Monday 24 August 2015

Corporate Style: Printed Dresses And Trench Coats For The Office

Easy corporate style for those 'I don't know what to wear' days, printed dresses! They are a great go-to outfit for any occasion, not just for office wear.

I picked these two dresses to wear as I felt it had been a while since I'd worn them.

What I wore:

Printed dress for the office in winter ankle boots cardi scarf trench pink and purple

Balenciaga giant hardware Day bag in 2009 tempete
Jacket: Temt black trench coat 
CardiJeanswest Peggie kimono in purple mulberry marle
Scarf: Cotton On fuchsia pashmina
DressJeanswest 'Melanie' paisley mixed print dress
ShoesRMK Chester black ankle boots
BagBalenciaga giant hardware Day bag in 2009 tempete

Why I wore it:

It was little chilly in the morning, and this is quite a lightweight dress, so I added a purple cardi under my trench coat that you can kinda see peeking out in the first photo. Kept me warm at my desk too as the dress has short sleeves.

Hopefully I can re-create this look when the weather is warmer, without the trench coat as I really liked the cardigan and dress together. I thought the fuchsia pashmina complimented the purple well.


Last worn: black trench, pink pashmina, purple cardi, mixed print dress, ankle boots, Balenciaga tempete day bag.

Other ways to weartrench coat and a pencil skirt, pashmina and a shift dress, purple cardi and jeansdress in the third trimester, ankle boots and a maxi skirt, Balenciaga day bag and a maxi skirt.


Shop more printed dresses at Shopbop:




What I wore:

Winter office wear trench FCUK printed sheath dress Mulberry Bayswater tote

Mulberry Bayswater in Oak NVT leather for the office
Jacket: Barkins beige trench coat 
DressFrench Connection 'Fast Rhonda' dress in black/caramel
ShoesMarc by Marc Jacobs logo plaque flats in camel
BagMulberry Bayswater in Oak NVT leather (previously owned bargain here)

Why I wore it:

A warmer day so less layers - just a trench over this dress. I didn't add a scarf, because I find this dress a little tricky to wear a scarf with. I don't have many plain scarves, most are printed! Could have done with a scarf to keep me warm in the early morning, but wasn't too bad without it.

It's been a while since I last wore this Mulberry Bayswater bag too! I wore it in March, on my first day back at work after maternity leave. Overall, I've only worn this bag 21 times in the past 3 and a half years (my blog archive is great for finding out info like this!). The leather is extremely sensitive to water, even after I've waterproofed it with the same product I use on all my bags. It tends to get worn mainly for the office. It's such a classic style that will never go out of date though, and some days you just want a formal bag like this for work, so that's why I've held onto it.

I've got a more detailed review of the Mulberry Bayswater on my youtube channel.




Last worn: beige trench, printed sheath dress, camel flats, Mulberry Bayswater tote.

Other ways to weartrench with orange and burgundy, printed dress with a printed scarf, ballet flats with a boho dress, Bayswater and a baby bump.


Linking up with Let It Shine, Modest Monday, Style Sessions, Turning Heads, Confident Twosday, Wardrobe Wednesday, Whatcha Wearing, What I Wore today.



This post was created in partnership with Shopbop. Occasionally, Away From The Blue blog may receive vendor or brand sponsorships for mentioning their products or services. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own.


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Friday 21 August 2015

Jeanswest Prima Denim Skinny Jeans and Colourful Prints and Bags

Wearing my Jeanswest Prima denim skinny jeans again, and adding some colour to my winter outfits with prints, as it starts to warm up a little here. Also my first wearing of my new Happiness Boutique necklace and a bit of a review.

What I wore:

Cardigan: Kmart striped maxi cardigan
NecklaceHappiness Boutique turquoise and coral pendant necklace (C/O)
CamiAtmos&Here 'Isla' ruffle cami in floral print (get 40% off with code 'AUG40')
JeansJeanswest prima denim super skinny jeans in absolute black
ShoesMarc by Marc Jacobs metallic mouse flats
Bracelets: the usual
BagRebecca Minkoff Swing bag in canary yellow

Why I wore it:

This was not the best outfit to showcase my new necklace, (this one on instagram is better) but I thought the colours paired nicely with the print in the top. I was looking for a tank to wear and saw this cami I hadn't worn in ages, so decided to wear this and have a little bit of print mixing with the striped cardi. Wore this out to take baby T for his first Sizzler meal...and quickly realised half way through lunch that skinny jeans are a bad choice for a buffet restaurant with all that food! Perfect place to take a hungry toddler though, he had so much food to taste and try.

You've probably read about Happiness Boutique on lots of other blogs already! I like their mission statement of 'being happy and spreading happiness every day'. I also like their range of accessories, they have lots of colourful and cheerful pieces with free worldwide shipping. They also have a reward program to help make loyal customers happy.

The necklace is nice, it's lightweight, stands up to a toddler tugging on it and it's adjustable so it's easy to wear. The only issue I have with the Happiness Boutique is the shipping. They sent the necklace to me on 17th July, and 2 weeks later were chasing me up asking if I had it yet. I didn't get it until the 10th August, so just over 3 weeks.
It's a little longer than their estimated time of 6-14 working days, but I wasn't expecting a free shipping service from Germany to Australia to be on the quick end of that estimate anyway! Just something to keep in mind if you are ordering for a special event, you might want to order early. My necklace is now sold out as it took a while to arrive, but it was called the 'turquoise and coral semi-precious stones pendant necklace'.


Last worn: Ray-Ban Wayfarers, striped maxi cardigan, botanical print cami, black skinny jeans, gold mouse flats, Rebecca Minkoff swing bag.

Other ways to wearmaxi cardigan with a dress, botanical print cami with a maxi skirt, skinny jeans and a plain shirt, mouse flats in the office, Rebecca Minkoff swing bag with a maxi skirt.


More colourful printed camis and kimonos under $30:







What I wore:

Wearing a kimono in winter boho layers long sleeve tee skinny jeans converse

Balenciaga giant hardware Day bag in 2009 tempete hobo style
NecklaceHouse of Harlow sunburst necklace in silver and grey
Tee:  Cotton On Denny boat neck long sleeved top in grey marle
JeansJeanswest Bindi skinny 7/8 jeans in indigo luxe
ShoesConverse Chuck Taylor All Star low in black
BagBalenciaga giant hardware Day bag in 2009 tempete

Why I wore it:

My inspiration for layering up a kimono came from an instagram post that @beachstylemum did a while ago, near the start of winter. I thought the kimono over a long sleeved tee looked like a great idea, just took me a while to get around to wearing it as I wanted to wait until it warmed up a little more. My long sleeve tees are great, but they aren't the warmest. The weather was perfect for it on this day.

Loved the simplicity of this outfit - and it kept me comfortable all day with all the running around I did. All I had to do was run some errands in the morning and go to the post office to send a parcel to a friend. I got to the shops, got the stroller set up, went to put baby in it...and realised I'd brought every bag except the bag with the present in it! So had to drive all the way home and all the way back again, haha! At least it wasn't a long drive.


Last worn: printed kimono, grey tee, skinny jeans, Converse, Balenciaga tempete day bag.

Other ways to wearprinted kimono with gold jeans, grey tee with a lace skirt, skinny jeans and pattern mixing, Converse and a maxi skirt, Balenciaga tempete day bag in the office.

Linking up with Passion For Fashion, Friday Favourites, Casual Friday, Flashback Fashion, Fashion Friday, Fab Favourites, The Ultimate Rabbit Hole, Hello Monday also here today.




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