Sales! Blue and Black Casual Outfits - Striped Maxi Skirt, Prima Denim Skinny Jeans

First up, some sales!

Nordstrom half yearly sale is on now - up to 40% off! Also, Vogue Online Shopping Night is on tonight! Some sales are only on for 12 hours, so be quick to shop! Details of some great ones below, and I've also updated the Sales and Discounts page again too.

• David Jones - 20% off clothes, denim, handbags and accessories. No code needed.
• Portmans - 25% off full price and free delivery. No code needed.
• Samantha Willis - 50% off selected jewellery. No code needed.
• Sambag - 20% off and free delivery with code 'VOSN20'.
• Sass and Bide - 10% off and free shipping. No code needed.
• Seed Heritage - 20% off with code 'VOSN'
• Surfstich - 25% off with code 'VOGUE'
• The Iconic - 30% off full price and sale items with code 'VOGQ30' when you spend $125+
• Fossil - 30% off pule free leather bracelet for orders over $150
• French Connection - 25% off everything with code 'VOGUE25'
• General Pants - free delivery and 20% off everything with code 'GP20'
• Wanderlust & Co - 30% off and free shipping with code 'VOSN'

I have to give a shout out my friend Kiki who said a lot of nice things about me on her blog. I'm so glad I could inspire her! Being a mum has a lot of changes associated with it, and the way we wear and view our wardrobe can change too, but it doesn't mean we can't enjoy what we wear. And if something no longer feels right (due to body/lifestyle/taste changes) it's good to let it go, or admit that an outfit combination just wasn't the best, and try again the next day. They are only clothes. I'm trying to remember this as I work towards reducing the size of my wardrobe.

Not every day has to be about trying something new or coming up with perfectly coordinated and accessorised outfits. Some days you just want to be comfortable and confident and you rely on simple 'outfit formulas' like the outfits below - blue tops over black! Both outfits showcasing a couple of my new April purchases. A blue knit and striped maxi skirt, and a blue shirt with black skinny jeans.

What I wore:

Jumper: thrifted Valleygirl blue knit jumper (new purchase)

Tank: Jeanswest 'Jenni' basic singlet in Hawaii blue (under knit)
Skirt: Target black and white striped maxi skirt
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in black
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff MAB mini in soft grey

Why I wore it:

First wearing of this cute blue knit jumper from my April purchases. This was taken the day after the crazy weather - the sun came out! It actually ended up being a really sunny and warm day, so I was glad I had worn a tank under this. Although it's a light weight knit, it was good to take it off in the heat of the afternoon. The Fox in Flats style challenge for the day was 'up up up' and to try a new hairstyle, so I tied a twilly around my messy bun. You can't see it in these pics, but you can see it in the photo on instagram.

We had to take Cooper to the vets for his regular vaccinations. Just a reminder if you have a dog and especially if you are in the Brisbane/Gold Coast area - get your dog vaccinated against parvovirus. There is a serious outbreak at the moment.

Cooper did really well at the vets, and as the vets have some cute kittens available for adoption, baby T got to play with some kittens for the first time. He loved them, it was so cute to see!


Last worn: blue tank, striped maxi skirt, Converse, Rebecca Minkoff grey MAM bag. First time I've worn the jumper as it is a new purchase.

Other ways to wear: cobalt blue knit with burgundy pants, blue tank and striped maxi skirt without the jumper, stripe maxi skirt in a monochrome outfit, Converse with spring dresses, grey MAM bag with cobalt blue and coral.

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What I wore:

Sunnies: Rayban new Wayfarers
Necklace: Tai gold alphabet necklace 

Shirt: Target mint stripe shirt
Jeans: Jeanswest prima denim super skinny jeans in absolute black (new purchase)
Shoes: black slim Havaianas thongs
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff MAB mini in soft grey

Why I wore it:

Wearing another of my April purchases! These Jeanswest prima denim black skinny jeans. I won't go on too much about how much I love these, as I already do that every time I wear the blue version. Jeanswest had a 40% off sale, so I had to get the black pair too. The 7/8th cropped style is the perfect length for petite ladies like me, no alterations needed!

The style dare for the day was 'geek chic', achieved with the collared shirt and a selfie in my glasses! I need glasses for working on a computer screen.

This was a really practical and comfortable outfit for running errands all morning - trying to get things organised for baby T's upcoming first birthday.


Last worn: Ray-Ban Wayfarers, mint stripe shirt, Havaianas, grey MAM (above). First time I've worn the jeans as they are a recent purchase.

Other ways to wear: striped shirt hiding a second trimester baby bump in the office, black skinny jeans with a printed top, Rebecca Minkoff grey MAM with a neutral third trimester maxi skirt outfit.

Linking up with WIW, Because Shanna Said So, What I Wore, Style Me Weekly, I Feel Pretty, Trendy Wednesday, Whatcha Wearing Wednesday, Style Me Wednesday, The Wednesday Pants, Brilliant Blog Posts, Throwback Thursday, Thursday Fashion Files, Look What I Got, Thursday Favourites, Labour of Life, Fun Fashion Friday, Feature Friday, Fashion Friday  today.

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Corporate Style: Monochrome Office Wear - Neutral Layering

Two monochrome work wear outfits! One on purpose, one accidental. Neither of which I'd wear again without changing the outfits in some way, but that's the point of style challenges - they push you to try something different. I'm enjoying the Fox in Flats May instagram style challenge. I'm playing along every day on instagram, and just behind a bit with blogging everything I'm wearing.

What I wore:

Necklace: Tai gold alphabet necklace 

Dress: Jeanswest tucked ponte black dress
Shirt: Jeanswest 'Ruby' mixed print shirt
Belt: old silver studded belt
Shoes: Wittner 'Bloomy' black heels
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff MAB mini in soft grey

Why I wore it:

The style dare for the day was 'monochromatic' and I thought this little black dress would be perfect with this shirt layered underneath. I didn't actually try the outfit on the night before, I just thought the pieces would work well together and set it aside to wear. It wasn't until the morning that I realised this shirt is not the best to wear under the dress. It doesn't have a collared neck and it's just polyester, so it was slipping and sliding under the dress and just not sitting nicely at all - you can see a bit of it at the shoulders in the picture. It was a lovely idea, and I've enjoyed layering things under this dress before, but this was just not the best shirt to try layering under this dress.

The belt was something I added at the last minute for a bit of interest and to try (unsuccessfully) to keep the shirt in place through the day. It's so old I am sure I wore it in high school! I just turned the buckle round to the back so that the studs were at the front. No-one commented on my back to front belt thankfully, but I did feel a little worried someone would notice and ask why the buckle was at the back of my dress!


Last worn: black dress, printed shirt, black heels, Rebecca Minkoff MAM bag.

Other ways to wear: little black dress with red jacket and accessories, printed shirt with burgundy jeans and ankle boots, ankle strap heels with pencil skirts, Rebecca Minkoff MAM with wrap dresses for work.

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What I wore:

Jacket: Zara cream jersey blazer (new-to-me purchase)

Necklace: Tai gold alphabet necklace
Top: vintage print top from The Thrifty Kitten
Belt: Asos skinny pale yellow belt
Skirt: vintage pencil skirt from The Thrifty Kitten
Shoes: Wittner 'Mimi' heels in mushroom
Bag: Balenciaga classic work in 2006 Rouille

Why I wore it:

This was an accidental monochrome outfit! Another neutral one. I had been wanting to wear this vintage set again after having fond memories of the last time I wore the pieces together. I also wanted to wear my new-to-me blazer that I found on ebay. It's the same as my black blazer, only cream. The beigey-brown outfit seemed like a good backdrop for my bright bag.

The style dare for the dare was 'bold bag' and this is my brightest and biggest bag, perfect to meet the challenge. I actually listed this bag in my ebay wardrobe clear out, thinking it would sell quickly as it's in great shape for a chevere Balenciaga. I hadn't worn it since I was pregnant so figured I should let it go. But since it didn't sell, I'm just going to keep it :) I was most likely going to replace it with another Balenciaga anyway, ha!

I think I would have liked this outfit more with a different jacket. I really liked the look of vintage printed skirt suit set together last time I wore it, but this time around I was wishing I'd gone for something different, I think it was all just a bit too dull together, even with the bold bag.


Last worn: vintage print top, yellow belt, vintage print skirt, brown heels, Balenciaga rouille work. First time I've worn the blazer as it is a new purchase.

Other ways to wear: belted printed top, printed pencil skirt with a bright top, brown heels with tights and a printed dress, orange bag with a black dress.

Linking up with Styled Up, Style To Inspire, Bless Your Heart, Mix It Monday, More Pieces of Me, On the Daily Express, Real Mom Style, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, Reasons To Dress, Confident Twosday, Wardrobe Wednesday, What I Wore to Work today.

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