What I Bought In September (And How I've Worn It)

Sharing two things I bought in September - lucky opshop finds! No video this time, just some photos, as it was only two thrifted things.

What I Bought:

I couldn't resist picking these up at the opshop sale! We wandered in just for a little browse, with nothing in particular in mind to buy (although I was, as always, hoping to find a couple books for the kids and I). Nothing really appealed but I did see this cute little skirt hanging off the end of the rack when we passed the women's clothing section and for $1 I had to have it! I remember skirts like these being popular quite a while ago back in my uni days. Luckily, this one has a fully elasticated waist so I can wear on my hips and it doesn't feel too short. Not like the high waisted mini skirts I remember wearing when I was younger in the pre-blog days! Still just as fun to wear, just a little longer and so more practical for running around with the kids.

The necklace was another piece I just stumbled across - they have accessories right next to the registers and this designer inspired clover necklace from Mix Apparel was just $2, new with tags. I've gone to look up the website though and I can't see Mix Apparel any more or find out what happened to it (my local Coles store never sold it). For my non-Aussie followers it was a fashion brand you could buy in a supermarket here, not sure if you still can. For just $2 though it's a cute necklace!

How I've Worn It:

I really wasn't expecting to hit my "wear everything twice in the month I buy it" goal with this little ruffle skirt. But some summer like spring days after I bought this skirt gave me the opportunity to wear it almost right away! The necklace was an easy piece to hit that two wears in the month goal with too, I think it pairs nicely against plain block colour clothing pieces.

How I'm Tracking:

I was hoping as September was the last month of the Slow Fashion Season #FashionDetox to buy nothing, but didn't succeed. Although second hand shopping is allowed under the challenge I would have liked to finish with a no buy month! But couldn't pass up these two impulse buys. Not a bad track record for the 3 month challenge though, with nothing bought in July, a second hand bag in September and now these 2 thrift finds. Only 3 things total and all allowed under the rules.

With my spend for 2020 being pretty low and a lot of impulse buys (and bags!) this year, I'm surprisingly still under my 2020 spending limit at the end of September. Really hoping I can stick to that though as I'm getting close to matching what I spent last year already. I only spent $483.59 on fashion in 2020 though so I have a pretty tight budget to spend less than that this year!

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30 Ways To Wear: Cobalt Blue Moto Leather Jacket

It feels a little strange to be putting together a post of 30 ways I've worn a leather jacket when it's spring here in Brisbane. But I realised when I wore this beautiful blue moto jacket over winter that it had passed 30 wears, and it's definitely overdue a post! It's always fun searching back in my blog archives and stumbling across pieces I've worn more than 30 times without realising, like this jacket. It's one of the benefits of using my blog as an outfit diary - years of photos of what I've worn out each day to make putting these posts together so easy.

30 Ways To Wear: Cobalt Leather Moto Jacket

I first saw this leather jacket in a magazine I'm sure - as much as I loved Wittner shoes for leather shoes for work I wasn't a regular visitor of their website. But once I'd seen it, I could not get it out of my head. It was an online only piece so no chance of trying it on in store, and I spent weeks mulling it over before buying. Wittner is a shoe brand and only did jackets for a couple of years I think - hard to find out much info as it was so long ago I bought this. So glad I did buy it though, all the way back in 2013! I've seen it online called both Santa Fe which I label it on my blog, or Sante Fe as the email receipt says. Since it was so long ago I don't have any tags to confirm, but searching online for both names shows that at one point they made this jacket in black too. I do love the cobalt blue though!

Cost Per Wear

While winter in Brisbane doesn't last that long I like wearing my leather jackets on the super cold days. As a result this only gets worn a few times a year, so it's taken me quite a while to pass 30 wears with it! It's currently at 36 wears. 

This jacket is one of my rare full price buys, and aside from my wedding dress, it's the most I've ever paid for an item of clothing.  It was a huge $299.95, and never went on sale so I'm glad I splurged on it full price! At 36 wears it's $8.33 a wear currently, which is a lot higher than the 'under $1 per wear' figure most people aim for to get "value for money". But with just 36 wears in 8 years, and so few really cold winter days in Brisbane, I expect it to last so much longer in my wardrobe. It is definitely an investment piece I never see myself giving up!

Because this is a 30 ways to wear post, I narrowed it down and as usual just chose 30 of my favourite ways I've worn this, from 2013 to now.

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Cobalt Leather Jacket With Neutrals

The easiest way to wear any item that's a big bold block of colour: wear it with neutrals! White, grey, black, all work so well with this jacket as it lets the jacket be the statement piece in your outfit.

Cobalt Leather Jacket With Purple

I really like blue and purple together and these 4 outfits illustrate that any shades combine well! From a lilac tee to a deep sapphire bag, or even 3 shades of purple like that last outfit there with the different accessories, it's just such a good combination.

Cobalt Leather Jacket With Red

This is another fun colour combination, that is a really bright one too. Red and blue are another power combo together, and against the cobalt jacket red really pops! Even something as small as a little red accessory like a bag or scarf looks fantastic with the bright blue.

Blue Leather Jacket With Yellow

Like red and blue above, yellow is a fun combination but surprisingly one I haven't worn all that much with this jacket! I like wearing yellow as it's such a cheerful colour and I find it looks so good with the cobalt - from a bright mustard like the clutch bag in the middle there, to a pastel yellow like the tees.

Cobalt Leather Jacket With Pink

As much as I enjoy the other colour combinations with this jacket, saving the best for last here as blue and pink together always makes me smile! As with the previous colours I shared above, again I find any shade of pink (or even multiple shades of pink) are nice against the cobalt. From magenta to hot pink to pastel pink, it all just works so well.

Blue Moto Leather Jacket With Maxis

Jeans and a leather jacket is a style staple and one I've worn quite a lot with this jacket, but it's good to try different things too and I find that maxi skirts and dresses are a nice pairing with the leather jacket. A leather jacket is a great topper with a maxi skirt or dress on a cooler day.

Cobalt Leather Jacket With Dresses

While pink and blue is my favourite colour combination, a leather jacket and dress has to be my favourite outfit pairing. Much like the maxi dresses above, you can't go wrong with a cute little dress and a leather jacket. Add some tights and boots and a scarf if it's really cold too and you're snuggly and warm for winter.

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Similar Blue Moto Jackets

Normally I'd include where you could get the look under $50 but, much like this cobalt jacket of mine, the available options I could find are definitely in the splurge category! Here are some similar pieces, most at lower prices than I paid for mine, but all unfortunately above the bargain $50 price point.

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More Outfit Ideas:

For more outfit inspiration and ideas, you can view all 36+ ways I've worn this jacket in my blog archives, or browse the complete 30 wears series.

Similar Posts In The 30 Wears Series:

• 30 ways to wear a navy floral kimono
• 30 ways to wear a printed leather jacket
• 30 ways to wear a classic denim jacket
• 30 ways to wear a floral kimono
• 30 ways to wear a purple cardigan
• 30 ways to wear a cream jersey blazer
• 30 ways to wear a camel trench coat
• 30 ways to wear a grey maxi cardigan
• 30 ways to wear a navy printed kimono

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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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Similar Posts In the 30 Wears Series:

• 30 ways to wear a chambray maxi skirt
• 30 ways to wear a black maxi skirt
• 30 different ways to wear striped maxi skirt
• 30 different ways to wear skinny jeans
• 30 ways to wear white and navy stripe maxi skirt
• 30 ways to wear a grey maxi skirt
• 30 ways to wear a tie dye maxi dress

For more outfit inspiration and ideas, you can view all the 31+ ways I've worn this skirt in my blog archives, or browse the complete 30 wears series.

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