Friday, 4 January 2019

30 Ways To Wear: Chloe Marcie Hobo Bag & 2018 Shopping Review & 2019 Budget

A new 30 ways to wear post, as well as a review of what I bought last year and my fashion budget for 2019!


I love handbags, and I have a lot of them! But I frequently sell some to have funds towards something else I want more. This Chloe Marcie hobo bag was a bag I loved, but rationalised I didn't wear as much as my Balenciaga day hobo bag, so I decided to let it go. I did hit 30 wears before I sold it, so I've dug through the blog archives for some older photos of my wearing it. I wonder if I'll cringe as much looking back at outfit pics now in a few years as much as I am looking back on these pics now? 😂


30 Ways To Wear: Chloe Marcie Hobo Bag In Nut



30 ways to wear the medium Chloe Marcie Hobo Bag in nut brown | awayfromtheblue  30wears challenge


Like many of my bags that I've now sold, I find this tricky to calculate cost per wear on! I bought it at a Reebonz offline sale, after wanting it for a while. I got a really good deal on it, so much so that I managed to sell it for almost what I paid for it. So you could calculate cost per wear based on the price I paid, or take that price minus the amount I got when I sold it and calculate it on around the $100 difference. I'm never sure what to do in these cases.

Inability to calculate cost per wear aside, I'm happy with the use I got from this bag. It held up really well, still looking like new when it eventually left my wardrobe, and I was pleased to look back at these old pics and see that I had hit 30 wears with it. I do sometimes regret selling it, but I know it wouldn't have gotten much more wear if it stayed in my wardrobe longer!


Chloe Marcie Hobo Bag In Summer


Chloe Marcie bag with summer outfits 5 ideas | awayfromblue

The handle drop on this bag is quite large, especially as the leather of the bag sags down a bit when the bag is full. It makes it an easy bag to throw over your shoulder in summer as it doesn't feel too tight or irritating to wear. The neutral colour works with all kinds of summer brights too!



Chloe Marcie Hobo Bag With Winter Layers


5 ways to wear Chloe Marcie hobo bag in winter layers | awayfromtheblue

Being a neutral brown, this 'nut' shade is perfect for adding to winter outfits. I've picked similarly coloured scarves to wear with the bag in each of these layered outfits, but you can see it would work well without any matching as it looks great with black winter layers!


Chloe Marcie Hobo In The Office


hobo bag in the office worn 6 ways: Chloe marcie in nut | awayfromblue

Printed dresses or pencil skirts, I found this Chloe Marcie bag worked so well for the office. Again making the most of the neutral shade I could wear it with brightly coloured or printed pieces, or just let it compliment a neutral outfit. It's a rather structured hobo shape so doesn't feel too casual for work.



Chloe Marcie Hobo Bag With Jeans


5 ways to wear a chloe marcie shoulder bag with jeans  | away from blue blog

As you can see in these photos, before I gave up my blue jeans I used to wear them a lot! The Chloe Marcie bag just works so well with denim, it's an easy choice when wearing jeans. I wore it a lot with skirts and dresses as you've seen in the earlier photos, but it was still a go-to with jeans too. Really versatile bag.


Chloe Marcie Hobo With Printed Outfits


Chloe neutral brown hobo handbag worn with prints 5 ways | away from the blue

Because this 'nut' shade is a nice neutral colour, it made the bag my default neutral piece to wear with prints. Something like a printed dress, or just a little print like a skirt or top, the hobo bag works nicely with all different prints and colours.


Chloe Marcie Hobo Bag In Pregnancy


4 outfit ideas wearing the chloe marcie hobo bag in pregnancy | awayfromblue

Despite only having this bag during my pregnancy with my eldest boy, it was worn enough times for me to be able to include it as a category here in my wrap up. You know I love looking back at my bump pics when doing these posts! I wore the bag a few times in the second and third trimester as you can see. It isn't a heavy bag so was nice to wear during pregnancy, the braided strap is really comfortable on the shoulder.



What's In My Bag: Chloe Marcie Medium Hobo Bag In Nut





Where To Buy:



This hobo style of Marcie has been discontinued, but there are still some places you can buy second hand! All the bags above come with authenticity guarantees even though they are preloved.



More Posts in The #30 Wears Handbag Series:

If you're looking for more outfit inspiration with this bag, you can see all 30+ ways I've worn it in my blog archives. I've included some links to other handbag related 30 wears posts below too. You can find the full post series by clicking here.


2018 Spend And Goals For 2019


My last shopping haul for the year!



My Total Spend in 2018


I totalled it up, I bought 30 fashion items (clothing and accessories) in 2018. In 2017 I spent $1,696.53, my goal in 2018 was to spend less than that. I achieved that as I spent $1,014.44 if you include gift cards, which works out to $84.54 a month. If you don't include gift card spend, I only spent $664.44. I'm really pleased with the figures and that I met my goal!


How Do I Do It?


I'm a fashion blogger with a love for expensive things (handbags 😂) without a big budget and slight shopaholic tendencies! I did a 6 months without shopping in 2017 which I ended up stretching out to 7 months, and really made me evaluate what I was buying and why.

I also continued to work on this 30 wears challenge! Every month I have to find something in my wardrobe I've worn 30 times or more to make these posts. This makes me focus more on ways I can rewear things I already own and makes me less likely to turn to a store for inspiration when looking or something to wear. Looking through my blog archives for ways I've worn things before often gives me ideas of things to try from past outfits!



My Goals For 2019


Same as last year, my goal for this year will be to spend less than I did last year. To make things easy on myself, I'll include the gift card spend. So 2019 will be the year of spending less (again), rewearing more, and hoping I don't go over my $1,014.44 budget! Wish me luck!


Linking up with Style Sessions, Lizzie In Lace, Fancy Friday, Sunday Reflections, Weekday Wear, On Mondays We Link Up.



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Monday, 3 December 2018

30 Ways To Wear: Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAB Tote Bag In Plum Purple #30wears

I couldn't resist snapping up this little purple mini MAB tote bag in a Shopbop sale 3 years ago. It's been a great addition to my wardrobe over the years, and today I'm celebrating it by making it the star of this month's 30 ways to wear post. Each month I take something from my wardrobe I've worn 30 times or more and make a roundup post showing the different ways you can wear it.


30 Ways To Wear: Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAB Tote Bag In Plum


30 Ways To Wear The Rebecca Minkoff MIni MAB Tote Bag in Plum Purple: Styling Ideas | awayfromblue


Cost Per Wear

This bag was on sale for $146.25, although I don't recall if it was AUD or USD and the receipt doesn't tell me. Given that it's been worn over 50 times since then, it's getting good cost per wear! $2.71 per wear so far, and that will go down the longer I use the bag. It still looks new! It has a lot more wears to go to get the magic '$1 per wear' people aim for, but I know I will hit that with it eventually. I'm pleased with the cost per wear so far.




30 Ways To Wear A Mini MAB Tote: Video Style







Purple Bag As A Pop Of Colour


how to wear a purple bag with a neutral outfit as a pop of colour | awayfromblue


The easiest way to wear a purple bag - or any colourful bag! - is to keep your outfit neutral and let the bag be the pop of colour. This plum purple mini MAB tote works so well with black and grey outfits. You can continue on the colourful theme with a necklace like I have in the first outfit, or just keep things simple and let the bag be the only bit of colour like I have in the other outfits.


Purple Bag To Accessorise A Pink Outfit


pink outfit ideas with a purple mini mab tote bag | away from blue

Pink and purple is a colour combination I love to wear together! You'll see it pop up in the other categories too. This purple bag works so nicely when wearing something pink in your outfit. From head to toe pink in a maxi dress, berry pink tops, or a subtle pink printed cami, this purple bag is a wonderful accessory.


Blue Clothes and Purple Bag


ways to wear a purple mini mab tote bag with a blue outfit | awayfromblue


Blue and purple is another go-to colour combination for me, especially as I wear so much blue! Just like with the pink outfits above, this purple bag matches with head-to-toe blue in a maxi dress, or more subtle blues like a navy tee or a chambray maxi skirt.


Matching A Purple Bag to Purple Pieces In Your Outfit


matchy matchy purple outfits with plum rebecca minkoff mini mab tote bag | awayfromtheblue


I will always love a big of matchy-matchy! Even if the shades are slightly different, I think this purple bag looks great worn with other purple pieces in an outfit to tie it all together. You could have a little touch of purple through a tee or tank, or a bolder mix with purple jeans or a purple cardigan - and matching purple accessories! If you love a colour it makes sense to wear a lot of it in one outfit!


Plain Purple Mini MAB Tote Bag With Prints


purple mini mab tote bag with printed outfits | away from the blue


This cute little boxy tote is so simple to pair with a printed outfit. The plain, block colour means you don't have to worry about patterns clashing. You can do a bit of print mixing like I have in the first outfit, or you can keep things simple and stick to one pattern piece.


Purple Mini MAB Tote Bag In Winter


rebecca minkoff purple mini mab tote bag and winter layers | away from the blue


If you are trying to make the most of your wardrobe year round like I am, you'll find that bags can be worn in any season! This plum purple bag was purchased in the Australian spring of 2015, which means it was an American autumn / winter bag. I've found the colour so easy to wear year round! From simple summer shorts outfits to these layered winter ones, it really works in any season! One thing to note though is that the bag doesn't completely seal up,  o maybe not a good idea on a snowy or wet day!


Purple Mini MAB Tote Bag In Pregnancy


4 pregnancy outfit ideas with Rebecca Minkoff purple mini MAB tote bag | awayfromblue


I do love closing out these 30 ways to wear posts with pregnancy photos, it's so nice looking back on the baby bump! And it proves a very important point I bring up when buying bags - they are always going to fit and look good no matter what! This cute little purple MAB tote is the perfect example - it's holding its structured shape well and it's seen me through 3 years of wear with many more wears left in it!



What's In My Bag: Rebecca MInkoff Mini MAB Tote Bag:




Where To Buy The Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAB Tote Bag:





More Posts in The #30 Wears Handbag Series:

If you're looking for more outfit inspiration with this bag, you can see all 70+ ways I've worn it in my blog archives. I've included some links to other handbag related 30 wears posts below too. You can find the full post series by clicking here.


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


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Friday, 23 November 2018

The Ultimate Handbag Gift Guide - For Any Budget!

It's gift guide season yet again! As it's been so well received in previous years, I'm again doing my annual handbag lover gift guide. Lots of different gift ideas at multiple price points for the bag mad person in your life! As I'm only sharing one gift guide for Christmas, I've made it a good one.

No matter how expensive their taste in handbags, you're sure to find something that will fit your budget and make any handbag fan very happy!


Ultimate Handbag Gift Guide For A Purse Lover - At Any Budget! | Away from the blue


Under $50: Stocking Fillers



You might not be able to get them a luxe handbag under $50, but you can get some fun accessories! Think of inside their bag: pouches to organise things inside or mini emergency / first aid kits. You can give them pieces to add to the exterior of their current handbag too, with luggage tags or bag charms. You can always get them a book relating to the brand they love, or a general fashion / handbag one. For someone who has absolutely everything, there's always the raincoat for handbags!


Under $100: Handbag Related Gifts



You might not be able to score a bag for under $100, but you can pick up a SLG (small leather good) from their favourite mid-range designer. Think key holders, coin purses and card holders! Kate Spade, Coach, Rebecca Minkoff, Furla, Sophie Hulme and Tory Burch are good brands to look at. Of course for those same designers you might have luck second hand shopping to find a used bag in this price range. See the note about second hand shopping at the end.


Under $250: Beautiful Bags For A Bigger Budget





Shopbop and Nordstrom have a wide range of bags and you might be able to score one on sale to bring it down to your budget. Wallets are a good pick at this price point. You can also look at the same mid-range designers above. Kate Spade and Rebecca Minkoff often have bags under $250, as do Madewell.


Under $500: Handbag Splurges For That Special Someone





If they've hinted, or they've outright told you they are saving up for a special bag, this would be the perfect splurge! An idea gift for a close friend or family member who you want to treat. At this price point, you could get a luxe brand like Chloe or Balenciaga second hand, or something a little smaller like a SLG brand new. You could also get a top range bag from the previously listed designers at lower price points. If you're unsure what colour to get, best to stick to a neutral colour so it easily works with the recipients wardrobe and will be a classic they can treasure for years to come.


Second Hand Shopping

Second hand shopping is a great way to find a bag they love at a price more suited to your budget. Do your due diligence on researching condition so you know exactly what signs of wear there will be on the bag of their dreams. Buying from sites like The Real Real or Fashionphile that guarantee authenticity are good ways to go too.



I hope you found this list useful and it's given you some wonderful gift ideas! There's lots of time to buy now before Christmas and surprise someone with the perfect gift. It's even better to purchase now with the Cyber Weekend and Black Friday sales. I've shared some of the best bag related ones below!

Use coupon code 'MORE18' for 15% off orders over $200 all the way up to 25% off orders over $800! Includes sale items too, for extra discounts.

Get an extra 25% off orders over $100 at Rebecca Minkoff when you use discount code 'THX25'
Or use code 'THX30' for 30% off your $200+ order!

David Jones Cyber Monday Sale
Get 20% off a selected range of bags, and free standard shipping (Monday only!)


Looking at the higher end handbag gifts? Try these sales!


Get an extra 20% off sale items with the discount code 'BF20'!

Get up to 80% off in their sale, no coupon code needed!

Shop 30% off selected items for black Friday with code 'BLACK30'



Do you have any handbags on your Christmas list this year? Of course I'd be thrilled with anything on this list, I would never say no to another handbag!

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