Friday, 2 March 2018

30 Ways to Wear a Grey Maxi Skirt: #30Wears Challenge Outfits

A 30 wears post with this classic grey marle jersey maxi skirt is so overdue. It's been worn nearly 50 times (48 exactly!) since I bought it in my third trimester four years ago.

The #30wears challenge is committing to wearing things you buy at least 30 times. As I take daily outfit photos, I have over 6 years of outfits to look back on and see all the different times I've worn things. Blog labels and searches in the archives come in helpful for pulling these posts together, and it's fun to see how many things I've hit 30 wears on.

#30Wears: Grey Marle Jersey Maxi Skirt


30 ways to wear a grey jersey maxi skirt | away from the blue blog #30wears

It's no secret that I love maxi skirts, and I've posted a few #30 wears posts featuring some of my maxi skirt collection (see them at the end of the post).

Maxi skirts are for petites too! I got lucky with this Target one, the perfect petite friendly length with no hemming required. It was $25, so that's 52 cents a wear so far on it. It's got a lot of life left in it still, and it's not going anywhere from my wardrobe. Not bad for an impulsive pregnancy buy four years ago!


Maxi Skirt and Graphic Tees (and a Tank)


outfit ideas grey jersey maxi skirt and graphic tees | away from the blue

A plain grey maxi skirt makes it easy to wear fun printed graphic tees, as it's a great neutral base. Even though one of these is a graphic tank instead of a tee, you can see it's still just as simple to wear. A nice easy outfit to pull together, the graphic top adds interest that the plain skirt lacks.


Maxi Skirt and Long Sleeve Tops


3 ways to wear grey maxi skirt and long sleeve tops | awayfromtheblue


Maxi skirts work well in cooler weather with long sleeve tops. The long skirt protects your legs from the cold and keeps you cosy, and a longer sleeved top is an extra layer for a cooler day. If it's really cold, a scarf makes you even warmer. Again, you can see in these three outfits that the plain maxi skirt base means you can add fun printed scarves, bright colours, or even a top with embroidery detail, without your outfit feeling too overpowering.


Maxi Skirt and Layers


6 different ways to layer a maxi skirt for cooler weather | awayfromblue

Sometimes you need a little more than a long sleeve top with a maxi skirt. As I wear my maxi skirts year-round, I've worn them with all kinds of layers. You can see the variety in these outfits, with a denim jacket, cardigans, a blazer, and a kimono. I've also worn this skirt in the middle of winter with a leather jacket when it's been really cold. These layering options are great pieces to add in spring or autumn when it's too cool to wear a skirt and top on it's own.


Grey Maxi Skirt And Summer Outfits


3 easy ways to wear a grey maxi skirt in summer | away from blue

A maxi skirt is really made for summer though, it makes summer dressing easy. And if you have babies or toddlers, the long maxi length means you can run around with them and not worry about things being too short or showing more than you intended when you bend over to pickup the kids, or something they've dropped for the tenth time that day, ha!


Grey Maxi Skirt and Monochromatic Outfits


3 monochromatic outfit ideas with grey jersey maxi skirt | awayfromtheblue

Lots of colourful outfits so far, but you can go completely neutral with a grey skirt and create a monochrome or monochromatic outfit. I like the two shades of grey together on the end there, but with the black v-neck tee is my favourite. I'm still sad that tee didn't survive through too many incorrect wash cycles on the washing machine and had to leave my wardrobe.


Jersey Maxi Skirt In Pregnancy


jersey maxi skirt in third trimester | away from the blue blog

third trimester outfits with jersey stretchy maxi skirt | away from the blue

Since I bought this maxi skirt while I was pregnant, it makes sense that the most frequent way to wear it has been with a baby bump. It's been so nice having this piece that I could wear through my third trimesters with both my boys - and still be wearing and loving it afterwards. I'm impressed the elastic has held up too, they were pretty big baby bumps near the end!


Jersey Maxi Skirt Postpartum


postpartum outfit ideas with a grey maxi skirt | away from the blue blog

Forgiving jersey material, a soft stretchy elastic waistband, all the things I loved about this skirt in pregnancy make it a great postpartum choice too. Much nicer pulling this on in the newborn days than attempting to squeeze into something with buttons, a zipper, or zero stretch! Having something you know will still fit and make you feel great makes getting dressed easy after being up all night with a newborn, and anything to make parenting easier is a winner!


Grey Maxi Skirt for Travel


travel style with a grey jersey maxi skirt: outfit ideas | awayfromtheblue


I've gone on about how great this jersey maxi skirt is to wear, but the material is perfect to travel with too! It's comfortable for a long day of sightseeing, it can be crumpled up in a carry on bag and doesn't need ironing at your destination. For pregnancy travel (the middle pic) it was wonderful, and for running around Sydney with two toddlers (the left and right photos) it works just as well.



It makes me happy to have a piece in my wardrobe that's wrapped around my baby bump for both boys that's still going strong. It's nice to put together a post like this and see the bumps at different stages. So many fun memories attached to the times I've worn this skirt. I'm enjoying continuing the 30 wears challenge this year as it's great putting these posts together.



Grey Jersey Maxi Skirts Under $50:





This Target skirt is no longer available, but above are some great alternatives, all under $50!




30 Ways to Wear a Grey Maxi Skirt (In Video Format):





More Posts in the #30Wears Series:


Perfect if you're looking for more ways to wear outfit inspiration! Alternative, see all the 48+ ways I've worn this skirt in my blog archives.


Linking up with Passion for Fashion, Lizzie In Lace, Shoe & Tell, Mix It Monday, Hello Monday, On Monday We Link Up, Modest Monday, Wardrobe Wednesday.


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Wednesday, 28 February 2018

February Purchases and Wearing Things Twice In The Month I Buy Them

This time last year I was doing my #6monthsWithoutShopping challenge. This year, I'm not doing that challenge so I'm free to spend! I continue to have the goal of spending less this year than I did last year though. Even with the freedom to shop I haven't bought much, I've definitely changed my shopaholic habits.


away from the blue blog february shopping haul YouTube video





Just two purchases this month! A long thought out purchase and an impulse buy, but I've worn the impulse buy one the most surprisingly.



Here's what I bought:








How I Wore It


I have my 'wear everything twice in the month you buy it' rule. I started this a few years ago to ensure I was only buying things I could get use from right away, to stop the discovery of unworn with tags items in my wardrobe. There have been a few exceptions to this rule, one when my pregnant belly outgrew something before I got to wear it and the rest have been weather related. As I mentioned in the video, the foil jumper hasn't been worn because of the weather.

The wear twice rule still works though. I did consider buying something else this month but decided against it. Purely because I had to order it online and it wouldn't have made it in time for me to wear it twice in February. It was a 'want' item, not a 'need', but my large wardrobe makes almost every purchase a 'want'! It was easier to refrain from purchasing know it wouldn't pass the wear twice rule. Maybe next month I'll buy it if I keep thinking about it.


two ways to wear distressed denim shorts with kimonos in summer | away from the blue blog

The foil knit, bought a few days before the heatwave, didn't get worn at all this month.  There's a little more detail in the video above, but basically I bought this thinking I might not get to wear it right away, and bought it anyway as I didn't want to miss out on the trend again.

The denim shorts, an impulse buy, have been worn right away as you can see above, as they were perfect for the heatwave.  I know I bought a lot of new shorts for summer a couple of months ago, but when you stumble across $60+ denim in your size in the op-shop, you buy it! While I've worn them similarly here with printed tanks and kimonos, the video has more ways to wear them.


I'm pretty content with my wardrobe now. I might buy that piece I keep thinking about or I might wait until cooler weather to see where the gaps are in my wardrobe!



If you enjoyed the video, I'd love you to subscribe to my YouTube channel!



Linking up with Oh Hey Girl, Fashion Files, Fun Fashion, Fabulous Friday, Weekend Wear, Flashback Fashion.


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Friday, 2 February 2018

30 Ways To Wear: Red Rebecca Minkoff Saddle Bag - #30wears Series

This months #30wears post is a bag I've been loving lately, my Rebecca Minkoff unlined saddle bag. It's been a few months since I did a 30 wears post with a handbag so thought it was a nice time to do one again.

I'm enjoying my #30wears series. The 30 wears challenge is committing to wear everything you buy at least 30 times. Since I have this blog with an archive of what I wear each day that extends over 6 years, it's been interesting counting up how many times I've worn things and fun to be able to put a post together showing how I've done so. There are other bags I've worn more than this one, I just realised this was over 30 wears as I've been wearing it frequently recently and so it was perfect timing to do a post on it.


#30Wears: Rebecca Minkoff Red Saddle Bag




I bought this saddle bag in the Shopbop sale in April 2016, so it's just under 2 years old, and I've worn it over 30 times since then. In terms of cost per wear, it was $154.88 and I've worn it 33 times so that's $4.69 a wear. Higher than the often-aimed-for 'cents per wear' but considering I'll have this bag in my wardrobe for a long time yet, it's not too bad, it's going to get a lot more wear.

Red Saddle Bag With Blue Outfits


Rebecca Minkoff red studded saddle bag with blue and navy outfits | awayfromtheblue

Red and blue are such a nice combination and red and navy is one of my favourite versions of this combo. You can see in all of the pics in this post that it's a colour combination that pops up frequently. I just love the touch of colour a red bag gives against a blue outfit.


Saddle Bag With Monochrome Outfits


3 ways to wear red saddle bag with monochrome maxi skirt outfits | awayfromblue

Sometimes you just want your bag to be a pop of colour with your outfit. This bright cherry red bag is the perfect touch with a monochromatic neutral outfit. Black really makes the red shine, any neutrals do really. While I love this red bag with other colours, like the blue outfits I featured above, I do love the simplicity of a monochrome outfit of neutrals and a tiny pop of colour with a statement bag like this.


Red Saddle Bag to Compliment Other Red Pieces In An Outfit


5 outfit ideas with red Rebecca Minkoff unlined saddle bag with complimentary clothes | awayfromblue

Sometimes I like a bit of matchy matchy, and if I'm wearing something red in my outfit I'll reach for this red saddle bag. The shades don't have to match exactly, as you can see from the red maxi skirt outfit which is slightly more yellow than the cherry red of the bag. It's still a nice combination though. This is a good way to wear a colourful bag if you're unsure how to style it as you're used to more neutral ones.


Saddle Bag With Flares


retro vibe outfits flared jeans and red saddle bag from Rebecca Minkoff fall fashion | awayfromtheblue

Pairing this red saddle bag with flared jeans has such a retro vibe, and it's probably the most worn accessory with these jeans since I started my blog. I expect this combination will pop up a few more times over winter when it gets cold enough to wear these jeans again.


Red Saddle Bag With Jeans


4 ways to wear red saddle bag and skinny jeans | awayfromtheblue blog

It's not just flared jeans I wear this bag with though. Skinny jeans are my favourite jeans style, and make up the majority of my denim collection. The red saddle bag pairs so nicely with any kind of denim, from the traditional blue jeans, classic black or fun printed pairs.


Saddle Bag with Maxi Skirts


4 Ways to Wear: red saddle bag and maxi skirt outfit ideas | awayfromtheblue

Maxi skirts don't have to be tricky to accessorise. A small cross body is my usual go-to with them, but I've worn large bags with them too. This cute cross body saddle bag is the perfect pairing with any of my maxi skirts, from a plain chambray one to a printed striped skirt.



Red Saddle Bag In Winter


ways to wear red Rebecca Minkoff saddle bag in winter | awayfromblue

Red is a trending colour this winter in the northern hemisphere. There's something about any winter that makes me reach for red accessories often though. Maybe it's because of all the blacks and greys you layer with, as red is a wonderful pop against them. This spring/summer bag still gets worn frequently in winter with cosy layers. I like to wear my dresses and skirts year round as much as my bags too.


Saddle Bag in Summer


3 ways to wear denim shorts and Rebecca Minkoff red unlined saddle bag | awayfromblue

Of course, a red bag works just as well in summer as it does in winter. There's no need to keep a bag hidden away in your wardrobe for a season. I love the way this red bag looks with shorts, it's often worn with my denim shorts in summer. While it's a little small to carry all the summer pieces like hats and sunscreen, I carry the baby bag for that and just have the essentials on me like my phone, keys and wallet while I'm running around with the boys.




Where to Buy Rebecca Minkoff Unlined Saddle Bag:






More Rebecca Minkoff Saddle Bags:







30 Ways To Wear a Red Saddle Bag Video:

For something a little different, I thought I'd do a video version of this post too, so you can hear a bit more about why I chose the bag for each outfit and what my favourite outfits were. Would love to hear what you think of the video format - good or bad!




Looking for more outfit inspiration?


I hope that this post inspired out and gave you some outfit ideas for ways you can wear a red bag. If you want more inspo, you can read 30 ways to wear a red Balenciaga velo bag, or all the 33+ times I've worn this saddle bag in my blog archives.



Want to know more about the bag and what fits inside?






Linking up with Weekend Wear, Flashback Fashion, Passion for Fashion, Lizzie in Lace, Friday Faves, Shoe & Tell, Mix It Monday, Modest Monday, Hello Monday, Trend Spin.


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