30 Ways To Wear A Blue Lace Pencil Skirt: #30wears

I've been looking forward to doing this 30 wears post for a while, this textured blue lace pencil skirt is a firm favourite!

With this monthly series, I pick a piece from my wardrobe I've worn over 30 times and go back through my blog archives to show you some of the ways I've worn it. Inspired by the #30wears challenge!

30 Ways To Wear: ASOS Blue Contrast Lace Pencil Skirt

There are a few reasons why I've been looking forward to doing this post. This is a pencil skirt that is a frequent reader favourite whenever it pops up on the blog, it was an impulse sale buy that really has worked for my wardrobe, and something I've hit much more than 30 wears on. A few of those wears were way back at the start of my blog so I wanted to wait until I could use a little more recent pics and less of the early days headless shots for this compilation post!

I bought this skirt after falling in love with it in a photo online - I think it may have been a photo of Wendy's but I'm not sure after all these years. I was sad to see it was sold out, and thrilled when it was in stock in my size and on sale a little later. I hurriedly bought it back in January 2012. The elastic waist means it still fits now just as it did pre-babies and during my pregnancies!

Cost Per Wear

Luckily I have the old email confirmation of my ASOS order to know that I paid $35.49 for this skirt 7 years ago! After wearing it more than 37 times, it's down to less than a dollar per wear, that magic figure that seems to be the goal for most people. Pretty good CPW for such a statement piece! Surprisingly, I don't have any of the other things I bought from that ASOS order still in my wardrobe, including a plain black pencil skirt I purchased at the same time. Apart from one small snag to the lace, this skirt still looks as good as new.

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30 Ways To Wear A Blue Lace Pencil Skirt: Video Style

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Blue Pencil Skirt With Grey

This is a theme that will pop up a lot more often as you scroll through the photos in this post - I really like pairing blue and grey together, so I do that frequently with this navy lace skirt. I particularly like that darker charcoal grey tee with it!

Lace Pencil Skirt Belted

Remember a few years ago when everyone belted everything?! I think it worked really nicely with this pencil skirt, I should probably try it again soon! I think belting this high waisted skirt really helped visually lengthen my petite frame.

Blue Pencil Skirt With Brights

From a bright handbag, bright scarf or just a bold brightly coloured tank, I love the way this blue lace skirt compliments other bright pieces in my outfit.

Lace Pencil Skirt With A Blazer

This blue lace pencil skirt is a work staple, and of course a blazer is an office essential too. The cream jersey blazer is frequently paired with this lace skirt as it matches the beige base background the lace is overlaid on.

Blue Pencil Skirt In Monochromatic Outfit

When you're not sure what to wear with something, pick another piece in a similar colour! While the lace on this pencil skirt is navy, it works so well with different shades of blue. And with blue being my favourite colour, monochromatic blue outfits make me happy!

Blue Lace Pencil Skirt With Purple

Blue and purple is one of those colour combinations I frequently wear. I like how the colours work together. You can try a lot of purple like a purple tank, or a little bit of purple with an accessory like a purple scarf or bag.

Lace Pencil Skirt and Winter Layers

This blue lace pencil skirt is a great spring / summer piece, but it works nicely layered up for winter too, the blue lace really stands out with black layers or tights. It's definitely something I wear more in warmer weather, but being a thick material it's not too cold to wear in the cooler months.

Blue Pencil Skirt With White Tops

Like most mums, white isn't my go-to colour! I do like wearing it when I'm in the office though as it is a little easier to keep white clothes clean when I only have my clumsiness to worry about and not two adorable little toddlers that could leave stains! When I first got this skirt, white was a frequent go-to with it, before I tried more of the colour combinations you've seen above. Nothing wrong with having a classic go-to option for wearing a statement piece.

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Where To Buy Lace Pencil Skirts Under $50:

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More Posts In the 30 Wears Series

If you're looking for more outfit inspiration with a lace pencil skirt, see all 37+ times I've worn it 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 ways to wear a printed leather jacket
• 30 ways to wear black ankle boots in multiple seasons
• 30 ways to wear white and navy stripe maxi skirt
• 30 ways to wear a grey maxi skirt
• 30 ways to wear a cream jersey blazer
• 30 ways to wear the Balenciaga Part Time bag

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Linking up with Style Sessions, Lizzie In Lace, Fancy Friday, Mutton Style, On Mondays We Link Up, Modest Monday.

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What I Bought After a No Shop Challenge: The End of 7 Months Without Shopping

There's been a lot of interest in what I'd buy after I managed to complete not just the 6 months I'd planned but 7 months without shopping.

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)
• Purple high top Converse look-a-likes from my sister (worn here and here)
• Jeanswest two tone boxy oversized tee from my sister (worn here and here)
• A floral ruffle detail tank from my sister (worn here and here)
• A trio of band tees from my sister (not yet worn)
• Jeanswest Cecile dove grey skinny jeans a very generous gift from a special someone who is surprising people with their savings from the $5 money challenge (worn here and here)
• Nibbly Bits Feather pendant in peach (C/O)
• Nibbly Bits BB plum silicone teething necklace (C/O)

What I Bought in August:

• Balenciaga raisin purple 2009 giant silver G21 hardware work bag 
• Starfish Project Veronica short yellow multi strand necklace
• Starfish Project Hannah turquoise bead necklace
• thrifted SES Fashions mustard yellow cardigan
• thrifted billabong red printed maxi skirt
• Kmart Aztec print tiered little black dress 
• Jeanswest Flavia foil printed polka dot tee deep iris (gift card purchase)

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...

How I Wore It:

Balenciaga purple work bag / Starfish Project yellow necklace / Starfish Project turquoise necklace

Balenciaga purple work bag

thrifted billabong red printed maxi skirt / Jeanswest polka dot tee

Starfish Project turquoise necklace / thrifted mustard yellow cardigan / Kmart little black dress / Jeanswest polka dot tee

What I'm Buying in September:

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...

Linking up with Weekend Wear, Friday Faves, Flashback Fashion, Passion for Fashion, Friday Favourites, Style Nudge, Mummy Monday, Mix It Monday, Hello Monday, Modest Monday.

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Third Trimester Pregnancy Outfit Inspiration: 55 Outfit Ideas

Third trimester pregnancy dressing comes with it's own set of challenges! A lot of the regular wardrobe options that could be worn in the second trimester are outgrown in the third trimester, reducing the outfit possibilities and making getting dress rather uninspiring.

For my recent pregnancy, I implemented a third trimester pregnancy capsule wardrobe to try make it a little more fun.

The third trimester is definitely the time to repeat outfits that make you look and feel good, and to do so unashamedly! Find things that work for you and wear them as many times as you like. I've included 55 outfit ideas for the third trimester below, from both of my pregnancies. You can click on the links under the images to view more info about them.

Office Outfits:

In the third trimester, I still wore my ASOS maternity pencil skirts often, but the standout pieces were my wrap dresses. They were such an easy outfit that always fit the growing bump and never failed to look good. I wore wrap dresses a lot! I was able to find some regular non-maternity dresses in my wardrobe that still accommodated the baby bump too.

1: tartan skirt, blush pink blazer | 2: grey tee, tartan pencil skirt | 3: black maternity tank printed pencil skirt | 4: print mixing in the office

1: monochrome pencil skirt outfit | 2: grey and blue | 3: printed pencil skirt, pink accessories | 4: layering with a graphic print pencil skirt

1: wrap dress and Chloe Marcie bag | 2: pink and purple accessories, black wrap dress | 3: black wrap dress, orange bag | 4: maternity wrap dress, LV Speedy bag

1: Atmos&Here wrap dress | 2: paisley print dress | 3: lace LBD | 4: Aztec print dress

Second Trimester Pregnancy Outfit Inspiration: 38 Outfit Ideas

I've been blogging for over 4 years and through two pregnancies, so I thought a wrap up of my favourite maternity outfits would be a great resource for anyone looking for pregnancy outfit inspiration!

As well as sharing my second trimester travel essentials I previously did a series about my wardrobe changes in each trimester you might find helpful too. I spoke about what worked and what didn't in my second trimester.

This will be a very photo-heavy post as I share a few of my favourite second trimester outfits. 38 different pregnancy outfit ideas! There are links below all the photos if you want more details.

Office Wear:

I bought two ASOS maternity pencil skirts and they got a lot of wear in the office.

My single maternity wrap dress was a real wardrobe workhorse, being worn almost weekly, although I continued to wear my regular non-maternity dresses in the second trimester as well. Fit and flare or empire waist dresses were perfect for this.

Asos maternity panelled pencil skirt in tartan check (non-maternity version here)

1: red bag, grey tee, tartan pencil skirt | 2: red shirt, tartan pencil skirt | 3: orange bag, printed skirt

 Asos maternity graphic print pencil skirt (non-maternity version here)

1: grey tee, printed pencil skirt | 2: wrap front top, printed pencil skirt | 3: teal henely, black and white skirt

1: paisley print dress | 2: striped dress with pink accessories | 3: Aztec print dress and blazer

1: Soon Maternity wrap dress, Chloe Paddington | 2: floral wrap dress | 3: printed wrap dress, pink bag

Maxi Dresses:

I only needed one maternity maxi dress for both pregnancies, the majority of my existing maxi dresses were stretchy enough to work through all three trimesters. There were a few I outgrew in the second trimester though.

1: black maxi dress and denim jacket | 2: Black and white printed dress | 3: feather print maxi dress

4: maxi dress and glitter belt | 5: Mothers En Vogue maternity maxi dress | 6: maxi dress for Christmas

Maternity Denim - Jeans and Shorts:

I added a second pair of maternity denim shorts to my wardrobe for my most recent pregnancy as I was heavily pregnant over summer and it was too hot for jeans. Previously I was doing a full work week and with the cooler temperatures and dressing for casual Friday, my maternity jeans were worn a lot more.

1: pinstripe shirt and skinny jeans | 2: casual travel outfit | 3: printed top and skinny jeans

4: print mixing and jeans | 5: floral top and denim | 6: printed kimono and skinny jeans

How to Hide a Baby Bump In Photos: A Guide For Bloggers

One of the best things about being pregnant is watching a tiny baby bump grow day by day. For any number of reasons though, you might want to hide that little baby bump for a while, especially if you're a blogger. I thought I'd put this guide together to show you how to hide a baby bump.

Hiding the baby bump with a printed dress | Hiding a baby bump with an empire waist

When I was pregnant with toddler T, I was keeping the baby bump hidden until after 20 weeks, once we had shared with our families and friends over Christmas and I had returned to the office from extended leave and told my boss. With my most recent pregnancy, I wanted to participate in the Frocktober fundraising challenge which meant I couldn't hide the bump for quite as long. My limited wardrobe (a different dress every day for 31 days) wasn't most conductive to hiding a bump, unlike when I was pregnant with toddler T and could select from my entire wardrobe.

Top three tips for hiding a baby bump:

• Continue to wear your regular pants/skirts for as long as possible. Use the hair tie trick, or invest in a belly band for clothes without elastic waists. Some skirts with elastic waists can be worn a little higher over the baby belly if it doesn't make them too short.
• Favour clothes that skim over any emerging baby bump. Think empire waists, trapeze tops, skater skirts and fit and flare dresses. Anything that flows rather than clings.
• Accessorise! Use scarves to hide bumps, and prints and layers to distract attention from your belly.

Wearing a skirt above the bump | Hiding a belly with a half tucked shirt

Trapeze top to skim a baby belly | Printed tank to disguise a baby bump

As well as following the pointers above, there are a few things you can do if you're a personal style/fashion blogger and you just want to hide the bump in photos. Be aware that while these tricks do work well in photos, they won't always hide the baby belly in person.

Hiding a baby bump in photos:

• Pick your angle. Facing straight on to the camera is the best way to reduce or disguise the size of a baby bump.
• Take photos as early in the day as possible. The more you eat, the bigger your belly gets, especially in the early stages.
• Accessorise. Same as above, you can hide a bump with clever layering, a scarf, or even just hiding behind a handbag!
• Never tuck any tops in. A half tuck hides a little bump quite well, but firmly tucking a top into a skirt or pair of pants just highlights a baby belly.
• Avoid clingy fabrics. You want things that skim over your bump.
• If you have a photographer, get their feedback. If you have a professional photographer, or just someone helping you with photos, ask them for the best angles / views to disguise a baby belly as they are shooting.
• Change your pose. It feels extremely silly, but I found this works well if you're standing straight on to the camera. Not so much if you're standing at an angle! Stand up straight, and push your butt back a bit, letting anything you're wearing fall in a straighter line over the baby belly. Perfect if you're wearing looser clothing, it will skim rather than hug your frame.
• Sit down. It's much easier to hide a bump when you're sitting instead of standing.
• Practice. Take a few more photos than you usually would to make sure you're getting the photos you want, showcasing your great outfit and not the baby belly you aren't ready to spill the beans about yet!

Skinny jeans and a belly band | Hiding a baby bump behind a bag

Hiding a Baby Bump in the office:

I shot this video in the second trimester that might be helpful for anyone wanting to keep a pregnancy secret for a little while longer in the office. 8 different outfits you can wear at work to hide an early bump.

I hope you found this guide helpful! Feel free to pin or share. You can check out more pregnancy outfit inspiration here too.


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Pregnancy Wardrobe Essentials - Wearing Non-Maternity Pieces in the Second Trimester

While I'm in the hospital with baby, I've set up a few scheduled posts.

As soon as I can I will be back to posting my usual daily outfits. I'll be sharing bits and pieces on my instagram (@awayfromblue) about life with baby until I'm back to blogging. Until then I hope you enjoy the little break and slight change of format.

Today I'm talking about my pregnancy wardrobe and the non-maternity pieces I used and wore through my second trimester.



My goal in pregnancy was to buy as few maternity pieces as possible. You can see the maternity pieces I wore through my pregnancy in the previous post. In the second trimester, I found the following non-maternity pieces in my wardrobe worked well, and I included a link to an example of an outfit with each.

• Maxi dresses - my favourite outfit
• Empire waist dresses - my favourite outfit
• Stretchy jersey dresses - my favourite outfit
• Wrap dresses - my favourite outfit
• Elastic waist pencil skirts - my favourite outfit
• Elastic waist maxi skirts - my favourite outfit
• Oversized/flowy tanks - my favourite outfit
• Fitted stretchy singlets - my favourite outfit
• Fitted stretchy tees - my favourite outfit
• Oversized tees - my favourite outfit
• Empire waist tops - my favourite outfit

Although I wore the items above in conjunction with maternity clothing where needed, being able to wear existing items in my wardrobe gave me a little more variety with pregnancy dressing. You can see all of my second trimester outfits here.

Shop similar pieces:

Pregnancy Wardrobe Essentials - Review of Maternity Pieces in My Wardrobe

While I'm in the hospital with baby, I've set up a few scheduled posts.

As soon as I can I will be back to posting my usual daily outfits. Until then I hope you enjoy the little break and slight change of format.

First up, talking about my pregnancy wardrobe and the maternity pieces I wore through my pregnancy.

I had a total of 14 maternity pieces to supplement my existing wardrobe. I've included links below so you can see when I wore them, and how often I wore them. My goal was to buy as little maternity pieces as possible.

Tops:

• MEV Britney bubble tank in mood indigo C/O Zibibo. Worn in second trimester | worn in third trimester
• Asos drape tank in space dye fabric. Worn in second trimester | worn in third trimester
• Jeanswest 'Felicity' maternity shirt in amethyst. Worn in third trimester, three times.
• Jeanswest 'Tilda' black shirt. Worn in first trimester | worn in second trimester | worn in third trimester

Dresses:

• Soon Maternity 'Madeline' grey print wrap dress. Worn in third trimester 6 times
• MEV Havana maxi dress C/O Zibibo. Worn in second trimester | worn in third trimester 5 times
• Burgundy button sash maternity dress C/O Pink Blush Maternity. Worn in second trimester | worn in third trimester twice

Skirts:

• Asos maternity tartan check pencil skirt. Worn in second trimester 4 times | worn in third trimester 5 times
• Asos maternity graphic print pencil skirt. Worn in second trimester 4 times | worn in third trimester 6 times
• Soon Maternity Flora fold pencil skirt. Worn in second trimester | worn in third trimester twice

Shorts:

• Jeanswest maternity rolled up shorts. Worn in second trimester twice | worn in third trimester 4 times

Pants:

• Jeanswest Maternity slim straight jeans. Worn in second trimester twice
• Jeanswest maternity super skinny jeans in antique blue. Worn in second trimester 8 times | worn in third trimester 7 times
• Jeanswest maternity skinny jeans in black. Worn in second trimester 4 times | worn in third trimester 5 times

You can hear my thoughts and opinions by watching the video, but in summary:

• I was lucky to have a lot of pieces in my existing wardrobe that worked well in pregnancy. Lots of flowy, loose, oversized and stretchy pieces meant I didn't need much maternity wear. I'll do a follow up post about the non-maternity items I found most helpful.
• Maternity tops I found tricky to wear as the extra length swamped my petite frame.
• Dresses were the easiest, most comfortable maternity wear option for me. Great go-to pieces!
• The Asos maternity pencil skirts I bought were fantastic for work and I'd recommend them to anyone who has to dress for pregnancy in the office.
• Jeanswest maternity denim is the only brand of maternity jeans I tried - perfect first time so I didn't try to look elsewhere.

I hope that you found this post useful, and that you can pass it along to anyone who might benefit from it :) Different from my usual posts, but I thought that laying out what I wore and how I wore it during my pregnancy might come in helpful for someone.


Linking up with Manic Monday, Style Sessions, Three-Fer Thursday today.

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