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

Managed to stick to second hand September with my purchases this month. After thrifting a few accessories in August I ended up buying a couple of clothing items from my frequent trips to the opshop for books for the kids and I.

What I bought:

thrifted Kmart black and white boho print maxi skirt
thrifted purple and red Paisley print duster

How I wore it:

Both the black and white printed maxi skirt and the purple and red Paisley print cover up were lucky opshop finds, and I've worn them a few times this month already, along with a few other preloved pieces I have in my wardrobe.

The Paisley print cover up is so fun and for only $1 I just had to have it. I really like the colours in the print and with the spring weather being here in Brisbane it's been perfect for the temperatures, so I've already worn it three times.

The black and white printed maxi skirt was another $1 item, from my favourite opshop. I only managed to wear it twice this month but I know it will be a staple in my wardrobe like my other maxi skirts. It's so good with sandals for spring.

I wasn't intending to buy anything this month, but always have a browse of the other items whenever I visit an opshop, and I'm pleased with these additions to my wardrobe that resulted. And despite being firmly casual pieces, I was still able to hit my "wear twice in the month I buy it" goal with both, even with my increase of days working in the office and decrease in work from home days.

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In the first days of spring in Brisbane, I'm looking back to some colder weather outfits with one of my winter knits. Sharing 30 ways I've worn this beautiful bright cobalt knit I thrifted, over the years it's been in my wardrobe. It's the first jumper I've hit 30 wears on too!

30 Ways To Wear: Thin Cobalt Marl Knit Jumper

30 ways to wear cobalt marl knit jumper awayfromtheblue

Cost Per Wear

I purchased this bright cobalt marl knit at the opshop back in April 2015! At the time, I'd had a wardrobe detox session with a personal stylist after having my eldest boy and she pointed out my wardrobe could use some more basic block colour pieces. This fit the bill nicely and it was just $7 at Vinnies! At 30 wears so far, that's 23 cents a wear. And because it was a preloved thrift find, I'm sure it was worn more by the previous purchaser as well, lowering the environmental impact even further.

Valleygirl is a fast fashion brand in Australia, and not a store I shop at. But this knit has gone the distance over the years and is such a good opshop find. I've only worn it 30 times in the 9 years I've had it because the weather in Brisbane means I don't often need a cosy winter knit! I do enjoy wearing it when the weather cools though.

Knit Jumper Knotted Over a Dress

layering a cobalt marl knit over dresses 4 ways to wear awayfromtheblue

This is quite a thin and stretchy knit (it's synthetic) so it knots up beautifully to be worn over a printed dress. It adds a little more warmth to allow me to wear summer spaghetti strap dresses like these four on cooler days. I really like the way this jumper looks knotted over a dress.

Cobalt Knit With Skirts

5 ways to wear cobalt marl knit jumper and skirts awayfromtheblue

This marl knit is so versatile! While I've worn it over dresses in the first set of photos I also really like it worn with skirts for a similar look. It works just as well with a pencil skirt in an office outfit as it does with a maxi skirt for casual weekend or working from home wear.

Cobalt Jumper With Red

cobalt marl knit with red outfit ideas awayfromblue

This jumper being a block colour works so well with other pieces and colours in my wardrobe. I've worn this jumper with a lot of different colours and shades. Red and blue is always a bright and colourful combination, and any shades work well. Like the deeper burgundy jeans in the middle, or the brighter red skirt and jeans in the first and last outfits.

Cobalt Knit Jumper With Green

green and cobalt marl knit jumper outfit ideas awayfromblue

"Blue and green should never be seen" is not a rule I follow! I like this bright cobalt with different shades of green, just as it works with different shades of red in the outfits above. Although I don't find green as easy to wear as some other colours in my wardrobe, pairing it with blue is always a winning combination for me.

Cobalt Knit With Pink

Blue and pink, again, as seen above with the other colours, is something that works in any shade combination! From pastel pink to brighter neon pinks, and even a darker magenta like that little Rebecca Minkoff Edie bag in the third outfit there. I really like the combination of blue and pink. No matter how much or how little pink is worn with this knit, it's always a good pairing.

Cobalt Knit Jumper With Purple

purple pink and cobalt blue knit jumper outfit ideas | awayfromtheblue

Blue and purple is another frequent go-to combination for me. And while sometimes I just stick with the two colours together like I have in that third outfit there, I often add in a little extra and make one of my most worn trios with blue, purple and a touch of pink. Cobalt never looks out of place with purple or pink.

Blue Knit and Black

3 ways to wear black and cobalt marl knit jumper outfits | awayfromblue

Of course if you're not sure what to pair a bright knitted jumper with, any colour works with black! This cobalt knit really pops when worn with neutrals like black, and the bold block colour means it looks good with printed black pieces, like each of the three printed bottoms in these outfits.

Cobalt Marl Knit With Stripes

4 ways to wear cobalt knit jumper with stripes | awayfromtheblue

While I've shown you a few ways to wear this jumper with prints in the other images, I really wanted to call this out as a separate combination with this knit jumper and stripes. With the marl knit having an almost striped appearance I worried at first pairing it with more stripes would be too much, but as you can see from each of these 4 outfits, it really works!