Friday, 3 August 2018

30 Ways To Wear: Rebecca Minkoff Love Crossbody Bag (#30wears)

This month's 30 ways to wear is another handbag, my Rebecca Minkoff quilted Love bag. As well as showing you 30 ways to wear the Love bag, I've added some FAQ at the end around the 30 wears challenge.

You can see last month's 30 ways to wear a blazer here or the previous handbag edition with 30 ways to wear a Louis Vuitton Neverfull tote.

30 Ways To Wear: Rebecca Minkoff Quilted Love Cross Body Bag in Grey





Cost Per Wear


This is one of the handbags I have difficulty calculating cost per wear of - as it was a gift from my mum! I've had it for 3 and a half years now, and I've worn it over 60 times since then, so it's pretty good cost per wear considering I didn't spend anything on it! The love crossbody bag is on the Rebecca Minkoff site for $148 US / $212 AU (reduced from US $295) so I'm pretty happy with over 60 wears so far. Especially as I am planning to continue wearing it for many more years.


30 Ways To Wear Rebecca Minkoff Love Bag In Video Form:






Love Bag With Studded Guitar Strap


Rebecca Minkoff Love Bag ways to wear with studded Guitar Strap | away from the blue blog


I thought this guitar strap would be a nice addition to my bags, but had no idea how much I'd love wearing it with the Love bag! It's quickly become my favourite way to wear this bag, I love the embellishment of the strap to add a little more interest to a neutral, classically shaped bag. You can see a full review on the guitar strap here.


Rebecca Minkoff Love Bag Worn Cross Body


Rebecca Minkoff Love Bag outfit ideas worn cross body | awayfromblue


I do like occasionally wearing the chain strap at its fullest length and wearing it cross body as it was designed to be worn. This is a really good option for kid wrangling as it lets you be completely hands-free and you don't have to worry about the bag falling off your shoulder. I do wear the strap doubled over most of the time though to work with my petite frame, as you'll see from the rest of my outfit photos below!


Rebecca Minkoff Love Bag With Denim


Quilted Love Bag 4 ways to wear with skinny jeans | awayfromtheblue


This bag works so nicely with denim! Not just your standard blue either, I've worn it with printed jeans as well as metallic ones. It's a good way to dress up denim a little more.


Love Bag with Maxi Dresses


Rebecca Minkoff quilted grey Love bag outfit ideas maxi dresses | away from the blue blog


Maxi dresses are a wardrobe staple for me, and this Love bag is something I frequently wear with them. When you have a big bold printed dress, a classic neutral bag like the Love crossbody is an easy accessory.


Rebecca Minkoff Love Bag With Dresses


Quilted cross body grey Love Bag Ways to Wear with dresses | awayfromtheblue blog


It's not just maxi dresses that this bag works with! I like pairing it with all kinds of dresses - and as you can see from the middle one it still works with a simple summer dress even in winter, with the right layers of course.


Love Bag With Skirts


Rebecca Minkoff quilted love bag: ways to wear with skirts | awayfromtheblue


Just as the love bag works with dresses, it works well with skirts too. I like the feminine quilting detail paired with skirts, and I love all three of these outfits although they are so different.


Rebecca Minkoff Love Bag With Shorts


Rebecca Minkoff Love bag ways to wear with shorts in summer | away from the blue blog


You can see from the previous ways I've worn this bag, but the neutral grey is really a good all-round colour that works in any season. I do really like wearing the quilted love bag with shorts in summer though, it works with all the different kinds of shorts I have in my wardrobe.


Love Bag With Prints


Rebecca Minkoff Love Bag outfit ideas with prints | away from blue 30 wears blog post


Because it's a neutral grey, I like to wear this Love bag with prints. From something as simple as a printed dress, to a print mixing outfit or something like bright red pants and a printed tank, it's a good neutral accessory to add that won't clash with a print.



Where To Buy The Rebecca Minkoff Love Bag:





Looking For More Outfit Inspiration?


I hope you enjoyed this wrap up post with some of the ways I've worn this cute charcoal grey Rebecca Minkoff quilted Love bag. For more ways to wear it, check out my blog archives and see all 60+ outfits: more ways to wear Rebecca Minkoff Love bag.


Frequently Asked Questions About 30 Wears:


What Is 30 Wears?

It's a challenge I decided to start doing monthly after watching 'The True Cost' documentary on Netflix. One of the points raised to reduce the environmental impact of fashion was to commit to buying everything you wear at least 30 times.
Seems simple, until you do the maths. It's wearing it around 3 times a month for a year if it's something you can wear year round, or 5 times a month for a year if it's something seasonal you can only wear for 6 months of the year. Of course the longer you own things, the more time you have to hit 30 wears over the years.


How Do You Come Up With 30 Ways To Wear Things?

I don't think up 30 ways to wear things I buy! I just look in my blog archives for things I've worn more than 30 times and compile these posts. As I've been taking a photo of my outfits each day for most of the past 6 years, I've got plenty of past outfits to look back on, and I can see the different ways I've worn things over time.


Linking up with Lizzie In Lace, Weekend Linkup, Friday Faves, Mix It Monday, On Mondays We Link Up, Modest Monday.


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Monday, 2 July 2018

30 Ways To Wear: A Cream Jersey Blazer #30wears

For this month's 30 ways to wear post, sharing a piece that it seems to have taken a while for me to reach 30 wears on, this cream jersey blazer from Zara. Last month it was a purple cardigan, so I hope you don't mind me picking another piece of outerwear this month! The winter weather in Brisbane has me thinking of layers!

30 Ways To Wear: Cream Jersey Blazer


30 ways to wear zara cream jersey blazer #30wears | away from the blue blog


I bought this jacket second hand back in 2015, so I've had it 3 years. An average of 10 wears a year isn't bad, especially considering for a year and a half in there I was on maternity leave and wasn't reaching for my blazers. An ebay find, it was $30.50 if you include the overpriced shipping the seller charged me. At 30 wears, it's just over a dollar a wear.

I bought this because I had the same blazer in black and was thrilled to find another colour of it. Whether you call it a jersey blazer or a knit blazer, it's so soft and comfortable to wear. As I tried it with more outfits in my wardrobe, I've realised that this cream / beige / oatmeal colour isn't ideal for me. I definitely haven't loved every outfit I've made with it. My sister likes it though, so I'm passing it onto her.



Jersey Blazer and Lace Pencil Skirt


5 outfit idas with blue lace pencil skirt and jersey blazer for the office | awayfromblue


This is definitely my most worn piece with this blazer. This blue lace pencil skirt is such a fun piece to wear to the office, and always gets a lot of compliments. The base material is a nude colour that's similar to the cream jersey of the blazer, so it's an easy pairing. It lets me add more colours to the rest of my outfit too, with bright accessories.


Beige Blazer and Burgundy Pants


wearing a cream knit blazer with burgundy pants | away from the blue


When I put these posts together I look back at all the ways I've worn things and try group them into sensible categories. It was obvious these burgundy pants would be a category of their own, I do love wearing this blazer with them! I like the neutral cream with the burgundy, a nice colour pairing.


Cream Blazer and Monochrome Outfits


4 outfit ideas: monochrome prints with neutral oatmeal knit blazer | awayfromtheblue


While the blue and burgundy above look great with this blazer, they aren't the only colour combinations I like to try. Being a beautiful neutral that goes with pretty much everything, I like to add this blazer as a layer to a monochrome or monochromatic outfit. From an orange dress, navy top and skirt or a peach two piece set, this blazer works wonderfully.


Beige Blazer and Printed Pieces


3 ways to wear neutral blazer with printed pieces | awayfromblue


Sometimes you just want to wear a fun printed piece without thinking too hard. That's when neutral pieces like this jersey blazer are perfect, as you know the cream shade won't clash with any printed pieces. While it's nice in the office with printed skirts, it works well with the fun statement leopard print jeans for SAHM style too.


Neutral Jersey Blazer and Print Mixing Outfits


ways to wear print mixing outfits with neutral jersey blazer | away from the blue


As I mentioned with the printed pieces above, this neutral blazer is a great companion to prints. Being a basic neutral colour and style, it allows you to be a little more adventurous with your outfit and try some print mixing too! In these three outfits, I kept it simple and cosy by using a printed scarf as a topper for the outfit and as another print.


Jersey Blazer In The Office - With Printed Dresses


5 ways to wear printed dresses with neutral cream jersey blazer for the office | away from blue


As you've seen in the previous outfits, this blazer gets pulled on over a lot of prints! For the office, it's a quick and simple addition to a printed dress. Being a jersey material, it's comfortable enough to wear all day at your desk when the aircon is running a little cold, and it helps tone down any print to make it look more professional.


Jersey Blazer In The Office - With Pencil Skirts


3 ways to wear a jersey blazer with pencil skirts for business casual office | away from blue


Pencil skirts are a staple workwear option for me, so of course this blazer has been worn with a few of them. Just like the outfits above, I've picked this blazer to wear on top of these outfits as they feature printed pieces, and it's such a good neutral. The blazer also works to make a casual sleeveless summer tank more office appropriate.


Blazer And Jeans


4 ways to wear a jersey blazer with jeans - SAHM Style | away from the blue


A blazer isn't just for the office though! The final way to wear this soft jersey blazer is with jeans. It helps to make you feel a little more pulled together than say a cardigan, but is still just as comfortable (and a little warmer as it's lined). The neutral colour works with any colour of jeans, and while I've mostly worn it with skinny jeans it looks great with a pair of flares too!




Similar Jersey Blazers Under $50:


30 Ways To Wear A Cream Blazer In Video Form:



More Posts In The #30Wears Series:


I hope you enjoyed this wrap up of the different ways I've worn this blazer. It's had a good run in my wardrobe so I'm not too sad to see it go.

See the 30 ways I've worn this blazer in more detail on the blog, or check out more of the 30 wears series.


Linking up with Confident Twosday, Trend Spin, Turning Heads, Style On The Daily, Oh Hey Girl, Fashion Frenzy.


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Friday, 29 June 2018

What I Bought In June & How I've Worn It: Shopping Haul & Try On Video

Time for an overdue shopping haul video! The last item I ordered in May finally arrived so I thought I'd do a wrap up video with some of my May purchases and my June ones. I felt like I bought a lot, but it was only a handful of pieces - 3 to be exact! You can see my June purchases and the other pieces I bought in May in the video below. Plus, I included some bloopers at the end!



What I Bought:






A month of impulse buys, after last minute browsing of the Rebecca Minkoff sale and just popping into the opshop for a quick look both resulted in buying things.

While I'm a little annoyed that the handbag I bought didn't arrive the same month I bought it, and it wasn't the colour I expected, I absolutely adore it. It was a bargain too, at 50% off! I'll upload a proper review of it on my YouTube channel at some point, but for now I'll just say I love it and I've enjoyed every time I've worn it.

I had been looking at the new Jeanswest winter collection and admiring the yellow knits when I saw this one in the opshop and for just $1 I quickly forgot all about the Jeanswest ones I'd been looking at! While it would be too thin a knit for winter in most other places, it will be perfect for Brisbane. When it gets really cold, I plan to layer a long sleeve tee underneath, which I've done in the past with my open knits to make them more winter appropriate.

The Coca-Cola tee caught my eye to add to my collection of Coca-Cola things. I have so many glass bottles, as well as towels, balls, badges, toy cars, even a Coca-Cola cookbook! While I don't drink it so much now, I still smiled when I saw this tee and just had to snap it up for just $1. I also feel like I've seen something similar in stores lately, with the recent rise in logo tees it's perfectly on trend.



How I Wore It:


June purchases and ways to wear away from the blue blog


I had no troubles finding and thinking of different ways to wear the pieces I got this month - which is a sign that they will hopefully be good additions to my wardrobe. They seem to be so far.

Every month I set myself a goal of wearing everything I buy at least twice in the same month I buy it, to make sure I'm buying pieces I want to wear immediately and can easily think of different ways to wear. As you can see from the pics above, everything was happily worn twice or more.

I'm giving myself a little bit of grace with the Rebecca Minkoff Love bag, as it didn't arrive until a month after I ordered it. I did wear it 3 times in the month after it finally arrived though, so still counting it as meeting my goal.



Update on Yearly Budget:


June is usually a big spending month for me as it's a change of season and I want to stock up on all the fun winter pieces in store. I'm pleased I haven't done much of that and only bought a handful of pieces this year. I'm really focusing on rewearing more of what I already own.

I've definitely spent more in the first six months of 2018 than I did in 2017 though, only because I did 6 months without shopping in the first half of 2017. I'm still less than half way under my total spend from last year so I'm hoping I can stick to that and spend less overall this year than I did last year. Fingers crossed!

I'll be attempting #noBuyJuly18 (just like I've done in previous years) so there shouldn't be any purchases next month to report. Feel free to join me if you want to forgo fashion spending for a month! My tips for surviving 6 months without shopping might come in helpful!




And finally, I was the Featured Fashionista over at Have Clothes, Will Travel so go check it out! You'll find out a little more about me and why I blog.



Linking up with Lizzie In Lace, Weekend Link Up, Shoe & Tell, Mix It Monday, On Mondays We Link Up.


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