Away From Blue | Aussie Mum Style, Away From The Blue Jeans Rut

Friday, 15 November 2019

What's In My Bag: #ItsInTheBag2019 Nappy Bag For Share The Dignity

A special what's in my bag post today as I'm sharing what I have pulled together for Share the Dignity's It's In The Bag Christmas campaign!

Share The Dignity provides sanitary products to those in need across Australia and every year at Christmas time they have the drive to donate a little more than just pads or tampons.

You can fill a new or gently used bag with some essentials and a few (non-food) treats to make a woman, teen or new mum smile. Last year I donated a handbag for a woman in need, this year I am donating a nappy bag for a mum and baby.

What's Inside My Nappy Bag:

It's In The Bag Christmas Campaign Share the Dignity Nappy Bag | awayfromblue blog

A little more about what's in the bag and why is in my video!

I had so much fun putting this bag together! As you can see, it had to be quite a big bag to fit all the essentials in it so I went with this pink and grey Kmart gym bag. Nothing else was big enough! I had forgotten just how many things you need as a new mum, now my youngest is 3 and a half! I ticked off all of the essentials from the list for mum (things like breast pads, maternity pads, shower gel, shampoo and conditioner) and for baby (nappies, wipes, nappy balm). With the little space I had left I added some extras for mum, like a hairbrush, lip balm, tote bag and of course a little hand written card.

I can't imagine being a new mum at Christmas time in a shelter or homeless and so I hope that this bag helps a little. While I picked up a lot on sale spreading my shopping out over time, I also picked up things we use and love at home for the boys. I've shared my review of the Mater baby products before on the blog when I collaborated with them, but this post, like last years It's In The Bag post, was not paid for in any way and I purchased the Mater products myself.

Ways You Can Help

Share The Dignity has some great ideas about what you can put in your bag to give to a woman, mother or child in need. See what to put in a bag for a lady, teen or new mum. You can donate your bag at your local Bunnings from Friday 22nd November to Saturday 7th November.
If you don't have a new or gently used bag to donate to the Christmas campaign, why not take part in the sanitary products drive in April or August next year?
If you're not in Australia and still want to help women in need, have a look and see if there are any charities in your country that put together blessing bags. Similar things I found on google are blessing bags in the US and bags of kindness in the UK.

What You Can Include In Your Nappy Bag:

There are so many ways to give back at Christmas time. If your heart aches for men, women, children, mothers, animals or families in need, Christmas is a great time to give back. I loved being able to do a little something for a struggling mum this year and hope in some small way it brings a little joy at Christmas time.

I'd love to do this again next year too! Have you done something like this before? What should I include in my next bag?

Note: My posts, like this one, are usually written 2-3 weeks in advance. I had to add on this updated note though. We are safe from the bushfires, as are our family and friends. For ways to help, see here: https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/bushfire-donations-heres-how-you-can-help/11696418

Follow Away From the Blue on:
Bloglovin : Twitter : Instagram : Youtube : Facebook : LikeToKnow.It

Friday, 1 November 2019

30 Ways To Wear: Navy Rebecca Minkoff Medium MAB Tote Bag

I really enjoy putting these 30 ways to wear posts together, it's a good way to look back at my outfits, gives me some inspiration for things to wear in future. I hope it inspires you too!

This month I'm sharing my beautiful navy blue Rebecca Minkoff medium MAB tote bag. Don't let the name fool you, this bag is quite large! (Although it does come in a smaller size that I also own, and an even larger size too!)

30 Ways To Wear: Rebecca Minkoff Medium MAB Tote Bag

30 ways to wear Navy tote bag Rebecca Minkoff MAB medium tote in moon | awayfromblue blog

I'm surprised it's taken me so long to put this post together! This bag is often worn to the office, it's a great tote for fitting anything and everything in and still looking classy when it sits on my desk. While I have tried it casually once, I much prefer keeping it as an office only bag, when the structured design works better with my outfits.

Cost Per Wear

I picked this up in the Rebecca Minkoff sale for $202.65 back in 2015. At 39 wears, it's still got a lot to go to hit the "$1 per wear" figure people aim for (currently at $5.19) but I can see myself using this for many years to come, it is such a timeless tote design. I do tend to use it for work, which is why I'm only just past 30 wears now, I had a 18 month maternity leave from 2016 to 2017 so I haven't been reaching for it all 4 years I've had it!

30 Ways To Wear: Navy Tote Bag Video Style

MAB Tote Bag with Monochromatic Blue Outfits

4 outfit ideas monochromatic blue outfits with navy MAB tote bag | awayfromblue

Blue is my favourite colour - I wear it to boost my mood and my confidence and also when I'm just having a great day and want to continue that happy feeling! I love a monochromatic blue outfit, and paired with this navy blue Rebecca Minkoff medium MAB bag, it creates an outfit I adore. I just need a blue pair of shoes now to go head-to-toe blue!

Navy Tote Bag with Black

If you haven't tried it, navy and black is a great colour combination! I think the two neutrals work so well together. A navy bag with a black outfit is a nice way to try the colour combination out on a smaller scale. You can go monochromatic black with a dress, a little bit of black with a pencil skirt, and even break up the colour a little with a bright scarf if you're unsure about just wearing the navy and black side by side.

Navy MAB Tote Bag With Pink

4 pink and navy outfit ideas with rebecca minkoff mab tote bag | away from the blue

Another much loved colour combination of mine! I like pink and blue together, in any combination of shades. As you can see from these otufits, from a pastel pink blazer to a hot pink tee, the navy MAB tote bag works with every intensity of pink. If you just want to try the colour combination in a small way, and a pink dress with a navy bag like the fits outfit is too bold for you, you could always add a pink scarf to your outfit.

MAB Tote Bag Matching Other Navy Pieces In Outfit

4 ways to wear a navy bag matching other navy pieces in your outfit | away from blue

Matchy-matchy makes it so easy to pull an outfit together! When you're not sure what bag to wear you can just pick one that matches a colour in your outfit. It's a simple tip but it really helps an outfit feel more cohesive, even if it's just as simple as a navy scarf to match your bag.

Navy MAB Tote Bag With Printed Dresses For The office

5 ways to wear a navy rebecca minkoff mab tote bag with printed dresses | awayfromblue

Printed dresses are an office staple, they make getting ready for work so easy as you don't have to mix and match with a one and done outfit! As you can see in the pics, no matter the print or colour of the dress, this neutral navy tote works with them all.

MAB Tote Bag with Pencil Skirts At Work

4 outfit ideas with a large navy tote bag and pencil skirt for the office | away from the blue

Another staple work option for me, the classic pencil skirt. A big tote bag looks nice with a pencil skirt outfit, and works more formally with a blazer to dress up a more casual cardigan and skirt outfit. You can't go wrong with a structured tote and pencil skirt in the office!

Navy MAB Tote Bag With Print Mixing Office Outfits

3 print mixing outfit ideas with navy tote bag rebecca minkoff mab in moon | away from the blue

It's nice to have a little fun with your outfit when you're wearing a neutral bag - you can be more adventurous with colour or prints. Even if you just add a little hint of print mixing to your outfit by adding a printed scarf on top of a different print, a neutral tote is a great complimentary accessory, as you don't have to worry about the big block colour clashing with any of the prints.

Rebecca Minkoff MAB Tote Bag Accessorised with Scarves

3 ways to accessorise a navy tote bag with a scarf | awayfromtheblue

This is quite a large tote, and sometimes it can feel a little plain being a big neutral square. As you've seen in the outfits above, a bag charm is a cute addition to the bag to break up the colour a little, and in these outfits I've accessorised the bag by tying scarves around the handles. This works well on the way to the office when it's a hot summer day but you know you will need a scarf at your desk in the cold aircon! It's also a nice way to add another colour or print to your outfit.

Where to Buy Rebecca Minkoff MAB Tote Bag:

More Outfit Ideas:

For more outfit inspiration and ideas, you can view all the 39+ ways I've worn this navy tote in my blog archives, or browse the complete 30 wears series.

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

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.