Wednesday, 7 July 2021

What I Bought In June - Chloe Ethel Bag!

Short and sweet what I bought post this month! While I made it through April and May without making any fashion purchases, June ended up much like March - I stumbled across a handbag on eBay I'd been thinking about at a price I couldn't resist, so I made another impulse buy.

What I Bought In June:

I've you've followed my blog since the early days this bag may look a little familiar to you - I had a pink version of this bag in 2012/2013 that I often regretted selling! As mentioned in the video I'd been thinking about it lately and searching a few sites for it, looking at options when I got rewarded at work with a gift card a few weeks ago, that spurred me on to buy this!

You haven't seen this pop up on the blog or even my Instagram yet. I'd been trying to find a place that could fix up the weak point on the strap around the local area, so it wasn't being worn while I was taking the strap out to the cobblers. No luck with that sadly, as I talked through in the video, but at least I have a few places in mind to go to if the strap does snap, ha!

I'm really looking forward to wearing this. I have my "wear twice in the month you buy it" rule for all new purchase that this bag hasn't met, but given the colour I know it will work with a lot of things in my wardrobe. I did get it right at the start of June but between authenticating, cleaning it up, trying to find a cobbler, the rain and our little 3 day lockdown we had in Brisbane recently there hasn't been a chance to wear it before I drafted up this post.

In lieu of a how I wore it, these are the pics I texted to my bestie when I tried it on immediately after it arrived!

3 ways to wear small Chloe Ethel bag in light khaki | awayfromblue

Now hopefully I can copy what I did in April and March and make it through July without buying any fashion items - for my sixth year of attempting No Buy July! While I'm not near the budget I set myself this year I am getting near the fashion spend I achieved last year and I'm curious to see if I can pull off such a low spend again this year!

I'm going to try the Slow Fashion Season #FashionDetox challenge too. Buying no new fashion from July to September. We will see how I go!

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Thursday, 1 July 2021

30 Ways To Wear: Jeanswest Olive Soft Pull On Shorts With Floral Embroidery

It feels a little strange to be featuring these soft pull on embroidered olive shorts while it's winter here in Queensland and definitely not shorts weather any More! Having hit 31 wears with them this year though they definitely deserve a post to showcase the different ways I've worn these cute soft shorts.

30 ways To Wear: Soft Olive Embroidered Shorts

30 ways to wear olive soft pull on shorts with floral embroidery | away from blue blog

Unlike the striped tank I shared 30 outfits with last month, these shorts were not an impulse buy but something I'd thought about for a while before buying. A sale was the prefect time to snap them up, and it's nice to have a light, soft alternative to denim shorts in Brisbane's summer heat and humidity. Plus the elastic drawstring waist is a nice change from button or zip up shorts! They are made from Tencel, so it's a nice light fibre for a hot day too.

Cost Per Wear

I bought these Jeanswest Tessa embroidered olive shorts back in November 2017. I'm surprised it's taken me four summers to get them up to over 30 wears, they feel like such a staple to me now! At the time I didn't have a lot of green in my wardrobe but I was trying to challenge myself to wear it more - and with the floral embroidery and soft Tencel these shorts are so cute I had to have them, even if I found green tricky to wear at the time. I bought them on sale for just $41.99. At 31 wears that's $1.35 per wear - not quite at $1 per wear figure most people aim for, but certainly getting there!

Olive Shorts With Yellow

5 ways to wear olive soft pull on embroidered shorts with yellow mustard to pastel awayfromblue blog

Green and yellow are wonderful together and the nice thing about these neutral Olive Shorts is that they work with every shade of yellow I've tried with them! From a pastel, mustard or even more golden yellow, olive is the perfect pairing.

Olive and White

4 outfits of white with olive shorts easy summer outfits awayfromblue

Being a neutral, olive does go with so many shades and while I've paired it with brighter yellows above it also goes well with other neutral colours! White is one of those. From a white tee to a white kimono, any white piece is good to wear with olive shorts.

Olive And Grey

3 ways to wear grey tops and olive soft shorts awayfromblue

Grey is one of my favourite neutrals but can be a little tricker to wear with these olive shorts when there isn't much contrast with the tones of the grey and olive shades. I usually counteract this by adding other bright pieces, like necklaces, kimonos or a neon pink bag to a grey and olive outfit.

Olive And Black

Much like white, black is another staple neutral I wear with these shorts. I'll happily wear black year round, so of course it works in summer with olive shorts too. Black tanks or even light jackets when it's cooler are a good option to let the simple embroidered shorts shine.

Olive And Navy

3 ways to wear olive embroidered shorts with navy tops awayfromtheblue

Definitely not a follower of the "blue and green should never be seen" rule - I think that blue and green are beautiful together! I wear navy a lot with these soft olive shorts. A classic navy tee is a great choice, but you can add more navy with a bag or kimono as I have in a couple of these outfits.

Olive Shorts And Striped Tops

3 striped top and olive pull on shorts outfit ideas awayfromblue

Like the navy outfits above, stripes are another frequently worn option with the olive embroidered shorts. I like mixing stripes with other prints and so I like the way the stripes look with with delicate little floral embroidery on the hems.

Olive Shorts and Prints

4 different outfit ideas olive shorts and printed pieces awayfromtheblue

Because the floral embroidery on these shorts is so subtle, sometimes I'll try other prints with these shorts too! As you can see in this trio of outfits and the ones above a kimono is a good way to do this, but you can also try a mixed print tank, tee, or light scarf too.

Olive Shorts Layered With Knits

5 ways to layer up olive shorts for autumn mum style knits and cardigans awayfromtheblue

I've shared a lot of summer outfits with these shorts - as they are so good in the heat! But I've layered them up a little with knits for spring and autumn successfully. I find bright colours like the blue knitted jumpers work well, but cosy neutral cardigans in black and navy, as I've shown in the outfits above too, are a nice choice against the navy shorts.

Where To Buy Similar Olive Shorts Under $50:

Thursday, 27 May 2021

30 Ways To Wear: Black and White Stripe Tank

Unsurprisingly for such a staple piece, I've worn this Atmos & Here black and white striped tank 30 times since I bought it! The perfect piece to feature for this month's 30 wears post as it goes with everything.

30 Ways To Wear: Atmos&Here Black and White Striped Tank

30 ways to wear" Atmos&Here Black and White Striped Trapeze racerback tank styled different ways | away from the blue blog

Out of all the prints in my wardrobe, I think stripes are the hardest working, and something I frequently reach for. The best thing about this black and white striped racer back tank is that it's quite a thick cotton material - so it works in summer with bare arms and layers well in winter too. I really enjoy wearing it and can't imagine not having in my wardrobe. Even if it was an impulse buy!

And just like the cheap and cheerful find I shared last month with the Kmart floral maxi dress worn 30 ways, this is from Atmos&Here, another fast fashion brand. You don't have to spend a lot to get things that last in your wardrobe!

Cost Per Wear

This Atmos&Here Oregon tank was an impulse buy to get myself free shipping! I'd picked up a few things at The Iconic, back in April 2016, but I was 50 cents short of free shipping. I had the choice of paying $7.95 for shipping or finding something else I liked around that same price range to get free shipping. This tank was on sale for $9.98. I figured I'd rather pay the extra $2.03 and have the tank than just paying for shipping!

I'm glad I did that - it's been a good piece to have in my wardrobe, and for just $9.98, at 30 wears, it's down to 33 cents a wear now.

Jeans and Black And White Striped Tank Outfits

6 different jeans and black and white tank outfit ideas awayfromblue

You really can't beat stripes and denim - it's such a classic, and for good reason! I like to try mix it up a little and step away from the blue jeans rut by wearing this striped tank with more colourful jeans, but any shade of denim works well with stripes - even a classic blue.

Bright Toppers To Wear With A Black and White Striped Tank

5 ways to add a bright topper to a black and white striped tank outfit ideas awayfromtheblue

A black and white striped tank is a great neutral piece to add to an outfit. It doesn't clash with any other colours so you can layer it up with any bright topper! A cardigan for a cooler day, a blush blazer for work, or a pink vest on a warmer day. They all look great with black and white, any colour does.

Black And White Stripe Tank Worn With Printed Scarves

4 ways to wear striped tank with printed scarf awayfromblue

With the neutral black and white, another way I like to add a little more colour to this tank is by wearing a bright scarf on top. It's a great additional layer for a colder day too. My favourite is an Alexander McQueen skull scarf. I love the skull print against stripes and I have them in a range of colours!

Shorts Outfits With Black and White Striped Tank

3 outfits ideas striped tank and shorts awayfromtheblue

Just like the striped tank and jeans outfit formula above, shorts are another easy staple pairing. You don't have to stick to denim shorts though, as you can see here I've worn this striped tank with cotton Bermuda shorts and these soft linen blend olive pull on shorts. An easy outfit for a warmer day.

Black and White Striped Tank With Skirts Outfits

5 outfit ideas with a black tank and skirts awayfromtblue

As much as I love jeans and shorts, skirts are more frequently worn in my wardrobe. And this neutral black and white striped tank works with any kind of skirt! As you can see, maxi skirts are my go-to, but this tank works well under a blazer with a pencil skirt for in the office too.

Print Mixing With Striped Tank

I think striped pieces are the easiest to try print mixing with, and so I've worn this tank with a few printed pieces in the past. Printed shorts, and a lot of printed kimonos! Not every print mix worked but it was fun to try some different things with the stripes! I think the printed shorts is my favourite, closely followed by that tie dye kimono.