Yellow Tees and Navy Floral Kimonos With Balenciaga First Bag

Blue and yellow is a colour combination I really like to wear, so I decided to wear both of these navy floral kimonos with a yellow tee and shorts. A simple yet colourful summer outfit!

What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Melanie floral kimono (new purchase)
Necklace: navy and silver circle pendant tassel necklace
Tee: Jeanswest essential v-neck tee in elfin yellow (new purchase)
Shorts: Jeanswest Tessa olive embroidered shorts
Shoes: slim navy and pink Havaianas
Bag: Balenciaga first bag in 2006 Blue India

Why I wore it:

I picked up the yellow tee and the floral kimono in the Jeanswest buy one get one free sale after Christmas. I was eager to use a gift card I got for Christmas, and since the $80 kimono was reduced to $39.99 I paid for that and got the $30 tee for free! Pretty good deal. The two pieces also go so nicely together I knew I had to wear them together for the first wear!

The navy tassel necklace matched the base of the floral kimono perfectly, and I thought the Balenciaga first bag complimented the colours in the kimono well too. The olive shorts were a comfortable choice and an attempt to introduce even more colour. I really liked this outfit! I've had mixed success in the past with a slouchy tee along with these loose soft shorts, but I think the long line of the duster kimono made this really work.

Nice and colourful outfit for a day spent with my sister checking out a few stores and spending more Christmas gift cards! We picked up some cute Christmas decorations for next year too, and I bought another kimono at Jeanswest.... 😂


Last worn: navy tassel necklace, olive soft shorts, Havaianas. First time I've worn the bag as it was a Christmas present and first time I've worn the yellow tee and floral kimono as they are recent purchases.

Other ways to wear: olive soft shorts and stripes.

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My Balenciaga Bag Christmas Present:

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What I wore:

Jacket: Cotton On 'Gemma' cocoon kimono in Laos blossom navy print
Necklace: Jeanswest Taryn turquoise tassel bead necklace
Tee: Big W mustard v-neck tee
Shorts: thrifted Emerson white Bermuda denim shorts
Shoes: slim navy and pink Havaianas
Bag: Balenciaga first bag in 2006 Blue India

Why I wore it:

I didn't like this outfit as much as the one above. It's not the first time I've worn yellow with this navy floral kimono, I really liked the combination when I tried it in the past but I wasn't entirely convinced this time. I was going to wear blue denim shorts but changed my mind to these white shorts at the last moment to match the white in the floral print of the kimono. After looking at the photos though I think that blue denim might have been better.

Even the matchy-matchy with the Balenciaga first bag and the turquoise tassel necklace, which I did like, I wasn't 100% happy with this outfit looking at the pics. I don't hate it, it just doesn't look as good as the one above I don't think! Was comfortable for a morning running errands and having friends over in the afternoon though.


Last worn: floral cocoon kimono, turquoise tassel necklace, mustard yellow tee, white Bermuda denim shorts, Havaianas (above), Balenciaga first bag (above).

Other ways to wear: floral cocoon kimono and purple jeans, mustard yellow tee and maxi skirt, white Bermuda denim shorts with black and white, Balenciaga first bag.

Perfect for pregnancy: floral cocoon kimono in third trimester.

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Yellow Tees Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

Yellow tees are so fun and cheerful to wear! You can match them to something else you're wearing like I have in the first outfit, with the pastel yellow tee matching the floral print in the kimono, or you can contrast it like the navy florals and the mustard tee in the second outfit.


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Colourful Outfits To Match Printed Kimonos

Even a glance at my blog or Instagram will tell you I love kimonos! With warm temperatures most of the year here in Brisbane they have become a wardrobe staple for me and are a great way to add a little more colour and interest to an outfit.

This time around I picked the kimonos I wanted to wear and created outfits based on the colours from the kimonos. It was a fun way to wear some of my recently purchased pieces!

What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Melanie floral kimono
Necklace: Lovisa blue leaf long necklace
Tank: Jeanswest Vickie button back tank in enamel blue (new purchase)
Jeans: Jeanswest Harper skinny pant in Russet (new purchase)
Shoes: slim navy and pink Havaianas
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Avery crossbody bag in burgundy

Why I wore it:

This is a very Jeanswest heavy outfit! The kimono, tank and jeans are all Jeanswest. As I explained with my post Christmas sale haul, my go-to store Jeanswest has gone into administration. Rather than spending all my Christmas gift cards through the year as usual, I spent all of them in one month in January, in case things change with the store possible closing, and they wouldn't be honoured later.

When I looked at what I'd bought I realised how well it all worked together, so I took the chance on that one day when we had slightly cooler temps with all the rain and it was under 30 degrees Celsius to wear my new jeans. Bit of a big day, with swimming lessons, almost being trapped in floodwaters, and a joint birthday party to attend. The humidity increased through the day too so I wasn't entirely happy with my choice to wear jeans instead of shorts, but I did love the outfit in the cooler morning! Even if the turquoise tank quickly creased like crazy!

My new jeans go so well with this burgundy Rebecca Minkoff Avery crossbody bag that my sister got me for Christmas, I just had to wear them together to continue the matchy-matchy with them both and the tank matching the tropical print on the kimono.


Last worn: tropical floral kimono, leaf necklace, Havaianas. First time I've worn the rust jeans and turquoise tank as they are recent purchases, and first time I've worn the Regan crossbody bag as it was a Christmas gift.

Other ways to wear: tropical floral kimono and olive shorts.

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Rebecca Minkoff Reveal - Regan Cross Body

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What I wore:

Jacket: thrifted Supre black sheer floral kimono (new purchase)
Necklace: Roie Designs long freshwater pearl necklace with tassel
Tee: Spectrum basic v-neck tee in washed lilac
Shorts: thrifted pastel pink cotton shorts
Shoes: New Balance white and blue sneakers
Bracelets: the usual plus Roie Designs black leather Swarovski beaded wrap bracelet
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff mini MAB tote in plum (on sale!)

Why I wore it:

While this outfit copies the same formula as the outfit above, picking clothes and a bag to wear that match the floral print of the kimono, the outfit looks very different as this kimono has a different set of colours. Still just as easy to pull together as the first outfit though. I liked the pastel combination of the lilac tank with the blush shorts and this $1 sheer floral kimono from the opshop was a great buy!

I added the New Balance sneakers as we had a big day out planned and I knew my knee would need some extra support. (I injured it after Christmas and it's going to take months to heal). Took the kids into the city to visit the Water exhibition at GOMA. It was really interactive and they enjoyed it. The Riverbed installation was an actual river flowing through the gallery and a lot of rocks and gravel which was very difficult to walk on for me, definitely overdid it a bit!

It was a fun day out though, knee pain aside. After we'd been to the gallery we met hubby for lunch as he was working in the city.


Last worn: lilac tee, pearl tassel necklace, pink shorts, New Balance sneakers, purple Rebecca Minkoff MAB bag. First time I've worn the sheer floral kimono as it's a recent purchase.

Other ways to wear: lilac tee and maxi skirt, pink shorts and printed tank, purple Rebecca Minkoff MAB bag worn 30 ways. 

Perfect for pregnancy: lilac tee in second trimester, purple Rebecca Minkoff MAB bag in third trimester. 

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Floral Kimonos Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

A fun floral kimono has so many possible outfits you can wear with it - shorts and a tee is a summer staple of course, but you can mix it up each time you wear it by picking clothes to wear that match the colours in the print. It creates a completely different outfit each time, even though you are following the same outfit formula and is so quick to pull together, very mum friendly!

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Subtle Red and Green Festive Summer Floral Duster Outfits

Hope you have a very merry Christmas tomorrow! Getting in one final post with more red and green outfits for you. I've had fun wearing this colour combo on a few days in December and this Christmas week has been a good time to share them.

What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Melanie floral kimono
Necklace: Lovisa gold filigree heart pendant
Tank: Kmart black sleeveless frill hem peplum tank
Shorts: thrifted Emerson white Bermuda shorts
Shoes: thrifted Adidas Superstar sneakers
Bracelets: the usual plus Roie Designs pearl, howlite and hematite beaded bracelets
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff emerald green mini 5-zip rocker bag

Why I wore it:

When I thought about trying out some red and green outfits for December I wanted to ease into it as it's a very Christmassy combo and I wasn't sure I could pull it off! Picking a printed kimono full of a few different colours, one of which is red, and accessorising with a little green bag, seemed like a good way to try it out! I also wanted to wear my newly thrifted shoes for the first time. I've shared about them before, picking them up at the opshop for just $3. I spent a little time cleaning them up as they were very worn and yellowed, but I was pleased to have got them looking a bit more presentable and being able to take them out for a spin on this day. 

While the red and green combination is really subtle here the kimono is quite colourful and statement making, so I picked a simple black and white outfit to wear underneath with the peplum tank and white Bermuda shorts. They were also a thrift find! While the rose gold heart isn't an exact match with the gold hardware on the Rebecca Minkoff mini 5 zip bag I thought it was a close enough combination to go nicely together.

Was a nice quiet day - a little opshopping in the morning after the school run, and then sports in the evening after school pick up.

Last worn: floral duster, rose gold heart necklace, black peplum tank, white Bermuda shorts, Adidas Superstars, Rebecca Minkoff mini 5 zip bag.

Other ways to wear: floral duster and red jeans, black peplum tank and pencil skirt, white Bermuda shorts worn two ways, Adidas Superstars and maxi skirt, Rebecca Minkoff mini 5 zip bag and blue dress.

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The Bag I Got For Christmas Last Year

(Hoping for another handbag shaped present under the tree this year... 😉)

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What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Delilah Long Line Kimono in Green Floral
Necklace: Lovisa silver love knitted heart pendant necklace
Tee: thrifted black and white space dye peplum tee
Shorts: Jeanswest Trinity Bermuda denim shorts
Shoes: thrifted Adidas Superstar sneakers
Bracelets: the usual plus Roie Designs labradorite bracelets
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Avery crossbody bag in burgundy

Why I wore it:

I'm not entirely sure this combination worked with the green duster kimono and the burgundy bag. I didn't want to go too bright with one of my more cherry red bags. I thought this burgundy Rebecca Minkoff Avery crossbody bag would be a more subtle pairing but it wasn't as Christmassy as I hoped. Worked out nicely for the day though! Had an extremely busy day at work as I tried to wrap things up as much as possible to allow myself the opportunity to leave a little earlier and take my son out after school pickup to celebrate completing the year of school. Unfortunately, we realised that my plan to go grab ice creams was a fairly common one and we had to wait in a massive line as it seemed quite a few different parents had the same idea! 😂 The ice creams were definitely worth it though!

Last worn: green floral duster, knot heart necklace, space dye peplum top, Bermuda denim shorts, Adidas Superstar (above), Rebecca Minkoff Avery crossbody.

Other ways to wear: green floral duster and jeans, space dye peplum top and olive jeans, Bermuda denim shorts and scarf, Adidas Superstar and maxi skirt, Rebecca Minkoff Avery crossbody and little black dress.

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How You Can Wear It:

Red and green is a very festive combination, but doesn't have to be too bold. Try introducing one of the colours as an accessory like a bag as I have in these outfits, for a nod to December without feeling overdressed.

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However you are celebrating Christmas this year, I hope you get to experience God's peace, comfort and joy. Feeling extremely blessed with no COVID cases in the community here in Queensland for 100 days that allows us to have Christmas with our family as we always do, I know others are not as lucky. This scheduled post will go live as we are spending Christmas eve laughing together, watching a Christmas movie, eating delicious food, making and decorating cookies and trying some festive crafts. Have a wonderful Christmas even if it doesn't look like you had hoped.

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2 Ways To Wear A Grey Skater Dress: Colourful and Simple | Weekday Wear Link Up

Well what a difference a few weeks makes in this crazy new world. I wore these outfits back in April, just 3 weeks ago. Life is so different now! Australia has a roadmap for lifting all the restrictions after Coronavirus, and we are currently in stage one that gives us a lot more freedom than when I wore this dress! This was my only time going out that week, but now I'm out of the house multiple times a week for the school run.

I added a lot of colour to wear this dress for staying at home, but then simplified it later in the day when we went out to the doctors to get all of our flu shots.

What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Melanie floral kimono
Necklace: Ruby Olive Art series long striped pod necklace
Dress: Asos grey skater dress
Shoes: slim navy and pink Havaianas

Why I wore it:

I like this little grey skater dress but it really needs to be worn more! With a morning at home on a slightly cooler autumn day, I decided to dress it up a little with this duster kimono instead of my go-to  at home cover up, my cosy old bath robe! I really liked how this made me feel a little more pulled together and dressed up, and I liked the bright colours the floral print added. Kimonos are great for that.

I still felt the outfit was missing a little something though so I added in a bright necklace too. The kids enjoyed the necklace as well! They always play with my accessories whenever we have a cuddle.

This was an easy and comfortable outfit and simple to change afterwards when we headed out.


Last worn: floral duster kimono, statement necklace, grey skater dress, Havaianas.

Other ways to wear: floral duster kimono and shorts, grey skater dress worn two other ways.

Perfect for pregnancy: grey skater dress in second trimester.

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What's In My Bag: Louis Vuitton Speedy Bandouliere

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What I wore:

Dress: Asos grey skater dress
Shoes: New Balance white and blue sneakers
Bag: Louis Vuitton Damier Ebene 30 speedy bandouliere

Why I wore it:

This is the simplified version of the outfit above, that I wore out the house to head to the doctors. No extra cover up, as it was warmer by then and I just wanted an easy outfit I could wash as soon as I got home. I left the necklace at home too so it wouldn't get covered in germs - especially with holding the kids close for their flu vaccinations, I didn't want them playing with it and possibly transferring germs.

I've been using my Rebecca Minkoff micro Bedford bag a lot recently, but this time around I went with my Louis Vuitton speedy bandouliere. Just in case the kids needed their water bottles (both fit in here) and because I could wipe this down when we got home and sanitise it.

And of course my New Balance sneakers as they are the only shoes I am wearing out of the house at the moment!

Thankfully the vaccinations went well - both kids were really brave and we were in and out quite quickly. I was glad we could go as a family so hubby and I could take a kid each, even if it meant we took up the entire surgery as they can't have more than 4 people in the (small) waiting room at a time!


Last worn: grey skater dress (above), New Balance sneakers, Louis Vuitton speedy bandouliere.

Other ways to wear: grey skater dress and Converse, Louis Vuitton speedy bandouliere and jeans.

Perfect for pregnancy: grey skater dress in second trimester, Louis Vuitton speedy bandouliere in third trimester.

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Skater Dresses Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

A basic, neutral dress is a really versatile piece to have in your wardrobe. You can wear it simply by itself or add a lot more colour and print with accessories or a kimono.

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Weekday Wear Linkup #71

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!

Subscribe for The Weekday Wear Linkup reminder emails

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Linking up with Confident Twosday, Turning Heads, Style On The Daily, Fashion Frenzy, Style Six, Thursday Moda, Fashion Files, Fancy Friday.

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Pink and Purple: Jeans and Floral Kimono Outfits | Weekday Wear Link Up

For today's Weekday Wear Link Up, two more skinny jeans and kimono outfits. Taking advantage of the winter weather in Brisbane reverting to more seasonably expected warmer temps back in June to go partially bare-armed. Both these outfits have floral kimonos, purple, and my little prune Rebecca Minkoff MAC bag.

What I wore:

Jacket: Target Karolina summer kimono in purple black floral
Necklace: thrifted purple wooden bead statement necklace
Tee: thrifted black and white space dye peplum tee
Jeans: Jeanswest Cecile dove grey skinny jeans
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in black
Bracelets: the usual
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff prune MAC with pom pom and tassel keychain

Why I wore it:

I loved this outfit! I wasn't sure about the black space dye peplum tee with the grey skinny jeans and black Converse - it was a lot of neutrals! But even though the dark floral kimono has a black background I think the purple floral print added the perfect amount of colour to this outfit. Especially with the lilac necklace and the prune Rebecca Minkoff MAC bag.

With the neutral tonal black/grey column underneath I think the different shades of purple and magenta and lilac with the kimono and accessories worked really nicely in this outfit. Perfect for the school run, working from home, and sports for the kids in the evening.


Last worn: purple floral kimono, lilac necklace, space dye peplum tee, grey skinny jeans, Converse, Rebecca Minkoff prune MAC.

Other ways to wear: purple floral kimono and skirt, space dye peplum tee and red jeans, grey skinny jeans worn 30 ways, Converse and dress, Rebecca Minkoff prune MAC and double denim.

Perfect for pregnancy: Converse in second trimester.

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Rebecca Minkoff MAC Unboxing:

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What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Melanie floral kimono
Necklace: terrazzo and wood rose gold bead necklace
Tee: Jeanswest 'Lucy' colour block tee in grey marle/rosebud
Jeans: Jeanswest blackberry super skinny jeans
Shoes: New Balance Coast women's running shoe in black 
Bracelets: the usual
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff prune MAC with pom pom and tassel keychain

Why I wore it:

I realised I hadn't worn these purple skinny jeans in a while and that they were definitely overdue another wear! Surprisingly I hadn't yet worn them with the tropical floral print duster. I liked wearing my lilac tee with this duster so it's strange it's taken me so long to put the jeans together with them!

With all the colours in the floral print, the magenta Rebecca Minkoff MAC bag and the purple jeans, I kept it simple with just a plain grey tee. I considered a scarf with this as it was a bit of a windy day, but it was warm and sunny so I went with a necklace instead. I liked this easy outfit!


Last worn: tropical floral print kimono, wooden bead necklace, grey tee, purple skinny jeans, New Balance sneakers, Rebecca Minkoff prune MAC (above).

Other ways to wear: tropical floral print kimono over a dress, grey tee and shorts, purple skinny jeans worn 30 ways, Rebecca Minkoff prune MAC and navy dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: grey tee in second trimester.

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How You Can Wear It:

A floral print kimono is a great topper with jeans and a tee - and you can add even more colour to your outfit with a bright accessory like this prune MAC bag.

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Weekday Wear Linkup #176

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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Purple Tees, Denim and Kimonos | Weekday Wear Link Up

Sticking with some often worn outfit formulas in today's Weekday Wear Link Up post! A colour combo I love with pink and purple, and the ever classic denim and tee outfit with a pretty floral kimono topper.

What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Melanie floral kimono
Necklace: Kmart navy and gold beaded tassel necklace
Tee: Spectrum basic v-neck tee in washed lilac
Shorts: Jeanswest Trinity Bermuda denim shorts
Shoes: Purple high top Converse look-a-likes
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff small Darren messenger bag in peony (more affordable preowned!)

Why I wore it:

I have been reaching for this tropical floral print duster a lot recently! It's such a staple for me and with all the different colours in the print, it goes with so much. I realised I hadn't yet worn this lilac tee with it, so had to give it a try. There isn't any purple in the print at all but I still thought this tee went nicely with the kimono, due to the navy background. I love blue and purple together!

The lilac tee has been worn with this pretty peony pink Rebecca Minkoff Darren messenger bag before - such a nice pink and purple combination, the pastel shades work well together.

Wore this for the school run, and some time volunteering in my youngest son's classroom, before working from home until school pickup in the afternoon. We had a little bit of shopping to do once I picked up the kids, to get a birthday present for a party that weekend.


Last worn: tropical floral duster, lilac tee, navy and gold tassel necklace, Bermuda denim shorts, purple high tops, Rebecca Minkoff Darren bag.

Other ways to wear: tropical floral duster and skirt, lilac tee and printed jeans, Bermuda denim shorts worn 30 ways, purple high tops and maxi skirt, Rebecca Minkoff Darren bag and double denim.

Perfect for pregnancy: purple tee in second trimester.

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3 Ways To Wear: Rebecca Minkoff Darren Messenger Bag

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What I wore:

Jacket: Target Karolina summer kimono in purple black floral
Necklace: terrazzo and wood rose gold bead necklace
Tee: Atmos&Here rolled sleeve oversized tee in wine
Skirt: thrifted Target black stretch denim skirt
Shoes: New Balance Coast women's running shoe in black 
Bracelets: the usual
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff small Darren messenger bag in peony (more affordable preowned!)

Why I wore it:

this wine tee is really more of a burgundy than a true purple, but I think the purple in it really comes out when it's paried with this pretty darker purple floral print kimono. I loved this combiantion, with the wine tee and the dark floral print and black denim. Perfect for a hot autumn day! The light peony pink Rebecca Minkoff Darren messenger bag I wasn't sure about with the farker colours, but I think it contrasted nicely and I ended up just loving the colours in this!

Just needed something comfortable for the usual routine on a weekday - working from home and school run to pick up the kids. Tee and denim are perfect for that.


Last worn: purple floral kimono, wine oversized tee, beaded necklace, black denim skirt, New Balance sneakers, Rebecca Minkoff Darren messenger (above).

Other ways to wear: purple floral kimono and pink shorts, wine oversized tee and maxi skirt, black denim skirt and stripes, Rebecca Minkoff Darren messenger and midi dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: wine oversized tee in third trimester.

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How You Can Wear It:

A pretty floral kimono is a great topper for a casual tee and denim outfit - and an easy way to add more colour and interest!

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Weekday Wear Linkup #164

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!

Subscribe for The Weekday Wear Linkup reminder emails

Email Address 

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2020 Fashion Spend Wrap Up and Yearly Budget For 2021

Happy new year! Keeping with the spirit of 2020, my fashion spend for the year was unexpected! I was proud of how little I spent last in 2019 but also thought I wouldn't spend so little again. Then of course the pandemic happened and we learned 2020 was the year for surprises! Today I'm sharing what I bought last year, how I tracked against my budget, and what my spending goals are for 2021.

Here's What I Bought In 2020:

Bags:

• Rebecca Minkoff Micro Bedford zip satchel in twilight
• Rebecca Minkoff Leo envelope clutch in champagne gold
• Rebecca Minkoff Jean MAC cross body bag in fig

Other Accessories:

• Fashion Scarf Girl colourful print scarf in green
• Fashion Scarf Girl lush forest scarf
• thrifted blue statement beaded necklace
• thrifted gold and cream multi strand pearl necklace
• thrifted gold and marble statement necklace
• Thrifted Adidas Superstar sneakers

Tops:

• Jeanswest Vickie button back tank in enamel blue
• Jeanswest essential v-neck tee in elfin yellow
• Jeanswest Sophie navy v-neck tee 
• Cotton On "The One" fitted v tee in Cole stripe white moonlight
• Cotton On The One Deep V tee in marle nep white body black
• thrifted Kmart black and cream stripe tee
• Kmart short sleeve textured dolman top in marigold

Kimonos/Jackets:

• Jeanswest Melanie floral kimono
• Jeanswest Kensley tie dye summer poncho kimono
• thrifted black Emerson anorak
• thrifted digital print no label kimono
• thrifted Supre black sheer floral kimono

Dresses:

• Kmart short sleeve tiered jersey dress in amber
• Kmart short sleeve tiered jersey dress in Fuchsia
• thrifted Kmart white and navy long sleeve stripe tee dress

Bottoms:

• Jeanswest harper skinny pant in Russet
• thrifted navy viscose no label maxi skirt
• thrifted Tree of Life ochre maxi skirt

Most Worn: the Jeanswest Melanie floral kimono (last worn here) was worn 8 times in 2020, but I did buy it in the January sales right at the start of the year.

Least Worn: Cotton On The One Deep V tee in marle nep white body black has only been worn once, because I bought this right before Christmas so haven't had much opportunity to wear it yet.

Best Deal: The $3 Adidas Superstar sneakers, a lucky opshop find, are probably the biggest bargain of the year!

Fashion Spend For 2020 - Under Budget!

This was the lowest spend year since I've been tracking my fashion spending! I spent a total of $483.59 this year, on 27 fashion items. That works out to an average of $17.91 per item, or slightly more than buying a new item every two weeks. The $483.59 total includes a $134.99 gift card spend, so $328.60 without including the gift card spend.

In contrast I spent $633.18 in 2019, including gift card spend, on 43 items. Despite being sure I wouldn't spend less than that, I managed to this year! I'm pleased to see I spent less than intended this year as one good thing to come from 2020. I also bought fewer items as well that helped keep the cost down.

Even when I did 7 months with no fashion purchases back in 2017 I spent over $1,000 that year so I'm really pleased to have spent less than $500 this year.

One thing to note is that I didn't include the $88 New Balance sneakers in my spend for this year. I class them more as a medical choice than a fashion choice as if I didn't have my knee injury I wouldn't need or want to buy these, and from the Instagram poll most people agreed. I am still under budget even if you include these but just wanted to disclose why they weren't part of the total or in the list above.

How I Stuck To My Budget:

I think that reduced fashion spending isn't anything ground-breaking for most people this year. It hasn't been a year that has called for a lot of new outfits or necessitated buying new things. Hubby and I were luckily able to keep our jobs and work from home in 2020, although I know others weren't as lucky and restrictions and lifestyle changes are still in place in other countries and even in other parts of Australia. Here's how I spent less this year despite being lucky to still have an income:

• Staying home more and working from home means more pyjamas and loungewear (and I certainly didn't need to buy any more of those!) and less wearing of actual clothes, so while I have bought new things now and then it hasn't been the big hauls of the past. 
• There has been less window shopping as we have been shopping in person a lot less. I did notice an uptick in spending in the later half of the year when we were out of Iso and I started going to shops again though. 
• I've spent less time browsing opshops (thrifting) too which has resulted in less clothes for myself, due to a lot of my favourite stores permanently closing after Iso or changing opening hours so they are harder for me to get to. I've also gotten back into reading this year thanks to my neighbour starting up a virtual Iso book club so I focus on the book section instead of clothes or accessories when I do venture into an opshop.
• Most of my online ordering through the year was essentials, treats for the boys or Christmas presents and while I occasionally added an item or two to an order for myself I rarely did that. 
• When I did buy, I made the most of sales and rewards. When I was buying things for the kids if I got a rewards voucher I would sometimes use that towards something for myself. Cotton On is good for this where you get a $10 voucher after spending $100. It brought things like my $20 tee on sale for $13 down to just $3 after applying the $10 voucher. I also got quite a few rewards vouchers as bonuses from David Jones this year which made the already massively reduced Rebecca Minkoff bags I bought even more affordable. (For example, the Rebecca Minkoff Leo envelope clutch in champagne gold was on final sale, reduced from $140 to $34 and that was without rewards vouchers.)

All that combined lead to a year with less spending without a lot of conscious effort on my part, just a reduction in shopping opportunities, and less interest in shopping in general with so much going on in the world. I know from my previous 6 months without shopping challenge that browsing less and occupying my time with other things is the most effective way to help me shop less, as I don't suddenly see things I "need". I'm also willing to wait until the final reduction days of sales before I buy, as if things sell out it just wasn't meant to be!

Goals And Fashion Budget For 2021:

I'm not feeling confident about setting a goal for 2021 as we all know nothing is guaranteed! I'd like to have another under $1,000 fashion spend this year though. To help achieve this I'm going to continue browsing fashion stores less. While there have been no cases here for over 104 days in Queensland I am still preferring online shopping as we don't have a vaccine available in Australia yet. I have been visiting shops a little more regularly the past few months with life returning to normal, but nowhere near as much as I used to.

I'm mostly hoping that I can buy fewer clothes this year to help keep the spend down, focusing on achieving my 30 wears posts by rewearing more of what I already have until I achieve 30 wears with more things in my wardrobe. If I can buy less than the 27 items that I bought this year in 2021 I'll be really happy, this is my main goal.

I got some new clothes for Christmas that helps with my "buy less goal" too, I have lots of new outfits I want to wear heading into the new year without much January sale shopping. I have spent some Christmas money and gift cards in a couple of boxing day sales though, but nothing has arrived yet to know if it's a keeper to include in the budget.

Did you spend less on fashion in 2020 too? Have you set any fashion spend goals this year? 

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