Friday, 1 June 2018

30 Ways To Wear A Purple Cardigan: #30wears Outfit Challenge

This 30 wears post has been a while coming, after I hit 30 wears on this cardigan in spring last year. It just didn't feel right to post about it over summer though. Now the weather is cooler and it's officially winter here in Brisbane, I'm happy to share some of the 30 ways I've worn this cardigan in the past. I even managed to find some of the ways I'd worn it before I had the blog so I could share that with you for something different.


30 Ways To Wear: Purple Cardigan


30 ways to wear a purple cardigan | Away From The Blue Blog pinnable pic


The past few times I've done a 30 wears post I've managed to calculate the cost per wear. Unfortunately, I bought this cardigan so long ago, I can't remember what I paid for it. I've only photographed my outfits consistently every day since I started this blog in 2012 so I'm not sure exactly how many times I've worn this. There have been over 33 times I've photographed it and I'm pleased with that. The earliest pic I could find was winter 2011, so it's at least 7 years old and still going strong.



How To Wear a Purple Cardigan Video:






Belting A Cardigan


3 ways to wear a cardigan belted | away from the blue


One of my early blog pics there in the middle! It's fun seeing how things have changed. I used to have to balance my camera on the BBQ and use the self timer, so often it wasn't aligned properly. I much prefer the other pics, taken with my camera remote and tripod.
No matter what the photos look like, I love each of these outfit ideas though. I really like the way this cardigan looks belted. It's something a bit different, and good in the middle of winter as it keeps you warm as the cardigan stays closed in place. It makes the draped pieces sit really flatteringly too and almost creates a peplum effect as you can see in the last photo.



Colourful Cardigan and Matching Bag


3 outift ideas purple cardigan and matching magenta Balenciaga day bag


Each season, Balenciaga come out with new colours for their bags. I always take a liking to the pinks, but the 2005 magenta is my favourite pink. As you can see in the photos above, my current magenta Balenciaga Day bag isn't the only magenta bag I've had, the old selfie in the middle is back when I had the same colour in the city style too.

With the touch of pink in this purple cardigan, and the touch of purple in the pink bag, the cardigan and bags are a nice combination. They aren't a perfect match, but the shade is close enough together that I like the almost matchy-matchyness.



Purple Cardigan With Blue Tops


4 outfit ideas of a purple cardigan with blue tops and jeans | awayfromtheblue


It's not just similar colours I like wearing this purple cardigan with. Blue and purple is a combination I frequently wear, so I really like navy tops with this cardigan.
Of course that last outfit there is my favourite, it was Baby T's first outing after we got home from the hospital. Even though I'm exhausted, my postpartum tum is on display, and we were going to a clinic for breastfeeding help, it was still a comfortable outfit and my favourite photo of the post!


Purple Cardigan With Pink


3 ways to wear a purple cardigan with pink | away from blue blog


Another frequently worn colour combination of mine is pink and purple. With the bright purple colour of this cardigan, it's easy to introduce just a little touch of colour through a small bag like this neon pink mini MAC I'm wearing in the last two photos. If you're feeling bolder or particularly colourful, you could wear it with a pink top too, like I've done with the ombre tank in the first outfit.


Purple Cardigan With Purple Accessories


4 outfit ideas to wear purple cardigan with purple bag | away from the blue


You'll know from reading my blog (or looking at some of the outfits I've already shared!) that I like my colourful handbags. They are fun accessories with an outfit. And while the deep plum purple of these Rebecca Minkoff bags in the outfits above doesn't match the pinky-purple shade of the cardigan, I think they compliment each other quite nicely!
Even if your accessories aren't a perfect match to a colourful cardigan, it's good to give the combination a try - as you can see I loved the little purple MAB tote bag with this cardigan so much I've worn it quite a few times!



Colourful Cardigan With Neutral Outfits


3 ways to add a purple cardigan to neutral outfits | awayfromtheblue


If you're completely stumped about what to wear with a colourful cardigan, throw it on over a neutral outfit. It can be something as simple as a grey tee like in the first picture, or a monochrome black outfit like the last photo. It also works well with cream and neutrals as you can see in the middle there. I'm also employing my previous tip above of wearing a purple bag with the cardigan in these last two photos, but you could easily stick with a neutral brown like the Chloe paddington bag in the first outfit.



Colourful Cardigan and Printed Tops


Purple cardigan with printed tanks 3 outfit ideas | awayfromblue


The fun thing with a bright, single colour cardigan like this purple one is that it's so easy to wear with printed pieces in your outfit. The lack of print on it means it will go with anything. Stripes is my favourite combo, as you can see here! But a plain cardigan will go with any print you want to wear.



Draped Cardigan and Maxi Skirts


3 ways to wear a purple cardigan with maxi skirts | away from blue


With a loose, drapey waterfall cardigan you'd usually follow the 'one fitted, one flowy' rule to balance your outfit. But I like the casual outfit created with a long maxi skirt and this long cardigan. It's a nice way to wear a maxi skirt outside of summer! And as you can see from the last picture, a cardigan is the perfect piece to wear when babywearing, soft for baby to cuddle up to when he's in the carrier.



Purple Cardigan and Dresses


4 ways to wear a purple cardigan with dresses | away from the blue



The last way that you can wear a purple cardigan is with dresses! I smiled when I put this picture together as it shows off some of the other things I'd mentioned above! A purple cardigan with purple accessories, a neutral black dress, with blue, and with prints. Just like it does with with maxi skirts, a cosy and colourful cardigan is a nice way to make a spring or summer dress work into autumn, especially when paired with ankle boots!



I really like the beautiful purple shade of this cardigan, and I find it so easy to wear. One of those purchases that's proved it's worth in my wardrobe. I have had to spend a little more than what I originally paid on it after I accidentally snagged it and got a hole in it. Thankfully my tailor repaired it very affordably, and this cardigan will continue to be worn and loved in my wardrobe for a long time still.


Hopefully these outfit ideas gave you some ways to wear a purple cardigan, or even just a colourful cardigan, that you own. If you don't have one, it is very versatile as you can see from the outfits above, so I've included some similar pieces below you can shop.


Where To Buy Purple Cardigans Under $50:






Want more outfit inspiration? All of the 30+ ways I've worn this cardigan on the blog.




Linking up with Flashback Fashion, Lizzie In Lace, Flashback Fashion, Style Wise, Shoe & Tell, Mix It MondayModest MondayHello Monday, On Mondays We Link Up, On Trend.


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Wednesday, 30 May 2018

What I Bought In May & How I've Worn It - Jeanswest Waterfall Drape Cardigan

While I did do some shopping, there is no haul video this month. One of my purchases hasn't arrived and so I'll wait until then to film a video. Instead, I'll share with you the two pieces that I do have after buying them this month.

Jeanswest had a 30% off sale on knitwear, so as I usually do, I checked the site 'just to browse' and saw this beautiful waterfall drape cardigan. I ended up buying two!

The cardigan comes in three colours, so I went to the store to try them on, and ended up loving both colours I tried on and bought both. After donating 3 of the cardigans I'd just unboxed from my boxes of winter clothes I pulled out of storage though I felt justified in doing so!


As you can see from the photos below of how I wore the cardigans, you can wear them two ways which instantly appealed to me.


What I Bought:







There are two buttons, one on each shoulder of the cardigan, and a button hole at the bottom of each hem. That means you can button up one or both sides of the cardigan when you wear it (like I did here). It's ideal for breastfeeding, as it turns your cardigan into a breastfeeding cover, and is something I wish I had when I was breastfeeding. I used to have to hold baby and the cardigan over the top of him when using my cardigans as breastfeeding covers. While my breastfeeding days are behind me, I'm still tagging breastfeeding friendly outfits on the blog. I'll just be making use of the feature when I want to wear these cardigans differently!


When I buy things, I think of two ways to wear them. With the buttons making these cardigans adaptable, it was an easy purchase to make as I have so many more ways to wear them. I'm thinking that the new thicker red cardigan will get worn more than the light one it replaced too.

How I Wore It:

Jeanswest waterfall drape cardigan 2018 5 ways to wear red and navy | awayfromtheblue blog


I'm pleased I was able to wear these cardigans so soon after I bought them, unlike the last knit I bought back at the start of autumn when it took weeks for the weather to cool.

Special mention also to these two lovely kimonos the boys got me for Mother's Day that were added to my wardrobe in May!



For the third thing I bought, I will share a reveal video as soon as it arrives. I ordered something from the Rebecca Minkoff online sample sale. There will be a delay in shipping as the sale was so popular, and it takes a while to reach Australia from the US too. Can't wait for it to arrive. Make sure you're subscribed to my YouTube channel to see it before it reaches the blog!


Linking up with Style On The Daily, Oh Hey Girl, Fashion Frenzy, Fashion Files, Fun Fashion, Weekend Wear, Fabulous Friday.


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Friday, 4 May 2018

30 Ways To Wear: Louis Vuitton Neverfull in Damier Azur (#30Wears)

Thought it was time to feature another handbag for this month's 30 wears post. Every month, I take advantage of having a daily record of my outfits as I look through the blog and find something I've worn 30 times or more, and share it with you as part of the 30 wears challenge. I started it in 2017, and it's a lot of fun!



30 Ways To Wear: Louis Vuitton Damier Azur Neverfull


30 ways to wear a Louis Vuitton Damier Azur MM Neverfull Tote Bag | awayfromtheblue blog


I got this neverfull bag all the way back in 2011, so it's 7 years old this year. When I looked through the blog I realised I'd worn it a lot more than 30 times. Given all the times it's been worn on the blog, and having it a year before I started blogging, it's easy to assume it's had over 100 wears. In keeping with the theme though, I've picked just 30 of my favourite outfits to share here.

In terms of cost per wear, this is still high. I did have a vintage speedy bag that was 20 years old and still going, so I expect this 7-year-old-bag to also be around and be used in another 13 years.

That's the thing with investing in bags, you expect to have a lot of years of use to recoup the cost you spent. It was $875 at the time, so around 100 wears is $8.75 a wear. Retail of this bag now from Louis Vuitton is more than double, at $1,810 AUD! That's after 7 years worth of price rises, so I'm not to concerned at my high cost per wear, it could be worse! To be fair, the new bag comes with a little pouch too, so it's not just needless price increases. Still a big difference in price though.

But a good thing to remember - if you're saving up for a designer bag like this, save up and buy the bag as soon as you can, before the price is increased out of your budget! Plus you deserve a splurge now and then 😉




30 Ways To Wear A Damier Azur Louis Vuitton Neverfull Tote in Video Form







Louis Vuitton Neverfull and Maxi Dresses


Louis Vuitton Neverfull ways to wear with maxi dresses | away from the blue


While I love tiny little cross body bags and clutches like the Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC with my maxi dresses, a big holdall tote like the neverfull looks great too. It's such effortless style, picking a big tote bag and a classic maxi dress.


Damier Neverfull and Jeans


ways to wear Louis Vuitton Damier Azur Neverfull tote with jeans | awayfromblue


It's not just maxi dresses a neverfull looks great with! You can easily pair the bag with casual outfits, and I often wear mine with jeans. Skinny jeans are my go-to choice, but any pair of jeans works well with a tote bag, even those metallic ones in the third picture.


Louis Vuitton Neverfull and Dresses In The Office


Outfit Ideas Louis Vuitton Neverfull tote and dresses for the office | away from the blue


While a neverfull looks great on weekends with a maxi dress or jeans, it also functions perfectly as a big tote for the office. On days where I have multiple meetings to attend or I'm away from my desk for an extended length of time, I like to take the neverfull bag as it has room for any files or notebooks I need, as well as a bottle of water and a cardigan if necessary.




Review and Contents Of The Louis Vuitton Neverfull







Damier Azur Neverfull And Pencil Skirts For Work


3 ways to wear Louis Vuitton Neverfull and Pencil Skirts | away from blue


Just like the dresses above, a neverfull works great with pencil skirts to the office too. I have the damier azur neverfull with the blue checkerboard print, so as you can see from these photos I like pairing it with purple! Blue and purple is one of my frequently worn colour combinations.


Louis Vuitton Neverfull At The Beach


4 outfit ideas Louis Vuitton damier azur neverfull bag at the beach | awayfromtheblue


Of course it's not just a workplace you can wear your neverfull! Being such an easy to care for tote it's a good bag to take to the beach, as you can just wipe away the sand. The body is coated canvas so wipes clean easily with a baby-wipe! You can see the versatility of the bag in these four photos too, as it works with the denim shorts or maxi dresses, all good outfits for a day at the beach.


Damier Azur Neverfull In Winter


Wearing the Damier Azur Neverfull Tote In Winter: 3 Outfit Ideas | awayfromtheblue


While the spring-like white and blue damier azur print looks perfect in a beach setting, I don't reserve the bag for exclusive spring or summer wear. It's a nice bag to wear in winter too, to add a little lightness to your outfit. The damier azur neverfull has leather handles and trim so I would keep it dry and wouldn't take it out on a snowy or rainy winter day, but it does look just as good in the cold as in the heat. Definitely a year-round bag.



Louis Vuitton Neverfull as a Baby Bag







Louis Vuitton Neverfull And Striped Skirts


3 Outfit ideas with Louis Vuitton Neverfull And Striped Skirts | awayfromtheblue


The monogram and damier print neverfull bags are easier to wear than you think! I don't have any problems pairing the printed bag with an outfit that has a print in it. Of course, stripes are my staple for pattern mixing so they are a good option to start out with if you're unsure about what prints to wear with the damier print bag.


Damier Azur Neverfull and Print Mixing


4 ways to wear Louis Vuitton damier neverfull with printed pieces | away from blue


It's not just stripes you can wear the printed neverfull with! I really do see the classic damier azur print as a neutral, and I'll wear it with bold prints like florals, or even in an outfit I'm already print mixing with as a third print. You can easily wear this with printed dresses, skirts or scarves.


Louis Vuitton Neverfull In Pregnancy


3 ways to wear Louis Vuitton neverfull in pregnancy with baby bump | away from blue


You need to carry quite a lot in pregnancy! Whether it's the bottle of water you constantly sip from, various crackers, ginger tablets or lollies that help you overcome morning sickness, or snacks for the second trimester munchies, you need a big bag! The Louis Vuitton Neverfull is perfect for that, and being a canvas bag it is light enough to wear that it doesn't add to any of the pregnancy aches and pains. This set of photos proves why I invest in accessories too - they consistently work for you, no matter how many pregnancies you have or how big your belly gets. A definite must-have!




Where to Buy The Louis Vuitton Neverfull







More Posts In The #30Wears Series:


See the 79+ ways I've worn this damier azur MM neverfull bag, or check out more of the 30 wears series.


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