Wednesday 13 May 2015

Corporate Style: Colourful With French Connection Printed Dresses and Scarves

After I finished doing the two instagram style challenges at once, I was looking forward to not dressing for a theme. I wanted to wear some of my office wear that I hadn't worn in a long time, my printed French Connection dresses. The weather was a little cooler, so I layered up and added some scarves.

What I wore:

turquoise pashmina printed FCUK sheath dress tweed blazer ankle boots

Rebecca Minkoff soft grey MAM MAB mini Bag with orange and turqouise
Scarf: Cotton On turquoise pashmina
DressFrench Connection 'Fast Rhonda' dress in black/caramel
ShoesAcne pistol boots in "skin"
Bracelets: the usual plus JORD black Fieldcrest wood watch (C/O)
BagRebecca Minkoff MAB mini in soft grey

Why I wore it:

I had decided in advance I wanted to wear this dress again, but as it's gotten a little cooler since then I had to add some layers. I thought that the print mixing with the dress and the blazer was a bit different, but looked okay, so I laid this out to wear the next day. As I woke up a little under the weather and I wanted to be cosy, at the last minute I added a scarf. Went with this plain one as I thought it was a nice colour with the orange in the dress, and I didn't want to add a third print to the mix.

I have three of these Cotton On pashminas. (Cotton On had them for $5 with any purchase for a while). I have a white one, a fuchsia pink one and this turquoise one. I can find the last time I wore the white one and the pink one, but not the last time I wore this one. I wonder if I really haven't worn it in the 3 years I've been blogging, or if I just tagged it incorrectly so I can't find it in my archives! No real reason why I haven't worn it more often, it's a great colour and being a nice basic scarf it will work with a lot of prints. I re-discovered it during my wardrobe detox, expect to see it again!

I've had this dress for years, even before the blog. It's been a year and a half since I last wore it though! It's definitely one of those office-only pieces in my wardrobe, and with it being so slim fitting I didn't get a chance to wear it during my pregnancy. I worried it showed off the developing baby bump in the first trimester, and by the second trimester, when I had stopped hiding the pregnancy at work, I couldn't even zip it up. It's good to be back wearing it again now, even if it does fit a little snugger around my belly than it did pre-baby ;)


Last worn: tweed blazer, French Connection sheath dress, orange wool jumperAcne Pistol boots, Rebecca Minkoff grey MAM bag. First time I've worn this scarf on the blog.

Other ways to wear: tweed blazer with printed top for travel, dark floral print dress in summerpistol boots with denim shorts, Rebecca Minkoff grey MAM with wrap dresses and a baby bump.









What I wore:

Orange Monochrome Outfit: Pashmina, wool jumper, printed dress nude heels

Rebecca Minkoff MAB mini MAM in soft grey
Jumper: vintage David Jones orange wool knit jumper from AWLQ vintage sale
DressFrench Connection 'Woodblock wonder' panache dress in white/geranium rose
Shoes: Wittner 'Lumen' heel in patent leather
Bracelets: the usual plus JORD black Fieldcrest wood watch (C/O)
BagRebecca Minkoff MAB mini in soft grey

Why I wore it:

This printed dress isn't as snug a fit as the one above, so I did get away with wearing it to the office in the first trimester, using the print to distract from the tiny little baby bump. I didn't wear this dress on my maternity leave either, I like this dress and it's definitely more forgiving than the one above, I could have fit into it earlier, but I'm happy to have it as an office-only piece as well.

Again, I had made up my mind that I wanted to wear this dress before I got sick. I was determined to still make it work though! I've worn this dress with a jumper over the top before, so thought that was the best way to go to keep my chest warm, instead of adding a coat and having to fiddle with lots of buttons. I added the scarf as yet another layer as I was beginning to lose my voice and wanted to keep my neck warm.

Beth pointed out on instagram that it was a very Queensland look - layered up on top but bare legs! I didn't think it was that cold in the morning to need to cover up my legs, but by the end of the day I was wishing I'd worn tights or pants. It was really chilly in the evening on the way home from work, as the stormy and wet weather started to set in.


Last worn: feather print pashmina, orange wool jumper, French Connection orange print dress, nude patent heels, Rebecca Minkoff MAM bag (above).

Other ways to wear: feather print pashmina with polka dot dress, wool jumper with skinny jeansorange print dress in summer, nude heels with a monochrome blue outfitgrey handbag with a neutral outfit in the third trimester.






Linking up with Whatcha Wearing, What I Wore, WIW, Style Me Weekly, Get Your Pretty On, Oh Hey Girl, Trendy Wednesday, The Wednesday Pants, Thursday Fashion Files, Throwback Thursday, Look What I Got, What I Wore to Work, Fun Fashion Friday today.




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Monday 11 May 2015

Thrifted Finds: Bright Tops and Maxi Skirts and Rebecca Minkoff Bags

During my wardrobe detox one of the 'gaps' identified in my wardrobe was some good bright coloured basic tops. I have lots of prints and grey tops and tees, but not a lot of just plain colours. I do have a few basic tanks, but I've been looking for something a little fancier than that, so that I can wear them to work easily as well. I haven't had much luck finding bright colours in the stores, but op-shops (thrift stores) organise everything by colour so shopping for colours is easy! Plus you can't beat the prices ;) Below are two outfits where I wore my recently-thrifted finds.

What I wore:

Away From Blue yellow tank grey jersey maxi skirt converse blazer RM Swing bag

Rebecca Minkoff canary yellow swing bag with grey maxi skirt pinstripe blazer
Jacket: thrifted Valleygirl pinstripe blazer
NecklaceTai gold alphabet necklace layered with Roie Designs long freshwater pearl necklace with tassel
Tank: thrifted Cotton On yellow tank (new purchase)
Skirt: Target grey marle maxi skirt
ShoesConverse Chuck Taylor All Star low in white
BagRebecca Minkoff Swing bag in canary yellow (on sale in pink!)

Why I wore it:

Wore this after the dawn service on ANZAC day. I had layered up for the dawn service in a black top and cosy hoodie to stay warm, and it was nice to remove those layers and show some colour for the rest of the day. It's the first time I've worn this tank - one of my new purchases.

I decided to wear this blazer as it fit the 'fine lines' theme for the last fox pack style dare challenge on instagram, and as it was a little chilly to have my arms uncovered. This is the third time I've worn this blazer (previously worn here and here). I bought it on one of my op-shopping (thrifting) trips while I was on my maternity leave, thinking it would fit perfectly when I didn't have the baby bump in the way. I wasn't too impressed with the way it fit when I was pregnant, and this time around I wasn't entirely happy either. I think it's the shoulder pads and the placement of the cuffed sleeves. It's leaving my wardrobe, no point hanging onto it if I am fussing about the way it sits when I wear it. I'm certainly not lacking blazers!

Leaving My Wardrobe: pinstripe blazer

Away from Blue valleygirl pinstripe navy blazer worn 2 ways with maxi skirt denim skinny jeans
Previous outfits here and here.


Last worn: pinstripe blazer, grey maxi skirt, Converse, Rebecca Minkoff yellow Swing bag. First time I've worn the tank as it is a new purchase.

Other ways to wear: the same outfit at 40 weeks pregnant! Regular blazer as maternity wear, grey maxi skirt with pink striped tank, spring dress and Converse, yellow bag with a blue dress.







What I wore:

Pattern Mixing Colour Blocking Red printed kimono cobalt blue tee striped maxi skirt

Rebecca Minkoff minkette MAB mini MAM soft grey satchel bag
KimonoChoies red vintage pattern kimono
NecklaceHouse of Harlow sunburst necklace in silver and grey
Tee: Thrifted Dotti blue tee
Skirt: AT by Atmos&Here Mars striped maxi skirt
Shoesblack slim Havaianas thongs
BagRebecca Minkoff MAB mini in soft grey

Why I wore it:

Spent the morning at the shops with DH and baby T, and then we had the grandparents over in the afternoon, so just a nice casual and comfortable outfit.

I've worn this kimono with a blue top before and really liked the colour combination, so I thought it would be nice with this new-to-me cobalt blue tee. And it was a lovely little bit of print mixing with the striped maxi skirt. I'm really pleased to see that I haven't actually worn this kimono with grey yet - I'm being a little bolder with my colour choices lately, encouraged by the personal stylist doing 'my colours' briefly so I know a little bit more about what things look good on me and look good together.


Last worn: Ray-ban Wayfarer, printed kimono, striped maxi skirt, Havaianas, Rebecca Minkoff grey MAM bag. First time I've worn the tee as it is a recent purchase.

Other ways to wear: kimono and gold jeans, striped maxi skirt with pastel camigrey RM MAM bag with lace outfits







Linking up with Style to Inspire, More Pieces of Me, On the Daily Express, Bless Your Heart, Real Mom Style, Confident Twosday, Turning Heads, Wardrobe Wednesday, Style Sessions today.



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