Friday, 3 September 2021

30 Ways To Wear: Billabong Red Printed Maxi Skirt

So thrilled to finally feature this pretty red printed maxi skirt in its own 30 wears post! I thrifted it back in 2017 and I'm just surprised it's taken me this long to hit over 30 wears with it. It feels like it's such a constantly worn staple for me! Definitely overdue a post celebrating all the ways I have worn it. You can wear a bright red maxi skirt in quite a few ways surprisingly. It's more versatile than you think!


30 Ways To Wear: Red Printed Maxi Skirt


30 ways to wear billabong red printed boho maxi skirt | away from blue blog


I'm not someone who has a lot of red in my wardrobe so I'm surprised by how much of a staple this skirt has become for me! While I do tend to wear it with a lot of blue, it's also encouraged me to try other colours now and then. The yellow in the boho print has made me branch out and try red and yellow together in bolder combos which I really like, and I just love how light and floaty this skirt is for summer. This slight high low hem ensures it always catches a breeze, and while it can make it tricky to photograph it makes it so fun to wear. So glad I found it!


Cost Per Wear

I thrifted this skirt at the end of my no shop challenge in 2017, after successfully not shopping for 7 months. From my favourite, but sadly now permanently closed opshop, it was just $3. At 31 wears that makes it just under 9 cents a wear. Pretty good value for a second hand skirt that's still going strong and will continue to be in my wardrobe for quite some time! For full disclosure, I did pay to have this skirt altered, because I'm petite and it's a full length maxi skirt. I don't remember how much I paid to calculate full cost including alterations but it was definitely less than $30 to it to be shortened for me so still under $1 per wear. Here are the 30 favourite ways I've worn it:


Red Maxi Skirt and Neutral Tees

red printed maxi skirt worn 4 ways with neutral tees | awayfromtheblue

Of course the most obvious choice for a bold bright printed piece like this maxi skirt is to wear it with neutrals. It is a very easy way to wear it; with a grey, white, or black tee. You can always add a little extra colour with another layer or accessory as I've done in some of these outfits too.



Red Maxi Skirt With Blue

5 outfit ideas different shades of blue navy with red printed maxi skirt | awayfromblue

I mentioned above I wear this skirt with blue a lot - any shade of blue really! Blue is my favourite colour so I have a lot of it in my wardrobe and luckily this bright cheerful red pairs so nicely with every different blue shade, from pastels to navy.



Matchy-Matchy With Red Printed Maxi Skirt and Red Handbag

3 outfit ideas of a red bag matching and worn with a red printed maxi skirt | awayfromblue

I do like being matchy-matchy and have worn my red bags with this red skirt a few times, although they do get a little lost in these outfits. Contrasting bags are definitely something I wear more commonly with this skirt. You could try matching other pieces too, like a bracelet, shoes or necklace to avoid the pieces blending together like these bags do with the skirt.



Red Printed Maxi Skirt With Yellow

red printed maxi skirt worn 3 ways with yellow and mustard | awayfromblue blog

When you have a printed piece like this skirt, an fail-safe way to find things to wear it with is to pull out a colour from the print. And with the yellow design printed on the skirt, so many shades of yellow I've worn with this work well. Mustard is definitely my favourite though!



Red Printed Maxi Skirt With Striped Tees

3 different stripe tee outfit ideas with red boho print maxi skirt | awayfromtheblue

It's fun to try a little bit of print mixing now and then. While I didn't equally love all of these striped tees with the red maxi skirt, I do think stripes are the best for print mixing with. Stripes made an easy choice when I wanted to try something different and wear a printed top with this skirt.



Red Printed Maxi Skirt and Graphic Tee Outfits

5 ways to wear red printed maxi skirt with graphic tees outfits | away from blue

Graphic tees are a staple for a causal wardrobe like mine and they work well with maxi skirts, even if they are printed like this one.



Red Printed Maxi Skirt and Knit Outfits

3 ways to wear a red printed maxi skirt in winter with knits | awayfromtheblue

This skirt is so light and perfect for summer - but I enjoy wearing it in cooler weather too. With mild Brisbane winters, pairing a maxi skirt and knit together is an easy cosy outfit for warmer winter day.



Red Printed Maxi Skirt and Denim Jackets Outfits

4 different denim jacket outfit ideas with a red printed maxi skirt | awayfromblue blog

A denim jacket is a staple in everyone's wardrobe and it works so well with a maxi skirt! I really like the blue denim jackets with this red skirt, but different colours like the white denim jacket work just as well.



Where To Buy Similar Red Printed Maxi Skirts Under $50:








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Wednesday, 1 September 2021

What I Bought In August (And How I've Worn It) - Rebecca Minkoff Jumbo Love Bag

After achieving No Buy July I've been sticking firm to the Slow Fashion Season #FashionDetox challenge, which means buying no new fashion pieces from July to September. I'm really wanting to achieve that goal, and didn't see myself even doing much thrifting or second hand shopping for the 3 months, shopping that's allowed under the rules because it's not newly made. 

But then I stumbled across a preloved bag for an amazing deal and just like I did in June, and March, and February... I impulse bought another handbag 😂 Maybe I need a handbag detox!


What I Bought:





This beautiful bag is the Rebecca Minkoff quilted jumbo Love bag in cobalt. It's a bag I've considered a few times over the years but the cheapest I've seen it on sale was $190 and I eventually thought too long even at that price and missed out on it. Being petite and wary of bigger structured bags I didn't want to spend a lot in case it was too big for me. It currently retails for $539 at David Jones so I'd always thought it would be a bag I wouldn't add to my collection.

But then I saw this second hand on Gumtree for just $50 - and knew I had to try it at that price! I do think it is a bit big for me, and I can't wear it crossbody like I do with my other love bags as it's down at my knees! But while it won't be a permanent addition to my handbag collection I plan to enjoy it for a while, the colour is amazing.

Given I don't see it being a staple for me and that I've found it a little tricky to style so far it's an impulse buy I probably shouldn't have bought, but I was so curious about this style and it's nice to have a jumbo Love bag to try. It also brings my total purchases so far this year to: 5 items of clothing, 4 bags and a wallet! 🤣 Definitely a bag buying year this year! They have all been second hand bag buys so I'm still just under budget.


How I've Worn It:

3 ways to wear rebecca minkoff cobalt jumbo love bag quilted leather | awayfromblue blog



If I was in the office more this would be the perfect office bag I think, but we are still under hybrid ways of working with it meaning working from home most of the time. I've tried to work this bag into more casual outfits, with varying rates of success. I'm determined to make this bag work though, it's just so beautiful!








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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:



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