Although last month when I shared my purchases I said I was pretty wardrobe content and didn't expect to be buying anything for my wardrobe in May, I stumbled on some sales ...
All of these were impulse buys! I got sucked in by a Facebook ad for the Salty Crush warehouse sale (nothing over $39!) and knowing my sister loves the site and has bought me a few dresses from there I couldn't resist checking it out, and picked up two pretty dresses.
Then after thinking I definitely wouldn't buy any more, I walked past the 3 for $10 jewellery sale at Collette and just had to pick up some statement earrings. I got 6 pairs for $20 which is a great bargain in my eyes. Yes, as my mum said, I didn't really need 6 new pairs of earrings, but it's not that much more than what I'd pay at the opshops for the same, and statement earrings are something I tend to wear more often in the winter months, as I layer with scarves which hide necklaces.
How I Wore It:
I haven't included the outfits I wore the earrings in, although they will pop up on the blog in the next few weeks. Simply because it would be a little hard to spot the earrings in this photo collage! But I have worn all the earrings at least twice in May, the month I bought them, as is my goal for everything I buy. As you can see I managed to get two wears from both dresses too! The Jaase mini dress has long sleeves and is roomy enough that I can layer a slip underneath so I'm hoping that I will be able to wear it a little more before winter weather really arrives in Brisbane. The long sleeved maxi dress is a little thin but it's layered up well so far for autumn days, and it means it will work in spring too!
The earrings and dresses are getting me lots of compliments, and are all things I'm very glad I added to my wardrobe, even if they were all impulse buys.
Kicking off this year's posts with a favourite, my 'Havana' pink maternity/nursing maxi dress from Mothers en Vogue. I'm surprised it's taken me so long to hit 30 wears with this piece, if you've been a regular reader you'll know I wear it often. Through 2 pregnancies and afterwards it always makes me feel great. It's one of the pieces heavily featured in my pregnancy style book too! One of those maternity pieces I'm keeping in my wardrobe, even though my pregnancy days are behind me.
#30 Wears: Pink Mothers En Vogue Empire Waist Maxi Dress
It's tricky to calculate cost per wear on this dress as I received it courtesy of Zibibo back in February 2014. It's nearly 3 years old. 'Courtesy of 'means I didn't have to pay anything for it, although as I said when I got it, it made me rethink my normal budget for a maternity piece as it was certainly worth the $129.90 retail price. 30 wears in almost 3 years means wearing it about once a month on average, which is impressive for such a statement piece and given how many dresses I have already.
All dresses that come into my wardrobe are judged against this dress. If they don't make me feel as good as this dress does, they don't stay! To have a piece that works for pregnancy and breastfeeding, for casual through to more formal events, is such a lifesaver when you're having the 'don't know what to wear' panic before an event.
Pink Dress and Gold Belt
This gold belt is a very common accessory! The gold glitter belt works perfectly with the bright pink of my maxi dress, and you'll see it pop up many times in the photos below. Belted over a baby belly, or even just belted over my left over mum-tum, a belt is a frequent go-to with this dress.
PInk Dress Unbelted
The best thing about a maxi dress is that it's an instant outfit. While I do like belting this maxi dress, sometimes you just want the simplicity of a maxi dress and not worrying about accessorising or belting it. As the empire waist on this maxi dress is elasticated, the belt is more for show than function anyway.
Scarf as a Belt
When I do want to belt this pink maxi dress but I want something other than the go-to gold belt option above, I try to mix things up a little with this Louis Vuitton bandeau scarf worn as a belt. I love how the colours in the scarf compliment the pink dress, it's got pinks and purples and orange in the print.
Pink Dress and ColourFul Bags
A bright pink maxi dress sounds pretty in your face, and when I ordered this I considered the grey one instead as I wasn't sure I could pull off so much pink. Every time I wear it though I'm so grateful I went with the colourful option. It's just so cheerful with all that colour. You don't need to stick with neutral accessories when wearing a bright dress. I like pairing the bright pink dress with colourful bags! Blue, purple or yellow, a colourful bag works nicely. As you can see I particularly love the pink and purple colour combination.
Pink Dress and Denim Jacket
I like this combo a lot, as you can see by my wearing it 4 times! The outfit with the printed snood is easily my favourite of all of these ones though. It was the first time I wore this dress without a baby bump, and I found it perfect for those early postpartum days. In spring or autumn a denim jacket is a great layer with a maxi dress, and you can add a printed scarf to keep you cosy if it's really cold.
Pink Dress and Layers
It's not just denim jackets that make good layers with maxi dresses! I like to wear cardigans with my maxi dresses, and for something different, a kimono. You can even try belting the layer over the top of the dress too, as I've done in two of the photos above.
Pink Dress in Pregnancy
This Mothers En Vogue dress is a combo breastfeeding and pregnancy one, and it does both those things so well. With a nice bit of stretch, it easily covered a growing baby bump, even right through to the final days of pregnancy. It was nice to have something pretty I could pull on and feel good about in, no matter the size of the growing belly!
Pink Dress and Special Events
Pregnant or not, this beautiful dress has become my default for special events. Christmas day, birthday parties, date nights. I think everyone needs that one staple piece in their wardrobe they can pull on for an event that makes them feel special. For me, this pink dress is it. I love how it turned out to be the last thing I photographed for the blog before giving birth to baby boy, it's such a cherished piece and that makes it even more so.
Pink Maternity Maxi Dresses Under $50:
Some of these are nursing ones too!
Non-maternity Pink Maxi Dresses Under $50:
Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane and the chance to see the baby bumps across two pregnancies. This dress really has been worn to so many things, and accommodated all of the pregnancy and breastfeeding related body changes so well 😂 Want more outfit inspiration? Browse through all the times I've worn this MEV dress on the blog.
First up, #noSpenderSeptember was achieved - nothing spent on fashion purchases last month! I did attempt a shopping trip but a minor accident derailed my plans. So no new purchases to report.
10 months into my #30wears challenge, and I've still worn very few items of clothing 30 times. I was sure by now I'd have a few dresses, maybe some tops that I'd hit 30 wears on, especially after not shopping for 7 months, but it's been mostly accessories like bags and shoes.
If you look at the maths behind 30 wears (this post has an amazing breakdown of it) I'd have to wear something every other week for 14 months to hit 30 wears on it. And I don't wear things that often, unless we are talking accessories. I'm still keeping up with my challenge, but I think I'm going to have to start wearing some favourites more frequently to hit 30 wears. Pieces I think I've worn a lot seem to only be around 12-15 wears. It's definitely an eye-opening challenge for me, making me realise just how much I have in my wardrobe already and how little I've worn even my favourite pieces.
A denim jacket is a classic piece most people have in their wardrobe so it's no surprise I've hit more than 30 wears with it! As it's spring I thought now was a good time to feature 30 ways to wear a denim jacket.
#30Wears: Classic Blue Denim Jacket
This jacket is one of the old pieces in my wardrobe. I remember where I bought it and who I was with (my sister) but not when exactly I bought it. Something I've easily worn more than 30 times as I've had it at least 10 years, and I've only been blogging for almost 6 years.
Denim Jacket in a Double Denim Outfit
I find double denim tricky to wear. When I was younger I wore similar denim jackets and jeans together for a double denim look without thinking twice about it! Now though, I find it a little harder to pull off. Probably after that famous double denim moment. I even had a denim bag! Not as embellished as Britneys, but it was my favourite bag for a while.
The standard advice for an easy double denim look now is to wear different shades or washes together. I take that a step further and like to wear my denim jacket with completely different coloured jeans. I love my blue denim jacket with my red or purple skinny jeans. Black is another good colour too, for an easy double denim look without looking like you tried too hard.
Denim Jacket and Dresses
This is a go-to spring and autumn outfit for me. For those days where it's just a little cooler and you need an extra layer so you're warmer in the cold mornings or evenings, a denim jacket is perfect. It's nice having a plain layer like this to wear with printed dresses too - you don't have to worry about clashing prints or colours, as blue denim goes with everything!
Denim Jacket and Maxi Dresses
I felt this was worth calling out separately from the other dresses above. A denim jacket works with maxi dresses for many different reasons:
a sleeveless summer maxi dress you want to add a warmer layer to to get more wear over spring and autumn,
a spaghetti strap maxi dresses you want to cover up in a formal setting like church, a denim jacket is perfect.
to make a more formal maxi dress look more casual.
When I need to make a maxi dress work for a cooler day, a denim jacket is my first go-to, and I can even add a scarf if it's really chilly. I like maxi dresses and leather jackets together, but a denim jacket is my favourite way to layer with a maxi dress.
Denim Jacket and Maxi Skirts
Just like above with the maxi dresses, I find a denim jacket works really nicely with maxi skirts. It's a good way to make your maxi skirts work for cooler weather, when you just need a little extra layer on a cool spring or autumn day. Although maxi skirts are perfect in warmer months and ideal for summer, you can easily layer them up a little to work for the rest of the year.
Denim Jacket in Pregnancy
As I usually wear my denim jacket unbuttoned, it still worked perfectly in pregnancy. Having it unbuttoned left plenty of room for a growing baby bump, and it was just the right layer for a pregnancy over autumn. It was nice to have some non-maternity pieces to wear during pregnancy to help me feel more like myself, and a denim jacket unbuttoned is a piece that works in all three trimesters. You can get more pregnancy outfit tips in my book, Stylish pregnancy on a Budget.
I'd had one big splurge planned but other than that I wasn't really sure what I wanted, as I tended to overthink most things I went to buy. I ended up making a few impulse buys. I've actually had quite a lot enter my wardrobe too, mainly from my sister's wardrobe clear out.
What was added to my wardrobe during my no-shop challenge:
A knitted dress from my Grandma's wardrobe (worn here)
As you can see, only one of the things I bought was with one of my end-of-challenge gift cards. I'd asked for gift cards for Christmas and set them aside to spend at the end of my no-shop challenge. I just haven't seen anything I had to have that looked as good as I imagined when I tried it on (with the exception of the impulse buy polka dot tee, which is SO soft). With more spring and summer stock coming into the stores as winter ends I'm sure I'll have spent them before they expire in December. Being in Brisbane, winter clothing isn't a priority for me to buy as I tend to wear my summer pieces year-round, just with a few extra layers.
I still have my 'wear it twice in the month I bought it' rule to ensure that everything I buy and add to my wardrobe will work with what I already own. While there might have been a few impulse buys, I'd mostly been thinking about adding similar pieces for a while, and I've hit two wears on everything this month.
The Kmart dress is the only thing I bought full price. I probably could have waited for a sale, but seeing it while I was on my no-shop challenge and then starting to notice the stock levels falling in my local store made me go snap it up before I missed out quite quickly in August! It was only $15 so I'm not too upset I paid full price - still a bargain! And out of stock in my size now in my local Kmart so a good purchase.
The Starfish Project necklaces were an impulse buy too, I was a few days into August and hadn't bought anything yet when I stumbled across the brand on Instagram. From their website, 'the Starfish Project restores hope to women escaping human trafficking and exploitation in Asia.' They provide shelter for women and their children, counselling and employment and education. For every piece on their website that you can buy, it tells you exactly what that money can do. The yellow Veronica necklace is equal to the cost of 5 days of room and board at the Starfish Project shelter. The turquoise Hannah necklace is is equal to the cost of 1 week of counseling for an exploited woman.
This isn't a sponsored post, I bought the necklaces with my own money - but I wanted to share as with Christmas coming up it's a lovely gift idea - especially as you get a little note with each purchase. A nice way to help someone look and feel good when they unwrap your gift on Christmas day! I may have added a gift for someone special to my order too...
I'm going to try Beth's #noSpenderSeptember now! With some hand-me-downs coming into my wardrobe during my no-shop challenge, and having bought a few pieces in August, I'm pretty wardrobe content at the moment. I still have a lot of gift cards to spend though so we will see what happens...
It feels like I just shared my October purchases, but we are nearly at the end of November already! If you are still Christmas shopping, I've included some Cyber Monday sale codes for you below along with my latest purchases. Many of the Black Friday sales I shared in my gift guide post are still active too!
What I Bought
I didn't buy much in November and stuck to trying to find things off of the clothing wishlist I shared last month. I ended up taking advantage of a Jeanswest sale and using a gift card I had to get two of the things off of my wishlist. Both the tank and shorts were things I'd been wanting for a while.
I wasn't sure if I should include the three items in this wrap up post or not, as they were items I received as part of a partnership. What do you think, do you want to see items like that in my monthly wardrobe updates? This is the first time it's happened in the 11 months I've being doing this type of post, so it won't be something that comes up a lot. I also got a maxi skirt from my mum as an early Christmas present I've been wearing frequently.
How I Wore It:
I'm really pleased with my purchases, and how much I've worn them. Everything got worn at least twice. I didn't spend much this month, using the gift card for most of my Jeanswest purchases and using the credit I was given for the other items. I have been focusing on buying gifts for others as Christmas approaches, and hoping for some clothing shaped presents or gift cards under the tree!
Cyber Monday Sales
As promised, a few Cyber Monday sale picks! In some cases these discounts are better than the Black Friday ones, so hopefully you can score that perfect item you've been wanting or save more money when buying Christmas gifts! Hurry though, a lot end tonight.
ASOS have 20% off everything with code 'GOGOGO'. If you're in the US use 'THANKFUL30' for 30% off. Everything means everything on site - including already reduced items!
Rebecca Minkoff has up to 75% off PLUS get 25% off your entire order when you spend $100 or more!
Happy shopping! How are you going with your Christmas list? I just have a couple more things to buy in-person, I did the last of my online shopping this weekend and I'm hoping everything arrives before Christmas! I need to make a start on wrapping next.
