
Bracelets: the usual plus Fashion Scarf Girl Navy and Gold hair scarf (c/o) tied in bow
Bag: Balenciaga giant hardware Day bag in 2009 tempete

Why I wore it:

I wore this to the boys daycare party. I'd just worn shorts and a tee earlier in the day, but swapped to this as the maxi skirt gave me more coverage, and I wanted the bigger bag. I'm glad I picked this bag, they got so many things I had to hold and it was nice being hands free! The style challenge for the day was 'sequins and sparkle' so this sequin embellished tank was perfect, and probably overdue a wear! It's been a while since I last wore it.

The boys had a wonderful night at the party, and I was grateful for having picked the maxi skirt to wear with all the running around after them I did and bending down to toddler level!


Last worn: sequin embellished tank, navy scarf, navy stripe maxi skirt, black Havaianas, Balenciaga Tempete Day Bag.

Other ways to wear: sequin embellished tank and skinny jeans, navy scarf on a handbag, navy stripe maxi skirt worn two ways, Balenciaga Tempete Day Bag and printed dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: sequin embellished tank in third trimester, Balenciaga Tempete Day Bag in second trimester.

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What's In My Bag: Balenciaga Tempete Day

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What I wore:

Dress: Jeanswest 'Macy' ombre tank in 'very berry'
Skirt: Noisy May long denim maxi skirt
Shoes: Rebecca Minkoff Georgina studded gladiator sandals in blush
Bag: Balenciaga giant hardware Day bag in 2009 tempete

Why I wore it:

Since I liked the outfit above so much, I repeated a similar thing a few days later. I picked this ombre beaded tank which is such a special piece but again, like the sequin tank above, so sparingly worn due to how delicate it is. Life with two boys under 5 requires a bit of consideration when wearing delicate pieces!

I really liked the pink and blue together of the ombre tank and chambray skirt, and the studded sandals were a simple option. We had a busy day, with the final Christmas food shop in the morning and then a party with our church friends down the coast. This was the perfect outfit to feel cool and pulled together for all those events. I was relieved to see that Woolies wasn't as busy as I anticipated and I grabbed the groceries quite quickly, but it was definitely getting busier as we left.


Last worn: ombre embellished tank, noisy may chambray maxi skirt, studded gladiator sandals, Balenciaga tempete day bag (above).

Other ways to wear: ombre embellished tank and skinny jeans, noisy may chambray maxi skirt and printed tank, studded gladiator sandals, Balenciaga tempete day bag and floral dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: ombre embellished tank and hidden second trimester bump, Balenciaga tempete day bag in third trimester.

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Embellished Tanks Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

Anything with a little extra embellishment will feel a bit more pulled together when you add it to an outfit. A simple maxi skirt looks more dressed up when you add an embellished tank, but it creates a simple outfit option, ideal for running around after kids at parties!


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