Cotton On "The One" Tees and Soft Shorts With Rebecca Minkoff MAB Camera Bag

Last Christmas my mum got me a pink "The One" tee from Cotton On. Since then I've added quite a few more to my wardrobe! I love the range of colours, the fact that they are often on sale, soft, made with 20% recycled cotton and wash and wear well. With working from home and no longer needing to go into an office I'm embracing tees almost every day so these have been good purchases for me! I picked up these two clay coloured ones in the Cotton On sale for boxing day, reduced to $7.99 each. Plus I had a $10 rewards voucher so I ended up getting both together for just $5.98! Bargain! With the summer heat, I wore them for the first time with some cute soft pull-on shorts.

What I wore:

Necklace: Roie Designs feather, quartz and love charm long necklace
Tee: Cotton On The One fitted v tee in washed red clay
Shorts: Jeanswest Parker printed shirred short
Shoes: thrifted Adidas Superstar sneakers
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff MAB Camera Bag in almond

Why I wore it:

Wore this for a working from home day, a rather stressful first day back after 4 weeks of leave over Christmas and new years. I don't usually dress up for a work from home day, sticking with loungewear or pyjamas but I was also spending time with my mum and sister in the afternoon, since our 3 day lockdown was thankfully lifted at the end of the 3 days! Simple shorts and tee for a busy day full off meetings while trying to get my brain back into work gear and catch up on everything I missed while I was away.

I really like colour of this tee. "Washed red clay" is a good description and it went so nicely with the black printed shorts, another summer staple for me. I wasn't sure the almond colour of the Rebecca Minkoff MAB camera bag would work with this at first, but when I tried it I thought it was a good neutral with the reddish tee. I didn't need to carry much so it was a good bag choice!


Last worn: feather necklace, black printed shorts, Adidas Superstar, Rebecca Minkoff MAB Camera bag. First time I've worn the tee as it was a boxing day sale find.

Other ways to wear: black printed shorts in monochrome outfit, Adidas Superstar and maxi skirt, Rebecca Minkoff MAB Camera bag and floral dress.

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What's In My Rebecca Minkoff MAB Camera Bag:

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What I wore:

Necklace: Kmart gold and navy beaded necklace
Tee: Cotton On The one fitted v tee in eddy stripe white / red terracotta
Shorts: Jeanswest Tessa olive embroidered shorts
Shoes: New Balance Coast women's running shoe in black 
Bracelets: the usual plus Roie Designs waxed leather cream howlite beaded wrap bracelet
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff MAB Camera Bag in almond

Why I wore it:

I wore this outfit during Brisbane's 3 day lockdown, before the outfit above. While I was mostly at home, we were allowed to leave the house for exercise, so after watching the premier's morning update on restrictions and case numbers I took the chance to be the one to take the kids and Cooper out for a walk along a neighbourhood trail, and give hubby a bit of quiet at home. With the new mask guidelines I did have to wear a mask the entire time I was out the house, which was not the most comfortable thing on a walk on a humid day, but we weren't out long. We saw so many other masked dog walkers trying to get out before the day heated up too much too. Thankfully the boys understood the need to not pat all the dogs and try keep our distance. Cooper of course was too excited to see other dogs, but we have a pretty long leash to let them do their little doggy meet and greet 😂

With the terracotta stripes on this tee I wasn't sure if it would bee too Christmas-y with the olive shorts, but I think the stripes are small enough and on the terracotta side enough that it was a nice pairing together. I may repeat this around December though and make it more festive with more red! As I didn't need to carry much, just my phone and hand sanitiser with me on the walk, this little Rebecca Minkoff MAB camera bag was perfect, and everything was comfortable enough to wear when relaxing with the kids back at home too. Simple and comfortable for a very quiet Sunday at home.


Last worn: olive embroidered shorts, navy and gold beaded necklace, New Balance sneakers, Rebecca Minkoff MAB camera bag (above).

Other ways to wear: olive embroidered shorts and kimono, Rebecca Minkoff MAB camera bag and maxi dress.
 

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How You Can Wear It:

Shorts and tee is the most basic of wardrobe staples. For something a little different you can try adding a print, like I have with the printed shorts in the first outfit or the striped tee in the second outfit. So easy to do but changes up a staple outfit a little.

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Navy Printed Culotte Shorts and Tees: Weekday Wear Link Up

For today's Weekday Wear Link Up I'm sharing two very similar shorts and tee outfits, with v-neck tees and navy printed culotte shorts. And I'm wearing some of the new things I got for Christmas too!

What I wore:

Earrings: Piper gold and turquoise disc dangle earring
Necklace: Uniquely Made with Love Sea Change necklace
Tee: Jeanswest essential v-neck tee in azalea pink
Shorts: Kmart culotte short in navy lemon print
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star coast blue
Bag: Chloe periwinkle small Paraty

Why I wore it:

Wore this for the first day of the new year - we took the kids out for a bike ride along a local cycle path, and headed out to the shops afterwards to pickup some groceries and meet my parents who happened to be at the same shopping centre that day.

I dressed colourfully but comfortably for the heat, and I really wanted to wear a lot of new pieces I got for Christmas! The cute blue Converse All Star, turquoise and gold earrings, pink tee and small periwinkle Chloe Paraty bag were all Christmas gifts. They all work so well together in this outfit too! it's a lot of different shades of blue, especially with the navy printed culotte shorts and the blue beaded necklace, but I think that they all work well together. The Paraty bag matches the pastel blue in the print of the shorts so well too! The pink tee is a slightly different shade but I think it pairs nicely with the pastel pink on the printed culottes as well.

This was a really nice outfit to kick off the first day of the new year in, and it was good to enjoy some sunshine as it has been a bit cloudy and wet most days of the school holidays!


Last worn: blue beaded necklace, navy printed culottes, Chloe Paraty bag. First time I've worn the earrings, pink tee and Converse shoes as they are Christmas gifts.

Other ways to wear: navy printed culottes and cardigan, Chloe Paraty and maxi dress.

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Reveal: The Bag I Got For Christmas 

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What I wore:

Scarf: Kmart mustard hair scarf
Necklace: Tiffany diamonds by the yard necklace
Tee: Cotton On The One Deep V tee in marle nep white body black (new purchase)
Shorts: Jeanswest Valerie yarn dye stripe short in navy and white 
Shoes: thrifted Adidas Superstar sneakers
Bag: Chloe periwinkle small Paraty

Why I wore it:

Another simple shorts and tee outfit, again with navy printed culotte shorts, for a couple days after Christmas to take the kids out along a bike trail to test out the bikes they got for Christmas. These shorts were a present from my mum and I knew they would go so well with the tee I picked up at the outlets just before Christmas. The striped culottes are a linen blend, so super comfortable, and they have pockets! It's the first time I'm sharing them here on the blog but I have been wearing them on frequent repeat lately! I've really been embracing the soft shorts this winter, my denim ones haven't had a lot of wear.

The white stripes, white tee and white Adidas Superstar were a bit matchy-matchy, and the Chloe periwinkle small Paraty bag, although not the same shade as the navy shorts, complimented them nicely. The mustard hair scarf, also a Christmas present from my mum, was a nice way to add a little more colour and it helped disguise a bad hair day I was having, ha!

Last worn: diamond necklace, Adidas Superstar, Chloe Paraty bag (above). First time I've worn the scarf and shorts as they were Christmas gifts and first time I've worn the tee as it was a late December purchase.

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How You Can Wear It:

Shorts and a tee is a go-to summer outfit! For something a little different you can try introducing a print, like these navy printed culotte shorts. They are nice and breezy and perfect for humid summer days too!

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Weekday Wear Linkup #104

Welcome to the Weekday Wear linkup! A linkup for you to share your weekday outfits - whether that is office wear or stay at home mum wear - if you wore it on a weekday, you can link it up!

Guidelines:
1. Please link to a specific outfit post, not your blog homepage.
2. Link back to this post so others can find the link up.
3. Follow your host Away From The Blue on Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube.
4. Add up to two posts and be sure to visit and comment on as many other posts as possible to get some weekday outfit inspiration!
Optional: tweet the post you linked up with the hashtag #weekdayWearLinkUp so I can retweet!

Subscribe for The Weekday Wear Linkup reminder emails

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Bermuda Shorts And Kimonos With Balenciaga First Bag

Starting to share some outfits on the blog featuring some of the gorgeous new pieces I got for Christmas at last. With today's post I'm sharing a new silk kimono, as well as some new Bermuda shorts and a pretty silver necklace. Simple outfits for hot summer days.

What I wore:

Jacket: Local Women's Handicrafts gold and burgundy silk kimono
Necklace: thrifted pearl and heart charm long necklace
Tee: Jeanswest Emma woven trim tee in terracotta
Shorts: thrifted Emerson white Bermuda shorts
Shoes: thrifted Adidas Superstar sneakers
Bag: Balenciaga first bag in 2006 Blue India

Why I wore it:

This outfit came together so nicely! I wanted to try a bit of matchy-matchy with a red tee to compliment the burgundy in the mixed paisley print of the silk kimono I got from my mother in law. While I do have darker red and even burgundy tees, I thought this lighter red would work nicely, although it's a different shade, and I really liked the way this turned out! Added a pretty layered gold necklace to match the gold in the kimono print too. While I do have quite a kimono collection, this is the first silk one I've owned! It was nice for a humid day, running between activities with a post-surgery appointment for my son in the morning, a catch-up with a friend and belated exchange of Christmas presents in the afternoon, and then karate lessons after dinner. The Adidas superstar are so comfortable, and like the white Bermuda shorts are a lucky opshop find. Perfect for all the running around we did.

With all the matchy-matchy to the kimono I thought a bit of contrast would be fun too so I wore this pretty turquoise Balenciaga first bag.

Last worn: red tee, pearl and heart charm layered necklace, white Bermuda shorts, Adidas superstar, Balenciaga blue India first bag. First time I've worn the kimono as it was a recent gift.

Other ways to wear: red tee with jeans, white Bermuda shorts worn two ways, Adidas superstar and maxi skirt, Balenciaga blue India first bag with mustard.

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My Kimono Collection (And How I Wear Them):

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What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Eliza summer poncho in yellow floral
Necklace: Kmart silver long circle pendant necklace
Tank: Jeanswest 'Josie' striped back strap tank
Shorts: Jeanswest Heather Bermuda short in black
Shoes: Wittner 'Jasmarie' studded sandals
Bag: Balenciaga first bag in 2006 Blue India

Why I wore it:

These are officially called the "Heather Bermuda shorts" at Jeanswest but they look so cute (if a little shorter) with the hem rolled up so they are not quite Bermuda length on me! Perfect length for the day though. We headed out for a walk along our favourite trail in the morning, before it got too hot and humid. It did heat up so quickly though so we ended up spending over an hour in the library afterwards. I sat relaxing in the aircon and we picked out some new books for us all, while apparently almost an hour playing the computer in the kid's area "wasn't long enough" for my son 😂

I'm so glad we got to pick up a few new books at the library that day as a couple of days later they announced a 3 day lockdown for Brisbane. With the new books and still some not yet played with toys from Christmas we kept the boys busy at home until the lockdown was lifted at the end of the 3 days.

I've tried print mixing with this striped tank in the past, with mixed results. But I really liked this combination with the white and navy stripes and the bright yellow printed kimono. It was such a nice combination with the turquoise Balenciaga first bag too. I didn't want to over-accessorise with the heat and humidity so this silver circle necklace I got for Christmas was perfect, as were the studded sandals.



Last worn: yellow poncho kimono, white striped tank, studded sandals, Balenciaga first bag (above). First time I've worn the necklace and the Bermuda shorts as they were recent gifts.

Other ways to wear: yellow poncho kimono with olive shorts, white striped tank and maxi skirt, studded sandals and maxi dress, Balenciaga first bag with navy dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: white striped tank in second trimester, studded sandals in second trimester.

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How You Can Wear It:

Casual Bermuda shorts are great mum-essentials in the summer heat! Long enough to not have to worry while running around with the kids or attending appointments, in classic black or white they will be wardrobe staples. It's so easy to change it up each time you wear them too by adding a fun printed kimono on top - a nice bit of physical sun coverage when you're outdoors too!

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Weekday Wear Link Up Kmart Floral Maxi Dresses and Balenciaga Bags

As usual, mixing affordable clothes with more high end bags! Pairing these two pretty Kmart tiered maxi dresses with Balenciaga bags for a little bit of shopping.

What I wore:

Necklace: Uniquely Made with Love Sea Change necklace

Tee: Atmos & Here white essential v-neck tee
Dress: Kmart Tropicana sleeveless tiered maxi dress
Shoes: Rebecca Minkoff Georgina studded gladiator sandals in blush
Bracelets: the usual plus Roie Designs pearl, howlite and hematite beaded bracelets
Bag: Balenciaga RH classic city in 2010 sorbet 

Why I wore it:

This was a fun outfit, I don't know why I haven't tried this plain white tee over this coral printed maxi dress before! The tee is a little long on me so I just knotted it a bit to make it sit nicer over the dress. Added in the simple neutral gladiator sandals and a tactile blue statement necklace, this was an easy outfit to pull together. After trying a pink bag with this coral dress once before I have been trying a few more with it - and this is the first time I've worn the pink Balenciaga city bag with it. I think the pink worked with the coral of the dress.

Wore this for a little bit of shopping - although it was mid December we hadn't done the Kmart wishing tree yet for that year, and it's our annual tradition. We went there after swimming lessons to let the boys pick out a toy each to put under the wishing tree for those doing it tough at Christmas time. Had my parents over later in the afternoon and a yummy takeaway dinner that evening as we watched another festive movie. Such a good day.

Last worn: white tee, beaded necklace, Kmart floral print maxi dress, studded Gladiator sandals, Balenciaga sorbet pink city bag.

Other ways to wear: white tee and jeans, Kmart floral print maxi dress layered for winter, studded Gladiator sandals worn 30 ways, Balenciaga sorbet pink city bag worn 30 ways.

Perfect for pregnancy: Balenciaga sorbet pink city bag in second trimester.

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30 Ways To Wear: Balenciaga Pink Sorbet City Bag

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What I wore:

Earrings: Colette silver filigree leaf diamante statement earrings
Necklace: Tiffany diamonds by the yard necklace
Dress: Kmart tropical notch neck floral maxi dress
Shoes: Wittner 'Jasmarie' studded sandals
Bracelets: the usual plus Edenborough Evans 'Ivy' silver cuff
Bag: Balenciaga part time in black 2010 with SGH

Why I wore it:

Another annual shopping trip! Each year we have a girls' day out, visiting the outlets on the Gold Coast to enjoy some time together before Christmas and cross a few more presents off our list. This year it was a little harder to organise everyone's schedules and we didn't get a day together until the 22nd December, long after our Christmas present shopping was finished. We wanted to keep up the tradition though, so we headed down the coast to have a bit of a browse, lunch, and just spend time together.

I'd wanted to layer up this teal floral maxi dress with a red tee over the top to make it seem Christmas-y but struggled to find a red tee that worked with the neckline and by the time I found one that looked okay I was a bit hot and bothered and decided to leave it. I'm glad I didn't wear a tee on top, it was a really hot and humid day (the outlets are outdoors) and I would have melted with an extra layer! This dress looks good on its own too. Carried the Balenciaga bag for a little extra room, and added the silver leaf earrings and silver cuff to match the hardware on the bag.

Managed to pick up a cute little Christmas tree on sale, as well as a tee for myself for just $5. Even picked up some birthday presents for next year as I'd done all my Christmas shopping but there were some great deals on and I wasn't going to waste a shopping trip!

Last worn: silver leaf earrings, diamond necklace, silver cuff, teal floral maxi dress, studded sandals, Balenciaga black part time bag.

Other ways to wear: teal floral maxi dress for Christmas day, studded sandals and shorts, Balenciaga black part time bag worn 30 ways.

Perfect for pregnancy: studded sandals in second trimester, Balenciaga black part time bag in second trimester.

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How You Can Wear It:

Given a choice I'll always splurge a bit more on accessories as they can easily change up the look of an outfit. A failsafe instant summer outfit is a printed dress with a block colour bag, easy!

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Weekday Wear Linkup #103

Welcome to the Weekday Wear linkup! A linkup for you to share your weekday outfits - whether that is office wear or stay at home mum wear - if you wore it on a weekday, you can link it up!

Guidelines:
1. Please link to a specific outfit post, not your blog homepage.
2. Link back to this post so others can find the link up.
3. Follow your host Away From The Blue on Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube.
4. Add up to two posts and be sure to visit and comment on as many other posts as possible to get some weekday outfit inspiration!
Optional: tweet the post you linked up with the hashtag #weekdayWearLinkUp so I can retweet!

Subscribe for The Weekday Wear Linkup reminder emails

Email Address 

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Colourful V-Neck Tees, Striped Maxi Skirts and Louis Vuitton Neverfull

Two similar outfits for some very different days the week before Christmas! Colourful v-neck tees with striped maxi skirts, sneakers, statement necklaces and my Louis Vuitton damier azur Neverfull tote.

What I wore:

Necklace: Nibbly Bits Abacus teething necklace in pop
Tee: Spectrum basic v-neck tee in washed lilac
Skirt: thrifted SES Fashions vertical stripe maxi skirt
Shoes: thrifted Adidas Superstar sneakers
Bag: Louis Vuitton MM damier azur neverfull

Why I wore it:

This was not a fun and relaxing December day. Baby Boy had to go into hospital for more surgery, so I loaded up this big Louis Vuitton neverfull tote bag with things to keep him comfortable and entertained (as well as a big Woolies green bag with more essentials for a hospital stay) and we headed into the city.

I wore a similar outfit last time he had surgery, it was a little easier this time knowing a bit more of what to expect, and not having as long of a stay as we did back in December 4 years ago. I wore comfortable pieces, with this vertical striped maxi skirt not having been worn in a while and very easy to wash. The purple tee is one that's starting to show its age, although still wearable, so I knew it would be comfortable and I wouldn't be too distraught if it got blood on it that didn't wash off. Even the necklace is fully washable! Thankfully this time around the recovery was a bit easier and less messy. I think knowing what to expect and him being a little older really helped.

A massive thank you to all the staff at the Mater too, from the surgeon to the anaesthetist to all the nurses, they made our stay as nice as possible and being able to call with questions even on a December weekend once we were back home as he recovered more was much appreciated. And I don't take for granted the blessing of being able to be home for Christmas.

Last worn: purple tee, Nibbly Bits teething necklace, vertical stripe maxi skirt, Adidas Superstar, Louis Vuitton Neverfull.

Other ways to wear: purple tee and shorts, vertical stripe maxi skirt with mustard, Adidas Superstar and Bermuda shorts, Louis Vuitton Neverfull worn 30 ways.

Perfect for pregnancy: purple tee in second trimester, Louis Vuitton Neverfull at 38 weeks.

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30 Ways To Wear: Louis Vuitton Damier Azur Neverfull

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What I wore:

Necklace: thrifted blue statement beaded necklace
Tee: Jeanswest essential v-neck tee in marigold
Skirt: Target navy side split maxi skirt
Shoes: New Balance Coast women's running shoe in black 
Bag: Louis Vuitton MM damier azur neverfull

Why I wore it:

This was a happier day! I took the kids out around our favourite trail that morning, trying to beat the rain and the humidity, just to get them out of the house. After a very stormy and wet week they hadn't been able to play much in the back yard so scooting and biking around a short little trail was a nice break, and thankfully Baby Boy was well enough. Even if the humidity was crazy by the time we got out of the door and we did get a little wet in the car park when it started to rain as we left!

Afterwards we went to check out the Christmas window displays at a local shopping centre, as well as pick up a little treat for morning tea and then back home. Just a short time out as Baby Boy wasn't up to too much, but it was good to get out the house.

Surprisingly I hadn't worn this marigold tee with the navy striped maxi skirt before! I have worn a mustard tee with this skirt before and liked the combination, the orange looks good with it too. Kept it comfortable for the little walk with my New Balance sneakers and tried to dress the outfit up a little with this thrifted statement necklace. The Louis Vuitton Neverfull was probably not the best choice with the impending storm and rain, but it was easy to throw everything into like snacks and water bottles and we didn't get too wet.

Last worn: marigold tee, blue statement necklace, navy stripe maxi skirt, New Balance sneakers, Louis Vuitton damier azur neverfull (above).

Other ways to wear: marigold tee and printed jeans, navy stripe maxi skirt in monochrome outfit, Louis Vuitton damier azur neverfull and shorts.

Perfect for pregnancy: Louis Vuitton damier azur neverfull in second trimester.

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How You Can Wear It:

A striped maxi skirt is a great basic piece to have in your wardrobe and pairs so well with another staple basic, a colourful v-neck tee. It makes for an easy outfit for mum life, whatever the day has in store!

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White Printed Tees and Soft Shorts With Cross Body Bags: Weekday Wear Link Up

White printed tees and soft pull on shorts made easy summer outfits for the weeks before Christmas, as I wore these back in December.  Feeling the humidity shorts and a tee was the simplest choice!

What I wore:

Tee: Primark Edinburgh white graphic tee
Shorts: Kmart culotte short in navy lemon print
Shoes: slim navy and pink Havaianas
Bracelets: the usual plus Roie Designs pearl, howlite and hematite beaded bracelets
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Jean MAC bag in fig 

Why I wore it:

This was a bit of a mixed day! Spent the morning working from home but had to log off early in the afternoon to take my son to an emergency appointment. Sadly it was decided during the appointment that we had no choice other than to book him in for surgery the week before Christmas. He's had a December hospital stay before as a baby and thankfully this was a shorter stay than that, but still not the best news so close to Christmas.  Luckily he recovered well and we were able to do a lot of festive activities at home, and our plan was for a quieter December anyway this year.

I really liked this outfit despite the mixed bag of the day.  The graphic print tee is one I picked up in Primark on our Europe trip back in 2019 and I thought it would go well with the floral print shorts. I've worn it with prints before, it's a good tee for that as the graphic isn't too big.

The pink Rebecca Minkoff Jean MAC crossbody bag has been worn with these shorts before too, despite being a different shade of pink from the pastel in the print of the Kmart shorts I think they work well together.

Last worn: Edinburgh graphic tee, Kmart navy printed culottes, Havaianas, Rebecca Minkoff Jean MAC crossbody.

Other ways to wear: Edinburgh graphic tee and maxi skirt, Kmart navy printed culottes with mustard, Rebecca Minkoff Jean MAC crossbody and maxi dress.

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My Rebecca Minkoff Handbag Collection:

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What I wore:

Necklace: Kmart gold and navy beaded necklace
Tee: thrifted Kmart abstract blob print tee
Shorts: Jeanswest Tessa olive embroidered shorts
Shoes: Novo Tawny rose gold sandals
Bracelets: the usual
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff 2012 sky grey mini MAC bag

Why I wore it:

Wanted to try these olive shorts with a little bit of pink and the abstract blush shapes on this printed tee was the perfect small way to wear the combination. With the lighter blue shapes in the print too I decided to try matching that with the sky grey Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC crossbody bag. I didn't need to carry much as we just had the school run, a walk around our favourite trail and then a couple of quick errands to run, a really easy day. It was pretty hot and humid though - there was no-one else on the trail, wisely avoiding the heat, and I'd wished I'd brought my water bottle with me! My son had his of course.

Last worn: abstract print tee, gold and navy beaded necklace, olive embroidered shorts, rose gold sandals, Rebecca Minkoff sky blue mini MAC bag.

Other ways to wear: abstract print tee and denim, olive embroidered shorts and scarf, rose gold sandals and striped dress, Rebecca Minkoff sky blue mini MAC bag and pink jeans.

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How You Can Wear It:

Shorts and tee is a classic, failsafe, mum-friendly outfit for a hot summer day. You can mix it up a little by trying a printed tee, it's just as easy to wear. And you can match other pieces in your outfit to the colours in the print for simple accessory selection too, like I have done with the bags in these outfits.

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Weekday Wear Linkup #102

Welcome to the Weekday Wear linkup! A linkup for you to share your weekday outfits - whether that is office wear or stay at home mum wear - if you wore it on a weekday, you can link it up!

Guidelines:
1. Please link to a specific outfit post, not your blog homepage.
2. Link back to this post so others can find the link up.
3. Follow your host Away From The Blue on Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube.
4. Add up to two posts and be sure to visit and comment on as many other posts as possible to get some weekday outfit inspiration!
Optional: tweet the post you linked up with the hashtag #weekdayWearLinkUp so I can retweet!

Subscribe for The Weekday Wear Linkup reminder emails

Email Address 

Follow Away From the Blue on:
Bloglovin : Twitter : Instagram : Youtube : Facebook : LikeToKnow.It 

2020 Fashion Spend Wrap Up and Yearly Budget For 2021

Happy new year! Keeping with the spirit of 2020, my fashion spend for the year was unexpected! I was proud of how little I spent last in 2019 but also thought I wouldn't spend so little again. Then of course the pandemic happened and we learned 2020 was the year for surprises! Today I'm sharing what I bought last year, how I tracked against my budget, and what my spending goals are for 2021.

Here's What I Bought In 2020:

Bags:

• Rebecca Minkoff Micro Bedford zip satchel in twilight
• Rebecca Minkoff Leo envelope clutch in champagne gold
• Rebecca Minkoff Jean MAC cross body bag in fig

Other Accessories:

• Fashion Scarf Girl colourful print scarf in green
• Fashion Scarf Girl lush forest scarf
• thrifted blue statement beaded necklace
• thrifted gold and cream multi strand pearl necklace
• thrifted gold and marble statement necklace
• Thrifted Adidas Superstar sneakers

Tops:

• Jeanswest Vickie button back tank in enamel blue
• Jeanswest essential v-neck tee in elfin yellow
• Jeanswest Sophie navy v-neck tee 
• Cotton On "The One" fitted v tee in Cole stripe white moonlight
• Cotton On The One Deep V tee in marle nep white body black
• thrifted Kmart black and cream stripe tee
• Kmart short sleeve textured dolman top in marigold

Kimonos/Jackets:

• Jeanswest Melanie floral kimono
• Jeanswest Kensley tie dye summer poncho kimono
• thrifted black Emerson anorak
• thrifted digital print no label kimono
• thrifted Supre black sheer floral kimono

Dresses:

• Kmart short sleeve tiered jersey dress in amber
• Kmart short sleeve tiered jersey dress in Fuchsia
• thrifted Kmart white and navy long sleeve stripe tee dress

Bottoms:

• Jeanswest harper skinny pant in Russet
• thrifted navy viscose no label maxi skirt
• thrifted Tree of Life ochre maxi skirt

Most Worn: the Jeanswest Melanie floral kimono (last worn here) was worn 8 times in 2020, but I did buy it in the January sales right at the start of the year.

Least Worn: Cotton On The One Deep V tee in marle nep white body black has only been worn once, because I bought this right before Christmas so haven't had much opportunity to wear it yet.

Best Deal: The $3 Adidas Superstar sneakers, a lucky opshop find, are probably the biggest bargain of the year!

Fashion Spend For 2020 - Under Budget!

This was the lowest spend year since I've been tracking my fashion spending! I spent a total of $483.59 this year, on 27 fashion items. That works out to an average of $17.91 per item, or slightly more than buying a new item every two weeks. The $483.59 total includes a $134.99 gift card spend, so $328.60 without including the gift card spend.

In contrast I spent $633.18 in 2019, including gift card spend, on 43 items. Despite being sure I wouldn't spend less than that, I managed to this year! I'm pleased to see I spent less than intended this year as one good thing to come from 2020. I also bought fewer items as well that helped keep the cost down.

Even when I did 7 months with no fashion purchases back in 2017 I spent over $1,000 that year so I'm really pleased to have spent less than $500 this year.

One thing to note is that I didn't include the $88 New Balance sneakers in my spend for this year. I class them more as a medical choice than a fashion choice as if I didn't have my knee injury I wouldn't need or want to buy these, and from the Instagram poll most people agreed. I am still under budget even if you include these but just wanted to disclose why they weren't part of the total or in the list above.

How I Stuck To My Budget:

I think that reduced fashion spending isn't anything ground-breaking for most people this year. It hasn't been a year that has called for a lot of new outfits or necessitated buying new things. Hubby and I were luckily able to keep our jobs and work from home in 2020, although I know others weren't as lucky and restrictions and lifestyle changes are still in place in other countries and even in other parts of Australia. Here's how I spent less this year despite being lucky to still have an income:

• Staying home more and working from home means more pyjamas and loungewear (and I certainly didn't need to buy any more of those!) and less wearing of actual clothes, so while I have bought new things now and then it hasn't been the big hauls of the past. 
• There has been less window shopping as we have been shopping in person a lot less. I did notice an uptick in spending in the later half of the year when we were out of Iso and I started going to shops again though. 
• I've spent less time browsing opshops (thrifting) too which has resulted in less clothes for myself, due to a lot of my favourite stores permanently closing after Iso or changing opening hours so they are harder for me to get to. I've also gotten back into reading this year thanks to my neighbour starting up a virtual Iso book club so I focus on the book section instead of clothes or accessories when I do venture into an opshop.
• Most of my online ordering through the year was essentials, treats for the boys or Christmas presents and while I occasionally added an item or two to an order for myself I rarely did that. 
• When I did buy, I made the most of sales and rewards. When I was buying things for the kids if I got a rewards voucher I would sometimes use that towards something for myself. Cotton On is good for this where you get a $10 voucher after spending $100. It brought things like my $20 tee on sale for $13 down to just $3 after applying the $10 voucher. I also got quite a few rewards vouchers as bonuses from David Jones this year which made the already massively reduced Rebecca Minkoff bags I bought even more affordable. (For example, the Rebecca Minkoff Leo envelope clutch in champagne gold was on final sale, reduced from $140 to $34 and that was without rewards vouchers.)

All that combined lead to a year with less spending without a lot of conscious effort on my part, just a reduction in shopping opportunities, and less interest in shopping in general with so much going on in the world. I know from my previous 6 months without shopping challenge that browsing less and occupying my time with other things is the most effective way to help me shop less, as I don't suddenly see things I "need". I'm also willing to wait until the final reduction days of sales before I buy, as if things sell out it just wasn't meant to be!

Goals And Fashion Budget For 2021:

I'm not feeling confident about setting a goal for 2021 as we all know nothing is guaranteed! I'd like to have another under $1,000 fashion spend this year though. To help achieve this I'm going to continue browsing fashion stores less. While there have been no cases here for over 104 days in Queensland I am still preferring online shopping as we don't have a vaccine available in Australia yet. I have been visiting shops a little more regularly the past few months with life returning to normal, but nowhere near as much as I used to.

I'm mostly hoping that I can buy fewer clothes this year to help keep the spend down, focusing on achieving my 30 wears posts by rewearing more of what I already have until I achieve 30 wears with more things in my wardrobe. If I can buy less than the 27 items that I bought this year in 2021 I'll be really happy, this is my main goal.

I got some new clothes for Christmas that helps with my "buy less goal" too, I have lots of new outfits I want to wear heading into the new year without much January sale shopping. I have spent some Christmas money and gift cards in a couple of boxing day sales though, but nothing has arrived yet to know if it's a keeper to include in the budget.

Did you spend less on fashion in 2020 too? Have you set any fashion spend goals this year? 

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