Now that Brisbane is having a little bit of cooler autumn weather at last, thought that this cosy black and navy striped shift dress with 3/4 sleeves was the perfect piece to feature for my latest 30 ways to wear post!
30 Ways To Wear: Atmos & Here Navy and Black Stripe Shift Dress
Cost Per Wear
I picked this navy stripe tee dress up on sale at The Iconic for $26.36, back in July 2014. So I've had it in my wardrobe almost 11 years! At 32 wears, it's down to 82 cents a wear. And it's still going strong, it will be worn in the cooler months for years to come.
It has taken over a decade to get more than 30 wears, but I credit that to it being a dress I can only really wear on cooler days, and it not being one I could wear when breastfeeding. I definitely think of it as a staple in my wardrobe though and look forward to wearing it in the colder months.
Out of the 32 outfits I've made from this dress, here are my 30 favourite ways I've worn it so far.
Navy Stripe Tee Dress With More Blue
I love wearing multiple shades of blue together in an outfit, and as you can see from these 4 outfits, the dark navy dress is perfect with blue jackets, scarves, bags and even shoes.
Striped Shift Dress With Boots
As this striped dress is quite thick with the long 3/4 length sleeves, I wear it most often on colder days. it means it's the perfect temperature to wear some boots with it too! Sometimes with bare legs and ankle boots, other ways I've worn it include with taller boots and leggings.
Navy Stripe Dress With Yellow
The neutral navy and black stripes on this dress make it the perfect backdrop for a nice bright scarf, and as you can see from each of these 4 outfits, yellow scarves are a bit of a go-to for me with this dress. And sometimes I add a little yellow bag for even more bright colour against the neutral navy.
Navy Striped Tee Dress With Red
Navy and red is not a new combination, but like the colour combinations above, it's one I reach for a lot with this dress! I love the pop of a nice bright red accessory against navy, from something small like a belt or necklace, to something larger like a bag or scarf.
Navy and Purple
Of course it's not just colourful scarves that look good with this dress, although as you can see from the last 3 of these outfits I do like wearing printed purple scarves with this dress! In the first photo though you can see even a small pop of a lighter lilac purple can look good against a navy dress.
Navy Stripe Dress With Pink
Blue and pink has to be one of my favourite combinations, and I have worn an awful lot of pink bags with this neutral dress. it's a very fun pop of colour! But again, wearing this in cooler weather, I find pink scarves brighten it up nicely, and I really liked that middle outfit with the blush pink blazer over the dress.
Navy Striped Shift Dress With Green Accessories
I think blue and green should definitely be seen together! Navy is a really nice shade of blue to wear with green, and it works well with different shades. The olive bag, green necklace and darker green bag all look good against the dress.
I purchased this dress in 2014 and it quickly became a favourite, so I'm surprised it's taken me 10 years to hit 31 wears with it! It is a super cute dress, and certainly should have hit 30 wears sooner! It's good to finally get to that goal and put this post together for it.
30 Ways to Wear: Jeanswest Boho Navy Tile Print Dress
Cost Per Wear
I bought this dress back in the pre-Christmas sales at the end of 2014. It was an impulse buy from Jeanswest. Sadly I didn't note down all my purchases back then, so while I know it was on sale and had an extra 40% off, I'm not sure how much I paid for it to calculate cost of wear. I still think I got my money's worth from this dress though! I got 31 wears from it over the years and it still looks good as new.
I love the blue tile print, the relaxed style and the peasant top with the tassels and the cute crochet detail. With blue being my favourite colour and something that works so well in my wardrobe, I've worn this dress in quite a few different ways over the years. Even if there were some years it didn't get worn at all as it wasn't the best dress for breastfeeding in!
While tying the tassels on the top or leaving them untied alters the neckline of the dress to change the look slightly, there are a few other things I've worn this dress with to make it a little different each time. Here are 30 of the different ways I've worn it:
Belting A Printed Dress
The easiest way to change up any dress, especially one with a defined elasticated dress like this one, is to belt it! I used this trick in pregnancy as you can see in the middle there to hold the dress in place over the baby bump.
Printed Dress With Boots
Tall boots work well with this above the knee dress, but ankle boots are definitely my favourite with the dress! The tassels and boho tile print make ankle boots something I frequently reach for when I'm wearing this dress, and makes it work into spring and autumn.
Boho Dress With Sneakers Outfits
Of course you can easily dress this down with a pair of sneakers too! While the boots above are a favourite pairing, I wear a lot of Converse with this dress, and I haven't found a pair of sneakers yet that don't work with it to create a casual outfit.
Layered Printed Dress Outfits
This dress has 3/4 sleeves but it is a light viscose so it needs a little extra layering in cooler weather. A denim jacket is an easy choice with a printed dress for spring or autumn. Another layering formula I've tried is making this dress more formal for the office by adding a blazer.
Boho Summer Dress In Winter
This is a lovely navy print dress and despite the longer sleeves, works so well in summer with the light viscose fabric. I find that it layers nicely in winter as well though! Adding a slip underneath, a cosy leather jacket, fleece lined tights or tall boots, even a scarf, and it works well for the milder snow-free Brisbane winters.
Navy Tile Print Dress With Pops Of Colour
I am a big fan of adding extra colour to an outfit with accessories, and this printed dress is no exception! In this set of photos, and in others in the post, you'll see I love a bright bag against the navy print. Anything works! From greens to oranges, or even a pink and purple necklace like in the second photo.
Blue Bag And Navy Printed Dress Outfits
Blue is my favourite colour so if I'm already wearing one shade of blue I'll happily reach for another to compliment it! With this navy dress, I've worn a few blue bags over the years. Anything from a storm blue to a periwinkle blue, and of course navy, blue bags look great with the navy print.
Red Bags With Navy Tile Print Dress
A red bag is a fin pop of colour and as you can see from these 3 red bag outfits here they really make a statement with the navy tile print! Just like the other colour combinations I've shared above, there's something about navy and red that always looks good.
Navy Printed Dress With Pink Bags
Saving the best for last - blue and pink! Just like the other accessory combinations I've shared, with the navy print, any shade of pink from a light pastel to a bold fuchsia works nicely with this dress. While I do love a little crossbody bag with this simple summer dress, a big bold pink bag like the Balenciaga ones in the first and last photos looks good too.
I'm thrilled I reached 30 wears with this cute tropical floral print shift dress. Tee dresses are such a staple for me in my wardrobe, and this one always gets compliments. It's such a lovely print!
30 Ways To Wear: Tropical Floral Print Tee Dress
This is a fun dress, and with all the different colours, from the green background to the colourful tropical floral print, it's really easy to find pieces to wear it with in my wardrobe. It has the added benefit of being a nice light tee dress, perfect for spring, autumn and summer in Brisbane, it's one of those pieces I find myself reaching for fairly often. I have layered it up a little for cooler weather too, but the warmer weather is definitely when this gets worn the most.
I like the grey contrast sleeves - it has a grey panel on the back too, which makes it really easy to wear as you just focus on pairing things with the fun bright print and the rest is a muted neutral.
Cost Per Wear
While I have reached 30 wears on this dress, it's not quite at a dollar per wear goal so many people aim for. I bought it online from The Iconic back in September 2014, and with a discount code and it being on sale I snapped it up for $39.98. They had the same print in a shirt and I deliberated between the dress and tee, rationalising the dress was the better buy as I could wear it as a top too, which I have done a few times. So versatile, and it's currently at $1.33 a wear, with a lot of life left in it and a permanent place in my wardrobe. It may have gotten very little wear in the breastfeeding years, but I've certainly made up for that now with how often I reach for it.
Here are the 30 different ways I've worn this dress so far:
Floral Dress with Matching Colourful Handbags
Such an easy way to wear a colourful handbag with a bright dress - just pick a bag that is a similar colour to one of the colours in the print! Even if (like the burgundy crossbody bag in the middle) it's not an exact shade match.
Floral Print Dress With Blue Bags
Blue is my favourite colour and I have a lot of blue handbags! When I'm not sure what colour to wear with something, any shade of blue is an easy go-to.
Green Floral Print Dress With Pink Accessories
Pink and green is not a colour combination I wear a lot, but it's fun to try now and then. From a very subtle look with the blush pink sandals, or something a little bolder with the pink crossbody bag, pink accessories look great with this green printed dress.
Green Shift Dress Worn With Yellow
This is another example of matching something colourful to the colour in the print of the dress - the mustard cardigan and scarf, and little yellow crossbody bag look so good with the yellow in the floral print.
Floral Shift Dress Layered To Wear As A Top
I am so glad I bought the dress rather than the tee, as this dress can be worn as a tee so easily! I really like tucking it into skirts as it's a bit bulky trying to tuck it into shorts. It makes this shift dress office suitable if you tuck it into a pencil skirt, especially if you throw a blazer on top.
Layering A Printed Shift Dress
It's not just skirts you can layer this dress with - in the cooler weather I like cardigans, blazers, and of course the ever classic leather jacket to add some warmth to the short sleeved shift dress.
Wearing a Floral Shift Dress With Sneakers
Dresses and sneakers are a fashion staple and something I wear a lot of with my knee injury. I feel I default to sneakers a lot - and luckily this dress looks great with every style I have tried!
Floral Dress and Ankle Boots
Spring means the dresses, bare legs and ankle boots outfit combination is often on repeat! While I don't have a large collection of ankle boots, the different colours of the ones I do have all work well as neutrals with this colourful dress.
It's been quite a while since I last did a 30 ways to wear post with footwear, so another was overdue. This month I'm sharing 30 of my favourite ways I've worn these awesome slouchy tan leather knee high boots.
30 Ways To Wear: Slouchy Tan Knee High Boots
Cost Per Wear
I wish I could calculate the cost per wear with these boots! I know I purchased them in an ASOS sale back in 2012, that's when they first shows up on the blog. I can't find the ASOS order email letting me know how much they cost though which is a shame. They are a pair of boots I've worn in the colder months each year since I got them so I definitely feel I've gotten my money's worth from them! Even though I don't remember what I paid to calculate cost per wear. They have been worn over 47 times and as they are leather they hold up year after year!
Being petite I can never pull off over the knee boots, but these knee high ones are perfect as with a bit of slouch to them I can adjust them. Thick socks or leggings or jeans underneath help them stay in place if I want a less slouchy look and more hight. They work well in so many outfits! Here are just 30 of my favourites.
Tan Knee High Boots With Bare Legs And Dresses
Definitely my favourite way to wear these boots - although not my most frequently worn outfit combination with them. There are so few days a year where you can get away with bare legs and boots before it gets too cold, but it's such a nice combination I try to wear it when I can!
Knee High Boots Under Maxi Skirts and Dresses
Knee high boots under a maxi skirt (or dress like in the middle outfit) definitely doesn't make the most of how cute the boots look, as they are hidden under the skirt! It's such a good way to make a summer maxi skirt work into colder weather though as the knee high leather helps keep your legs warm underneath the skirt!
Skinny Jeans Tucked Into Tan Knee High Boots
Jeans tucked into boots might be the most common way I've worn these knee high boots! Skinny jeans work best as they stay in place all day without riding up. It's a good way to make these boots a bit taller and less slouchy too, as the thick denim helps keep them pulled right up to my knees.
Knee High Boots With Dresses In Winter
I do like trying to winterise my summer dresses - adding layers with jackets scarves, and of course leggings or tights! I like the contrast of black tights and leggings with the tan leather.
Tan Knee High Boots With Red Outfits
One colour combination you might have noticed a lot with these boots is red! I really like the neutral tan shade against red pieces in an outfit, as you can see in each of these 3 pics with the red tee, dress and jacket and scarf.
Tan Knee High Boots With Other Shades of Brown
I do like a bit of matchy-matchy - but I don't have anything else that matches this tan shade exactly. I think that other brown shades, from the lighter beige of the trench to the darker chocolate of that tee in the middle, work nicely with the neutral tan. I really like wearing other brown pies in my wardrobe with these boots, even if they aren't the same shade.
Tan Knee High Boots With Burgundy Outfits
As much as I like red with these tan boots, I really lover burgundy even more! Even if it's just a small hint of burgundy like a scarf, or something larger like the jeans or dress, burgundy looks great paired with tan.
Similar Posts in the 30 Wears Series:
30 ways to wear gold Marc by Marc Jacobs mouse flats
It's been a while since I've shared a dress for a 30 ways to wear post! Last dress I hit 30 wears with was a colourful floral maxi dress. This month's post features a much more neutral piece, a cute two tone grey skater dress I picked up on sale at Asos.
30 Ways To Wear: Asos Grey Skater Dress
It won't come as a surprise that this neutral grey block colour skater dress is a really versatile piece to have in my wardrobe! It has taken a little while to hit 30 wears with it though. I always seemed to pass it over for more "exciting" dresses in my wardrobe. The crew neck and the light grey are things I know don't work for me that well so it's not something I'd rebuy now. But I certainly made it work over the years and I'm glad I hit 30 wears with it!
Cost Per Wear
I picked up this dress on sale for $23.53 at Asos back in July 2014. After just over 7 years I've finally hit 30 wears on it. It is a really versatile dress you can easily dress up or dress down, and the neutral grey goes with everything, but I think the length of time it's taken it to hit 30 wears shows it hasn't really been a staple for my wardrobe. At 78 cents a wear though I've definitely gotten good value for money from this dress, and it's a piece I can easily pass on as it's still in perfect condition!
Skater Dress In The Office
Working in a business casual office environment (that's even more casual post-Covid) means I can easily take a knee length dress like this in a casual tee fabric and just add a blazer or tweed jacket on top to make it instantly office appropriate! I find adding a statement necklace and bold bag works well too, to easy layer up for a day at my desk.
Skater Dress and Boots
This is a dress that's light enough to wear on its own in summer, but also layers so beautifully for cooler weather. It's fantastic with ankle boots and bare legs in autumn, and with leggings and tights for winter. The grey lets you add a pop of colour with cosy winter scarves too as it goes with so many colours!
Grey Dress and Pink Accessories
Grey and pink is a colour combination I wear a lot! I like carrying pink bags with this grey dress, they really pop. A pink scarf works just as well though, as you can see in the middle there. Any amount of pink works well with a grey dress.
Skater Dress and Statement Pieces
While there is a bit of colour blocking with this dress with the light grey top and darker grey skirt, it's still such a good neutral block grey piece. It means you can wear it with other statement pieces without worrying about it making your outfit "too much". I love a nice statement accessory like a bright printed scarf, necklace, or bag, of you could keep it really simple like I have there in the bottom left and just add a bright belt for a bit of a statement touch against the dress.
Grey Dress and Red Accessories
As with the grey and pink above, grey and red is another combo I enjoy! Red scarves are a firm favourite with this dress, as you can see, but a red bag or red statement necklace work just as well! It's a great way to add colour to a neutral piece and make it work a bit better for me, as the pale grey isn't the best against my face on its own.
Grey Skater Dress And Winter Layers
I like getting wear from my dresses year round, and the great thing about this little grey skater dress is how easy it is to layer for cooler weather! The neutral grey goes with everything, allowing for bright scarves or even bright scarves and jackets to be layered on top. It works well with tights and leggings too.
Skater Dress and Kimonos
A pretty printed kimono is my favourite cover up for an outfit, and just with the winter layers above, again the neutral colours of this dress come in really helpful here to allow you to try any combo of prints or colours on top! It works equally well with the neutral striped duster in the bottom right, or the more colourful floral duster in the middle there. Adding a kimono like this over a neutral skater dress is a great way to brighten up your outfit.
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!
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.
