Corporate Style: Fit and Flare Dresses ~ Winter Layering

Two simple fit and flare dresses for the office, layered up with some colour for winter. I took these photos without my trench over the top so you can see the layering better, but winter mornings are especially cold so I still needed a jacket. I do like being able to show all of the layers for photos instead of hiding them under a jacket, but it's much colder this way...probably will go back to wearing all my layers and staying cosy for pictures!

What I wore:

Scarf: Seed Heritage Paisley print snood (on sale!)

Tee: Valleygirl blue 3/4 sleeve tee
Dress: Jeanswest 'Rita' stripe jersey dress
Shoes: Wittner 'Bloomy' black heels
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff medium MAB tote in moon navy (on sale!)

Why I wore it:

Had to brave photos in the cold without my jacket so you could see the blue tee underneath! This tee was one of my May purchases, and I just managed to wear it twice in June. I took these photos in the last week of June, I'm just a bit behind in blogging. I had planned to wear it sooner, but having to stay home and look after an unwell baby meant I was just waiting for another chance to wear this outfit! I was pleased I got to wear this eventually, I much preferred this outfit over the last time I wore this dress.

So since it's the second time I've worn this tee, my purchase review:
I'm pleased I bought this. I used to have a wide range of layering tees like this and I ended up donating them as I had much more than I would ever wear. I think the last I ever wore one was back in 2013! However I noticed the gap this winter, pieces like this are great under dresses to add some colour and keep warm. Plus with the fill a bag for $2 sale at the local 'op shop' and a bag full of clothes for baby T, adding in an extra top didn't cost me any more. I'm pleased I got it and although I don't wear this style of top very often I'm glad I have it for those occasions I do want something like this. Happy with this purchase, even if it's not the kind of thing I need to wear everyday.

The difficulty with wearing this top twice in the month after buying it made me re-evaluate and return some of my June purchases too. While plain, bright coloured tops are a gap in my wardrobe, I don't need more tops, I have plenty! So I'm definitely going to be buying less tops for a while. (I won't be buying any in July while I'm doing #noBuyJuly15 of course!) I'll focus on wearing more of the tops I own and getting rid of the ones that no longer work for me to free up some space!


Last worn: plain blue top, printed snood, stripe fit and flare dress, ankle strap heels, Rebecca Minkoff navy MAB tote.

Other ways to wear: blue top with a pencil skirt, snood in spring with chambray, stripe dress in summer for baby's dedication, ankle strap heels with pencil skirts, Rebecca Minkoff navy MAB tote with printed pieces.

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What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Nadine 3/4 Sleeve dusky pink blazer

Scarf: Alexander McQueen modal skull scarf in white/pink (on sale!)
Dress: Jeanswest tucked ponte black dress
Belt: Kmart thin black glitter belt
Shoes: Wittner 'Bloomy' black heels
Bracelets: the usual
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff medium MAB tote in moon navy

Why I wore it:

Although I wasn't too happy with the full outfit last time I wore this blazer (it would have been better with a different scarf) I really liked it belted so I was eager to try it again. I really liked this outfit! It's taken me a while to figure out how to make this blazer work for me but I think belting is the way to go! It looks much better belted with a LBD for the office than worn loose.


Last worn: pink Alexander McQueen skull scarf, pink boyfriend blazer, black glitter belt, black dress, black heels (above), Rebecca Minkoff MAB tote (above).

Other ways to wear: Alexander McQueen skull scarf with a maxi skirt in spring, pink boyfriend blazer with denim shorts, printed dress with a glitter belt, belted LBD for the office in summer.

Linking up with Modest Monday, Style To Inspire, Mix It Monday, On the daily Express, More Pieces of Me, Turning Heads Tuesday, Style Sessions, Real Mom Style, Confident Twosday, Trend Spin Linkup, Wardrobe Wednesday today.

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SAHM Style: Jeanswest Prima Denim Skinny Jeans Casual Winter Outfits

I've been wearing my skinny jeans a fair bit to get through Winter! My newest prima denim ones are definitely my favourites, stretchy and comfortable and cosy. They are a nice easy option for being a stay-at-home mum.

First, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is on now! I'm doing #noBuyJuly15 so I'm not shopping this time around, but thought I'd share the sale with you - in case you haven't already read about it on every other blog ;)

Starting now and until July 9th, early access has started for Nordstrom cardholders. It then opens up to the public from July l7th, but it only lasts until 2nd August! If you are not a card holder, you can still browse the sale and get your wishlist together, although you can't buy anything until it's open to the public on the 17th. I'll be sure to post about it again then so you can buy something.

What I wore:

Scarf: Marc by Marc Jacobs Stargazer scarf in aquamarine (on sale in black and white!!)
Top: Atmos&Here 3/4 sleeve stripe tee in berry white
Jeans: Jeanswest Bindi skinny 7/8 jeans in indigo luxe
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in black
Bracelets: the usual plus Roie Designs waxed leather cream howlite beaded wrap bracelet
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Love cross body bag in grey

Why I wore it:

Wore this out to playgroup some time ago - this was actually when I left my scarf behind! The photos got accidentally hidden away on my computer, so I'm quickly posting them now before I lose them again. Having posts scheduled in advance means I don't have to copy the outfit photos from my camera as much as I did pre-baby, when I was blogging what I wore that day and the day before. It means I can accidentally miss pictures when I'm trying to pull a blog post together though, as they can sit there for a few days and get hidden in all the baby and puppy pictures I take as well!

Had been wanting to wear this red striped top for a while, and I thought the printed scarf was nice against it for a slight bit of print mixing. Converse were comfortable and practical for running around the playground with baby too.


Last worn: galaxy print scarf, striped top, skinny jeans, Converse, Rebecca Minkoff Love bag.

Other ways to wear: colourful galaxy print scarf with a monochrome outfit, striped tee in the third trimester, skinny jeans in autumn for a day at home, Converse and denim shorts, Rebecca Minkoff Love bag with maxi dresses.

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What I wore:

Scarf: Alexander McQueen red skull-print modal and cashmere-blend scarf
Knit: Warehouse grey bead front jumper
Jeans: Jeanswest prima denim super skinny jeans in absolute black
Shoes: Walnut Melbourne 'Ava' black lizard ballet flats (new purchase)
Bag:  Rebecca Minkoff metallic silver mini MAC (on sale here!)

Why I wore it:

This felt like a slightly more dressed up than usual day care drop off/pick up / work from home outfit. I think it's the red scarf with the neutral outfit. I tend to view scarves as accessories that help make something look more pulled together. A cosy and comfortable outfit too.

As I was sitting at the computer working most of the day with just a little bit of driving around with baby T, I thought it would be a great time to break in my new shoes. I mentioned when I got them that I'd bought them as replacements for an old pair of black ballet flats I had. The old ones just didn't seem to be as comfortable post-pregnancy as they were before it. Maybe I stretched them out too much in pregnancy with my swollen feet, haha. I'm getting much tougher on my shoes and I only want to keep ones that are comfortable for an entire day with baby and all the running around that requires. I think these new ones will be perfect.

The only thing that wasn't ideal about this outfit was the black jeans - we had a tradie round to do some work in the morning and it was a bit dusty, black pants were not the best pick. Probably just not the best day to have the tradie over at all actually, he seemed to have a fondness for using power tools whenever I was trying to speak on a conference call!


Last worn: beaded jumper, skinny jeans, red skull scarf, silver mini MAC bag. First time I've worn the shoes as they are a new purchase.

Other ways to wear: embellished jumper with a jacquard skirt, skinny jeans and a sleeveless top, Alexander McQueen skull scarf in summer, mini MAC with a maxi dress.

Linking up with Passion for Fashion, Flashback Fashion, Casual Friday, Fab Favourites, Favourite Fashion Friday, The Ultimate Rabbit Hole, Shoe and Tell, Let It Shine today.

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