Wednesday 23 August 2017

Plain Tops and Printed Maxi Skirts: Monochromatic Outfits with Purple Accessories

If you've been following me on Instagram you'll know I'm having a bit of a purple moment with my new-to-me handbag. These outfits pictures were taken a few weeks ago but they still feature that loved colour combo of blue and purple, and they follow an extremely simple outfit formula. Plain top and printed maxi skirt for easy stay at home mum style.

What I wore:

blue tee, navy maxi skirt, purple accessories and grey cardi with monochrome outfit | Away From Blue

Navy stripe maxi skirt, Rebecca Minkoff mini MAB tote in plum purple | Away From The Blue

awayfromblue instagram monochrome blue maxi skirt outfit purple accessories
Jacket: Paper Scissors grey wrap cardigan
Necklace: Nibbly Bits BB plum silicone teething necklace (C/O)
Tee: Jeanswest two tone boxy oversized tee from my sister's wardrobe clearout
Skirt: Target navy side split maxi skirt
ShoesPurple high top Converse look-a-likes
Bracelets: the usual
BagRebecca Minkoff mini MAB tote in plum (on sale in pink, 43% off!)

Why I wore it:

A little bit of a busy morning! We had Baby Boy's weekly weigh, a pram walk with my ABA mother's group and then packing for a trip down the coast in the afternoon. We had a special day out planned on the coast for Toddler T the next day and decided to stay at my parents so we didn't have a lot of travel time in the morning.

Wanted a nice easy outfit, so went monochrome with the blue tee and navy striped maxi skirt. Added the grey cardi for warmth although I took it off during out walk by the bayside as it was such a nice day.

This blue tee is new-to-me, I got it from my sister's wardrobe clearout. I love how soft the fabric is, and I'm always a fan of relaxed oversized fits with my leftover mum-tum. Plus being my favourite colour I couldn't turn it down! A nice new addition to my wardrobe.


Last worn: grey belted cardigan, navy stripe maxi skirt, purple high tops, Rebecca Minkoff plum mini MAB tote. First time I've worn the tee from my sister's wardrobe.

Other ways to weargrey belted cardigan and skinny jeans, navy stripe maxi skirt worn two ways, purple high tops and grey outfit, Rebecca Minkoff plum mini MAB tote and denim shorts.

Perfect for pregnancy: plum mini MAB tote and maternity shorts.



Plain Tees Under $50:







What I wore:

printed maxi skirt, cobalt leather jacket adding colour to monochrome winter outfit | AwayFromBlue

Rebecca Minkoff mini MAB tote in plum  with faux fur pom pom charm | AwayFromTheBlue

awayfromblue instagram colourful accessories with monochrome printed maxi skirt outfit
JacketWittner 'Santa Fe' cobalt blue leather jacket
NecklaceNibbly Bits BB plum silicone teething necklace (C/O)
TopGlassons plain black long sleeve tee
Skirt: Izabel London Aztec print maxi skirt (C/O)
ShoesPurple high top Converse look-a-likes
BagRebecca Minkoff mini MAB tote in plum (on sale in pink, 43% off!)

Why I wore it:

This was a bit of a funny morning. Had some errands to run so we were a little later than normal for playgroup. I felt bad when we got there and found out there was no-one else there either! It had been a particularly cold morning, and with it being winter there are so many bugs going around. Was just strange seeing the normally packed room so empty with just my two boys in it. Thankfully another mum came along a little later too so the boys had someone else to play with as we sat and chatted to the staff who run the playgroup.

As it was such a cold morning, this maxi skirt seemed like a good choice - it's quite a thick fabric, so it combined with my black long sleeve tee and leather jacket kept me nice and warm. I've worn the top and skirt together before too, they work well.

This cobalt leather jacket is a nice way to add some colour to a monochromatic outfit, and the purple necklace, bag and shoes also helped to make my outfit a little brighter. While this outfit follows the same formula as the one above and has exactly the same accessories, the different colours and print make it seem completely new.


Last worn: cobalt leather jacket, black long sleeve tee, Aztec print maxi skirt, purple high tops (above), Rebecca Minkoff purple mini MAB tote (above).

Other ways to wearcobalt leather jacket and office wear, black long sleeve tee and leopard print, Aztec print maxi skirt and red bag, purple high tops and skinny jeans, Rebecca Minkoff purple mini MAB tote and pink dress.

Perfect for pregnancyprinted maxi skirt in second trimesterplum mini MAB and tie dye dress in third trimester.





Printed Maxi Skirts Under $50:








How You Can Wear It:


Plain doesn't mean boring! You can pair a plain top with something printed like I've done here with the maxi skirts. Sticking with a monochromatic colour scheme is a fail-safe idea, but you can add additional colour to your outfit with accessories too if you like! A monochromatic outfit is an easy base to wear more colourful accessories with.



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Monday 21 August 2017

Getting More Wear From Your Wardrobe: Work and Weekend with Burgundy Pants

I would love to have a wardrobe full of pieces that work for any situation I come across. That means being able to build business casual outfits to the office as well as stay at home mum outfits and weekend wear. One thing that helps is having go-to outfit formulas.

A shirt and pants is one of those outfits you could wear for work or the weekend! These burgundy pants are a favourite of mine, and I love how they look with my camel trench coat. Both outfits below I had in mind to wear to work, but only one of them was worn into the office.

What I wore:



Business casual office outfit burgundy pants star print shirt trench coat winter | AwayFromBlue

camel trench coat, burgundy pants, star print and Rebecca Minkoff MAB mini in soft grey | AwayFromTheBlue

awayfromblue instagram burgundy skinny pants star print shirt print mix paisley snood
Jacket: Barkins beige trench coat 
Scarf:  Seed Heritage Paisley print snood
Shirt: Zara star print shirt
PantsJeanswest 'Fiona' skinny leg pant in shiraz
ShoesWalnut Melbourne 'Ava' black lizard ballet flats (also available in silver)
BagRebecca Minkoff MAB mini in soft grey (on sale, 30% off!)

Why I wore it:

I probably should have tucked the shirt into the pants to make this look a little more formal, but I loved this outfit all the same. After dealing with a few days of gastro, I was cleared to go back to work so I just pulled on an easy outfit! I know the burgundy pants, star print shirt and trench look great together as I've worn them that way before.

This outfit was perfect for the office - even with the shirt untucked and it kept me nice and cosy for my early commute.


Last worn: camel trench, paisley print snood, star print shirt, burgundy pants, Walnut Melbourne flats, Rebecca Minkoff MAM bag.

Other ways to wearcamel trench and fit and flare dress, paisley print snood and little red dress, star print shirt and denim shorts, burgundy pants with dress worn as a shirt, Walnut Melbourne flats and pleated skirt, Rebecca Minkoff MAM bag and maxi skirt.

Perfect for pregnancy: trench coat and pencil skirt in first trimester, printed snood in second trimester, star print shirt in early weeks of pregnancy, burgundy pants in first trimesterballet flats and maternity pencil skirt, Rebecca Minkoff MAM in third trimester.



Burgundy Pants Under $50:







What I wore:

burgundy and navy casual way to wear pants outside of office trench and RM Mini MAB | Away From Blue

navy and burgundy pants, feather foil scarf, Rebecca Minkoff grey mini MAM | Away From The Blue

awayfromblue instagram burgundy pants navy shirt camel trench cooper shih tzu
Jacket: Barkins beige trench coat 
ScarfForever New Skye Foil Feather scarf in berry / gold (on sale!)
Shirt:  Jeanswest Tory textured shirt (on sale!)
PantsJeanswest 'Fiona' skinny leg pant in shiraz
ShoesAsos Cleo leather boots in tan
BagRebecca Minkoff MAB mini in soft grey (on sale, 30% off!)

Why I wore it:

I like to plan and layout my work outfits ahead of time so I'm not rushing in the morning. This outfit was one I'd planned out, hung up and was ready to wear when I woke up and realised I'd caught the cold the boys and hubby had. It hasn't been a good winter health-wise! So after a few days off work, I was back to getting outside of the house again, but still pretty exhausted. I had booked in the day off as I had an early morning appointment for Baby Boy so rather than trying to find something new to wear, I just decided to wear what I'd planned to for the office.


Just like the outfit above it's a shirt, trench and scarf with my burgundy pants. I just swapped the ballet flats for these slouchy boots to make it a little more casual for an appointment then playgroup. While I did feel a little overdressed for playgroup - and one of my friends did comment I looked rather more pulled together than usual! - this was still a great outfit to wear. I love navy and burgundy together!

With pieces like these burgundy pants in my wardrobe that work both casually and professionally, it's a good push for me to be stricter with what I buy and make sure it works in multiple ways.


Last worn: camel trench (above), feather print scarf, navy shirt, burgundy pants (above), tan boots, Rebecca Minkoff MAM (above).

Other ways to wearcamel trench and skinny jeans, feather print scarf and stripes, navy shirt and denim shorts, burgundy pants and ombre knit, tan boots and shirt dress, Rebecca Minkoff MAM and denim shorts.

Perfect for pregnancy: trench coat and stripes in first trimester, burgundy pants and belly band in first trimester, Rebecca Minkoff MAM and maternity pencil skirts.





Colourful Pants Under $50:








How You Can Wear It:


If you have a business casual or smart casual dress code, you can get more wear from the pieces in your wardrobe by wearing them to the office during the week and casually on the weekends. Colourful pants are good for this - they adhere to a relaxed office dress code and don't look out of place on the weekend or as stay at home mum wear. They are a nice variation on the standard black you see for work pants and just as easy to wear.


Linking up with Confident Twosday, Turning Heads, Trendy Tuesday, Style Sessions, Fashion Frenzy, Style on the Daily, Fashion Files, Fabulous Friday.



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