Wednesday, 28 February 2018

February Purchases and Wearing Things Twice In The Month I Buy Them

This time last year I was doing my #6monthsWithoutShopping challenge. This year, I'm not doing that challenge so I'm free to spend! I continue to have the goal of spending less this year than I did last year though. Even with the freedom to shop I haven't bought much, I've definitely changed my shopaholic habits.


away from the blue blog february shopping haul YouTube video





Just two purchases this month! A long thought out purchase and an impulse buy, but I've worn the impulse buy one the most surprisingly.



Here's what I bought:








How I Wore It


I have my 'wear everything twice in the month you buy it' rule. I started this a few years ago to ensure I was only buying things I could get use from right away, to stop the discovery of unworn with tags items in my wardrobe. There have been a few exceptions to this rule, one when my pregnant belly outgrew something before I got to wear it and the rest have been weather related. As I mentioned in the video, the foil jumper hasn't been worn because of the weather.

The wear twice rule still works though. I did consider buying something else this month but decided against it. Purely because I had to order it online and it wouldn't have made it in time for me to wear it twice in February. It was a 'want' item, not a 'need', but my large wardrobe makes almost every purchase a 'want'! It was easier to refrain from purchasing know it wouldn't pass the wear twice rule. Maybe next month I'll buy it if I keep thinking about it.


two ways to wear distressed denim shorts with kimonos in summer | away from the blue blog

The foil knit, bought a few days before the heatwave, didn't get worn at all this month.  There's a little more detail in the video above, but basically I bought this thinking I might not get to wear it right away, and bought it anyway as I didn't want to miss out on the trend again.

The denim shorts, an impulse buy, have been worn right away as you can see above, as they were perfect for the heatwave.  I know I bought a lot of new shorts for summer a couple of months ago, but when you stumble across $60+ denim in your size in the op-shop, you buy it! While I've worn them similarly here with printed tanks and kimonos, the video has more ways to wear them.


I'm pretty content with my wardrobe now. I might buy that piece I keep thinking about or I might wait until cooler weather to see where the gaps are in my wardrobe!



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Linking up with Oh Hey Girl, Fashion Files, Fun Fashion, Fabulous Friday, Weekend Wear, Flashback Fashion.


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Friday, 2 February 2018

30 Ways To Wear: Red Rebecca Minkoff Saddle Bag - #30wears Series

This months #30wears post is a bag I've been loving lately, my Rebecca Minkoff unlined saddle bag. It's been a few months since I did a 30 wears post with a handbag so thought it was a nice time to do one again.

I'm enjoying my #30wears series. The 30 wears challenge is committing to wear everything you buy at least 30 times. Since I have this blog with an archive of what I wear each day that extends over 6 years, it's been interesting counting up how many times I've worn things and fun to be able to put a post together showing how I've done so. There are other bags I've worn more than this one, I just realised this was over 30 wears as I've been wearing it frequently recently and so it was perfect timing to do a post on it.


#30Wears: Rebecca Minkoff Red Saddle Bag




I bought this saddle bag in the Shopbop sale in April 2016, so it's just under 2 years old, and I've worn it over 30 times since then. In terms of cost per wear, it was $154.88 and I've worn it 33 times so that's $4.69 a wear. Higher than the often-aimed-for 'cents per wear' but considering I'll have this bag in my wardrobe for a long time yet, it's not too bad, it's going to get a lot more wear.

Red Saddle Bag With Blue Outfits


Rebecca Minkoff red studded saddle bag with blue and navy outfits | awayfromtheblue

Red and blue are such a nice combination and red and navy is one of my favourite versions of this combo. You can see in all of the pics in this post that it's a colour combination that pops up frequently. I just love the touch of colour a red bag gives against a blue outfit.


Saddle Bag With Monochrome Outfits


3 ways to wear red saddle bag with monochrome maxi skirt outfits | awayfromblue

Sometimes you just want your bag to be a pop of colour with your outfit. This bright cherry red bag is the perfect touch with a monochromatic neutral outfit. Black really makes the red shine, any neutrals do really. While I love this red bag with other colours, like the blue outfits I featured above, I do love the simplicity of a monochrome outfit of neutrals and a tiny pop of colour with a statement bag like this.


Red Saddle Bag to Compliment Other Red Pieces In An Outfit


5 outfit ideas with red Rebecca Minkoff unlined saddle bag with complimentary clothes | awayfromblue

Sometimes I like a bit of matchy matchy, and if I'm wearing something red in my outfit I'll reach for this red saddle bag. The shades don't have to match exactly, as you can see from the red maxi skirt outfit which is slightly more yellow than the cherry red of the bag. It's still a nice combination though. This is a good way to wear a colourful bag if you're unsure how to style it as you're used to more neutral ones.


Saddle Bag With Flares


retro vibe outfits flared jeans and red saddle bag from Rebecca Minkoff fall fashion | awayfromtheblue

Pairing this red saddle bag with flared jeans has such a retro vibe, and it's probably the most worn accessory with these jeans since I started my blog. I expect this combination will pop up a few more times over winter when it gets cold enough to wear these jeans again.


Red Saddle Bag With Jeans


4 ways to wear red saddle bag and skinny jeans | awayfromtheblue blog

It's not just flared jeans I wear this bag with though. Skinny jeans are my favourite jeans style, and make up the majority of my denim collection. The red saddle bag pairs so nicely with any kind of denim, from the traditional blue jeans, classic black or fun printed pairs.


Saddle Bag with Maxi Skirts


4 Ways to Wear: red saddle bag and maxi skirt outfit ideas | awayfromtheblue

Maxi skirts don't have to be tricky to accessorise. A small cross body is my usual go-to with them, but I've worn large bags with them too. This cute cross body saddle bag is the perfect pairing with any of my maxi skirts, from a plain chambray one to a printed striped skirt.



Red Saddle Bag In Winter


ways to wear red Rebecca Minkoff saddle bag in winter | awayfromblue

Red is a trending colour this winter in the northern hemisphere. There's something about any winter that makes me reach for red accessories often though. Maybe it's because of all the blacks and greys you layer with, as red is a wonderful pop against them. This spring/summer bag still gets worn frequently in winter with cosy layers. I like to wear my dresses and skirts year round as much as my bags too.


Saddle Bag in Summer


3 ways to wear denim shorts and Rebecca Minkoff red unlined saddle bag | awayfromblue

Of course, a red bag works just as well in summer as it does in winter. There's no need to keep a bag hidden away in your wardrobe for a season. I love the way this red bag looks with shorts, it's often worn with my denim shorts in summer. While it's a little small to carry all the summer pieces like hats and sunscreen, I carry the baby bag for that and just have the essentials on me like my phone, keys and wallet while I'm running around with the boys.




Where to Buy Rebecca Minkoff Unlined Saddle Bag:






More Rebecca Minkoff Saddle Bags:







30 Ways To Wear a Red Saddle Bag Video:

For something a little different, I thought I'd do a video version of this post too, so you can hear a bit more about why I chose the bag for each outfit and what my favourite outfits were. Would love to hear what you think of the video format - good or bad!




Looking for more outfit inspiration?


I hope that this post inspired out and gave you some outfit ideas for ways you can wear a red bag. If you want more inspo, you can read 30 ways to wear a red Balenciaga velo bag, or all the 33+ times I've worn this saddle bag in my blog archives.



Want to know more about the bag and what fits inside?






Linking up with Weekend Wear, Flashback Fashion, Passion for Fashion, Lizzie in Lace, Friday Faves, Shoe & Tell, Mix It Monday, Modest Monday, Hello Monday, Trend Spin.


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