Lilac, Blush and Blue Outfits With Navy Stripes And Darren Bag

Sharing two outfits I wore for the last week of the summer school holidays back at the start of February, with similar colour schemes but two very different resulting looks. Both have navy stripes, lilac and blue with my blush pink Rebecca Minkoff Darren messenger bag.

What I wore:

Necklace: rose gold and turquoise beaded necklace
Tee: Spectrum basic v-neck tee in washed lilac
Shorts: Jeanswest Valerie yarn dye stripe short in navy and white
Shoes: thrifted Adidas Superstar sneakers
Bracelets: the usual
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff small Darren messenger bag in peony with Oroton scarf (more affordable preowned!)

Why I wore it:

This was such a hot and humid day, and while I did try take the kids out to the playground early I knew the summer heat would be fierce so I thought shorts and a tee was the simplest outfit for the temps. I really liked this outfit. I wore these navy stripe culotte shorts a lot last summer but they were a bit neglected this summer - this outfit reminded me of why I love them. They go with so much!

I decided to tuck in the lilac v-neck tee to show off the cute paper bag waist and bow belt on these shorts, although as hard as I tried that morning I just couldn't get a cute bow, haha! It kept coming undone through the day. The striped Adidas Superstar sneakers were an obvious choice with the striped culotte shorts, and I added the turquoise and gold necklace for another little extra touch of blue.

I'd added an Oroton scarf I thrifted to the handle of my Rebecca Minkoff Darren bag for something a bit different with it! Thought the bright blue was nice with the blush pink of the bag.


Last worn: lilac tee, turquoise and gold necklace, navy striped culottes, Adidas Superstar sneakers, Rebecca Minkoff small Darren bag.

Other ways to wear: lilac tee and maxi skirt, navy striped culottes and blue tee, Adidas Superstar sneakers and denim skirt, Rebecca Minkoff small Darren bag and midi dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: lilac tee in second trimester.

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Rebecca Minkoff Darren Review And What's In My Bag:

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What I wore:

Necklace: thrifted purple wooden bead statement necklace
Tee: Jeanswest Shelley garment dye tee in faded denim blue
Skirt: Target navy side split maxi skirt
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in white
Bracelets: the usual
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff small Darren messenger bag in peony with Oroton scarf (more affordable preowned!)

Why I wore it:

This was a few days after I wore the shorts outfit above, after we had some storms come in and cool things off a bit which was very welcome! I was worried things might still be a little wet so we avoided the playground this time and I took the kids to a bike track. My son fell off his bike and landed in a big dirty puddle which wasn't ideal though! Thankfully no damage to him or the bike, just a few muddy clothes.

I went with this navy striped maxi skirt in case the day was colder than I expected but it warmed up quite nicely. This skirt was the perfect layer to cover up with. I like doing monochromatic outfits with it and I hadn't worn this particular blue tee with it before so it seemed like a good choice for the skirt's 33rd wear! I shared 30 ways to wear a navy striped maxi skirt with this skirt recently, it's such a staple in my wardrobe. 

With all the blue I felt I needed to introduce a little more colour in my accessories as well. This lilac statement necklace was an awesome thrift find and was so perfect with this tee! Just like with the first outfit, I like pink and purple and blue together, so the blush pink Rebecca Minkoff Darren bag was another good accessory choice. We headed to the library and to pick up some groceries after the bike track so I had the big reusable Woolies tote bag with us for snacks and water bottles.

As you can see the scarf was starting to unravel on my bag here! I ended up taking it off at the end of the day, it didn't seem to stick on all that well. I think I'll need to watch a how-to video next time I attempt this.

Last worn: blue tee, lilac necklace, navy stripe maxi skirt, white Converse, Rebecca Minkoff peony pink Darren bag (above).

Other ways to wear: blue tee and red skirt, navy stripe maxi skirt worn 30 ways, white Converse and pink dress, Rebecca Minkoff peony pink Darren bag and double denim.

Perfect for pregnancy: Converse in second trimester.

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How You Can Wear It:

Navy is a great neutral that goes with so many other colours! I like pairing it with pastel shades of pink and purple. As you can see here blush pink and lilac look really good with both these navy striped pieces.

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Note: South East Queensland (and parts of NSW) were inundated with water over the weekend. Some areas got 80% of their annual rainfall in 2-3 days. If you can, please consider donating to the flood relief effort. https://www.redcross.org.au/floodsappeal/

We avoided flood impacts and were just flooded in. 

Currently flooded in but thankful to be safe and dry still 💙#brisbane #qldfloods pic.twitter.com/83emVuHnDa

— Mica (@AwayFromTheBlue) February 26, 2022

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What I Bought In February: Opshop Haul

I managed to get a lot more opshopping done in February than I usually would! The start of the school year was delayed by 2 weeks in Queensland because of high Covid cases so instead of coming back from the summer holidays in January the kids started school in February. It meant I ended up with a few kid free days while all the opshops around were open after their summer breaks. Perfect opportunity for some good, lengthy opshop browsing!

Unfortunately there was a bit of a laundry incident with my first opshopping day haul - a scarf I'd thrifted leaked colour onto everything in the wash. So I did buy a few things more than I'm sharing here. As they got damaged when the colour ran and I couldn't restore them despite trying two different colour run removers, I added them to my bag for the H&M fabric recycling project instead. I'm not including them in my fashion budget for the year as they didn't get worn, and are no longer wearable pieces after my laundry disaster!

Here's what I did buy in February and didn't destroy!

• thrifted no brand navy grid print scarf $6
• thrifted Eb&Ive black wooden bead multi strand statement necklace $5
• thrifted Ghanda midi slink skirt in green mini blossom $1
• thrifted Kmart pastel soft culotte shorts in floral print $1

A pretty modest haul given all of the opshops I visited over a few days, but while I saw a lot of pretty things I am trying to focus just on buying pieces that I can wear a lot of different ways and that will work in my wardrobe. Even if the preloved prices are so attractive! While the clothing pieces were just $1 each, the accessories were more expensive and the scarf and necklace account for more than half of the $13 I spent.

How I've Worn It:

I have a rule I set myself after doing a wardrobe clear out pre-kids and realising I had so many unworn, still with tags on pieces in my wardrobe. Everything I buy I have to wear twice in the month I buy it. The obvious piece that didn't meet this rule is the scarf - being a winter piece, I'm not going to be able to wear it in summer. I'm giving myself a pass there as I wear a lot of blue scarves and I know I will be reaching for this more when the weather cools. I still think it was a good buy even if I haven't been able to wear it yet. And thankfully this blue scarf didn't cause the colour run!

I'm pleased I manage to hit my wear twice goals with all the other things I bought though - although February was a short month it was easy to work these pieces into my current wardrobe. The shorts and necklace were sure winners, as I already have the same pieces in other colours in my wardrobe already! The midi skirt was a bit of a departure from my usual styles and I admit I struggled a little with finding ways to wear it and didn't love both outfits, but it's good to try different things and I'm hoping I can continue to get a lot of wear from it.

How I'm Tracking With My Budget:

As I didn't make any fashion purchases in January, not even in the January sales, I've only spent $13 this year so far, on the haul above. A good start to the year, especially as I don't see myself having a lot of opportunities for shopping in the near future, as I've started back at work 5 days a week for the first time in years! After I returned to work from maternity leave with my eldest I went part time and I've been part time ever since, until this year.

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Note: 

I missed the opportunity to add to the post that went up on Monday as it was pre-scheduled - but I'm adding to this post now. South East Queensland (and parts of NSW) were inundated with water over the weekend. Some areas got 80% of their annual rainfall in 2-3 days. If you can, please consider donating to the flood relief effort. https://www.redcross.org.au/floodsappeal/

We avoided flood impacts but we were flooded in. We are luckier than many of our neighbours, their homes went under, just 200 meters away from us.

Currently flooded in but thankful to be safe and dry still 💙#brisbane #qldfloods pic.twitter.com/83emVuHnDa

— Mica (@AwayFromTheBlue) February 26, 2022

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