2 Ways To Wear A Dress As A Top: Work And Weekend With Colourful Balenciaga Bags

I love the dresses I have in my wardrobe, but sometimes I like to try different things with them. This dress below is the perfect casual dress, I've worn it to Bondi beach and I love it as a beach cover-up. It's so easy to make the dress work in other ways too though. Below I'm wearing it as a top in two different ways, one for the office and the other for a day of errands.

What I wore:

Jacket: thrifted Zara black blazer
Necklace: silver ball multi chain long necklace
Dress: Zara printed bib front tunic dress (worn as top)
Skirt: Jeanswest zip detail ponte pencil skirt
Shoes: Walnut Melbourne 'Ava' black lizard ballet flats (also available in silver)
Bag: Balenciaga Day bag in 2005 magenta

Why I wore it:

After a few days signed off sick from work, my voice still wasn't fully back, but I could kind of hold a conversation, so I headed into the office. This was a mistake and I should have stayed home. I ended up getting told to go home by two different bosses. By lunch time I took their advice, called it quits and went home.

While I felt horrible, my outfit was designed to make me feel better, with the colourful and cheerful magenta Balenciaga day bag as a pop of colour with all of the black. The jersey blazer and skirt look a bit 'suit-like' in an attempt to project an air of professionalism with all my coughs and wheezes! Despite having a horrible day and feeling too exhausted to do anything other than order takeaway for dinner, I did like this outfit. It's a shame I wasn't well enough to enjoy it, ha!


Last worn: jersey blazer, printed dress, pencil skirt, Walnut Melbourne ballet flats, Balenciaga magenta day bag.

Other ways to wear: jersey blazer and pencil skirt, printed dress and denim jacket, pencil skirt in winter, Walnut Melbourne ballet flats and skinny jeans, Balenciaga magenta day bag and maxi dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: jersey blazer and maternity pencil skirt, printed dress in second trimester, pencil skirt in first trimester, Walnut Melbourne ballet flats in second trimester, Balenciaga magenta day bag in third trimester.

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How To Pick The Balenciaga Bag That's Right For You:

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What I wore:

Necklace: silver heart long pendant necklace
Dress: Zara printed bib front tunic dress (worn as top)
Shorts: Jeanswest Trinity Bermuda denim shorts
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in white
Bracelets: the usual plus Cora purpleheart and mother of pearl watch C/O JORD
Bag: Balenciaga regular Pompon bag in Murier

Why I wore it:

Feeling much better, I wore the dress again as a top a few days afterwards. Instead of layering a pencil skirt over the top, I just bundled it up and partially tucked it into my denim shorts, which have been on heavy repeat lately. As the weather is getting cooler here in Brisbane, the longer sleeves from the dress worked nicely with the slightly longer length of the bermuda shorts.

Just like the pink Balenciaga day bag above, I picked this Balenciaga Pompon bag for an extra touch of colour with the otherwise monochromatic blue outfit. I have been enjoying using this Balenciaga bag lately, as you may have seen on Instagram.

Added the Converse as it was a bit of a showery day and as much as I love my trusty Havaianas that you'll see in most of my outfit photos, I don't like them in the rain much! The Converse were much easier for running around chasing after the boys as we attempted to achieve multiple things in one morning.


Last worn: printed dress (above), bermuda denim shorts, Converse. First time I've shown the bag on the blog as it's a recent addition to my wardrobe.

Other ways to wear: printed dress in winter, bermuda denim shorts and kimono, Converse and pencil skirt.

Perfect for pregnancy: printed dress in third trimester, Converse for second trimester travel.

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Navy Printed Dresses Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

Try rewear your favourite dress differently by layering and wearing it as a top. For shorter dresses, you can add a pencil skirt over the top to instantly make them a work-appropriate length. If the dress is a light soft fabric like this viscose one, scrunch it up and tuck it into a pair of shorts for a different casual summer look.


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

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Weekday Wear Linkup! Coordinating Scarves and Bags: Alexander McQueen and Balenciaga with Cosy Knits and Pencil Skirts

If you've read my blog a while you'll know I love a bit of matchy-matchyness in my outfits! I've posted recently about matching shoes and bags together, but for something a little different for today's Weekday Wear Link Up I'm coordinating my bags and scarves together, with two of my Alexander McQueen skull scarves.

What I wore:

Earrings: Kmart blue fringe crescent statement earrings
Scarf: Alexander McQueen modal skull scarf in white/pink
Top: blue Mossman knit jumper
Skirt: Warehouse navy jacquard pencil skirt
Shoes: Walnut Melbourne 'Ava' black lizard ballet flats
Bag: Balenciaga Day bag in 2005 magenta

Why I wore it:

When I thrifted this bright blue knit a while back I didn't anticipate I'd wear it with this magenta Balenciaga day bag quite so much! I really love the way the bag pops against the blue, particularly in a monochrome outfit like this with the navy skirt as well as the blue jumper. Black ballet flats were the best choice with the bright top and accessories!

It was a warmer morning so I went without a jacket - the jumper is a thick knit and this cream and pink Alexander McQueen skull scarf is quite cosy being modal. It's more of a neon pink than the magenta pink of the Balenciaga bag, so the colours don't match exactly, but they are so complimentary they look great worn together.


Last worn: tassel earrings, pink skull scarf, blue knit, jacquard pencil skirt, black ballet flats, Balenciaga magenta day bag.

Other ways to wear: pink skull scarf with stripes, blue knit and maxi skirt, jacquard pencil skirt in summer, black ballet flats and printed dress, Balenciaga magenta day bag for travel.

Perfect for pregnancy: pink skull scarf in second trimester, jacquard pencil skirt in first trimester, black ballet flats in second trimester, Balenciaga magenta day bag in third trimester.

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My Scarf Collection Video:

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What I wore:

Earrings: Kmart navy tassel earrings
Jacket: Jeanswest Monica Mac coat in Indigo
Scarf: Alexander McQueen skull scarf in light blue
Jumper: Jeanswest Kara foil pullover in smoke marl and silver
Skirt: Jeanswest zip detail ponte pencil skirt
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs silver tuxedo flats
Bag: Balenciaga giant hardware Day bag in 2009 tempete

Why I wore it:

What a day! I had the dentist after work, so I was planning to get in a little earlier than usual and leave earlier. It was a cold morning so bundled up in my cosy grey polka dot foil knit, fleece lined tights and navy mac coat. With my Balenciaga tempete day bag, I wanted to pick a similarly coloured scarf and went with this baby blue Alexander McQueen skull scarf.  While they are different shades of blue I think they compliment each other nicely! The silver ballet flats matched the hardware on the bag and the foil polka dots on my jumper, but I didn't do much walking!

There was a police incident and traffic quickly came to a standstill. After being on the bus for an hour and not even reached the half way mark on my trip I realised we weren't going to make it into the city in time for my morning meeting (then an hour away) so I called my boss, got permission to work from home and asked the bus driver to drop me off at the next bus stop, which we could see just 100 meters away. 15 minutes later we pulled up to the bus stop! The traffic was that slow! Eventually I made it home, only 10 minutes late for my 9am meeting ... after a terribly flustered meeting without my usual hour of early morning prep before it I had the rest of the day to try catch up on everything, before heading to the dentist. Not the best of days!


Last worn: tassel earrings, navy mac, blue skull scarf, polka dot knit, black pencil skirt, silver ballet flats, Balenciaga tempete day bag.

Other ways to wear: navy mac and printed shirt, blue skull scarf and maxi skirt, polka dot knit and shorts, black pencil skirt and printed tank, silver ballet flats and wrap dress, Balenciaga tempete day bag and floral dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: zip detail pencil skirt in first trimester, silver ballet flats in third trimester, Balenciaga tempete day bag in second trimester.

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Skull Scarves Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

For something a little different, try matching your scarf and bag together!

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Weekday Wear Linkup #30

Welcome to the Weekday Wear linkup! A linkup for you to share your weekday outfits - whether that is office wear or stay at home mum wear - if you wore it on a weekday, you can link it up!

Guidelines:
1. Please link to a specific outfit post, not your blog homepage.
2. Link back to this post so others can find the link up.
3. Follow your host Away From The Blue on Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube.
4. Add up to two posts and be sure to visit and comment on as many other posts as possible to get some weekday outfit inspiration!
Optional: tweet the post you linked up with the hashtag #weekdayWearLinkUp so I can retweet!

Subscribe for The Weekday Wear Linkup reminder emails

Email Address 

Lining up with Confident Twosday, Turning Heads, Style Sessions, Trend Spin, Style On The Daily, Fashion Frenzy, Oh Hey Girl, Thursday Moda, Thursday Fashion Files, Red Carpet Style.

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Navy Embroidered Tunic and Balenciaga Day Bags

Just before Christmas, my mum got me this beautiful Caroline Morgan navy embroidered tunic. She has such good taste. While it's impossible to breastfeed in, it's so beautiful I had to wear it right away. I wore it similarly both times although it was for different occasions.

What I wore:

Sunnies:  Ray-Ban new Wayfarers
Necklace: Ruby Olive Softies Charlotte teething necklace
Top: Caroline Morgan navy embroidered tunic (gifted)
Shorts: Jeanswest Trinity Bermuda denim shorts (currently on sale!)
Shoes: Wittner 'Jasmarie' studded sandals
Bag: Balenciaga Day bag in 2005 magenta (20% off with code 'WINTER')
Nails: OPI Koala Bear-y

Why I wore it:

This was perfect for the first wear. I really like the embroidery, and the navy colour makes my magenta Balenciaga bag really pop. I love wearing this bag with blue.

The tunic came with a cute little braided belt which I used to pull it up a bit and make it a little shorter. I was wearing my long shorts underneath but wanted them to be clearly seen as I felt it would look a little odd if people thought I as grocery shopping in just a super short dress! Petite problems, ha! Really liked the look of the tunic belted too. Wasn't completely convinced this was the best necklace to wear with it, but doesn't look too bad in the photos.


Last worn: Ray-Ban Wayfarer, denim bermuda shorts, studded sandals, Balenciaga magenta Day bag. First time I've worn the tunic.

Other ways to wear: bermuda shorts and slouchy tee, studded sandals and kimono, Balenciaga magenta Day bag and winter layers.

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Embroidered tunics under $50:

More Balenciaga Day bags:

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What I wore:

Hat: Big W bow detail sunhat
Top: Caroline Morgan navy embroidered tunic
Shorts: Jeanswest printed denim shorts
Shoes: black slim Havaianas thongs
Bag: Balenciaga giant hardware Day bag in 2009 tempete
Nails: OPI Breakfast at Tiffany collection 'I got the mean reds' and 'Sunrise...bedtime'

Why I wore it:

Wore the tunic with denim shorts again for the second time. We decided a few days prior to head down the coast for a pool party. This was a perfect bikini cover up, and I used the belt again to pull the tunic up just a little to show off the shorts underneath. I think I liked the blouson effect in the first photo more, but this didn't stay on long before we were in the pool. Meant I didn't really add any accessories to this, just a nice simple pool party outfit.

Again another Balenciaga day bag! It really is my favourite Balenciaga style, and as I wasn't taking a bag poolside I didn't have to worry about it getting wet.


Last worn: sun hat, embroidered tunic (above), printed denim shorts, Havaianas, Balenciaga tempete day bag.

Other ways to wear: sun hat and maxi dress, printed shorts and printed kimono, Balenciaga tempete day bag and skinny jeans.


Linking up with Fashion Files, Fun Fashion.

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Graphic Tees and Maxi Skirts: Third Trimester Petite Pregnancy Style

I'm in the third trimester now and my wardrobe options are quickly running out. I've been looking at lots of tops in my wardrobe and hoping I can squeeze in one last wear before the baby bump outgrows them! I was happy to get another wear from my graphic tees.

I've worn graphic tees and maxi skirts together before, it's a nice casual outfit. Despite being petite, I love my maxi skirts! I think anyone can wear them (even if they might need a little hemming first).

What I wore:

Sunglasses: Rayban new Wayfarers (on sale!)

Necklace: Tiffany diamonds by the yard necklace layered with Tai gold alphabet necklace
Tee: Monster Threads cat and dog graphic tee
Skirt: Target black and white striped maxi skirt
Shoes: slim gold Havaianas (on sale!)
Bracelets: the usual plus Roie Designs black leather Swarovski beaded wrap bracelet
Bag: Balenciaga Day bag in 2005 magenta

Why I wore it:

Wore this to spend the morning with family and then go out to the books and rhymes session at the local library. The shirt started to feel a little tight over the baby belly near the end of the day, I was pushing it to the limits definitely. I loved how much the magenta Balenciaga bag popped with the neutral outfit though.


Last worn: Ray-Ban Wayfarers, graphic cat dog tee, striped maxi skirt, Havaianas, Balenciaga magenta day.

Other ways to wear: graphic cat dog tee without a baby bump, striped maxi skirt and maternity tank, Balenciaga magenta day and denim shorts.

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Great graphic tees under $50:

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What I wore:

Necklace: Tiffany diamonds by the yard necklace
Tee: Monsterthreads star print graphic tee
Skirt: Target grey marle maxi skirt
Shoes: black slim Havaianas thongs
Bag: Balenciaga Day bag in 2005 magenta

Why I wore it:

I enjoyed the outfit combination above so was eager to try it again with another graphic tee. I've worn this tee and maxi skirt together before, back when I was in the first trimester, and the weather was a little cooler. Looks very different with the baby bump. Again, I loved the way the bag popped with this outfit.

It's more than the second time I've worn this bag on the blog since I bought it, and I'm reviewing everything I buy after wearing it twice to check I'm buying the right things. So here is my purchase review:

I love this bag! I'll have a more in depth review up on youtube soon but I already love this style of bag and the colour. I find the Balenciaga day is the perfect hobo bag for me, and I've had a few magenta Balenciagas before, I adore the colour. This is definitely a keeper, I'm so pleased I scored it on sale over Christmas.


Last worn: navy graphic tee, grey jersey maxi skirt, Havaianas, Balenciaga magenta day bag (above).

Other ways to wear: graphic tee and a pink blazer, grey jersey maxi skirt for a trip to Melbourne, Balenciaga magenta day bag in the office.


Linking up with Flashback Fashion, Fab Favourites, Weekend Wear, Passion for Fashion, The Ultimate Rabbit Hole.

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Neutral Dresses and Pink Bags - Weekday Wear Link Up

Two more easy outfits for back in the school holidays at the end of September. With the nice weather for quite a few days of the holidays, simple dresses were all that was needed for the warmer days.

What I wore:

Scarf: Alexander McQueen skull scarf in light blue
Dress: All About Eve striped black tee dress 
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star coast blue
Bracelets: the usual plus Cora purpleheart and mother of pearl watch c/o JORD
Bag: Balenciaga Day bag in 2005 magenta

Why I wore it:

Decided to layer up this dress just a little with the blue scarf. This Alexander McQueen scarf is quite a light one but  was just the perfect light layer for sitting around in the shade watching the kids playing and climbing in the playground. It was a littler cooler than I expected in the morning before it turned into a hot day. Just like the last time I wore this scarf too I couldn't resist going a little matchy-matchy with the blue Converse. I love Converse with this dress!

You might notice that the contrast texture sleeves on this dress don't quite look the same from the last time I wore this dress. The pleather degraded over time (remembering I got this dress second hand from my sister), as pleather doesn't do well in the heat here in Brisbane. I ended up peeling it off the shoulders and keeping the little pleather border on the edges of the sleeves. Doesn't look as good as it did before, but still wearable and I really like this dress and want to keep it around in my wardrobe.

Felt that this beautiful magenta Balenciaga day bag was overdue a wear, it hadn't been used in a while. And it's certainly big enough for snacks and all our water bottles. Even fully loaded like that it was quite comfortable to wear on my shoulder for the little detour we took after the playground to enjoy a dino expo and archaeology activity for the kids before heading home.

Last worn: Alexander McQueen skull scarf, black and white striped dress, Converse, Balenciaga magenta day bag.

Other ways to wear: Alexander McQueen skull scarf and maxi skirt, black and white striped dress and sandals, Converse and culottes, Balenciaga magenta day bag and pencil skirt.

Perfect for pregnancy: Alexander McQueen skull scarf at 40 weeks, Balenciaga magenta day bag in third trimester.

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30 Ways To Wear A Pink Bag: Balenciaga Sorbet City

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What I wore:

Necklace: thrifted Mix Apparel clover designer inspired necklace
Dress: Asos grey skater dress
Shoes: thrifted Adidas Superstar sneakers
Bracelets: the usual plus Cora purpleheart and mother of pearl watch c/o JORD
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Jean MAC bag in fig 

Why I wore it:

It was a lot warmer when I wore this outfit so I didn't add a scarf, but looking at the photos afterward this probably could have used a little extra colour from a scarf. I thought the plain grey dress would be a nice backdrop for my recently thrifted necklace, but something a little bolder would have worked a bit better I think. The Rebecca Minkoff Jean MAC crossbody bag was a nice pop of colour, just feel this looks a little less colourful than the outfit above.

Was very comfortable for a busy day with a doctor's appointment, the library and a trip to the playground. Unfortunately at the playground a little kid learning to ride their bike that hadn't yet mastered the art of stopping or using a brake came right up behind me at full speed while I was distracted with the boys and I have a lovely big bruise on the back of my leg where my leg kindly stopped the spinning wheel. 😂 


Last worn: grey skater dress, clover necklace, Adidas Superstar, Rebecca Minkoff Jean MAC crossbody.

Other ways to wear: grey skater dress and blazer, Adidas Superstar and jeans, Rebecca Minkoff Jean MAC crossbody and monochrome blue shorts outfit.

Perfect for pregnancy: grey skater dress in second trimester.

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How You Can Wear It:

A pink bag is a fun pop of colour with a neutral dress. Any shade of pink works well! You can try other colourful accessories like I have in the first pic with the blue scarf and shoes too, or just keep everything neutral like the second outfit and let the bag be the sole burst of colour.

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Weekday Wear Linkup #142

Welcome to the Weekday Wear linkup! A linkup for you to share your weekday outfits - whether that is office wear or stay at home mum wear - if you wore it on a weekday, you can link it up!

Guidelines:
1. Please link to a specific outfit post, not your blog homepage.
2. Link back to this post so others can find the link up.
3. Follow your host Away From The Blue on Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube.
4. Add up to two posts and be sure to visit and comment on as many other posts as possible to get some weekday outfit inspiration!
Optional: tweet the post you linked up with the hashtag #weekdayWearLinkUp so I can retweet!

Subscribe for The Weekday Wear Linkup reminder emails

Email Address 

Follow Away From the Blue on:
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Weekday Wear Link Up: Printed Maxi Dresses, Denim Jackets and Balenciaga Bags

For today's Weekday Wear Linkup I'm sharing how I made these spaghetti strap maxi dresses more suitable for autumn days when I wore them recently (or not so recently as one I wore to celebrate Easter Sunday with the family last month!).

What I wore:

Jacket: Bubblegum denim jacket
Necklace: Kmart blue multi-colour beaded necklace
Dress: Jeanswest Sophia high-low maxi dress
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star coast blue
Bracelets: the usual plus Cora purpleheart and mother of pearl watch c/o JORD
Bag: Balenciaga Day bag in 2005 magenta

Why I wore it:

This mandala print high-low maxi dress is so very pretty! With the fabric, print and little ruffle on the hem, it's quite dressy. Tried to make it a little more casual for this outing to the beach with my mum and the boys one day during the school holidays. 

It was a chilly morning too and I wasn't sure how windy it would be near the sea. I shouldn't have worried though, ended up taking this jacket off for most of the day as I sat in the sun watching the kids play.

The Converse were another attempt, like the denim jacket, to dress this outfit down a little and I really liked the combination! The blue went so well with the purple mandala print on the dress. So did the magenta Balenciaga day bag that was overdue another wear.


Last worn: denim jacket, wooden bead necklace, mandala print ruffle hem maxi dress, blue Converse, Balenciaga magenta day bag.

Other ways to wear: denim jacket worn 30 ways, mandala print ruffle hem maxi dress for Christmas day, blue Converse and striped shorts, Balenciaga magenta day bag and pencil skirt.

Perfect for pregnancy: denim jacket in second trimester, Balenciaga magenta day bag in third trimester.

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Favourite Bag In My Balenciaga Collection:

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What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Kitty denim biker jacket
Earrings: Piper glass beaded chandelier earring in cream and gold
Necklace: Tiffany diamonds by the yard necklace
Dress: Kmart Tropicana sleeveless tiered maxi dress
Shoes: Atmos&Here tan Lola leather ankle boots
Bag: Balenciaga envelope clutch in 2012 mangue with giant 12 RGGH

Why I wore it:

Wore this for a colder and wetter Easter Sunday than expected! I had planned to wear this maxi dress, I wore it last year when we had Easter in lockdown so I was determined to wear it again to have a proper Easter celebration with the family. Even if the rain meant I needed a few more layers! As well as the denim jacket I added ankle boots too, to keep my feet cosy and dry.

Tried to dress this up a little more with the fun beaded statement earrings and the mango Balenciaga envelope clutch. We were only heading over to my parents so a clutch really wasn't needed as I didn't need to carry much, but it did fit my wallet, car keys and phone nicely! 

It was so good having a big traditional Easter again, especially as we'd spent 3 days that week in lockdown and I was worried about them extending it! Thankfully it ended early instead of being extended.


Last worn: denim jacket, beaded statement earrings, diamond necklace, floral print maxi dress, tan ankle boots, Balenciaga mango envelope clutch.

Other ways to wear: denim jacket and jeans, floral print maxi dress worn 30 ways, tan ankle boots and swing dress, Balenciaga mango envelope clutch with pink.

Perfect for pregnancy: Balenciaga mango envelope clutch in third trimester.

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How You Can Wear It:

A maxi dress is so easy to dress up or dress down depending on the occasion. A denim jacket, Converse and a big hobo bag can dress it down for the day time, but accessories like an envelope clutch and statement earrings can dress it up for a formal occasion too.

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Weekday Wear Linkup #120

Welcome to the Weekday Wear linkup! A linkup for you to share your weekday outfits - whether that is office wear or stay at home mum wear - if you wore it on a weekday, you can link it up!

Guidelines:
1. Please link to a specific outfit post, not your blog homepage.
2. Link back to this post so others can find the link up.
3. Follow your host Away From The Blue on Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube.
4. Add up to two posts and be sure to visit and comment on as many other posts as possible to get some weekday outfit inspiration!
Optional: tweet the post you linked up with the hashtag #weekdayWearLinkUp so I can retweet!

Subscribe for The Weekday Wear Linkup reminder emails

Email Address 

Follow Away From the Blue on:
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Maxi Dresses In Winter: Leather Jackets, Scarves and Ankle Boots

When I did my 30 wears post with one of my leather jackets, I mentioned that I'd been looking forward to wearing the maxi dress and leather jacket outfit combination more over winter. Add some ankle boots, a big scarf and a leather jacket to a summer maxi dress and you have an easy and cosy winter outfit - and you get more wear from your summer dresses.

What I wore:

Jacket: Asos Black by Markus Lupfer printed leather jacket
Scarf: Sportsgirl animal scarf in violet
Tank: Jeanswest 'Jenni' basic singlet in festival fuchsia
Dress: black Jeanswest halterneck maxi dress
Shoes: RMK Chester black ankle boots
Bag: Balenciaga Day bag in 2005 magenta (20% off with code 'REAL')

Why I wore it:

Wore this for a day out with my boys, my last official day of maternity leave. (I've already blogged my return to work outfits but haven't shared this pic yet!). We spent the morning running a few quick errands and attending rhyme time at the library.

After liking the maxi dress and leather jacket combo I was eager to try it again. I thought that printed leather jacket would be nice with the black maxi dress but it all just looked a little too dull and black - so bright accessories were perfect for adding some colour! I really liked the purple scarf with the magenta Balenciaga day bag and pink tank.


Last worn: printed leather jacket, leopard print scarf, pink tank, black halter neck maxi dress, black ankle boots, Balenciaga magenta day bag.

Other ways to wear: printed leather jacket worn 30 ways, purple leopard print scarf with blue outfit, pink tank and striped skirt, black halter neck maxi dress and kimono, black ankle boots worn 30 ways, Balenciaga magenta day bag in the office.

Perfect for pregnancy: leopard print scarf and stripes in third trimester, pink tank in second trimester, maxi dress in the third trimester, ankle boots for baby bump reveal, magenta day bag and graphic tee in third trimester.

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More Leather Jackets Under $100:

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What I wore:

Jacket: Wittner 'Santa Fe' cobalt blue leather jacket

Scarf: Marc by Marc Jacobs scarf in Island pine-print
Dress: Jeanswest 'Elodie' tie dye grey jersey maxi dress
Shoes: RMK Chester black ankle boots
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff unlined saddle bag in cherry red (on sale in pink!)

Why I wore it:

I went much more colourful for the next time I wore the maxi dress and leather jacket outfit. Had a crazy busy day. After being back at work, I'd found all the little errands I'd usually do during the week had to be crammed in on my days off, and so set an optimistic target of stopping in multiple places before lunchtime. Of course the boys were increasingly cranky and fed up being driven around all morning, so it wasn't the easiest of days!


Although we ran out of snacks buy the time we reached the final stop at Priceline, I was thankfully able to keep the boys amused long enough to have a wonderful chat and makeup trial session with Kaitlyn. We picked out all of the below makeup for my return to work.

I'm sharing this as I know a few bloggers gave me advice when I mentioned I needed new makeup that didn't make me breakout. My old stuff was over a year old and not entirely perfect. With the information I'd picked up from beauty blogs and a very patient and knowledgeable Kaitlyn, I managed to pick out things I'm really happy with.

I'm not a beauty blogger but I am impressed with all of this so far! I wear it twice a week to the office and have zero issues. The L'Oreal foundation in particular was expensive but worth every penny!

What I bought:

• Nude by Nature brush
• Nude by Nature mineral cover
• L'Oreal Infallible foundation
• NYX lipstick in Indian Pink 550

Just as well beauty products were exempt from my #6MonthsWithoutShopping challenge, as this was quite a big haul for me! Not sponsored, but I have been visiting the ladies at my local Priceline often (as it has a pharmacy) and I trust their recommendations! :)



Last worn: cobalt leather jacket, Marc Jacobs scarf, tie dye maxi dress, black ankle boots (above), Rebecca Minkoff saddle bag.

Other ways to wear: cobalt leather jacket and printed dress, Marc Jacobs scarf and pencil skirt, tie dye maxi dress and boho fringe bag, black ankle boots and skinny jeans, Rebecca Minkoff saddle bag and printed jeans.

Perfect for pregnancy: print mixing with scarf at 37 weeks, tie dye maxi dress at 38 weeks, ankle boots and baby bump.

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Maxi Dresses Under $50 You Can Wear All Year

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How You Can Wear It:

Don't pack your summer maxi dresses away when the cold weather arrives! You can layer them up for even the coldest winter day with the right layers. they might not be ideal in the snow if the maxi length trails on the ground, but if you have a snow-free day it's a good time to give this outfit idea a try! You can even hide some leggings underneath if it's really cold.


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