Printed Maxi Dresses and Louis Vuitton Neverfull Damier Azur Tote

I love a maxi dress. They are perfect for staying covered up but cool in the summer heat. I wore both these printed maxi dresses for two different days, but kept the accessories identical to show you that you don't need to add much to a maxi dress - even with the same accessories these are such different outfits due to the different prints.  Take a maxi dress, add a pretty necklace, big tote bag, studded sandals and you have an easy summer outfit - no matter the print or style of your maxi dress!

What I wore:

Necklace: Jeanswest Taryn turquoise tassel bead necklace
Dress: Kmart Tropicana sleeveless tiered maxi dress
Shoes: Rebecca Minkoff Georgina studded gladiator sandals in blush
Bag: Louis Vuitton MM damier azur neverfull

Why I wore it:

Wore this to go take our annual family Santa photo. We have done it at a few different places over the years, but this year we did the same as last year and headed to the local RSPCA shelter to get the photo. I'd thought about what everyone was wearing, planned it all out so we subtly coordinated. The boys were in blue and green shirts and I picked this tropical print maxi dress because of the blue and green in the print.

Turns out that all that time I spent curling my hair in the morning and thinking about the perfect outfits didn't really matter as one of my sons decided he was not in the mood for photos and that the camera and Santa were the scariest things in the world. Your time slot is really short, just 5 minutes, so I felt horrible as I was going through my bag for things for the staff to use to distract him and make him look over at the camera. At the time of writing this I haven't got the final photo back yet, but I'm not expecting it to be a good one. Will certainly be a funny one to look back on in later years though.

I really did like this outfit - the bag and dress and the studded sandals and maxi dress are all frequently worn together. I just wished the morning was a little less stressful! 😂


Last worn: tropical print maxi dress, tassel necklace, studded gladiator sandals, Louis Vuitton Neverfull.

Other ways to wear: tropical print maxi dress in winter, studded gladiator sandals and printed shorts, Louis Vuitton Neverfull worn 30 ways.

Perfect for pregnancy: Louis Vuitton Neverfull at 38 weeks.

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30 Ways To Wear: Louis Vuitton Neverfull

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What I wore:

Necklace: Jeanswest Taryn turquoise tassel bead necklace
Dress: Jeanswest 'Chantelle' crochet detail blue printed maxi dress
Shoes: Rebecca Minkoff Georgina studded gladiator sandals in blush
Bag: Louis Vuitton MM damier azur neverfull

Why I wore it:

Same outfit formula, although a much more productive day! I picked this jersey maxi dress to wear as it seemed like a nice option for the crazy heat and humidity while still being modest enough for an appointment I had with my son. I had the day off for it, and got to spend some rare one on one time with him before the late morning appointment. I think the biggest struggle of having two kids is finding enough time one on one with each of them equally.

After the appointment I dropped him off late at daycare, and headed to the shops to finish grabbing a few more Christmas gifts. Of course I stopped at Kmart, to discover that my local store has the super clearance markdowns on Wednesdays, when I'm usually working! I stocked up and bought a bunch of clothes for the boys, and a $2 dress for me! 18 items for $37 was a pretty good deal!

This maxi dress is a firm favourite, being my favourite colour, and was perfect for the day. I even filmed a few videos for YouTube too and really made the most of my day off!


Last worn: blue printed maxi dress, tassel necklace (above), studded gladiator sandals (above), Louis Vuitton damier neverfull (above).

Other ways to wear: blue printed maxi dress under a tee, studded gladiator sandals and denim shorts, Louis Vuitton damier neverfull at the beach.

Perfect for pregnancy: blue printed maxi dress at 39 weeks, Louis Vuitton damier neverfull in third trimester.

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Maxi Dresses Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

A maxi dress is an effortless summer option. If you pick a fun printed one to wear, add some simple accessories like nude sandals, a big tote and a statement necklace: it's a quick and easy outfit. Perfect for both the summer heat and mum life when you might not have a lot of time to get ready in the morning!


Linking up with Flashback Fashion, Fancy Friday, Shoe & Tell, Lizzie In Lace, Modest Monday, On Mondays We Link Up.

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Print Mixing: Striped Tanks, Shorts and Floral Kimonos With Cross Body Bags

Just like last summer, I'm finding kimonos and shorts are a frequent go-to option in the heat. To mix things up a little, I tried some print mixing, adding floral print kimonos on top of the striped tanks. I always love print mixing with stripes, they just go with everything.

What I wore:

Jacket: thrifted Edited floral and bird print kimono
Necklace: Diva long red heart necklace
Tank: Atmos & Here Oregon stripe tank
Shorts: thrifted Jeanswest distressed denim shorts
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in black
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff unlined saddle bag in cherry red (on sale in blue!)

Why I wore it:

Wore this for a very hot and humid day! We took the boys to the Bayside steam railway again. It's a huge set of miniature train tracks and you get to sit on the carriages of mini steam trains and zip around the tracks. One of the safety requirements is closed in shoes, so I wore my Converse despite the humidity.

The striped tank looked great worn just with the shorts alone, but I wanted to cover up my shoulders a little as it was such a sunny day. Like last time we went to the steam railway, I added a kimono on top. This one was a lucky thrift find. I always look in opshops for kimonos but over the years this is the only one I've found! With the red birds in the print, the red Rebecca Minkoff saddle bag seemed like the perfect accessory. Despite the small size, it comfortably held the essentials and the boys water bottles so I had them handy as we went for rides on the train. Turns out that sitting on the back of a tiny train as it steams through the trees creates a lovely cooling breeze too, it was such an enjoyable morning.

After riding on the trains, we walked over to the nearby park to let the boys run around a bit more, but the heat quickly sent us back home to cool off in the air conditioning!


Last worn: floral and bird print kimono, red heart necklace, black striped tank, distressed denim shorts, Converse, Rebecca Minkoff saddle bag.

Other ways to wear: floral and bird print kimono and maxi dress, black striped tank and maxi dress postpartum, distressed denim shorts and grey knit, Converse and pencil skirt, Rebecca Minkoff saddle bag worn 30 ways.

Perfect for pregnancy: Converse for second trimester travel.

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Brisbane Bayside Steam Railway Vlog

Taken the last time we visited!

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What I wore:

Jacket: Cotton On 'Gemma' cocoon kimono in Laos blossom navy print
Necklace: Uniquely Made with Love Sea Change necklace
Tank: Jeanswest 'Josie' striped back strap tank
Shorts: thrifted pastel pink cotton shorts
Shoes: black slim Havaianas thongs
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff small Darren messenger bag in peony

Why I wore it:

Despite having the same outfit formula as what I wore above, I didn't like this outfit as much. I love all of the pieces on their own, this is one of my frequently worn kimonos and you can't beat a classic white striped tank! I just felt it all looked a little off together. I did like how comfortable this was for a morning out with the boys though. We went to the local library and they played a bit in the playground before lunch.

I didn't hate this outfit - there were some things about it I really liked, like how well the pastel pink shorts went with the Rebecca Minkoff peony Darren messenger bag! I will definitely be wearing those two pieces together again!


Last worn: floral cocoon kimono, striped tank, beaded necklace, pastel pink shorts, Havaianas, Rebecca Minkoff small Darren bag.

Other ways to wear: floral cocoon kimono and flares, striped tank and maxi skirt, pastel pink shorts and leaf print tank, Rebecca Minkoff small Darren bag with a dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: floral cocoon kimono in third trimester, striped tank in second trimester.

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Striped Tanks Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

Stripes and florals are so fun to wear together! A colourful floral kimono is such an easy piece to add to a summer shorts and striped tank outfit too. It doesn't overheat you but allows you to add more colour and interest to what you're wearing. A basic striped tank is a must have piece you can wear so many different ways.


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Black Dresses For The Office With Pink Scarves and Rebecca Minkoff Darren Messenger Bag

You can add scarves to warm weather outfits by thinking a little differently about how you wear them. While these two scarves are very different, they are both pretty shades of pink and work so nicely with these little black dresses for the office. I continued the pink theme with my peony Rebecca Minkoff Darren messenger bag.

What I wore: 

Scarf: Hermes twilly worn as a headband (Confettis D'ex-Libris from 2009)
Necklace: House of Harlow 5 station necklace in black and silver
Dress: Jeanswest 'Gisele' contrast lace dress
Shoes: Walnut Melbourne 'Ava' black lizard ballet flats (also available in silver)
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff small Darren messenger bag in peony

Why I wore it:

It was Melbourne Cup day so once again I broke out my Hermes twilly to tie around my hair like a headband. I did the same thing last year! This year we weren't having a big lunch like we usually do, just a few snacks to watch the race. I was stuck working on an urgent issue and missed the race and the snacks.

I wanted to feel a little more dressed up than usual for the occasion - you see so many people wearing the prettiest dresses around the office and in Brisbane on race day. This little black lace dress which sometimes seems too dressy for work was the perfect piece to wear. I really liked the way the peony pink Darren bag worked with the lace on the dress too. Was good to give this dress another wear, it's one of the little worn pieces in my wardrobe, last worn a year ago!


Last worn: black lace dress, Hermes twilly, House of Harlow necklace, Walnut Melbourne flats, Rebecca Minkoff Darren bag.

Other ways to wear: black lace dress for a night out, Hermes twilly worn two ways, Walnut Melbourne flats and pencil skirt, Rebecca Minkoff Darren bag with stripes.

Perfect for pregnancy: black lace dress in third trimester, Hermes twilly in second trimester, Walnut Melbourne flats in third trimester.

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What's In My Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Darren Messenger

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What I wore:

Scarf: Fashion Scarf Girl leaf print scarf (c/o) (worn as belt)
Necklace: Eye Candy LA 'Sasha' statement necklace
Dress: Jeanswest tucked ponte black dress
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs silver tuxedo flats
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff small Darren messenger bag in peony

Why I wore it:

Unlike the lace dress above, this classic fit and flare dress is frequently worn to the office. It's the perfect style and length and always looks good! Sometimes I like to wear a belt with it. I decided to try something a little different with my leaf print scarf and tied it as a belt around my waist. I folded the scarf over a few times, wrapped it around, and then tucked the ends back into the scarf at the back. As the dress is a thick ribbed ponte fabric, it held in place perfectly through the day.

While I think the scarf and the small Darren bag added a great touch of colour with the dress, I couldn't resist adding just a little more with this statement necklace. The colours really popped against the black, and I was feeling very confident and happy with my outfit when I stepped out of the house. Only to quickly realise on my way to work that a braided hairstyle and this crystal necklace don't work so well together. The necklace kept getting caught rather painfully in my braid through the day! Will definitely be wearing this necklace and dress together again in future, but maybe not with my hair tied so close to it 😂



Last worn: black fit and flare dress, leaf print scarf, statement crystal necklace, silver ballet flats, Rebecca Minkoff Darren bag (above).

Other ways to wear: black fit and flare dress in winter, leaf print scarf and skinny jeans, silver ballet flats and purple jeans, Rebecca Minkoff Darren bag with peplum tank.

Perfect for pregnancy: black fit and flare dress in second trimester, silver ballet flats in third trimester.

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Black Dresses Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

A little black dress is a frequently recommended style staple. It is a classic piece to have for work. It's easy to change it up a little each time you wear it with different accessories, and to add a touch of colour. You can stick with a colourful bag like I have here, or try something a little different and add a scarf as well. You can drape a scarf over your neck or try an alternative way to wear it, like as a headband or wrapped around your waist like a belt.


Linking up with Turning Heads, Confident Twosday, Style On The Daily, Fashion Frenzy, Oh Hey Girl, Chic and Stylish, Fashion Files.

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