What I Bought In June & July And How I've Worn It

In what is quickly becoming a common refrain on the blog, I wasn't expecting to buy anything but then..... I bought a few things this month and last month.

What I Bought in June:

• Kisschasy Hymns for the Nonbeliever 2025 tour band tee
• thrifted Suzanne Grae basics red tee
• thrifted Iris Maxi the Label purple floral tiered mini dress
• thrifted blue knotted beaded necklace
• thrifted grey and white beaded necklace

What I Bought In July: 

• thrifted Target cotton and modal relaxed red tee
• thrifted Country Road grey crew neck tee
• thrifted Mossimo black and white striped v-neck tee
• thrifted Dotti leopard print long cardigan
• thrifted Gypsy Mermaid blue tulip hem wrap skirt
• thrifted Kmart tiered little black dress
• thrifted Louenhide metallic embossed sandals

• Kmart long sleeved brushed seam detail knit top in berry

Why I Bought It:

I picked up a couple of things at the end of June (the red tee, purple floral dress and necklaces), at the opshop after having a quick browse after dropping off some donations. As I'd bought them near the end of the month and it was winter school holidays, I didn't have the time to get a post together. But as you can see from the photos below, I did manage to wear everything at least twice in the month I bought it. That's my goal with everything I buy, to wear it twice in the month I buy it. It's my way of making sure I'm actually buying things that work with my wardrobe and are suitable for my lifestyle, after feeling a little frustrated with all the NWT items I found hanging in my wardrobe when I did a big clear out years ago.

However, in July I did not manage to hit my goal of wearing everything twice! Mostly because the sandals weren't really geared for the weather. While Brisbane winters aren't that cold, I definitely won't be wearing the sandals I bought until spring at least!

While June's purchases were still impulse buys, just browsing the opshop after dropping stuff off, July's purchases were a result of emotional shopping for sure! I turned to retail therapy and stopped by the opshop just to shop. The "fill a bag for $5" sale hooked me and I walked away with clothes and sandals for me, clothes for the kids and books for all of us as well. Definitely a bargain, but not anything I was really needing. Still, I tried to really consider everything I put in my bag to make sure it would work for me. I am happy with everything I bought as I managed to wear everything at least twice except for the sandals. The Kmart knit was another impulse buy just because I saw it in store, near the checkouts, and I didn't have a pink knit! I do have a very similar one in blue I thrifted a while back, but I really liked the berry pink colour. And with the weather in Brisbane recently, it was definitely worn more than twice.

How I've Worn It:

I've still spent less on fashion this year than last year, but I do feel I've been buying a lot lately. When my favourite opshop has clothes for $1 though it's easy to justify a little retail therapy - it definitely doesn't break the budget!

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30 Ways to Wear: Target Navy And White Stripe Maxi Skirt

This Target navy striped maxi skirt was definitely overdue a 30 ways to wear post. I consider maxi skirts a staple in my mum wardrobe and this one goes with, and has been worn with, everything! I had trouble narrowing it down to just 30 outfits to share today.

What Is The 30 Wears Challenge?

Something I picked up from The True Cost documentary, where to reduce the environmental impact of fashion purchases, we should endeavour to wear everything we buy at least 30 times. Each month I share the different ways I've managed to do that with an item from my wardrobe, by looking back at all the daily outfit photos I've taken and shared on the blog over the years!

30 Ways to Wear: Navy Striped Maxi Skirt

Blue is my favourite colour, I always find it so wearable! And navy is a true neutral that goes with everything, so it's not surprising that this skirt has gotten a lot of wear. While the side splits do mean I can't really wear this skirt in winter as it's a little chilly, I do heavily wear it over spring and summer, and it works in autumn too. I have even layered it up a little for winter a couple of times, before realising it should really be more of a warm weather piece!

Cost Per Wear

I struggle to calculate cost per wear on this skirt because my mum bought it for me! I don't remember the cost but similar skirts at Target are around $25 so I assume it was that price or less back in 2016 when she bought it. At 33 documented wears on the blog, assuming it was $25, that's a cost per wear of around 75 cents! Pretty good going! I've definitely worn this skirt more than it's been shared on the blog too, as I have some photos of me wearing it during baby boy's hospital stay, so it's really over 36 wears.

Here are just some of the ways I've worn it:

Simple Tank and Striped Skirt Outfits

On a summer day a plain tank and a striped maxi skirt is an easy outfit for beating the heat, especially if the maxi skirt has side slits like this one does. In each of these 3 outfits I haven't deviated much with the colours in the tanks close to the colours in the skirt, but brighter coloured tanks do work equally well.

White Tees and Navy Striped Maxi Skirt Outfits

Navy and white stripes? Try wearing it with more white! I don't have a lot of white in my wardrobe but I do love wearing the few white tees I have with this striped maxi!

Navy Striped Maxi Skirt With Purple

Blue and purple is a colour combination I really love, and despite the different shades and amounts of purple here, from the tank, tee or even the purple scarf and bag, they all work with the navy stripes.

Red Tops With Navy Striped Maxi Skirt

Red and navy is a nice and colourful combination! While this is a navy and white striped skirt with 4 different red tops, I don't think the outfit looks too American flag-like as the white stripes are smaller than the navy ones. I think with a differently striped skirt this might look a little like a 4th July outfit! But to me these 4 outfits work.

Outfits Wearing Yellow With A Navy Striped Maxi Skirt

Yellow and blue are such a cheerful combination! A bright yellow tee really pops against navy, but a little mustard yellow bag like I'm wearing there in the second and third outfits can be a smaller way to introduce such a bright colour to your outfit.

Pink and Navy Outfit Ideas With Striped Maxi Skirt

Another fun combination, pink and blue! Just like with the other colours I've shared here, again multiple shades work with the neutral navy skirt. A pink tee is a nice outfit option, but as above, a bag works just as well. I really like the blush pink bag in the first outfit with this navy maxi skirt.

Tonal Blue Outfit Ideas With A Striped Maxi Skirt

The easiest monochrome outfits for me to pull together are blue ones, as it's my favourite colour and I have a lot of it in my wardrobe! Each of the blue tops I've worn in these 3 outfits are different shades of blue but they all pair nicely with the navy. The first outfit is completely monochromatic with all the blue, but I've used accessories in the second and third outfits to add a little extra colour.

Layering Navy Striped Maxi Skirt With a Denim Jacket

When the weather cools I like to maximise how often I can wear this skirt, so throwing a simple denim jacket on top is a good way to do that. A denim jacket and maxi skirt work well for early autumn or spring days when there's a bit of chill in the air.

Grey Tees and Navy Striped Maxi Skirt Outfits

Throwing in a bonus 3 outfits there at the end that I've only shared on Instagram before. Illustrating that I've almost worn every grey tee in my wardrobe with this skirt and that it really is a staple! It was one of the pieces I packed for my younger son's hospital stay one December a few years ago. Extremely comfortable to wear for that!

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Where To Buy Similar Striped Maxi Skirts Under $50:

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Similar Posts In the 30 Wears Series:

• 30 ways to wear a red printed maxi skirt
• 30 ways to wear a chambray maxi skirt
• 30 ways to wear a black maxi skirt
• 30 different ways to wear striped maxi skirt
• 30 ways to wear white and navy stripe maxi skirt
• 30 ways to wear a grey maxi skirt
• 30 ways to wear a tie dye maxi dress

For more outfit inspiration and ideas, you can view all the 33+ ways I've worn this skirt in my blog archives, or browse the complete 30 wears series.

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30 Ways to Wear a Grey Maxi Skirt: #30Wears Challenge Outfits

A 30 wears post with this classic grey marle jersey maxi skirt is so overdue. It's been worn nearly 50 times (48 exactly!) since I bought it in my third trimester four years ago.

The #30wears challenge is committing to wearing things you buy at least 30 times. As I take daily outfit photos, I have over 6 years of outfits to look back on and see all the different times I've worn things. Blog labels and searches in the archives come in helpful for pulling these posts together, and it's fun to see how many things I've hit 30 wears on.

#30Wears: Grey Marle Jersey Maxi Skirt

It's no secret that I love maxi skirts, and I've posted a few #30 wears posts featuring some of my maxi skirt collection (see them at the end of the post).

Maxi skirts are for petites too! I got lucky with this Target one, the perfect petite friendly length with no hemming required. It was $25, so that's 52 cents a wear so far on it. It's got a lot of life left in it still, and it's not going anywhere from my wardrobe. Not bad for an impulsive pregnancy buy four years ago!

Maxi Skirt and Graphic Tees (and a Tank)

A plain grey maxi skirt makes it easy to wear fun printed graphic tees, as it's a great neutral base. Even though one of these is a graphic tank instead of a tee, you can see it's still just as simple to wear. A nice easy outfit to pull together, the graphic top adds interest that the plain skirt lacks.

Maxi Skirt and Long Sleeve Tops

Maxi skirts work well in cooler weather with long sleeve tops. The long skirt protects your legs from the cold and keeps you cosy, and a longer sleeved top is an extra layer for a cooler day. If it's really cold, a scarf makes you even warmer. Again, you can see in these three outfits that the plain maxi skirt base means you can add fun printed scarves, bright colours, or even a top with embroidery detail, without your outfit feeling too overpowering.

Maxi Skirt and Layers

Sometimes you need a little more than a long sleeve top with a maxi skirt. As I wear my maxi skirts year-round, I've worn them with all kinds of layers. You can see the variety in these outfits, with a denim jacket, cardigans, a blazer, and a kimono. I've also worn this skirt in the middle of winter with a leather jacket when it's been really cold. These layering options are great pieces to add in spring or autumn when it's too cool to wear a skirt and top on it's own.

Grey Maxi Skirt And Summer Outfits

A maxi skirt is really made for summer though, it makes summer dressing easy. And if you have babies or toddlers, the long maxi length means you can run around with them and not worry about things being too short or showing more than you intended when you bend over to pickup the kids, or something they've dropped for the tenth time that day, ha!

Grey Maxi Skirt and Monochromatic Outfits

Lots of colourful outfits so far, but you can go completely neutral with a grey skirt and create a monochrome or monochromatic outfit. I like the two shades of grey together on the end there, but with the black v-neck tee is my favourite. I'm still sad that tee didn't survive through too many incorrect wash cycles on the washing machine and had to leave my wardrobe.

Jersey Maxi Skirt In Pregnancy

Since I bought this maxi skirt while I was pregnant, it makes sense that the most frequent way to wear it has been with a baby bump. It's been so nice having this piece that I could wear through my third trimesters with both my boys - and still be wearing and loving it afterwards. I'm impressed the elastic has held up too, they were pretty big baby bumps near the end!

Jersey Maxi Skirt Postpartum

Forgiving jersey material, a soft stretchy elastic waistband, all the things I loved about this skirt in pregnancy make it a great postpartum choice too. Much nicer pulling this on in the newborn days than attempting to squeeze into something with buttons, a zipper, or zero stretch! Having something you know will still fit and make you feel great makes getting dressed easy after being up all night with a newborn, and anything to make parenting easier is a winner!

Grey Maxi Skirt for Travel

I've gone on about how great this jersey maxi skirt is to wear, but the material is perfect to travel with too! It's comfortable for a long day of sightseeing, it can be crumpled up in a carry on bag and doesn't need ironing at your destination. For pregnancy travel (the middle pic) it was wonderful, and for running around Sydney with two toddlers (the left and right photos) it works just as well.

It makes me happy to have a piece in my wardrobe that's wrapped around my baby bump for both boys that's still going strong. It's nice to put together a post like this and see the bumps at different stages. So many fun memories attached to the times I've worn this skirt. I'm enjoying continuing the 30 wears challenge this year as it's great putting these posts together.

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Grey Jersey Maxi Skirts Under $50:

This Target skirt is no longer available, but above are some great alternatives, all under $50!

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30 Ways to Wear a Grey Maxi Skirt (In Video Format):

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More Posts in the #30Wears Series:

Perfect if you're looking for more ways to wear outfit inspiration! Alternative, see all the 48+ ways I've worn this skirt in my blog archives.

• 30 ways to wear a black maxi skirt
• 30 ways to wear red Balenciaga velo bag
• 30 ways to wear gladiator sandals
• 30 different ways to wear striped maxi skirt
• 30 different ways to wear skinny jeans
• 30 ways to wear a grey Rebecca Minkoff MAM bag
• 30 ways to wear a printed leather jacket
• 30 ways to wear black ankle boots in multiple seasons
• 30 ways to wear mustard yellow Rebecca Minkoff bag
• 30 ways to wear a classic denim jacket
• 30 ways to wear white and navy stripe maxi skirt
• 30 ways to wear a floral kimono
• 30 ways to wear a pink maxi dress
• 30 ways to wear a red Rebecca Minkoff saddle bag

Linking up with Passion for Fashion, Lizzie In Lace, Shoe & Tell, Mix It Monday, Hello Monday, On Monday We Link Up, Modest Monday, Wardrobe Wednesday.

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#30Wears: Striped Maxi Skirt Black and White Jersey

Honestly, I had no idea wearing things in my wardrobe 30 times would be so difficult! When I first heard about the challenge (in The True Cost movie) I thought I'd have a few pieces I'd achieved it with. As I take a photo of what I wear every day, I had my blog archives to look through and was surprised how little even some of my favourite pieces are actually worn.
 I thought attempting 6 months without shopping would give me time to wear and enjoy what's in my wardrobe and rack up 30 wears. But if I want to get 30 wears of something in these 6 months, that's wearing something 5 times a month on average. That's more than once a week.

Since I own much more than a week's worth of outfits wearing things 30 times isn't often achieved. There are a few pieces I've already clocked up 30 wears of, but they are mainly accessories. Even my most worn kimono has only got 20 wears so far! I thought I'd be able to feature it in this post until I saw that count. Wearing everything you own 30 times sounded like a bit of a challenge, but I didn't realise just how difficult it would be for someone like me with such a large wardrobe.

I'd really like to show something other than an accessory or a maxi skirt in this 30 wears series soon, but as I'm challenging myself to find something every month to share, it means that this month it's going to be another maxi skirt. A printed one at least, so a little different from the plain one I featured previously.

#30Wears: Target Black and White Striped Jersey Maxi Skirt

I've worn this maxi skirt 44 times, so it was difficult narrowing down to just 30 outfits! I really like this skirt. Purchased it while pregnant with (now Toddler) T as I wanted something stretchy and comfortable. I'm amazed I'm still loving and wearing it over 3 years later, and to have gotten through another pregnancy with it. There is no sign of wear on it either, still as stretchy and comfortable as ever so it will be worn a lot more in the future.

Striped Maxi Skirt in a Monochrome Outfit

A classic black and white maxi skirt makes an easy monochrome outfit. You can pair it with white, grey or black and not worry about looking boring as the stripe print adds an extra bit of interest to the outfit.

Black and White Striped Maxi Skirt with Colourful Tops

A colourful tee or tank really pops against a black and white base. You can go bright with blue or purple or stick with another neutral like olive.

Striped Maxi Skirt and Scarves

I like to wear my maxi skirts year round, and when the weather cools a little a scarf is a great addition to a maxi skirt outfit to keep you cosy in autumn or spring. You can even do a little pattern mixing with a printed scarf. Stripes are so easy to pair with other prints.

Black and White Striped Maxi Skirt in Winter

While you do need to do a little more layering and perhaps wear boots, I've never had any issues wearing my maxi skirts in winter. Of course we don't get snow in Brisbane which helps!

Striped Maxi Skirt in Pregnancy: Second Trimester

I originally bought this maxi skirt in pregnancy when I was looking for something that would fit a growing baby bump. It was affordable, comfortable and stretchy. I had no idea I'd love and wear it so much that it would be worn through two pregnancies and beyond!

Striped Maxi Skirt in Pregnancy: Third Trimester

In the third trimester you outgrow a lot of the non-maternity pieces in your wardrobe that worked in the first and second trimesters. I ended up making a pregnancy capsule wardrobe last time with pieces I knew would fit and wore that for the final trimester. Luckily the elastic waist on this maxi skirt comfortably accommodated a growing bump. In fact it was the last thing I wore before Toddler T made his overdue appearance into the world.

Jersey Stripe Maxi Skirt in PostPartum Days

The stretchy waistband that made this skirt so good during pregnancy also makes it a perfect choice in the early post-partum days where your stomach changes daily and you need something quick and easy to wear as it's going to get covered in baby spit up anyway! Paired with a oversized tee or a cosy soft knit it's a comfortable outfit option to help you feel pulled together on little sleep.

You'll know from reading my blog that I obviously have a bit of a maxi skirt obsession, but I think this post illustrates quite well why I adore them so much. You can wear them so many different ways.

I think I bought this for $20 (or something close to that), so at 44 wears that's 45 cents a wear, for those who like to calculate cost per wear. Not bad for an impulsive pregnancy purchase over 3 years ago!

Want more outfit inspiration? View all 44+ ways to wear this maxi skirt in my blog archives.

I hope you found this post useful. Don't forget to share or pin!


Linking up with Hello Monday, Mix It Mondays, Modest Monday, On Monday We Link Up, On Trend, Turning Heads, Confident Twosday, Style Sessions, Wardrobe Wednesday, Midweek Inspo, What I Wore, Thursday Moda, Fashion Files, Labour of Fashion.

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Pregnancy Capsule Wardrobe: 22 Items for Third Trimester Maternity Wear

Dressing in pregnancy is a fun challenge as the baby bump grows and changes every day! In order to simplify things this time around, I implemented a third trimester capsule wardrobe.

Why I Made a Pregnancy Capsule Wardrobe:

• I've never tried a capsule wardrobe before (unless you count living out a suitcase for travel).
• The baby bump was outgrowing my current wardrobe faster than I anticipated this time around.
• I didn't have the luxury of time that I had in my first pregnancy to try on lots of outfit options each night and find things that still fit. (Or I didn't have the energy to do so after spending time with my toddler!)
• The summer heat and humidity (that continued well into autumn in Brisbane) left me less inspired to try new things.
• I had lots of great maternity pieces I wanted to wear as much as possible to make sure I got my money's worth.

Third Trimester Capsule Wardrobe in Video Form:

Below is a video covering the pieces in my capsule wardrobe, how I wore them, and my general thoughts about the experience.

The 22 Items In My Pregnancy Capsule Wardrobe:

• Asos maternity graphic print pencil skirt (non-maternity version here)
• Asos maternity panelled pencil skirt in tartan check (non-maternity version here)
• Soon Maternity 'Madeline' grey print wrap dress
• Thrifted Target printed wrap dress 
• Atmos&Here Betsy jersey wrap dress in watercolour print 

• MEV Havana maxi dress (C/O Zibibo)
• Jeanswest 'Elodie' tie dye grey jersey maxi dress
• Jeanswest 'Sierra' embellished black maxi dress
• Jeanswest 'Chantelle' crochet detail blue printed maxi dress

• Target black and white striped maxi skirt
• AT by Atmos&Here Mars striped maxi skirt
• Target grey marle maxi skirt
• Jeanswest plain jersey black maxi skirt

• Jeanswest Georgie maternity boyfriend shorts (available in non-maternity also)
• Jeanswest maternity rolled up shorts

• Jeanswest maternity tank in white
• Jeanswest maternity tank in sea glass
• Jeanswest maternity tank in black
• Jeanswest Carla Maternity Cut out tank (non-maternity version)
• Jeanswest Sol Maternity jacquard tank (non-maternity version)
• Jeanswest Sonny maternity tee in lagoon marle (C/O)
• 'Ninja baby' maternity skeleton tee

A Few Notes On My 22 Items:

I didn't include accessories (scarves or bags or shoes) in this count. I also didn't include 'completer' pieces like my printed kimonos or blazers. I freely grabbed these from my wardrobe as and when I wanted them.

The pieces included were suitable for my part time office job, as well as being perfect for a stay at home mum the rest of the week.

Not everything was a maternity piece, I used pieces from my regular non-maternity wardrobe too.

There were a few times at the start of the third trimester where I wore pieces that weren't included in the capsule, but after realising they were getting uncomfortable I stuck to my capsule wardrobe for the majority of the time.

The 22 items I had were great over summer (and multiple heatwaves!), but would need to be changed for cooler weather. Simple things like swapping the maternity denim shorts for jeans instead, and some long sleeved tops and fewer tanks.

Outfit Combinations from a Pregnancy Capsule Wardrobe:

Some photos of my favourite third trimester outfits from my capsule wardrobe to give you an idea of how I wore all the pieces in the third trimester. Not an exhaustive list, as 3 months worth of daily outfit photos would be a pretty big post! You can see all the outfits I wore in the third trimester here.

For my first capsule wardrobe experience, it was pretty fun, and I hope that it gives you some ideas or inspiration to try your own capsule wardrobe if you've often thought about it too.



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Pregnancy Wardrobe Essentials: Favourite Maternity Outfits

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 wanted to share some of my favourite outfits and clothes I wore during my pregnancy, across all three trimesters. Bit of a picture heavy post!

You can click on each image to go to the original post and view the outfit details.


Mothers En Vogue Havana Maxi Dress

28 Weeks	32 Weeks	38 Weeks

Soon Maternity 'Madeline' grey print wrap dress

30 Weeks	33 Weeks	34 Weeks

Asos maternity tartan check pencil skirt

26 Weeks	34 Weeks	37 Weeks

Asos maternity graphic print pencil skirt

27 Weeks	32 Weeks	35 Weeks

Jeanswest maternity super skinny jeans in antique blue

23 Weeks	26 Weeks	40 Weeks

AT by Atmos&Here Mars striped maxi skirt

First Trimester	Second Trimester	Third Trimester

Jeanswest plain jersey black maxi skirt

First Trimester	Second Trimester	Third Trimester

'Ninja baby' maternity skeleton tee

34 Weeks	37 Weeks	39 Weeks

Target grey marle maxi skirt

35 Weeks	37 Weeks	39 Weeks

Target black and white striped maxi skirt

33 Weeks	35 Weeks	36 Weeks

I definitely made the most of maxi skirts this pregnancy! They are my pregnancy must-haves.

Which outfit or item of clothing is your favourite?


Linking up with Casual Friday, Friday's Fab Favourites, Fashion Item Friday, Friday's Fancies, Passion For Fashion, Monday Bloom, Funday Monday, Mix It Monday, Manic Monday today.

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Want more outfit inspiration and advice on how to come up with a wardrobe plan for your pregnancy? The ultimate guide, How to Have a Stylish Pregnancy On a Budget is available now!

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