Friday, 4 October 2019

30 Ways To Wear: Grey Maxi Cardigan

I'm sharing another outerwear piece for this months 30 ways to wear post! Last month I showed you 30 ways to wear a camel trench coat, this month it's this lovely grey longline maxi cardigan (also known as a duster) from Jeanswest, in the cosiest Australian wool.

Every month I share something I've worn more than 30 times to give you some ideas and inspiration for how you can wear a similar piece in your wardrobe. Inspired by the 30 wears challenge I first heard about in The True Cost documentary.


30 Ways To Wear: Grey Maxi Cardigan


30 Ways To Wear: Grey Wool Maxi Cardigan Awayfromtheblue blog


It does feel a little strange sharing this cardigan right now, in the middle of spring when it's been packed away for a few weeks! It's a very thick and cosy Australian wool cardigan, perfect for a Brisbane winter, but not something that's been needed much in the hot spring we've had so far. I was so happy to realise I'd hit 30 wears with it though this year (35 to be exact) so I was eager to share it.

Cost Per Wear


I picked up this 'Alice' wool cardigan in the Jeanswest autumn sale back in 2017, so I've had it 2 and a half years. I paid $88.15 for it, and with 35 wears so far that works out to $2.50 a wear. Still more wears to go to reach the "$1 per wear" figure most people aim for, but I'm impressed that I've worn it so much so far. 35 wears over 3 winters is about 12 wears a year, and given that our winter weather barely lasts three months in Brisbane that's a great number! It's something I like reaching for over and over when it's chilly.

It is definitely showing its age, there's a lot of pilling on it as it's been worn and washed. I've run a fuzzball remover over it a few times but it's quite a thick wool so I'm not sure you see much of a difference, ha! It's still so cosy and comfortable though so I will continue to wear it, nothing wrong with pieces looking a little lived in! It's expected for wool to have pilling over time I think anyway.




30 Ways To Wear: Maxi Cardigan Video Style







Grey Maxi Cardigan And Bright Jeans

grey maxi cardigan and bright colourful denim skinny jeans | away from the blue



A nice neutral, long cardigan like this is wonderful to wear with different coloured denim! I love wearing my red, green and purple skinny jeans with this cardigan, it's a fun and colourful way to stay cosy through winter. This longline cardigan looks great with skinny jeans in any shade.


Grey Cardigan and Printed Jeans


ways to wear grey maxi cardigan and printed jeans 4 outfit ideas | awayfromblue


Of course it's not just colourful jeans I'll wear with grey maxi cardigan with, I have a couple of pairs of printed jeans too and this cardigan works equally well with printed denim. Pairing this cardigan with the Sass & Bide chevron printed jeans is a frequent go-to, as you can see! If you're a fan of leggings, you could try printed leggings instead.


Maxi Cardigan And Scarves


wool duster cardigan with blanket scarves ways to wear | awayfromtheblue


This wool cardigan is so cosy in winter, but sometimes you need a little extra layer to keep you warm, especially on a windy day. A big blanket scarf comes in helpful, and with the cardigan being a neutral plain block colour you can pick any printed scarf to wear with it. Leopard is a favourite of mine!


Longline Cardigan With Jeans and Boots


5 ways to wear longline duster maxi cardigan with jeans and boots | away from the blue blog


Sometimes a scarf, wool cardigan and jeans just isn't enough on a cold day, so you have to pull out the boots as well! The longline of this cardigan looks so great when paired with tall boots, although as you can see in the last photo there ankle boots work just as well.


Grey Cardigan With Grey Jeans


monochromatic outfit grey skinny jeans and maxi cardigan with bright accessories and printed tops | awayfromblue


Going monochromatic and pairing a grey cardigan with a grey pair of jeans lets you have more fun with the res of your outfit - either picking bright and colourful accessories like scarves or shoes or bags, or a brightly coloured tee to break up all the grey. I like matching things together, and a grey cardigan and jeans are a great combination.


Maxi Cardigan With Skirts And Dresses


grey maxi cardigan with skirts and dresses outfit ideas | away from blue blog


I do wear this grey maxi cardigan a lot with jeans, but I've worn it with dresses and skirts too! These three outfits show you how you can wear a maxi cardigan with a maxi dress, pencil skirt, or maxi skirt. It's a nice cosy warm layer to add on top of a skirt or dress.


Grey Cardigan With Simple Tops and Jeans


simple grey cardigan with jeans and plain tee outfit ideas for fall | away from the blue

Of course, the simplest outfits are the best! A neutral grey maxi cardigan like this is the perfect throw on and go layer on top of a simple jeans and tee (or jeans and tank!) outfit when it's a little too chilly for bare arms. It's fuss free as it really does go with everything, as you've seen from these 30 different ways to wear it.




Where To Buy A Grey Maxi Cardigan Under $50:





More Outfit Ideas:


For more outfit inspiration and ideas, you can view all the 35+ ways I've worn this grey longline cardigan in my blog archives, or browse the complete 30 wears series.

Similar Posts In The 30 Wears Series:



Don't forget to leave a comment on my previous blog post to be in with the chance to win a scarf!


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Friday, 27 September 2019

Shopping Haul: What I Bought In September & How I've Worn It

So.....after a rather large haul last month I wasn't expecting to buy much of anything this month. I ended up impulse buying quite a few things, with all of the sales going on tempting me!


What I Bought In September: Haul Video




In the video:

  • Kmart teal tassel earrings
  • Kmart mustard gold tassel earrings
  • Kmart teal floral print midi dress
  • Target Preview navy long sleeve collared shirt
  • thrifted cream and navy statement flat bead necklace
  • thrifted black and grey floral crystal statement necklace
  • thrifted statement gunmetal hardware necklace
  • thrifted Equip turquoise cream multi strand bead necklace


Why I Bought It:


With an event looming in October, I needed to find an outfit that fit the dress code. After trying a few options in my wardrobe I decided nothing was quite what I wanted to wear, and so I decided to hit up some local opshops. I had an idea in my head for what I needed to complete my outfit - either an accessory or something to go over my dress.

After spending a week looking for the perfect outfit topper I gave up and decided to go for an accessory instead. The difficulty with looking for necklaces that may work with a formal dress is that you can't wear the formal dress while thrifting, it's a tad overdressed, ha! So I ended up buying a couple of options...and then in the end my mum found the perfect thing in another opshop and bought it for me so I'm not going to wear any of the necklaces I bought to the event! I still like statement necklaces though so expect these to get some wear outside the event, and at just $3 each it was hard to say no.

The Kmart finds were kind of planned. My friend Jess had got an awesome earring haul from the Kmart clearance so I headed into the store to check them out, and ended up spotting this pretty floral dress too reduced to just $12 so that had to come home with me as well!

The Target blouse was a last minute buy at the end of the month - I went into Target to check out the clearance sale and this was reduced from $39 to just $10 so I had to buy it. Luckily for my wallet, none of the other bargains (tops for $5!) I tried on fit right on me.

How I've Worn It:



As you would expect from impulse buys, I didn't manage to wear everything twice to reach my goal of 'wearing things twice in the month I buy them'. A big flag to me that even if it's a bargain I don't need to buy everything I see! I need to take a moment to stop and consider how things will work for my life ahead for the month. After completing #6monthsWithoutShopping 2 years ago I was doing pretty well curbing the impulse buys, I need to make sure I don't fall back into my bad habits!

I do expect I will get wear from these pieces, but statement earrings and necklaces are not everyday wear for me and something I need to be considerate when I wear - pointy pieces are not good when giving toddler cuddles, and big bold necklaces are not the kind of thing I would normally wear to the playground with the kids.

Next month is "Buy Nothing New Month" and it would be great to achieve it this year! I do still have one Jeanswest gift card left from Christmas though...


The 30% off birthday sale at the Iconic is providing me further temptation, as is the Shopbop sale!



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Friday, 6 September 2019

30 Ways To Wear a Classic Camel Trench Coat #30wears Challenge

For this month's 30 wears challenge I'm sharing another wardrobe classic, my camel trench coat. It's a must have piece for the cooler weather!

Each month I look through the blog archives and find something I've worn 30 times or more to create this wrap up post showing you 30 ways you can wear a similar piece from your own wardrobe. Inspired by the 30 wears challenge I heard about in The True Cost documentary. It's a challenge to slow your shopping by ensuring each piece you buy will be worn 30 times or more and to reduce the environmental impact of fashion.


30 Ways To Wear: Camel Trench Coat


30 Ways To Wear A Camel Trench Coat | #30wears | away from the blue blog


This trench coat hit 30 wears quite quickly - I don't have a lot of winter coats in my wardrobe so this is worn at least once a week to the office in winter, and on colder spring and autumn days. Unlike in the northern hemisphere where a trench is more of a spring or autumn piece, this cotton twill fully lined trench coat is thick and cosy and perfect for a Brisbane winter!


Cost Per Wear

Worn more than 60 times on the blog I really wish I could remember the price I paid for it to calculate cost per wear. I remember buying it on sale at the outlets when shopping with my mum - it was massively reduced, definitely under $50, as it was out of season and one of the buttons was falling off. I bought it and set it aside for the next winter (after my mum fixed one of the buttons!). I had it before my blog, so more than 8 years ago. Given that I've had it more than 8 years and worn it faithfully every winter, I'm sure it's less than the '$1 per wear' figure most people aim for to get value for money. I'm really pleased with this purchase and don't see me getting rid of this coat any time soon!

Everyone needs a classic camel trench in their wardrobe, and this post covers just some ways you can wear it!


30 Ways To Wear A Camel Trench: Video Style






Camel Trench Coat With Burgundy


camel trench coat worn with burgundy in 6 different ways to wear | away from blue

You'll see a few go-to colour combinations come up in this post! While camel is a great neutral and goes with every colour in my wardrobe, there are a few colour combinations I repeatedly try with this trench. Burgundy is one of them. While I love my burgundy pants with the camel coat, I do like other burgundy pieces like a scarf or dress.



Tench Coat with Monochrome Black Outfits


adding a cmael trench coat to a monochrome black outfit 6 ways to wear | awayfromblue

Black and camel is another frequently worn combination. While I have added in some other colours to these outfits with accessories, the outfits themselves are monochrome black. Classic little black dresses or a black top and pencil skirt together, a camel trench coat is a great topper with a monochromatic black outfit.


Camel Trench Coat and Jeans


ways to wear camel trench coat and jeans  | awayfromtheblue

While I wear my camel trench coat frequently to the office with more formal outfits, it also looks great worn more casually with jeans. You can see a couple of the outfits here are older ones as I last wore blue jeans 2 years ago! Any colour of denim looks great with this neutral camel trench coat though.


Trench Coat and Printed Outfits



Of course, being a classic neutral shade, a camel trench coat works with all kinds of printed outfits. it's the perfect neutral topper to a colourful print mixing outfit, or an easy choice with a printed dress!


Camel Trench Coat and Sheath Dresses


camel trench coat and sheath dresses office outfit ideas | away from blue

I love a good sheath dress for the office, but all the ones I have are short sleeved or sleeveless. This trench coat is great topper for cooler weather, it keeps me warm and works perfectly with the prints on the dresses, no matter how bold they are! Just like with the other printed outfit options above. A sheath dress and a trench coat is staple formal office style.


Trench Coat and Pencil Skirts


4 ways to wear a trench coat with pencil skirts office outfit ideas | away from the blue

Another work outfit option, a pencil skirt pairs equally as well with a trench coat as the dresses above. You can go with a classic black one, or have a little more fun with colourful printed or textured pencil skirts. It's the best neutral outfit topper no matter what skirt you wear. This trench coat really does go with everything!



Where To Buy A Camel Trench Coat Under $50:





More Outfit Ideas:


For more outfit inspiration and ideas, you can view all the 60+ ways I've worn this trench in my blog archives, or browse the complete 30 wears series.

Similar Posts In The 30 Wears Series:



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