I managed to wear an incredible 32 different dresses in October in order to raise funds for Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, even with the developing baby bump meaning I outgrew a few dresses in my wardrobe.
I wanted to do #31Days31DifferentDresses to fundraise for research into ovarian cancer. One woman dies every 10 hours from ovarian cancer. There is no early detection test, so people are often diagnosed when it is too late and the cancer has spread. More research could develop an early detection test, change those statistics and will make a difference.
While my challenge is wrapped up and done and I'll probably be staying away from the dresses for a while and enjoying the rest of my wardrobe, I'll still be posting some more outfits from the month on the blog into November. I couldn't let Frocktober end without a final wrap-up and call for donations though!
In the second week of the challenge, I was beginning to feel a little frustrated with having nothing but dresses to wear, and a little concerned with how many dresses I was having to set aside as I'd outgrown them. I began to organise my little capsule wardrobe a bit better to make sure I'd have enough to wear for the month, which lead to me wearing some dresses I wasn't feeling comfortable or confident in, just because I wasn't sure I'd fit into them in a few days.
By the third week I was outgrowing even more dresses and was glad I had so many roomy maxi dresses in my wardrobe! I was also very kindly given two beautiful new maxi dresses from Jeanswest which gave me some more options.
The final stretch of the challenge! I'd saved a few favourite dresses for near the end, knowing I'd be feeling a bit large with the growing baby belly, and a little fed up by the lack of choice each day. Despite this, I even managed to wear an extra dress when I got changed for an evening out.
There was just one dress that I still fit into that hadn't been worn in my wardrobe, not counting the maternity dresses I hadn't pulled out yet and the dresses I had to quickly set aside as they didn't fit a second trimester baby bump. So yes, I do have a lot of dresses!
Thank you again to everyone who donated - through my fundraising page or other means. Your advice, outfit ideas and inspiration, kind comments, and of course donations encouraged me to keep going with the challenge.
The sale ends on 20th August so you have to be quick! A handbag sale is a perfect way to start a post about a handbag.
I've been using my Marc by Marc Jacobs Eliz-A-Baby bag every day for over 14 months now, so felt it was due a review post. I thought I'd do what I used to do in the early days of my blog and share some more videos from my youtube channel.
When we started shopping for baby things, we checked out baby bags in every baby store, but hubby and I weren't too impressed with the options. They looked too small, too girly or both. We had always joked that I'd get a designer baby bag, so after a few weeks of unsuccessful baby bag hunting in person, I went to Shopbop! They have a great selection of baby bags.
I read every review and did further research on ones that looked promising. A big part of that research was looking for youtube handbag videos, which is often my first stop before buying any bag. I like to know it can hold everything I need before I buy.
As I like to know what fits inside a handbag, I did a 'what's inside my bag for a newborn' video after using it for a few months to help others considering the purchase.
Now that baby T is a toddler, what I carry around every day has changed. I also bought some cute travel pouches that I use to organise the bag a little bit more, so everything has place and it is easier to find. I recently did an updated video showing what is inside the baby bag right now.
Overall, I love the Marc By Marc Jacobs Eliza-A-Baby bag I bought last year. I'd highly recommend it. After constant use, you'd expect a few irritations to develop. In saying that, the only problem I have with this bag is that it holds so much, it's easy to over stuff it and make it too heavy to carry when you're holding a toddler too. Of course it's a positive as well as it means I can throw my things in there on days I don't want to carry my own bag!
Pros and Cons of the Eliz-A-Baby bag:
Positives:
It's HUGE and holds a lot (I chose the 'pretty' version of the bag over the 'preppy' version because it had the softer sides and looked easier to keep adding things to)
There are different ways to wear it (handles and a cross-body strap) so it's easy to wear while holding a toddler
It's easy to clean
The handles haven't stretched out with use
The bag is so light, being made of nylon
The material has held up really well with no scuffs or scratches
Negatives:
It's easy to just keep adding things to the bag and make it too heavy to carry effortlessly.
If you don't buy it on sale, it can be a lot more expensive than other bags on the market.
This post was created in partnership with Shopbop. Occasionally, Away From The Blue blog may receive vendor or brand sponsorships for mentioning their products or services. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own.
Thought I'd break with the standard outfit posts template to share my March wardrobe update. I made some purchases this month, and I got rid of a lot of things from my wardrobe. I even listed some on ebay! Also had my first session with a personal stylist, so I wanted to share what that was like with you all.
Not bad considering the last time I bought clothes for myself was in December! You can tell I had a few Jeanswest gift cards to spend ;)
March was the month I returned to the office after maternity leave. As I did so, I got all of my old office clothes out of the 'for after baby' box they had been hiding in and - honestly - started to get quite frustrated that I didn't really have any space for those things in my wardrobe. The slow and steady wardrobe clear-out process got a bit more focused and ruthless over the month. There are so many considerations and emotions around going back to work, and tackling my wardrobe at such a time was probably not the best idea in hindsight. I was just getting more frustrated trying to turn my wardrobe into something that would work for my new lifestyle. So I called in the professionals! One of my instagram friends (@sophisticatedmumma) recommended a personal stylist who lived near me (@istyl). I've been thinking about having someone help me with my wardrobe for a while, and facing a big lifestyle change with returning to work after maternity leave seemed like an ideal time to get an expert!
If you are thinking about getting a personal stylist to come help you with your wardrobe, do it! If you're wondering, I always disclose my sponsored posts. This is not one of them. This is all my own words and I paid for the services with my own money. I didn't even mention that I was going to blog about it. The wardrobe detox was not as stressful as I expected, and was actually really fun. It helped that baby T and Cooper were on their best behaviour and that Maudie was happy working around baby and his needs through the day. She was a superstar.
What I learnt from my wardrobe detox:
Babies never nap as long as you expect them too!
You will be trying on lots of clothes so you want to dress appropriately (maybe matching undies) or set up a little hidden spot to change if you're feeling modest. Dancing around the room half naked asking for a little help struggling to pull off a pair of stubborn skinny jeans / needing to fix a zipper caught halfway up a dress might happen more than once.
There are certain colours you can wear that can make you look incredible, and some that wash you out.
If your wardrobe is full of colours that don't make you look your best, there are a few tricks you can employ to get around this. It isn't about buying a whole new wardrobe, but learning how to make what you have work for you.
You'll never really comprehend how much stuff is in your wardrobe until you start going through it all.
It is extremely frustrating realising just how many 'perfect for nursing' tops you had hidden in your wardrobe, after you've stopped breastfeeding.
You will come up with the craziest justifications to explain oddities in your wardrobe. (Like why each and every one of your 14 grey tees is a complete essential and different from all the rest.) Thanks for humouring me Maudie!
A wardrobe detox is very emotional. Saying goodbye to old pieces, and re-discovering old favourites. You might feel compelled to tell stories of when, where, and why you bought things. It's a trip down memory lane.
Even you will be surprised with how stubborn you can be on keeping some pieces....and how happy you will be to toss others.
If there are things you just have to have despite the expert opinion saying it doesn't work for you, you can get ideas of different ways to style the items to make them work a little better.
Even an overflowing wardrobe can have 'gaps' in it. It is really helpful to know what things you should look for next time you are shopping, and what you should avoid buying more of. (Like jeans!)
Sorting things into piles of 'keep', 'tailor' and 'toss' is so much easier with an impartial third party helping.
It's never about you. You look amazing. Your clothes might not be working to show off your best self. And that can be easily fixed.
Hearing sincere and flattering compliments is always a good boost, especially after having a baby.
Some things you might be considering getting rid of can stay and become stand out pieces in your wardrobe very quickly when you know how to wear them.
Finding out why things make you look and feel good will help guide your shopping for the better.
A few hours, a bin bag full of cast-offs and a little bit of wardrobe reorganisation can make such a positive difference.
If you're in Brisbane or the Sunshine Coast I'd recommend Maudie as an awesome personal stylist. If a wardrobe detox isn't in your budget, try inviting a friend over and getting an honest opinion on some of the things you own. It's so helpful getting another view. I know some bloggers have check lists or flowcharts or things to help you do your own wardrobe detox too. Please feel free to link up any great advice you have or have come across in the comments.
As a result of my little spring-cleaning before my wardrobe session and a very productive couple of hours during it...there are a bunch of things that have left my wardrobe this month. I've included pictures of just some of them below, as they didn't all have a 'last wear' outside. You can find a few things on ebay. I'll be listing more as I find the time, and the rest will be donated to the Animal Welfare League shelter to end up in their op-shops.
