Wednesday, 28 October 2015

Frocktober: Kimonos, Blue Dresses, Balenciaga Sorbet Pink City Bag and Monthly Purchases

First, what I bought in October. As I am doing Frocktober and wearing only dresses, I didn't buy any new clothes. I did buy a few accessories though! Using some store credit at Rebecca Minkoff, and taking advantage of the Shopbop sale in October. As the parcels arrived separately, about a week apart, I've got 2 'what I bought' videos instead of just the one!

What I bought from Shopbop:


What I bought from Rebecca Minkoff:




Some impulse buys in there, and two things (the bag and wallet) I'd been thinking about getting for a while. It was good to start doing some early Christmas shopping too!


Now, more Frocktober outfits! Two blue dresses this time. I'm challenging myself to wear a different dress each day in October as I take part in the Frocktober fundraiser for Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.

What I wore:

Away From Blue | Shein lace kimono jeanswest chambray shift dress ankle boots pink Bal city spring OOTD

Away From The Blue | Balenciaga 2010 pink sorbet city classic RH bag
Jacket: Shein cream lace kimono (C/O)
Necklace: Chanel necklace
DressJeanswest Rachel Lyocell chambray dress (C/O)
ShoesAsos airtime leather Chelsea boots in tan
Bracelets: the usual plus Edenborough Evans 'Ivy' silver cuff and enamel coated Marc By Marc Jacobs Katie bracelet
BagBalenciaga RH classic city in 2010 sorbet

Why I wore it:

Shein were kind enough to let me pick something from their large range to try out, and I chose this lovely lace kimono. I think it would look great with jeans or shorts, and that's how I had pictured it. Of course, I can only wear dresses in October, so I tried the next best thing and wore it with this chambray dress. I actually quite liked the combination!

I gushed a lot about this dress when I first got it, and yet it hasn't been worn too frequently...it's not that I've fallen out of love with it, it's that I felt it was tricky to hide the baby bump in it! The dress is from the regular line, not the maternity line, but it still fits the bump nicely so hopefully I can squeeze in a few more wears before my belly outgrows it entirely.


Last worn: Ray-Ban Wayfarerschambray dress, Asos Chelsea ankle boots, Balenciaga sorbet city bag. First time I've worn the kimono as it's a recent wardrobe addition.

Other ways to wearchambray dress and a puple cardi, ankle boots in the office, Balenciaga sorbet city bag with a maxi dress and baby bump.


More cute kimonos under $50:




Some crochet/lace ones for warmer days and cosier knitted ones for cooler days.



What I wore:

Away From Blue | Colourful spring outfit second trimester teal pasiley maxi dress purple cardi pink bag

Away From Blue | Colourful bag and outfit Balenciaga RH classic city in 2010 sorbet pink teal maxi dress
JacketJeanswest Peggie kimono cardigan in purple mulberry marle
Necklace: rectangle pendant necklace
Dress: thrifted JayJays teal paisley print maxi dress
ShoesIkwetta 'Circles of life' sandals (C/O)
BagBalenciaga RH classic city in 2010 sorbet

Why I wore it:

Another blue dress! Well, teal, but close enough. I had been looking forward to wearing this dress as part of the challenge so much, I thought it would look great with the bump. And it does, but it was also very tight! I don't think I could have waited any longer to wear this. It's a lovely dress but doesn't have much stretch, so I won't be wearing this beautiful piece again until after baby's arrival sadly!

I figured I'd add a colourful cardigan to this for warmth in the morning, as I already had the colourful bag and shoes with it. There's purple in the print so the purple kimono cardi seemed like a great idea. I adored this outfit. Was perfect for spending the morning at playgroup with toddler T, and sharing our baby news with all the ladies we hadn't caught up with over the playgroup break.


Last worn: Ray-Ban Wayfarers (above), purple kimono cardi, teal printed maxi dress, Ikwetta sandals, Balenciaga sorbet city (above).

Other ways to wear: purple kimono cardi layered up for a cold day, teal printed maxi dress in winter, Ikwetta sandals with stripesBalenciaga sorbet city bag with monochrome outfits.


An update on my Frocktober progress:
A photo posted by Mica (@awayfromblue) on

There is still time to donate! Your donations and support can help so much. There is no early detection test for ovarian cancer like there is for other cancers, your donation funds much needed research.

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Monday, 26 October 2015

Frocktober: Balenciaga Bags and SAHM Casual Daytime and Evening Printed Dresses

Continuing on with the Frocktober outfits. I'm doing a #31Days31DifferentDresses challenge and wearing a different dress every day in October to raise funds for Ovarian Cancer Research.

Every donation helps! Thank you to everyone who is donating to this great cause.

What I wore:

Away From The Blue | Second Trimester Striped tee dress scarf beanie ankle boots Bal part time

Away From The Blue Blog | Balenciaga part time in black 2010 with SGH
Hat: white knitted beanie 
ScarfAlexander McQueen modal skull scarf in white/pink
DressAtmos&Here navy stripe tee dress
ShoesAsos airtime leather Chelsea boots in tan
Bracelets: the usual plus Edenborough Evans 'Ivy' silver cuff
BagBalenciaga part time in black 2010 with SGH

Why I wore it:

It was a little chilly, so perfect time to wear one of my warmest dresses. And since it was Hat Day too, I was able to meet the #myStyleOctober challenge of 'hattitude' by wearing a cosy beanie. Layered up with a scarf as well as it got quite cold with the wind and rain.

I was so grateful to be wearing this dress, and not just for the extra warmth. The dress has a longer hem in the back that comes in helpful for toddler wrangling. I spent the morning at the accountants getting my tax done, having had to take toddler T along with me. Although he did sit there quietly 'reading' a book most of the time, every now and then he'd try running around. He managed to drop down and crawl under the accountant's desk at one stage!


Last worn: knitted beanie, skull scarf, striped tee dress, Chelsea ankle boots, Balenciaga Part Time bag.

Other ways to wearknitted beanie in the office, pink skull scarf with blue and teal, striped tee dress in winter, Chelsea ankle boots and jeans, Balenciaga Part Time bag and denim.


Shop more Balenciaga bags:






What I wore:

Away From The Blue | Snake Print Halter Neck Maxi Dress dressed down for daytime denim jacket balenciaga city

AwayFromTheBlue Blog | Balenciaga RH classic city in 2010 sorbet pink
Jacket: Bubblegum denim jacket
NecklaceTai gold alphabet necklace
DressJeanswest grey snake print maxi dress
Shoes: Ikwetta 'Circles of life' sandals (C/O)
Bracelets: the usual plus Roie Designs black leather Swarovski beaded wrap bracelet
BagBalenciaga RH classic city in 2010 sorbet

Why I wore it:

We went out for dinner in the evening with hubby's family, so I figured I'd wear one of my 'dressiest' dresses for the occasion. I'm trying to plan out the month so I'm not left with something completely inappropriate to wear near the end! Dinner out seemed like the best time to wear such a formal dress.

We weren't doing much earlier the day though, so I tried to dress this down a little, and settled on the denim jacket and casual bag. I've been wearing my Balenciaga bags a bit lately!

This dress hasn't been worn much - it's been almost 10 months since I last wore it! It's definitely staying in my wardrobe though. I just don't wear it much as I keep it for more formal occasions. I think it's perfectly okay to only wear a floor length formal dress a couple times a year. I expect my 'everyday' wardrobe to get worn a lot more though!


Last week I shared about the Shopbop sale, so I wanted to share with you all what I bought too. I picked up a couple things, after feeling like treating myself as I ended up doing #noSpenderSpetember!


What I bought:



Last worn: Ray-Ban Wayfarer, denim jacket, snake print maxi dress, Ikwetta sandals, Balenciaga sorbet city bag.

Other ways to weardenim jacket and a maxi skirt, snake print maxi dress at 39 weeks pregnantIkwetta sandals and a maxi skirt, pink Balenciaga sorbet city bag in the office.


Linking up with Shoe & Tell, Mix It Monday, Trendy Tuesday, Turning Heads, Style Sessions, Confident Twosday, Wardrobe Wednesday.



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