Away From Blue | Aussie Mum Style, Away From The Blue Jeans Rut

A new 30 ways to wear post, as well as a review of what I bought last year and my fashion budget for 2019!

I love handbags, and I have a lot of them! But I frequently sell some to have funds towards something else I want more. This Chloe Marcie hobo bag was a bag I loved, but rationalised I didn't wear as much as my Balenciaga day hobo bag, so I decided to let it go. I did hit 30 wears before I sold it, so I've dug through the blog archives for some older photos of my wearing it. I wonder if I'll cringe as much looking back at outfit pics now in a few years as much as I am looking back on these pics now? 😂

30 Ways To Wear: Chloe Marcie Hobo Bag In Nut

30 ways to wear the medium Chloe Marcie Hobo Bag in nut brown | awayfromtheblue 30wears challenge

Like many of my bags that I've now sold, I find this tricky to calculate cost per wear on! I bought it at a Reebonz offline sale, after wanting it for a while. I got a really good deal on it, so much so that I managed to sell it for almost what I paid for it. So you could calculate cost per wear based on the price I paid, or take that price minus the amount I got when I sold it and calculate it on around the $100 difference. I'm never sure what to do in these cases.

Inability to calculate cost per wear aside, I'm happy with the use I got from this bag. It held up really well, still looking like new when it eventually left my wardrobe, and I was pleased to look back at these old pics and see that I had hit 30 wears with it. I do sometimes regret selling it, but I know it wouldn't have gotten much more wear if it stayed in my wardrobe longer!

Chloe Marcie Hobo Bag In Summer

Chloe Marcie bag with summer outfits 5 ideas | awayfromblue

The handle drop on this bag is quite large, especially as the leather of the bag sags down a bit when the bag is full. It makes it an easy bag to throw over your shoulder in summer as it doesn't feel too tight or irritating to wear. The neutral colour works with all kinds of summer brights too!

Chloe Marcie Hobo Bag With Winter Layers

5 ways to wear Chloe Marcie hobo bag in winter layers | awayfromtheblue

Being a neutral brown, this 'nut' shade is perfect for adding to winter outfits. I've picked similarly coloured scarves to wear with the bag in each of these layered outfits, but you can see it would work well without any matching as it looks great with black winter layers!

Chloe Marcie Hobo In The Office

hobo bag in the office worn 6 ways: Chloe marcie in nut | awayfromblue

Printed dresses or pencil skirts, I found this Chloe Marcie bag worked so well for the office. Again making the most of the neutral shade I could wear it with brightly coloured or printed pieces, or just let it compliment a neutral outfit. It's a rather structured hobo shape so doesn't feel too casual for work.

Chloe Marcie Hobo Bag With Jeans

5 ways to wear a chloe marcie shoulder bag with jeans | away from blue blog

As you can see in these photos, before I gave up my blue jeans I used to wear them a lot! The Chloe Marcie bag just works so well with denim, it's an easy choice when wearing jeans. I wore it a lot with skirts and dresses as you've seen in the earlier photos, but it was still a go-to with jeans too. Really versatile bag.

Chloe Marcie Hobo With Printed Outfits

Chloe neutral brown hobo handbag worn with prints 5 ways | away from the blue

Because this 'nut' shade is a nice neutral colour, it made the bag my default neutral piece to wear with prints. Something like a printed dress, or just a little print like a skirt or top, the hobo bag works nicely with all different prints and colours.

Chloe Marcie Hobo Bag In Pregnancy

Despite only having this bag during my pregnancy with my eldest boy, it was worn enough times for me to be able to include it as a category here in my wrap up. You know I love looking back at my bump pics when doing these posts! I wore the bag a few times in the second and third trimester as you can see. It isn't a heavy bag so was nice to wear during pregnancy, the braided strap is really comfortable on the shoulder.

What's In My Bag: Chloe Marcie Medium Hobo Bag In Nut

Where To Buy:

This hobo style of Marcie has been discontinued, but there are still some places you can buy second hand! All the bags above come with authenticity guarantees even though they are preloved.

2018 Spend And Goals For 2019

My last shopping haul for the year!

My Total Spend in 2018

I totalled it up, I bought 30 fashion items (clothing and accessories) in 2018. In 2017 I spent $1,696.53, my goal in 2018 was to spend less than that. I achieved that as I spent $1,014.44 if you include gift cards, which works out to $84.54 a month. If you don't include gift card spend, I only spent $664.44. I'm really pleased with the figures and that I met my goal!

How Do I Do It?

I'm a fashion blogger with a love for expensive things (handbags 😂) without a big budget and slight shopaholic tendencies! I did a 6 months without shopping in 2017 which I ended up stretching out to 7 months, and really made me evaluate what I was buying and why.

I also continued to work on this 30 wears challenge! Every month I have to find something in my wardrobe I've worn 30 times or more to make these posts. This makes me focus more on ways I can rewear things I already own and makes me less likely to turn to a store for inspiration when looking or something to wear. Looking through my blog archives for ways I've worn things before often gives me ideas of things to try from past outfits!

My Goals For 2019

Same as last year, my goal for this year will be to spend less than I did last year. To make things easy on myself, I'll include the gift card spend. So 2019 will be the year of spending less (again), rewearing more, and hoping I don't go over my $1,014.44 budget! Wish me luck!

Linking up with Style Sessions, Lizzie In Lace, Fancy Friday, Sunday Reflections, Weekday Wear, On Mondays We Link Up.

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I couldn't resist snapping up this little purple mini MAB tote bag in a Shopbop sale 3 years ago. It's been a great addition to my wardrobe over the years, and today I'm celebrating it by making it the star of this month's 30 ways to wear post. Each month I take something from my wardrobe I've worn 30 times or more and make a roundup post showing the different ways you can wear it.

30 Ways To Wear: Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAB Tote Bag In Plum

30 Ways To Wear The Rebecca Minkoff MIni MAB Tote Bag in Plum Purple: Styling Ideas | awayfromblue

Cost Per Wear

This bag was on sale for $146.25, although I don't recall if it was AUD or USD and the receipt doesn't tell me. Given that it's been worn over 50 times since then, it's getting good cost per wear! $2.71 per wear so far, and that will go down the longer I use the bag. It still looks new! It has a lot more wears to go to get the magic '$1 per wear' people aim for, but I know I will hit that with it eventually. I'm pleased with the cost per wear so far.

30 Ways To Wear A Mini MAB Tote: Video Style

Purple Bag As A Pop Of Colour

how to wear a purple bag with a neutral outfit as a pop of colour | awayfromblue

The easiest way to wear a purple bag - or any colourful bag! - is to keep your outfit neutral and let the bag be the pop of colour. This plum purple mini MAB tote works so well with black and grey outfits. You can continue on the colourful theme with a necklace like I have in the first outfit, or just keep things simple and let the bag be the only bit of colour like I have in the other outfits.

Purple Bag To Accessorise A Pink Outfit

pink outfit ideas with a purple mini mab tote bag | away from blue

Pink and purple is a colour combination I love to wear together! You'll see it pop up in the other categories too. This purple bag works so nicely when wearing something pink in your outfit. From head to toe pink in a maxi dress, berry pink tops, or a subtle pink printed cami, this purple bag is a wonderful accessory.

Blue Clothes and Purple Bag

ways to wear a purple mini mab tote bag with a blue outfit | awayfromblue

Blue and purple is another go-to colour combination for me, especially as I wear so much blue! Just like with the pink outfits above, this purple bag matches with head-to-toe blue in a maxi dress, or more subtle blues like a navy tee or a chambray maxi skirt.

Matching A Purple Bag to Purple Pieces In Your Outfit

matchy matchy purple outfits with plum rebecca minkoff mini mab tote bag | awayfromtheblue

I will always love a big of matchy-matchy! Even if the shades are slightly different, I think this purple bag looks great worn with other purple pieces in an outfit to tie it all together. You could have a little touch of purple through a tee or tank, or a bolder mix with purple jeans or a purple cardigan - and matching purple accessories! If you love a colour it makes sense to wear a lot of it in one outfit!

Plain Purple Mini MAB Tote Bag With Prints

purple mini mab tote bag with printed outfits | away from the blue

This cute little boxy tote is so simple to pair with a printed outfit. The plain, block colour means you don't have to worry about patterns clashing. You can do a bit of print mixing like I have in the first outfit, or you can keep things simple and stick to one pattern piece.

Purple Mini MAB Tote Bag In Winter

rebecca minkoff purple mini mab tote bag and winter layers | away from the blue

If you are trying to make the most of your wardrobe year round like I am, you'll find that bags can be worn in any season! This plum purple bag was purchased in the Australian spring of 2015, which means it was an American autumn / winter bag. I've found the colour so easy to wear year round! From simple summer shorts outfits to these layered winter ones, it really works in any season! One thing to note though is that the bag doesn't completely seal up, o maybe not a good idea on a snowy or wet day!

Purple Mini MAB Tote Bag In Pregnancy

4 pregnancy outfit ideas with Rebecca Minkoff purple mini MAB tote bag | awayfromblue

I do love closing out these 30 ways to wear posts with pregnancy photos, it's so nice looking back on the baby bump! And it proves a very important point I bring up when buying bags - they are always going to fit and look good no matter what! This cute little purple MAB tote is the perfect example - it's holding its structured shape well and it's seen me through 3 years of wear with many more wears left in it!