Monday 22 October 2018

Printed Dresses For The Office With Colourful Scarves and Balenciaga Bags

When I'm feeling uninspired picking workwear I make things easy on myself and pull on a printed dress! While both of these dresses are different styles and prints, they solved my 'no idea what to wear' dilema by becoming instant, easy outfits. I added some bright scarves and Balenciaga bags and I was ready for the office!

What I wore:

fern print black dress, jersey blazer, ankle boots and colourful pink purple blue accessories spring office wear | awayfromblue

Balenciaga raisin purple 2009 giant silver G21 hardware work bag | awayfromblue

instagram awayfromtheblue black dress for the office with blue scarf, purple balenciaga work bag pink earrings
Jacketthrifted Zara black blazer
Earrings: Ana Luisa 'Olivia' tassel earrings in pink (giveaway prize)
ScarfLouis Vuitton monogram shawl in bleu
DressLeona Edmiston Jemima fern print dress
Shoes: RMK Chester black ankle boots
BagBalenciaga raisin purple 2009 giant silver G21 hardware work bag

Why I wore it:

I really liked the colours in this outfit, with pink blue and purple together. Not the first time I've worn that combination to the office. The pink statement earrings were won in a giveaway and I thought they worked perfectly with the pink fern print on the dress. Despite the earrings being gold and the hardware on the bag being silver, I think because they are far enough apart from each other the combination still works.

Originally when I'd put this together I had planned to wear my purple scarf, to match my purple bag. A text from my colleague the evening before reminding me we needed to wear blue that day made me pick this Louis Vuitton shawl instead. I adore this scarf so much, it's so cosy! As it's always cold in the office, I kept it on all day and matched the rest of the team wearing blue perfectly.

The ankle boots were a necessity with the cooler morning. Despite thinking the week before it was time to retire my tights, I was happy to have them this morning with the overcast and cooler day with lots of rain forecast.


Last worn: jersey blazer, Louis Vuitton shawl, Leona Edmiston dress, black ankle boots, Balenciaga Work Bag.

Other ways to wearjersey blazer and fit and flare dress, Louis Vuitton shawl with stripes, Leona Edmiston dress and grey accessories, black ankle boots worn 30 ways, Balenciaga Work Bag and skinny jeans.


Perfect for pregnancyjersey blazer in third trimester, Leona Edmiston dress in second trimester, black ankle boots in second trimester.




How To Pick Your First Balenciaga Bag:




My most popular YouTube video with over 74,000 views! Short and sweet talking you through some popular Balenciaga styles.




What I wore:

orange printed sheath dress black jersey blazer matching crinkle scarf balenciaga part time bag | away from the blue

Balenciaga part time in black 2010 with SGH | away from the blue

awayfromblue instagram orange dress and scarf with black accessories tights spring work outfit
Jacketthrifted Zara black blazer
ScarfFashion Scarf Girl plain crinkle scarf in orange (c/o)
DressFrench Connection 'Woodblock wonder' panache dress in white/geranium rose
ShoesWalnut Melbourne 'Ava' black lizard ballet flats (also available in silver)
BagBalenciaga part time in black 2010 with SGH

Why I wore it:

A completely different look even though this follows the same outfit formula as the one above. I even wore the same blazer. I can't believe it's taken me this long to wear the orange crinkle scarf with this printed orange sheath dress, it's the perfect matchy-matchy layer!

With all of the colour in my scarf and outfit, I decided to go with neutral accessories this time, letting the scarf and dress be the touch of colour against all of the black. I really liked this outfit. You might recall me saying a few times I'm wary of wearing black with the orange dress as it reminds me of Halloween but I think it worked really well. When I was popping out to get lunch one of the sales people standing on the street complimented my outfit as I ran past shaking my head. Was nice of them to do that, but I was too busy to stop to see what they were selling!


Last worn: jersey blazer (above), orange crinkle scarf, orange sheath dress, black ballet flats, Balenciaga Part Time Bag.

Other ways to wearjersey blazer and a-line skirt, orange crinkle scarf and navy dress, orange sheath dress under a knit, black ballet flats and jeans, Balenciaga Part Time bag worn 30 ways.

Perfect for pregnancyjersey blazer at 39 weeks, orange sheath dress in first trimester, black ballet flats in second trimester, Balenciaga Part Time Bag in second trimester.



Printed Dresses For The Office Under $50:




How You Can Wear It:

Printed dresses are an easy and quick outfit to put together for the office. You can accessorise them with bright and colourful scarves. You could try using the scarf to introduce another bold colour to your outfit like the first pics, or by matching the scarf to a colour in the print of your dress like the last outfit.


Linking up with Confident Twosday, Turning Heads, Trend Spin, Style Sessions, Style On The Daily.


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Saturday 20 October 2018

What's In My Bag: #ItsInTheBag Christmas Campaign Edition!

A what's in my bag post with a bit of a difference!

You might recall I mentioned a very inspiring and moving talk by Rochelle at the blogger's brunch a few months ago. Rochelle runs Share the Dignity, a charity that aims to provide women across Australia with access to sanitary products.

It's In The Bag is their Christmas campaign. Given my fondness for handbags, I had to share this with you.

What's In My Bag: Share The Dignity It's In The Bag Campaign Christmas 2018 | awayfromblue


Just grab one of your gently used bags you no longer need, or buy a new one, and fill it up to give to a woman or girl at need over Christmas. It's an impactful way you can help women who are homeless, at risk, or experiencing domestic violence. You fill it with new essentials like pads or tampons, other hygiene products, and little (non-food) treats to let a someone in need know they are being thought of at Christmas.

I shared the bag I chose to donate in the video below, along with what I filled it with and why!



The Gabi bag was an obvious choice! As I discussed in the video, it's my kind of bag with multiple ways you can wear it. I love bags you can wear multiple ways! Someone will be thrilled to get this at Christmas. (Checkout the video to see what it looks like worn).

Each of the handbags available for purchase on the site is named after one of the women who have been helped by the campaign. The Gabi bag is named because of a lovely lady who donated to the campaign in 2017. Gabi herself was homeless the year before and had benefited from the campaign, and she wanted to give back the next year.

Gabi's story is so inspiring and shows you that you don't need a large budget, just a large heart to get involved with the campaign.

Ways You Can Help:

  • Why not shop the share the dignity website to find some Christmas gifts? The majority of the bags and clutches are PU faux leather and vegan friendly, and all proceeds help fund the charity programs.
  • Share the campaign with your friends/family.
  • Start putting a bag together of your own to donate. See my tips below.



What Should You Include In Your Handbag Donation?

As well as the items you saw in the video, these are some helpful suggestions for things you could include.



Follow Share the Dignity on facebook for more ideas!

Tips:

  • Start buying now so that you can take advantage of sales and specials on products to make the most of your budget. 
  • Try Kmart or eBay for cheap but cheerful accessories, look out for specials on hygiene products at Priceline and don't forget you can pick up some extras with your weekly shop at Coles or Woolworths, both have a good selection of products and often sales.
  • You will be able to drop off your donation between 16th November and 2nd December 2018, so you have plenty of time to get shopping.

Have you donated to #ItsInTheBag before? What did or would you put in your bag?


Note: I was not paid for this post. As always: all thoughts, opinions and images are my own.


Linking up with Mummy Monday, Modest Monday, On Mondays We Link Up, Start The Week Stylish.



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