Friday, 30 July 2021

30 Ways To Wear: Purple Cocoon Cardigan From Jeanswest

For this month's 30 ways to wear post I'm sharing some of the ways I've worn this pretty purple cocoon cardigan. Each month I take a look through my blog archives to see what pieces in my wardrobe I've hit 30 wears with, to put together these posts.

I don't track my wear count with spreadsheets, or apps, I'm not that organised! It's just me regularly taking a pic of what I wear each day and putting it on the blog. When I search for previous ways I've worn things I can see post counts and identify items that are at or close to 30 wears. Because I'm on Blogger which is run by Google I'm guessing the post search function I get behind the scenes is better than Wordpress? Seems to be Wordpress users mostly that don't understand how my blog archive can tally how many times I've worn things. It's so easy to just query for "Jeanswest Peggie kimono cardigan in purple mulberry marle" as I've labelled this cardi, and I get all the times I've worn this cardigan counted for me. Thrifted pieces are a little trickier as I don't know the official store colour names or descriptors but I try to give them unique names so it's easier to search later. Been blogging what I wear each day for almost 10 years so that's a lot of outfits and pieces being worn I can find!


30 Ways To Wear: Purple Cocoon Cardigan


30 ways to wear Jeanswest Peggie purple cocoon cardigan outfit ideas | awayfromblue

This Peggie purple cocoon cardigan is just perfect for our milder temperatures in Brisbane - not too thick and warm, which makes it perfect to wear on its own, or to layer with on a really cold day. And even though it's 6 years old, it's still in perfect condition!


Cost Per Wear


I picked this cardigan up in a Jeanswest sale back in June 2015. I wasn't a big cardigan wearer until after the boys were born and I realised how it was much better breastfeeding a baby in winter in a cardigan than a jacket with big buttons or zips! Since then I have embraced them more, but it still has taken me 6 years to reach 32 wears with this cardigan. Pleased with how long this cardi has lasted in my wardrobe though, and it has lots of wear left! It is a thin, fine knit so I'm really just lucky it hasn't snagged on anything to get a pull or a hole, and the "hand wash" setting on our washing machine has helped make sure it's not damaged in the wash. I'm sure using that wash setting and never using a dryer is why I find high street or fast fashion pieces last years and for 30+ wears in my wardrobe.

As it was a "extra % off already discounted items" sale buy, it was just $17.49. I don't remember the original price as the email receipt only has the final price but I think that was a pretty good deal! It works out as 55 cents a wear so far too which is awesome. There are a few colour combos I like to wear with this cardigan, and some outfit pieces it makes a great topper for, so here's 30 of my favourite ways I've worn it!



Purple Cardigan As An Extra Layer


3 outfit ideas layering under jackets with purple cardigan hint of colour awayfromtheblue

This cardigan was great for winter days back when we used to work in offices. Light enough to add as a layer under a thicker coat or trench to add extra warmth on the commute, and a great topper on its own in the office one the coat was off. Was a nice little hint of purple in all the layers too.



Purple Cardigan To Bring Colour to Neutrals


3 outfit ideas adding colour to neutral outfits with purple cardigan awayfromtheblue

This deep purple is a great way to add more colour to a neutral outfit. It works well here with the black and white outfits to add some brightness without being too bold. It's nice to just let the cardigan be the only touch of colour in an outfit too sometimes.



Purple Cardigan With Pink Outfits


3 pink and purple outfit ideas for colder weather with purple cocoon cardigan awayfromblue

There are a few colour combos I frequently wear together. Pink and purple is one of those. As you can see from the pics this pretty purple is so nice worn with magenta pink, and so I like wearing my magenta pieces like the jeans and midi dress with this purple cardigan.



Purple Cardigan With Blue Outfits


four purple and blue outfit ideas awayfromblue blog with purple cardigan

Another go-to combination for me is purple and blue. I like all shades of blue with this cardigan, from pale blue chambray to a darker navy, it's a nice completer piece to add to a blue outfit. 




Purple Cardigan Worn With Other Purple Pieces In An Outfit


wearing purple pieces with a purple cardigan 4 outfit ideas awayfromtheblue

Matchy-matchy makes me happy! With this purple cardigan though, I don't have any other pieces in this exact shade. So it's more monochromatic matchy-matchy in these outfits, that I think works just as well. All the different shades of purple, from the jeans to the scarves or the little mini MAB tote bag, look great together.



Purple Cardigan and Prints


5 ways to wear adding a purple cocoon cardigan to printed outfits awayfromblue

Sometimes it can be tricky to layer an outfit that has a lot of print in it if you want to avoid print clashing. A block coloured cardigan like this one is the perfect layer then as it introduces even more colour to your outfit but doesn't compete with any printed pieces. You can see how good it looks here with small things like tartan scarves to bigger statement pieces like chevron print jeans or a Paisley print dress.



Purple Cardigan Worn With Shorts


3 outfit ideas shorts and light purple cardigan awayfromblue blog

In spring and autumn when it's not quite warm enough for bare arms and bare legs together legs light cocoon cardigan like this is the perfect topper. Not bulky so it's easy to take off and put in a bag if it warms up, but warm enough to keep you cosy in the cooler mornings and evenings. Shorts and cardigans will always be a staple outfit formula for me in those in-between seasons.



Purple Cardigan Worn With Dresses


5 ways to wear purple cocoon cardigan with different dresses awayfromblue

The cocoon shape of this cardigan doesn't limit what I wear it with. Just as it's worked with jeans and shorts and skirts above, it works really well with dresses too! Both shorter dresses and maxi dresses are a great base for a cocoon cardigan. And colourful or printed dresses let me try out some different colour combos with the purple too!



Where To Buy Purple Cardigans Under $50:



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

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!



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

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:






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