Reebonz Melbourne Sale: French Connection Dress, MBMJ Fran Bag | Great Ocean Road: Grey Tee, Jeans, Converse

Here's what I wore to spend my second day in Melbourne:

Sunnies: gifted Cotton On 'Kirsten sunnie' in yellow
Necklace: gift from DH
Bracelets: the usual plus gifted Ferragamo double wrap bracelet, Indigo Rose Design waxed leather cream howlite beaded wrap bracelet
Dress: French Connection star dancing jersey dress in red rust/almond
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs Logo Plaque flats in camel
Bag: Marc By Marc Jacobs Classic Q Fran bag with gold hardware in carob brown from Reebonz


Was a nicer day in Melbourne on Friday so I left my jacket behind. I shopped the Reebonz offline sale, got lost for a while, did some more shopping and went out for dinner. I'm carrying my sale purchase in the photo ;)
Was pleasantly surprised to see that the Reebonz Melbourne offline sale is much larger than the Brisbane ones - it was impossible to get one photo of the entire room!

You can view the photos from the Melbourne Reebonz sale here, and see what I bought in the sale below.

Last worn: yellow sunnies, jersey dress, Marc by Marc Jacobs flats, Fran handbag.

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Here's what I wore to take a Great Ocean Road tour today:

Sunnies: gifted Cotton On 'Kirsten sunnie' in yellow
Scarf: Alexander McQueen red skull-print modal and cashmere-blend scarf
Bracelets: the usual plus gifted Ferragamo double wrap bracelet, Indigo Rose Design waxed leather cream howlite beaded wrap bracelet
Tee: Marc by Marc Jacobs blossom pocket tee in grey
Jeans: Jeanswest Super Skinny Jeans in Mid Indigo
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in black
Bag: Alexander Wang Rocco with gold hardware in dark argon from Reebonz (New Purchase)


Was an early start to go on a tour of the Great Ocean Road this morning. Of all the times I've been to Melbourne, I've never been to the Great Ocean Road before, so was really excited to go today.

Was a very long but amazing trip - so many great things to see, I uploaded a few photos to my instagram. The photo above was taken at our first stop, Bell's Beach.


Last worn: yellow sunnies (above), Marc By Marc Jacobs tee, red Alexander McQueen scarf, jeans, Converse.

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Sick. Handbag Collection Video and Giveaway

A break from the regular post today. I've gotten extremely sick and spent the past few days in bed, likely I'll be here most of the weekend too.

As soon as I'm back to normal I'll be back to posting :) Until then, here are a few things to make up for the lack of outfit pictures.

• Check out some of the great blogs I love.

• View the video tour of my complete handbag collection, or watch some of the other videos on my youtube channel.

A few of you have been asking about my bags, so I hope you enjoy the video!

• Enter my personalised planner giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you all for reading, I'll try make it round to your blogs as I can, missing reading my favourites!

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Jeanswest Grey Floral Print Maxi Dress, Marc By Marc Jacobs Karlie Bag

Here's what I wore to go out for lunch and spend some time with my friend today:

Sunnies: Pink leopard print sunglasses from Paddy's Markets in Sydney
Necklace: Cotton On Jewel drop necklace in black and silver
Bracelets: the usual plus pink fairy floss 'Plastic Fantastic' bracelet by Meekz Contemporary Jewellery, enamel coated Marc By Marc Jacobs Katie bracelet in pink
Dress: Jeanswest Grey floral print ruffle maxi dress
Belt: Supre black braided belt
Shoes: Asos 'flirt' leather sandals (hidden under the dress sorry!)
Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs 'Classic Q - Karlie' Crossbody Flap Bag in blossom pink with silver hardware (Reebonz Australia competition prize)

Close up of accessories and bag:

These pink leopard sunnies have become my new go-to after my yellow ones broke! When we were out shopping yesterday we spotted a similar yellow pair, but they weren't as bright as my old ones so I'm going to keep looking and see if I can find an equally bright yellow pair to replace them.

Went out for lunch today and a bit of a walk to spend some time with my friend before coming home for Church Online in the evening. Wore a maxi dress to keep cool in the heat, and tied my hair back to help keep cool as well. Was surprised to find I'd only worn this dress once before on the blog, it's one of my favourites (although I don't like it with this belt today). Will need to wear it more often!


A viewer on my youtube chanel requested a "What's in my bag" video for my Karlie bag so I've included it below if you want to see what I was carrying inside my bag today.

The sunnies were last worn here, dress here, shoes here and bag here.

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French Connection Brown Silky Shirt, Jeans, Chloe Marcie Hobo, Reebonz Prize

Here's what I wore to work for casual Friday today:

Sunnies: Orange sunglasses from Paddy's Market in Sydney
Bracelets: the usual plus Chloe Paddington crystal charm bracelet from Reebonz offline sale
Top: French Connection Sub silky shirt in pale henny brown (new purchase)
Jeans: Jeanswest 'spoylt' super skinny jeans
Shoes: Asos 'flossy' flat sandals in tan
Bag: Chloe Marcie hobo bag in Nut

Close up of accessories and bag:

Went back to work today. Just picked a nice comfortable outfit for casual Friday, jeans and a simple shirt. Feeling much better, although not 100%. Looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend so I can fully recover.


I found out a while ago that I won a Reebonz competition on facebook - today my prize arrived in the mail. I love it! Here's a video reveal if you'd like to see what I won. Looking forward to wearing it this weekend :)

The jeans were last worn here, sandals here and bag here. It's the first time I've worn the top as it is a recent purchase.

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Reebonz Brisbane Sale: Polka Dot Ruffle Top, Jeans, Balenciaga Velo

Here's what I wore for Casual Friday and to shop the Reebonz Brisbane offline sale today:

Sunnies: Black sunglasses with grey tinted lenses C/O Firmoo
Necklace: House of Harlow silver and grey leather sunburst necklace
Bracelets: the usual plus two beaded Sportsgirl Butterfly Foundation bracelets, two metal and fabric Indigo Rose Design bracelets, Asos spike bracelets in rhodium and gunmetal
Top: Jeanswest 'Ricky' ruffle front top in midnight
Jeans: Sass and Bide "Frayed Misfits"
Shoes: Nine West silver strap sandals
Bag: Balenciaga Coquelicot 2011 RH Velo from Reebonz

Close up of accessories and bag:

Very blue outfit today! Thought that the red velo worked well for a bit of colour against the blue, and of course it tied in with the polka dots on my top. Had to share that photo above as Cooper managed to attract the attention of a cat when we were taking photos and it came over to say hello. It then proceeded to cry as we were all ignoring it, haha! Looks like it's yelling at Cooper in the top photo. I gave it a little pat after doing photos, seemed to make it happy.

Went to the Reebonz offline sale in Brisbane today with a couple of ladies from work. There were so many great bags! The sale is still on for one more day - details here at Reebonz.

I've uploaded a few photos on my facebook page here to show what the range of bags was like, and below is a little video of what I bought if you're interested.

The sunnies were last worn here, top here, jeans here, shoes here and bag here.

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Lace Top, Yellow Sunnies, Jeans, Balenciaga Mango Envelope Clutch

Here's what I wore to go shopping and a long walk with my friend and Cooper today:

Sunnies: Yellow sunglasses from the Ekka (similar here)
Top: Esprit thrifted cream lace tank top from AWLQ jumble sale (similar here)
Jeans: Jeanswest "super skinny" jeans (similar here)
Shoes: Asos 'flame' leather flat sandals with multi straps (sold out, similar here)
Bag: Balenciaga giant 12 RGGH envelope clutch in 2012 mangue from Reebonz (New Purchase)

Close up of accessories:

Necklace: Juicy Couture bonsai charm on a gold chain, both gifted from my bestie (similar here)
Bracelets: the usual plus metallic leaf cuff I purchased at the bayside markets


This clutch is such a vibrant pop of yellow! It arrived earlier in the week and I've been looking forward to wearing it since, will be perfect for the upcoming spring and summer.  I created a little video reveal if you are interested.

The jeans were last worn here and shoes here. It's the first time I've worn the top and the clutch.

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Jeans and a Tee, Purple Scarf, Vintage Chanel, Reebonz Brisbane Sale

Here's what I wore for casual Friday at work and to shop the Reebonz Australia designer sale today:

Jacket: Jeanswest black leather jacket (similar here) (Not shown here, seen in all of the sale photos)
Scarf: Sportsgirl animal scarf in Violet 
Top: French Connection 'Candy Plains' oversized black tee (similar here)
Jeans:  Sass and Bide "Frayed Misfits" (similar here)
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs Two Tone Logo Plaque Flats in blush and black
Bag: Chanel vintage quilted lambskin flap from Reebonz (similar here)

Close up of accessories:

Bracelets: the usual plus Indigo Rose Design labradorite bracelets and Asos spike bracelets in Rhodium and Gunmetal.

Today I shopped the Reebonz Australia Brisbane sale in my lunch break with a few colleagues. It was a really good sale! There were so many people there and so many bags and accessories to choose from. I also had the chance to meet some of the lovely Reebonz staff. Even though the sale was busy they took the time to chat to me about the sale and bags in general, and they had some lovely input on the possible purchases I tried on. Everyone was so friendly. 

I took a few photos and put them on the Away From the Blue Facebook page, you can see them all here or by clicking on the image below.

One of the lovely ladies working at the sale helped me choose a bag. When I saw how great this colour looked against her black outfit, I had to buy it. I created a little video reveal, I hope you enjoy it!

The jeans and jacket were last worn together here, scarf was last worn here, top here, shoes here and bag here.

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French Connection Shift Dress, Asos Aggie Ankle Boots, Balenciaga Velo, Oscar's Law

Here's what I wore to work today:

Jacket: Temt Black trench coat (similar here)
Scarf: Gifted Burberry cashmere tartan scarf from a friend (similar here)
Dress: French Connection 'Kay' houndstooth shift dress (similar here)
Shoes: Asos Aggie leather western ankle boots in black
Bag: Balenciaga Coquelicot 2011 RH Velo from Reebonz

Close up of accessories:

Necklace: Chanel necklace from Reebonz (similar here)
Bracelets: the usual plus Indigo Rose Design black freshwater pearl bracelet,  gifted freshwater pearl necklace worn as bracelet.


Today is a special day! If you've read my blog for a while or seen the image in my sidebar you'll know I support Oscar's Law. One year ago today, Debra legally rescued Oscar from a puppy farm. Today is Oscar's "gotcha" day, celebrating his first year of freedom. 

Before being rescued, Oscar was stuck in a cage in a puppy farm and used for breeding over and over. Now, he is able to run around on the grass, get love and attention from humans and get to play with other dogs. He can curl up in a blanket when it's cold and play with toys whenever he wants. He can be a dog. You can watch the video below to see how his life has changed. I recommend it, it's such a feel good video. Especially at the end.

Pet store puppies come from puppy mills. That cute little puppy in the window has parents stuck in cages. Don't buy animals from pet stores - buy from a reputable breeder or adopt. I want Oscar's Law so that every puppy farm dog can experience freedom and have the happy ending Oscar has. 

Thank you for reading. You can find out more about Oscar at www.oscarslaw.org

The jacket was last worn here, dress here, boots here and bag here. It's the first time I've worn the scarf on the blog.

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Easter Sunday

Hope you are all having a lovely Easter Sunday. Today we celebrate Jesus rising from the grave! And eat lots of chocolate :)

Video from Easter service at Church Online last year.

Today is also the day some friends are getting married, so I have scheduled this post and hope it works.

Here's what I wore today to spend the morning and afternoon at home with Cooper before getting ready for the wedding:

Top: Top: Jeanswest "Sarah" stripe tank in firecracker/coconut
Jeans: Also jeanswest!
Bracelets: the usual
Shoes: Asos 'flossy' flat sandals in tan

And tonight for the wedding I'll be wearing this.

As you can see I'm still undecided about what bag I'll be wearing! You can follow me on instagram @awayfromblue for some wedding pics tonight, and I'll upload a wedding outfit photo tomorrow.

Off to get ready now, have a fantastic Easter Sunday!

LBD, Pink, Purple...and orange again

Four day weekend starts now! Very excited. Going to have a quite night in with DH and Cooper, and I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow.

Got home late again tonight and wore a black dress so that means I had to try adjust the photo colours again...sorry for the Oompa Loompa orange glow!

Here's what I wore today:

Dress: Asos Frill Front Deep Waistband Dress (better pic of the frills on the asos site)
Singlet underneath: Supre purple singlet
Necklace: Chanel from Reebonz
Bracelets: the usual
Belt: Asos Metal Keeper Super Skinny Belt in pink
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs patent mouse flats
Bag: Balenciaga 2005 Magenta RH work

Had a coffee date with a fellow colleague today who I had only ever interacted with through the computer, so we had to describe ourselves so we could find each other. I told her to look out for someone with a black dress and large pink bag, and she spotted me as soon as I walked into starbucks! Haha! You really can't miss me when I'm wearing the magenta work bag! ;) It was a really nice catch-up, always good to meet people away from the computer screen!

Closeup of accessories:

If you haven't seen it already, I recently posted a video on youtube showing how the Balenciaga city compares to the Balenciaga work for size. It's a good reference if you're interested.

If you're having a 4 day weekend too I hope you enjoy it. :) If you have to work tomorrow I hope you enjoy Good Friday anyway!

Wearing a band tee

Relaxing Sunday today. Decided to wear one of my favourite band tees. I have lots of tees, I should wear them more often.

Here's what I wore:

Top: band tee from KissChasy "Bones and skin" tour

Bracelets: the usual

Shorts: Asos paper bag waist shorts

Boots: Acne pistol boots in "skin" from Miss Louise sale

Bag: Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC with python embossed leather in aquamarine

Such a funny story behind this shirt. It's from the "Skin and bones" tour Kisschasy did in 2008. I don't have any photos of the show to show you as shortly after Kisschasy came on stage, my sister was kicked in the head by a crowd surfer. We ended up watching some of the show from the screens in the bar before heading to hospital. Luckily my sister only had minor concussion. The doctor was really nice too, asking us if it was the Kisschasy show we were at after noticing my tee. One of the more memorable shows my sister and I have seen together!

You're my mystery
You are always at my fingertips
Without you I'm just bones and skin 

- KissChasy, Strings & Drums

Hilarious video of the song if you haven't seen it:

Hope you had a good weekend!

Overdressed, featured video

The rain continued this morning and an umbrella was needed, so I dressed warmly. Went shopping at lunchtime with my friend K and the sun came out making it very warm - I think I was too quick to pull out my winter woolies! Definitely overdressed for the weather.


Here's what I wore today:

Top: Vintage flower print sweater from the Thrifty Kitten
Bracelets: the usual plus Hermes Kelly Double tour bracelet in rubis
Jeans: Sass and Bide "Neon Nights"
Shoes: Ninewest facinate glitter ballet flats (Better pic here)
Bag: Balenciaga Coquelicot 2011 RH Velo from Reebonz


Closeup of accessories:

Reebonz and Reebonz Australia featured my Chanel video on their facebook pages this week - so exciting! If you haven't seen it yet you can check it out below:

Just a short video showing what fits inside my vintage Chanel flap :)

Now I'm very glad it's Friday - looking forward to a relaxing weekend!

Green and Black Printed Skirt

Dressed in a very dark outfit today! Some colour from my green and black skirt, but I did feel the outfit was a bit too dark overall.

Here's what I wore:

Cardi: Asos black cardigan with chain trim 
Top: Cotton On
Necklace: Indigo Rose Design faux pearl necklace with black satin ribbon
Bracelets: the usual plus two labradorite bracelets from Indigo Rose Design
Skirt: French Connection
Shoes: Rubi black ballet flats
Bag: Mimco Black Button bag

Closeup of accessories:

If you're interested, I did a short video review showing what fits inside my Mimco button bag. It's the first big bag purchase I ever made and it's still going strong all these years later :)

Blue Paisley Print Dress, New Reebonz Purchases

Another blue day! Cecilya's recent post inspired me to break out the paisley, although she definitely wears it better! She's also having a great giveaway so if you're in Melbourne, you should check it out!


Here's what I wore today:

Dress: French Connection blue Paisley print dress
Necklace: Chanel (via Reebonz)
Bracelets: the usual plus Balenciaga Silver Giant Triple Tour Bracelet in Rose Bruyere from HGBags Online
Belt: Asos skinny boyfriend belt (tied in a double loop knot using this tutorial by Kileen from Cute and Little)
Shoes: New Look cream and brown wedges
Bag: Mulberry Bayswater in NVT Oak leather (via Reebonz)


Closeup of accessories:

I bought a couple of cute Juicy Couture charms at Reebonz on the weekend, and they arrived today. Thought I'd do a video showing them being unboxed if you're interested. They were on amazing sale so I bought the Christmas bear I'd always admired - even though it's nowhere near Christmas! And the margarita was too cute to resist.

I love the way Reebonz wraps up every purchase so it's like a present!

Colourful Monday

A very warm and sunny Monday today, I was sad to have to go to work and not relax in at home with Cooper enjoying the lovely weather.

Wore something bright to cheer me up!

Dress: Jeanswest deep pink dress
Belt: Not sure, have had it too long
Necklace: gift from DH
Bracelets: the usual
Shoes: New look
Bag: Vintage Louis Vuitton speedy 25 (it's 18 years old this year!)

The dress I'm wearing today is exactly the same as this dress, just in block colour instead of animal print. I had to buy them both as I couldn't resist the ruffles!

Closeup of accessories:

I did a little video of my LV speedy if you're interested, showing what fits inside it. It actually holds quite a lot! Everything fits in nicely, the contents don't roll around like they do in some of my larger bags.

Also had to share this poem about the floods that are going on right now. Posted on the QueenslandSES facebook page.

To all in western QLD that are flooded yet again,We all seeing on the news that it is worse than 2010.It must be hard the thought of losing it all,And going home to find a mess as the rivers fall.This is proof that country people are quite a tough bunch,They are the most reliable when it comes to the crunch.To hear all but one made it out safe and well,The thought just losing everything and now a loved one must be hell.Soon it will all be over and as things dry out,some of you will see the good side - at least we're not in drought.As you begin to clean up your homes and dry your tears,everything just seems better over a few beers.I send my love and pray for all out in the west,Twice in a hundred years must put you to the test,I would love for people to repost and pass it around,To all or mates in western qld life on flooded ground.

A poem written by Matthew Ferguson-Tait for the people of south-west Queensland

Hope you had a good Monday.

Casual Friday, SOPA/PIPA

Casual Friday today, as it was hot I swapped my planned jeans for a skirt instead. Wouldn't try this outfit again - the trapeze top was really awkward to have tucked into such a voluminous skirt.

So here's what I wore today:

Tee:  Jeanswest Agnes tee  (from my recent Jeanswest sale purchases)
Necklace: gift from a friend (first seen here)
Bracelets: the usual
Skirt: French Connection
Shoes: Asos
Bag: Balenciaga Coquelicot 2011 RH Velo from Reebonz. Wearing the velo strap doubled up - video how to is here.

The skirt has a very sad looking bow, haha. Just couldn't get it to sit right this morning so I gave up.

Closeup of accessories and the detail on the skirt:

And for all my fellow bloggers (especially those in the US) I have to share this article which explains the impacts of the SOPA/PIPA bill being considered in the US at the moment: http://heartifb.com/2012/01/19/how-will-sopapipa-affect-your-fashion-blog/.

Please take a moment to read the article and share the link, and find out what action you can take to stop this law being passed. Although it is a law that will pass in the US, it will affect everyone online.

From the article above:

SOPA/PIPA can (and will, if passed as law) affect you -

• If you reblog stuff or share images (which we all do from time to time), you could be accused of copyright infringement even if you link back to the site you got the content from Even if the site you got your content from is using the material without permission.  (See IFB’s post on the types of photos you can use.)

• If you make a video of makeup tutorial or any DIY project and use a song/music you thought would go well with the video, you could be accused of copyright infringement. (See CreativeCommons.org’s music communities)

• If you posted a picture/logo/brand image for the purpose of educating your readers about it, you could be accused of copyright infringement. (See IFB’s post about Fair Use)

• The content sharing could be limited, severely restricted or be extinct – Youtube, Facebook, Twitter could be targeted as “the websites where online piracy or infringement of intellectual property is taking place’!

The article has some suggestions for what you can do to stop this law being passed.

By copying a small section of that article and including it in this post, even though I had the link back to the main article, I could be sued for copyright infringement if SOPA passes.

Marco Tagliaferri bag, Asos lace skirt

Cold and rainy today - perfect staying in bed weather, shame it was Monday and work! Wore some of my new sale buys today to cheer myself up.

Here's what I wore:

Cardi: Jeanswest

Top: Jeanswest Maria cami (as seen here)

Necklace: House of Harlow 5 station necklace in black and silver  (via Revolve Clothing)

Bracelets: the usual, hidden by the cardigan sleeves

Skirt: Asos lace textured pencil skirt (as seen here)

Shoes: Ninewest Fascinate in silver (as seen here)

Bag: Marco Tagliaferri first generation birk bag in navy

Closeup of accessories and the lace on the skirt:

I took a video showing what fits inside the medium Marco Tagliaferri bag. It's really nice leather, perfect for rainy days like today as it's pretty much invincible. It's a first generation one so the shoulder strap is attached to the handles, on the second generation MT bags the shoulder strap attaches to the side of the bag.

Hope everyone had a good Monday :)

Lunchtime shopping, Balenciaga Velo

It was one of the warmest days for two years today! Although the heat called for another lazy day by the pool, I had to be at work. My good friend K (from MakeEveryMoveCount blog) and I went shopping at lunch time to break up the work day. We checked out a few sales but there wasn't much left so I didn't spend a penny which was good.

Had some fun meeting the Nova guy - a mascot for a local radio station. I couldn't resist getting my picture taken. Thank you again to K for being the photographer!

And here's what I wore today minus the crazy Nova Guy pose!:

Dress: Linen dress from asos. So wrinkly after a long day at work but so perfect for hot days

Belt: Op-shop

Necklace: gift from a friend

Bracelets: the usual plus one gifted, 2 made by a talented friend

Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs patent mouse flats

Bag:  Balenciaga Coquelicot 2011 RH Velo from Reebonz

And a closeup of the accessories:

I love my Balenciaga velo bag, although the strap is too long for me to wear crossbody comfortably - you can see how long it is in the pic with Nova guy - so I sometimes double up the strap. I've tried to explain this on www.effenhaute.com and taken photos but sometimes you just need a video!

So if you're interested and own a balenciaga velo, town or pom pon and want to know how to double the strap, this is a short video showing how I do it:

Means you don't have to permanently alter the bag and you can always switch back to the original strap length whenever it is needed.

Hope everyone else had a good Monday - especially those that are having to survive this heat without air conditioning!