Monday, 4 September 2017

#30Wears: Ways to Wear Rebecca Minkoff Yellow Micro Regan Bag in Harvest Gold

Another month, another #30wears post showing 30 different ways to wear something. This month I've picked a bag again, my Rebecca Minkoff micro Regan cross body bag.

Even after not shopping for 7 months, I'm finding it harder than I thought to hit 30 wears on my clothes. I think if I had a capsule wardrobe it would be easier, but I have a pretty large wardrobe and so I'm not frequently rewearing things as much as I think!


30 ways to wear Rebecca Minkoff Micro Regan Bag mustard yellow | AwayFromBlue



#30Wears: Rebecca Minkoff Micro Regan Cross Body Bag in Harvest Gold


I bought this cute little mustard yellow Rebecca Minkoff micro Regan bag back in October last year. Since I sold my yellow Rebecca Minkoff swing bag, I'd been looking for a replacement, and this was in the Shopbop sale. I like the rectangular shape of it, just a little roomier than my Rebecca Minkoff mini MACs and I love the extra tassel details.

The colour is harvest gold, which is a beautiful mustard yellow. It's from the fall/winter collection, and although October is spring here in Australia it didn't put me off of buying. I like colourful bags, no matter what season they are from I tend to wear them year round. You can see that in the photos below.


Micro Regan and Shorts and Kimonos


Proving my point above right away, this mustard yellow cross body bag works perfectly in summer. I wear the outfit formula of kimono and denim shorts a LOT in the warmer months, and this bag looks great with the denim. I love to wear it with the grey floral Somedays Lovin' kimono as you can see, as the kimono has a little yellow in the print. It does work nicely with my other kimonos too though. A plain, unpatterned bag is a good accessory with a busy printed outfit.

mustard yellow bag in summer denim shorts kimonos | Away From The Blue


Micro Regan and Maxi Dresses


The Rebecca Minkoff micro regan doesn't just look good with denim, I like to wear it with my maxi dresses too. It's a simple boxy shape so it's quick and easy to throw on. It's fun to use it for a pop of colour with a grey maxi dress, or try new colour combinations with yellow and coral and pink dresses.

Rebecca Minkoff micro Regan satchel with maxi dresses | Away From Blue Blog


Micro Regan and Maxi Skirts


I wear my maxi skirts a lot so it makes sense I'd wear my Rebecca Minkoff micro Regan bag with them often too. Just like with the maxi dresses above, I like adding extra colour to an already colourful outfit with combinations like orange and yellow and red, blue and yellow. A neutral maxi skirt outfit can be made more interesting with a little touch of colour from the bag too. It's not as in-your-face as a lighter yellow, the mustard colour makes it so wearable with many different things. And I've always liked yellow and grey together, so it's an easy accessory choice with a grey outfit.

Colourful maxi skirt outfits with mustard yellow micro Regan Bag | Away From The Blue

neutral maxi skirt outfits with mustard yellow micro Regan Bag | Away From The Blue


Mustard Yellow Bag and Monochrome Outfits


Blue and yellow is another colour combination I like - and you can see that beautifully in the monochrome outfits below. I like this set of photos as it shows how well the micro Regan bag works in multiple different outfits. While they are all monochrome outfits, it involves dresses, denim shorts and a maxi skirt. And it looks so good with all 4!

mustard yellow bag with monochrome outfits: 4 ways to wear | AwayFromBlue


Matching Yellow Bag and Accessories


If I'm feeling a little matchy-matchy, I like to wear my yellow teething necklace with the mustard micro Regan bag. While they are both different shades of yellow, I like how they look together.  Yellow can be seen by some people as hard to wear, so trying yellow accessories first is a great way to experiment with new colour combinations and add just a hint of colour to your outfit. You might be surprised by how many things yellow goes with once you give it a try.

how to wear a yellow bag: 5 outfit ideas with yellow accessories | awayFromBlue


Yellow Bag and Yellow Clothes


While I love the yellow necklace and bag outfit formula above, I like to match my mustard yellow bag to my yellow clothes too. You don't need to keep colour in your accessories, you can wear a bag that matches other pieces in your outfit. Again, the cardigan below doesn't match the bag exactly, but I think the slightly different shades look good together.

4 match matchy outfits yellow bag with yellow clothes outfit ideas | Away From The Blue


Mustard Yellow Bag in Any Season


As I mentioned previously, you can wear the mustard yellow micro Regan bag year-round. Mustard might be seen as a fall and winter colour, but there's nothing stopping you from wearing it in spring and summer.  It's a lovely all-rounder and I'm so glad I bought it!

How to wear mustard yellow Rebecca Minkoff micro Regan bag in multiple seasons | AwayFromBlue





Where to Buy the Rebecca Minkoff Micro Regan Bag:








Rebecca Minkoff currently has a 50% off sale on bags at the moment too, perfect time to shop!








Want more outfit inspiration? All the 35+ ways I've worn the micro Regan bag.


Previous 30 Wears posts:

I hope this gave you some new outfit ideas! You can use the social media buttons below to share this post if you enjoyed it.

Do you have a yellow bag? How do you wear it?


Linking up with On Trend, Turning Heads, Style Sessions, Confident Twosday, Wardrobe Wednesday, Oh Hey Girl, Style on the Daily, Fabulous Friday, Passion for Fashion, Hello Monday.


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Friday, 1 September 2017

What I Bought After a No Shop Challenge: The End of 7 Months Without Shopping

There's been a lot of interest in what I'd buy after I managed to complete not just the 6 months I'd planned but 7 months without shopping.

I'd had one big splurge planned but other than that I wasn't really sure what I wanted, as I tended to overthink most things I went to buy. I ended up making a few impulse buys. I've actually had quite a lot enter my wardrobe too, mainly from my sister's wardrobe clear out.

What was added to my wardrobe during my no-shop challenge:






What I Bought in August:










As you can see, only one of the things I bought was with one of my end-of-challenge gift cards. I'd asked for gift cards for Christmas and set them aside to spend at the end of my no-shop challenge. I just haven't seen anything I had to have that looked as good as I imagined when I tried it on (with the exception of the impulse buy polka dot tee, which is SO soft). With more spring and summer stock coming into the stores as winter ends I'm sure I'll have spent them before they expire in December. Being in Brisbane, winter clothing isn't a priority for me to buy as I tend to wear my summer pieces year-round, just with a few extra layers.


I still have my 'wear it twice in the month I bought it' rule to ensure that everything I buy and add to my wardrobe will work with what I already own. While there might have been a few impulse buys, I'd mostly been thinking about adding similar pieces for a while, and I've hit two wears on everything this month.

The Kmart dress is the only thing I bought full price. I probably could have waited for a sale, but seeing it while I was on my no-shop challenge and then starting to notice the stock levels falling in my local store made me go snap it up before I missed out quite quickly in August! It was only $15 so I'm not too upset I paid full price - still a bargain! And out of stock in my size now in my local Kmart so a good purchase.


The Starfish Project necklaces were an impulse buy too, I was a few days into August and hadn't bought anything yet when I stumbled across the brand on Instagram. From their website, 'the Starfish Project restores hope to women escaping human trafficking and exploitation in Asia.' They provide shelter for women and their children, counselling and employment and education. For every piece on their website that you can buy, it tells you exactly what that money can do. The yellow Veronica necklace is equal to the cost of 5 days of room and board at the Starfish Project shelter. The turquoise Hannah necklace is is equal to the cost of 1 week of counseling for an exploited woman.

This isn't a sponsored post, I bought the necklaces with my own money - but I wanted to share as with Christmas coming up it's a lovely gift idea - especially as you get a little note with each purchase. A nice way to help someone look and feel good when they unwrap your gift on Christmas day! I may have added a gift for someone special to my order too...

How I Wore It:




thrifted billabong red printed maxi skirt / Jeanswest polka dot tee

Starfish Project turquoise necklace / thrifted mustard yellow cardigan / Kmart little black dress / Jeanswest polka dot tee




What I'm Buying in September:


I'm going to try Beth's #noSpenderSeptember now! With some hand-me-downs coming into my wardrobe during my no-shop challenge, and having bought a few pieces in August, I'm pretty wardrobe content at the moment. I still have a lot of gift cards to spend though so we will see what happens...

Linking up with Weekend Wear, Friday FavesFlashback Fashion, Passion for Fashion, Friday Favourites, Style Nudge, Mummy Monday, Mix It Monday, Hello Monday, Modest Monday.


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Wednesday, 2 August 2017

#30Wears: Black Ankle Boots

Another month, another #30wears post. This month I'm sharing 30 ways you can wear black ankle boots - across multiple seasons. If you're currently enjoying summer and want more sandal inspiration, I've done 30 ways to wear gladiator sandals.



#noBuyJuly17 Results

Quickly wrapping up #noBuyJuly17 - I achieved it! Even after 6 months without shopping, I stuck to my goals this month and avoided the sales, not spending anything on fashion. I'm not going to try do 8 months without shopping, I'm open to shopping again in August.

However, I don't have the big 'wishlist' of items I was sure I'd have by the time my no-shop challenge is over, so I'm not going to be breaking the shopping drought with a huge haul or spending all those gift cards at once. I'll just see what I come across, and gradually spend the giftcards I'd set aside as a reward over the end of the year. A fairly uneventful end for a rather big achievement, no shopping for 7 months!

Despite the lack of a properly planned celebratory shop, I'm still really proud of managing to change my shopaholic ways. By buying nothing, I'm really getting more use from the things in my wardrobe that I already own, something I was trying to do but never seemed able to when I was just slowing down my shopping.



30 Wears: RMK Black Leather Ankle Boots


I bought these boots in June, a little over two years ago. It was a month of a lot of purchases thanks to all of the sales there were on at the time and needing new winter pieces. These boots were a little more expensive than the pair they replaced, but they were on sale, in my size and with a smaller heel so they were the perfect choice for me as a mum! It's also good to see that while 30 wears in two years doesn't sound like a lot, it's more frequently than I wore the boots that these replaced so it was definitely a practical purchase, and I'm pleased I bought these.

I think black ankle boots are such a classic - definitely a must-have for me, and you can wear them many ways in different seasons.


30 ways to wear black leather ankle boots | Away From The Blue blog


Ankle Boots & Dresses in Warmer Weather


This is my favourite way to wear ankle boots. While I'm petite, I don't think these black ankle boots make me look shorter when paired with bare legs - they are a very flattering style. The slight dip at the front of them is one of the features that's supposed to stop them from 'cutting off' your legs and making you look shorter. While we rarely get weather that allows me to be bare legged and wear boots, wearing dresses and ankle boots with bare legs in spring and autumn is definitely a favourite.


Ankle Boots & Dresses in Warmer Weather | Away From The Blue

3 ways to wear Ankle Boots & Dresses in Warmer Weather | Away From Blue




Ankle Boots and Dresses in Winter


As much as I like the look of dresses and ankle boots with bare legs, I don't stop wearing it when winter arrives. Just add some extra layers like a cosy cardigan or jacket, a big scarf, and some fleece-lined tights (a winter essential for me!). If you're concerned about black ankle boots making you look shorter, this is a good way to wear them as the black tights and boots together elongate your legs.

3 outfit ideas Ankle Boots and Dresses in Winter | Away From The Blue

3 ways to wear Ankle Boots and Dresses in Winter | Away From Blue



Ankle Boots and Office Wear


While I don't think ankle boots would work in all offices, I have a business casual dress code at work and so ankle boots are a great choice in winter. Just like above, I wear them with dresses, although they look equally good with pencil skirts too. If it would fit in with your company dress code, there's no reason you can't rock ankle boots in the office.

Ankle Boots and Office Wear Business casual winter outfits | Away From The Blue Blog




Ankle Boots and Maxis


You can continue to wear your maxi skirts and dresses year-round by layering them up for winter weather. While sandals are great with maxis in the warmer weather, it's much cosier wearing them with ankle boots in winter. I've worn ankle boots with maxi dresses as well as maxi skirts.

ankle boots and maxi dresses and scarves - colourful winter outfits | Away From Blue

Maxi dresses and ankle boots - cosy winter layering | Away From Blue




Ankle Boots and Jeans


A really common way to wear ankle boots, because everything goes with denim! When it's a cold winter day, I'll usually tuck my skinny jeans into my ankle boots to keep my legs warm. It it's a warmer spring or autumn day, I'll usually roll my jeans up so they stop just above my ankle boots, showing the tiniest bit of skin. I've read a few times that cuffed jeans are a no-no for petites as they make you look shorter, and so I spent far too much time avoiding wearing my ankle boots this way. I really like it after giving it a try, I don't think it makes me look any shorter than I am and I love wearing it. Rolling my skinny jeans above my ankle boots is my favourite way to wear them with denim.

5 Ways to Wear Ankle Boots and Skinny Jeans in Winter | Away From The Blue

rolled cuffed skinny jeans and ankle boots petite friendly | Away From Blue Blog




Black Ankle Boots Under $100:








How do you wear your ankle boots? Want more outfit ideas? 100+ ways to wear ankle boots in my blog archives.



Black Ankle Boots With Extra Detail Under $100:







Linking up with Friday FavesFlashback Fashion, Weekend Wear, Passion for Fashion, Friday Favourites, Shoe & Tell.


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