Weekday Wear Linkup! What I Wore For Christmas - Casual and Dressy With Gold Earrings

For today's Weekday Wear Linkup I'm sharing what I wore for Christmas!

I wore a maxi skirt for Christmas eve and a maxi dress for the big day, both accessorised with cross body bags and some pretty gold earrings. Two very different outfits though, as we dress down for Christmas eve and dress up for Christmas day. Both days are filled with family but Christmas eve is a lot more casual as we decorate cookies, attempt Christmas craft and snack as we watch a Christmas movie. Christmas day we dress up to enjoy the family time, unwrap gifts, and have a big delicious feast.

What I wore:

Earrings: Colette Ciao Bella glitter ball drop earrings
Tee: festive glitter Santa tee
Skirt: thrifted pinstripe maxi skirt
Shoes: slim navy and pink Havaianas (gift from mum)
Bracelets: the usual plus Christmas bow bracelet (with bells!)
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff red micro Avery cross body bag

Why I wore it:

Another year of wearing my novelty Santa tee! My sister bought us all these festive glitter tees one year and so every year my question about what to wear for Christmas eve is partially answered - depending on the weather I might wear shorts or a maxi skirt with the tee. It was a little cooler and threatening rain so I figured a maxi skirt was perfect to stop me being too hot or too cold. The day was rain free but there was a huge storm in the afternoon which meant we stayed a little later at my parents until it had blown over!

The gold earrings were a recent gift from my mum - I spotted them while we were out shopping before Christmas and she bought them for me when we were browsing Colette. They look so much little gold baubles I just had to have them, and knew that they would fit in with the glitter on my tee and the Christmas bell and ribbon bracelet (another tradition, just as much as the tee is!). I'm hoping that because they are a classic gold I will get some wear from them outside December too. They look a lot more subtle in the pictures than they do in person!

Kept it simple with the bag. Red and green is so festive so this cute little red Rebecca Minkoff bag was an obvious choice. I wore it last year too!


Last worn: festive tee, pinstripe maxi skirt, Rebecca Minkoff micro Avery bag. First time I've worn the gold earrings as they were a recent gift.

Other ways to wear: festive tee and shorts, pinstripe maxi skirt and pink scarf, Rebecca Minkoff micro Avery bag and floral dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: festive tee in second trimester.

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Christmas Q&A Tag Video:

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What I wore:

Earrings: gold pendant chandelier earrings
Necklace: Tiffany diamonds by the yard necklace
Dress: Kmart tropical notch neck floral maxi dress (gift from mum)
Shoes: Wittner 'Jasmarie' studded sandals
Bracelets: the usual plus vintage silver charm bracelet, diamond and pearl bracelet
Bag: Chanel vintage quilted lambskin flap

Why I wore it:

A much dressier outfit for the big day - we spent the morning at home with the kids, unwrapping presents and enjoying their surprise with everything Santa brought them. Then it was off to the first set of grandparents for more presents before leaving again to end the day down the coast with my family. It's a bit of travelling for one day but it's good to see everyone. Photo is a little dark as it was quite cloudy when I took this pic in the morning and I didn't want to open up the blinds - we had some toys in the back yard for a big Christmas surprise once all the presents were open!

If you're a frequent reader you'll know that I love my Kmart floral dresses! I had went into the store with my mum a few weeks before Christmas to check out another dress I'd never had a chance to try on when I was with the boys, and was disappointed to see it didn't look as good on as it did on the hanger. Mum had spotted this pretty maxi dress for me to take into the change room too and I fell in love with it! She kindly bought it for me and I knew it would be the perfect Christmas day dress.

The chandelier earrings were a gift from my mum too, last year! I thought the gold went nicely with the gold hardware on the vintage Chanel bag. With the statement earrings I didn't feel the need to add a big necklace to this, I thought the bag and earrings were enough, especially with all my silver bracelets. I decided on this delicate Tiffany necklace which matched the silver bracelet stack. Sometimes I like mixing metals with my accessories.


Last worn: gold chandelier earrings, diamond necklace, studded sandals, vintage Chanel flap bag. First time I've worn the teal floral dress as it's a recent gift.

Other ways to wear: studded sandals and shorts, vintage Chanel flap bag and tee dress. 

Perfect for pregnancy: studded sandals in second trimester, vintage Chanel flap bag at 30 weeks. 

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How You Can Wear It:

A classic maxi skirt or dress can be perfect for a Christmas gathering. They can be dressed up or down easily, and in our Queensland summers are a great choice to beat the heat. Might not be the best idea if you have a snowy Christmas though, unless you have a free hand to hold the hem up whenever you step foot outside! Adding a pretty pair of statement gold earrings can help you feel a little festive too whatever your weather.

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Weekday Wear Linkup #52

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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(We are safe from the bushfires but you can help those not as fortunate here).

This post was created in partnership with Nakturnal. Occasionally, Away From The Blue blog may receive vendor or brand sponsorships for mentioning their products or services. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own.


Linking up with Turning Heads, Confident Twosday, Style Six, Style On the Daily, Oh Hey Girl, Fashion Frenzy, Fashion Files, Chic and Stylish, Fabulous Friday.

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30 Ways To Wear: Gold Marc By Marc Jacobs Mouse Flats & 2019 Shopping Review, 2020 Budget

For this month's 30 ways to wear post I'm also sharing how my "spend less on fashion" year went in 2019, and my spending goals for 2020!


These little metallic Marc by Marc Jacobs mouse flats definitely deserve their own 30 wears post. It's not a style that's made any more, you can find some on eBay and other resale sites though. I bought them on sale back in 2013 for $166, and they've been worn 92 times since then. (So currently $1.80 per wear). I think I'm definitely getting my money's worth from them! While they are showing a little wear they are still very comfortable and wearable and I expect them to be around for a while yet. Even if they could do with a bit of a polish!

It's such a talking point when people realise I'm wearing little mouse shoes, they are too fun for me to ever think of giving them up, even if they are discontinued and the Marc by Marc Jacobs brand isn't around any more. I like to wear them whenever I know I'll be meeting new people as they are a cute conversation starter. The metallic gold goes with absolutely everything too, I had a hard time putting this 30 wears post together as I wear them with so many colours!

I decided to show you 34 outfits, with different styles of clothing I've worn these flats with rather than focusing on colour combinations to try. I hope it inspires you to try something different with a similar pair of flats you own - I find bold bright shoes tricky to wear but these fun novelty metallic gold ones are very versatile! Much more versatile that you'd expect from a pair of shoes with mouse ears and whiskers!

Marc by Marc Jacobs Mouse Flats with Dresses

Ballet flats and a dress is a staple outfit for a hot day - and add a blazer, a more structured bag maybe, and it's perfect for the office! I had a hard time picking my fave dress and mouse flats outfits to share here as I have worn this outfit combo a lot!

Metallic Gold Ballet Flats with Skirts

Of course just as I wear my mouse flats to the office with dresses, I like to wear them with pencil skirts too, another work staple for me! You can match the metallic flats to something else gold in our your outfit, like how I've matched the necklaces or gold hardware on the bags in most of these outfits. They can also be worn on their own, like in the first outfit, where the only gold touch is the ballet flats.

Marc by Marc Jacobs Mouse Flats with Jeans

Simple mum style for a busy day with the kids - ballet flats and jeans! I like how printed, flared or colourful jeans all work as well with these shoes as much as skinny jeans do. Being metallic, I also feel they dress up the stay at home mum outfits a little more thank classic black ballet flats. My kids love that the shoes have little ears and whiskers too!

Gold Mouse Flats in Pregnancy

While my pregnancies with the boys both ended with massive heatwaves and my feet swelled up massively with the heat and humidity, there were some days in pregnancy (second trimester and early third trimester) when I could still wear these shoes. I think the elasticated sections helped them stretch out a little, and they were still comfortable to wear.  It's not always possible to wear the same pair of shoes all 40 weeks of pregnancy, but I love looking back at my baby bump pics and seeing how I could still wear my pre-pregnancy pieces, even if they were just accessories!

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Where to Buy Marc By Marc Jacobs Mouse Flats:

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Similar Posts in the 30 Wears Series:

• 30 ways to wear black ankle boots
• 30 ways to wear gladiator sandals

2019 Fashion Spend and 2020 Budget

Last year I set a simple goal, I wanted to spend less on fashion than I had the year before. In 2017 I spent $1,696.53, in 2018 I met that goal and only spent $1,014.44.

For 2019, I also met that goal and only spent $633.18 on fashion over the year (this includes a $158.99 gift card spend). For 2018, I'd spent $664.44 without gift cards and so I'm pleased to see I spent less than that in 2019 even with gift card spend included.

I had an average spend of $52.27 a month which is pretty good (my average spend in 2018 was $84.54 a month). Despite spending less, I bought more in 2019, with 43 items for the year so average of $14.72 each. Most of my gift card spend went to house things which is why I don't have a nice round figure for gift card spend on fashion.

How I spent less:

• We had our big Europe trip at the start of the year as well as the move into our house when the build was finished.
• We had a few things in mind to buy for the new house which reduced my budget, and I used most of the gift cards I got for Christmas (stores like Kmart and David Jones) on things for our new house.
• I usually spend a lot in the January sales, but with the house build going on, studying for a big exam and saving for our Europe trip my mind was occupied with other things!
• I focused on the 30 wear series more and on rewearing what I had instead of frequently buying new.
• I shopped in the opshops more frequently and in high street stores less and although I couldn't resist all the sales I used my gift cards as much as possible when I did shop in the big shopping centres.
• I had the 2018 previous spend figure of $1,014.44 in mind when spending anything on fashion to keep me on track, and I noted down my spend each month to know where I stood.

2020 Budget:

For this new year, I'd love to spend less on fashion than I did in 2019. $633.18 is a pretty low figure for me and one I'm very impressed with, but I'm not sure I could meet that again! I'm going to try meet that figure, but give myself a $1,000 budget similar to what I had in 2019 and I'll see how I go with spending less than that this year. If I can get less than $633.18 I'll be really impressed, but under $1,000, similar to the budget I had last year, and I'll be happy.

What's your fashion budget for this year?

Note: This post, like all my posts, was written and scheduled in advance. I had to add this note in though given the horrible situation unfolding in Australia, especially with it looking bleaker every day. So soon after my last note, once again the country is consumed with bushfires. We are safe from the bushfires, as are our family and friends for now.

For ways to help those not as fortunate, see here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-01/bushfire-relief:-how-you-can-help-frontline-services/11835156 

Linking up with Fancy Friday, Mutton Style, On Mondays We Link Up.

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Casual Summer Mum Style: V-Neck Tees and Striped Maxi Skirts

Happy new year! Kicking off the new year with how I intend to continue, in casual and comfortable mum style (even if I wore these back in December!). Two simple mum outfits for summer days with the kids - pairing some colourful v-neck tees with striped maxi skirts for easy outfits on hot days!

What I wore:

Necklace: ZuriCollections blue polymer clay necklace
Tee: Big W mustard v-neck tee
Skirt: thrifted Cotton On navy and grey striped maxi skirt
Shoes: slim gold Havaianas
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff MAB Camera Bag in almond

Why I wore it:

I really like yellow and blue together, and I've worn this mustard tee with another navy striped maxi skirt recently. I love stripes! Thought it was a nice colourful outfit choice for a day with the boys - stopping at the park for a bit of a play before the heat sent us home again!

We spent the afternoon wrapping a few Christmas pressies and chilling in the aircon. It was such a hot day, skirt and a tee was the only thing I felt like wearing. I like how easily a maxi skirt works at the playground too, you don't need to worry about the length when running around with the kids or pushing them on the swings!

With the bright mustard yellow and nay blue, thought that this neutral tan Rebecca Minkoff MAB camera bag was a good choice.


Last worn: mustard tee, beaded necklace, navy stripe maxi skirt, gold Havaianas, Rebecca Minkoff MAB camera bag.

Other ways to wear: mustard tee worn two ways, navy stripe maxi skirt and denim jacket, Rebecca Minkoff MAB camera bag and jeans.

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What's In My Bag: Rebecca Minkoff MAB Camera Bag

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What I wore:

Necklace: blush pink and gold beaded tassel necklace
Tee: Spectrum basic v-neck tee in washed lilac
Skirt: thrifted pinstripe maxi skirt
Shoes: Rebecca Minkoff Georgina studded gladiator sandals in blush
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff MAB Camera Bag in almond

Why I wore it:

Another v-neck tee and maxi skirt outfit! Again, wearing a striped skirt although this pinstripe doesn't show up well in pics and the skirt just looks grey. I really liked the lilac tee with it, it's nice with the grey.

Added a little extra colour to my outfit with this blush tassel necklace, I like pink and purple together too and I felt it dressed up my casual outfit a little more for church and then lunch and an afternoon shopping with my mum. Was so good to spend time together, even if it was a little crazy trying to get a car park as it was December! Was so nice getting time to decorate the house later too, it was our first Christmas in our new house so I was very excited and kept wanting to buy more decorations.

I think the studded sandals helped dress up this outfit a little more too, as I'd just worn my casual Havaianas in the first outfit. Although not quite as colourful as the first outfit, I thought the Rebecca Minkoff MAB camera bag was a good companion with this outfit too - it goes with everything!


Last worn: purple tee, tassel necklace, pinstripe maxi skirt, gladiator sandals, Rebecca Minkoff MAB camera bag (above).

Other ways to wear: purple tee in the office, pinstripe maxi skirt and scarf, gladiator sandals worn 30 ways, Rebecca Minkoff MAB camera bag and floral dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: purple tee in second trimester.

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Striped maxi Skirts Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

A maxi skirt is a great piece to have in your mum wardrobe! The perfect length for running around with and bending down to toddlers all day, and still looks and feels a little more pulled together to go to church or a lunch date! Worn with a simple colourful tee it's an easy outfit choice for a hot summer day.

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