Baby's Arrival and Postpartum Hospital Style

Thank you all for your sweet comments and congratulations on the arrival of our second beautiful baby boy. Just like I did when baby T was born, thought I'd do a little wrap-up post here for those who don't follow me on instagram.

Baby boy had a very speedy arrival into the world! Baby T's birth was fast for a first time but at least then we had time to finalise the admission paperwork before things really got started. This time around I was answering the admission questions with my newborn baby in my arms! I'd been regularly waking for the past week or so with contractions around 3 am that eventually stopped every time, so I wasn't sure if this was another false alarm at first, and stayed for a while at home.

I foolishly thought that the midwife was just being encouraging when we arrived and she suggested that it wouldn't be long before baby arrived. We actually made it to hospital just in time. I took her a little more seriously when I had to start pushing and she reassured me that they could deliver the baby themselves if the on-call obstetrician didn't arrive in time. He did. Just! While baby surprised us all and arrived before my OB had returned from her holidays, the lead midwife was the same one who had helped us deliver baby T, so it was really special having her there.


Wanted to share my 'first days with a newborn' outfits that I posted on instagram. To show that you that everyone's different post-baby and you shouldn't set overly high expectations on yourself. Just relax and enjoy your baby! They don't care what you wear, they just want lots of love and cuddles.

There were a few comments left on the blog, especially near the end of the third trimester, where people commented that they were surprised I wasn't wearing trackie dacks/sweats/joggers or pyjamas in my pregnancy. Part of that was having the third trimester capsule wardrobe to make dressing easy, and also because I knew that the comfy clothes would become my 'uniform' in the newborn days. In pregnancy you want to be comfortable yet you still have some energy to put into picking nice outfits. With a newborn, your focus is on them only. Although you might try find clean clothes to wear at least, style is not a priority!

What I wore:

Necklace: Tai gold alphabet necklace

Singlet: Best and Less red stripe breastfeeding singlet
Pants: Juicy Couture original drawstring pant in 'Silver Lining'
Bracelets: the usual

Why I wore it:

This was my 'fancy' outfit for visits from extended family. I packed and wore my pyjamas most of the time in hospital, but kept a clean nursing singlet and pair of trackie dacks for when extended family members came by to say hello and meet baby. In the early days with a newborn, comfort is key, so this is as 'pulled together' as I looked.


Last worn: trackie dacks. (Can't find a pic of this singlet on the blog, although it's an old one).

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What I Packed in My Hospital Bag (Second Time Around)

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What I wore:

Jacket: New Look Petite print kimono (on sale, 70% off!)
Necklace: Tai gold alphabet necklace
Tank: Jeanswest Carla maternity cut out tank (non-maternity version)
Shorts: Jeanswest maternity rolled up shorts
Shoes: black slim Havaianas thongs
Bracelets: the usual

Why I wore it:

This was what I wore to take baby home from hospital, and also what I wore while I was in labour! I always lay my clothes out the night before, so when I went into labour in the early hours of the morning I thankfully had some clothes to grab. I didn't want to be walking through the main hospital in my pyjamas!

I was pleased I'd taken the time at home to put some clothes on. When we got to the hospital the contractions were so strong and fast as I'd hit transition in the car. It was drawing a lot of attention as I had to keep stopping as we walked to concentrate on getting through every contraction. They really shouldn't have the maternity ward at the back of the hospital...I lost count of how many staff members offered hubby a wheelchair to get me to the birth suite!

It was nice to have some 'normal' clothes with me to change into to take baby boy home too, although as soon as we got home it was back to pyjamas again ;)


Last worn: blue kimono, maternity tank, denim shorts, Havaianas.

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30 Ways to Wear A Tie Dye Maxi Dress (#30wears Challenge)

If you look at all the 30 wears posts I've done so far you'll see a lot of maxis! I love my maxi skirts and dresses, and I definitely think you can still wear them if you're petite like me. I've already shared 30 ways to wear a pink maxi dress before, now it's another much-loved maxi dress, this beautiful jersey tie dye one from Jeanswest.

30 Ways To Wear: Grey Jersey Tie Dye Maxi Dress

Cost Per Wear

Unfortunately, this is another one of those pieces I can't calculate cost per wear on, as it was a present! With 30 wears and lots of life left in it though, I'm definitely getting value from it, so it was a great gift from my mum. I first wore it back in 2012, for Christmas day. Almost 6 years, 2 pregnancies and 30 wears later, it's still a firm favourite in my wardrobe.

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30 Ways To Wear a Tie Dye Maxi Dress: Video Style

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Jersey Maxi Dress Worn Knotted

A go-to petite hack, if a maxi is too long, just knot it. You can secure over the knot with a hair tie to keep it in place too! As I've never had this dress shortened, wearing the elastic lower down where it should sit makes the dress too long, so tying a quick knot in it is an easy solution. It's a good way to make a maxi dress seem more casual, and it also works if you're at the beach and need to keep the hem out of the way as you walk on wet sand!

Grey Tie Dye Maxi Dress Worn With Yellow

Part of the reason behind me wearing this maxi dress so often is that it's a beautiful neutral grey colour. The tie dye print isn't too bold, so I love to pair it with bright accessories. I like grey and yellow together, and when I was organising the photos for this post I realised it was a definite trend with this dress. Yellow bag, yellow necklace (or even both!) this grey dress works so well with yellow accessories.

Tie Dye Maxi Dress and Statement Necklaces

The beautiful of a maxi dress is that it's an instant, easy outfit, You don't need to accessorise or try too hard with it, you can just throw it on and go. If you do want to change it up a little though, a statement necklace is a great choice. I love bold and beaded ones like the first and third outfits, or you can just layer them up like in the other two outfits.

Jersey Maxi Dress In Summer

Taking full advantage of the 'throw on and go' benefits of a maxi dress that I mentioned above! I love a maxi dress for summer, you have an instantly pulled together looking outfit you don't need to spend any time planning. The jersey material of this dress is perfect - not too thick, not too thin, so it's a perfect choice on a hot day.

Tie Dye Maxi Dress and Light Layers

Of course I wear my tie dye maxi dress outside of summer too! For spring or autum, or even just a cooler day, it's easy to add a light layer on top. Something like a cardigan, kimono, denim jacket, or even just a cosy scarf helps keep the chill off.

Jersey Maxi Dress Layered Under A Tee

Admittedly, layering a tee over a maxi dress is a fairly new combination for me. It's something I've seen other bloggers doing and decided to really embrace this past year, I love it! If you want to change up the look of a maxi dress you wear frequently, just pull on a tee and turn it into an instant skirt.

Tie Dye Maxi Dress In Winter

Without snow in winter, maxi dresses can be worn year round in Brisbane. When it gets really chilly, I add a leather jacket on top, a big but colourful scarf and some boots underneath. If it's even colder where you are, you could layer tights or leggings underneath too. I like to get wear from my wardrobe most of the time, and layering a summer maxi dress to wear in winter is a good way to achieve that.

Jersey Tie Dye Maxi Dress In Pregnancy

As I mentioned above, I've had two pregnancies in the time I've had this maxi dress. While it's not a maternity dress, the stretchy jersey and elastic that sits above a baby bump made this an easy option for pregnancy wear. Especially on a hot day! It's fun being able to look back on a dress I've worn while pregnant with both my boys that I'm still able to wear it now.

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Tie Dye Maxi Dresses Under $50:

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More Posts In The #30Wears Series:

This maxi dress is a much loved piece in my wardrobe. You can see all the 30+ ways I've worn this tie dye maxi dress in my blog archives, or check out more of the 30 wears series below.

• 30 ways to wear a black maxi skirt
• 30 ways to wear red Balenciaga velo bag
• 30 ways to wear gladiator sandals
• 30 different ways to wear striped maxi skirt
• 30 different ways to wear skinny jeans
• 30 ways to wear a grey Rebecca Minkoff MAM bag
• 30 ways to wear a printed leather jacket
• 30 ways to wear black ankle boots in multiple seasons
• 30 ways to wear mustard yellow Rebecca Minkoff bag
• 30 ways to wear a classic denim jacket
• 30 ways to wear white and navy stripe maxi skirt
• 30 ways to wear a floral kimono
• 30 ways to wear a pink maxi dress
• 30 ways to wear a red Rebecca Minkoff saddle bag
• 30 ways to wear a grey maxi skirt
• 30 ways to wear bermuda denim shorts
• 30 ways to wear Louis Vuitton Neverfull tote
• 30 ways to wear a purple cardigan
• 30 ways to wear a cream jersey blazer
• 30 ways to wear Rebecca Minkoff Love bag

Linking up with Confident Twosday, Style Sessions, Turning Heads, Trend Spin, Fashion Frenzy, On The Daily Express.

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30 Ways to Wear: Atmos&Here Navy Marle Scoop Neck Tee | Magnificent 8 Restyled

This quarter's magnificent 8 post theme is "restyled" where we will each be rewearing a piece we've worn for previous Magnificent 8 collaborative posts. As I was due to share another 30 wears post, I was pleased to see that this Atmos&Here navy marl scoop neck tee is something I've exceeded 30 wears with, and wore in a previous Magnificent 8 post as well.

30 Ways to Wear: Atmos&Here Navy Marle Scoop Neck Tee

Cost Per Wear

As I've worn this tee 33 times, I was expecting a good cost per wear for it. I actually got it on sale, with an extra coupon code discount, back in June 2016. It was just $8.74, so for 33 wears, that works out at 29 cents a wear, great value indeed. I've also exceeded 30 wears on the chambray maxi skirt I bought in the same sale order, so I've gotten a lot of value from that sale order.

This navy tee has been in my wardrobe for 8 years, so I'm surprised it's not hit 30 wears sooner! It's a great basic tee, and as it's got a slightly curved cropped hem (although it's just normal length on my petite self) it looks great worn over dresses, as well as with the navy tee staples of denim, shorts and skirts. It still looks new, so I've got a lot more wear to get from it! Here are 30 of my favourite ways I've worn it so far. 

Navy Tee and Pink Outfits

Blue and pink is one of those combinations I'll always wear! And as you can see in these 5 outfits, with the neutral navy marle tee, all different shades of pink work well with it. From the neon pink bag, to leopard print jeans, pastel pink jeans or even the magenta jeans on the top right.

Orange and Navy Tee Outfits

Surprisingly I haven't worn as much orange with this tee as I thought I would have - I feel orange really pops when you wear it with navy! I like it with the orange shorts and skirt, but a smaller piece of orange like that little peach bag in the first outfit is a great accessory with navy too.

Navy Tee and Green

"Blue and green should never be seen" is one of those silly rules I used to follow, but since I've been wearing green more often I've realised how nicely green and blue compliment each other. All different shades of green, like the olive shorts, emerald green duster, or moss coloured jeans, look great next to the navy tee. 

Shorts Outfits With A Navy Tee

Shorts and a tee is a summer staple! I might throw a cover up on top for a little extra print and colour, or even just some sun coverage. But as you can see in the majority of these shorts outfits, a simple pair of shorts and a navy tee is a nice easy outfit on its own.

Navy Tee and Black

I tend to wear this navy tee a lot with black in the cooler weather - something about winter has me reaching for all the neutrals, and black jeans, or black blazers or knits, are a nice addition to a neutral navy tee. Sometimes as you can see in the first 3 outfits, I add a bit of colour with an accessory, but as in that last outfit, it's nice to just have a neutral filled outfit with the navy tee sometimes too.

Navy Tee and Purple

Blue and purple is another colour duo I frequently wear! Just as with the other colour combinations I've shared in this post, I think different shades of purple are great with this navy tee. The little plum purple Rebecca Minkoff mini MAB bag in the first and last outfits there is a favourite accessory with this navy tee, but the deeper purple bag and jeans in the middle there look good too!

Skirts and Dress Outfits With Navy Tee

As you read above, this tee is such a good layering piece. In that outfit photo in the middle there I've layered it over a maxi dress. The other outfits in this set of 5 are simple skirt outfits, but in the outfit photos earlier in the post I've shared the tee over a dress again as well. I love the look of the tee over a maxi skirt or a maxi dress, and being navy, as you've seen from all the photos in this post, it works with so many different prints and colours.

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

Similar Posts In The 30 Wears Series:

• 30 ways to wear: wine purple slouchy tee
• 30 ways to wear: navy and white striped tee
• 30 ways to wear: navy waterfall cardigan
• 30 ways to wear: lilac v-neck tee
• 30 ways to wear: cobalt blue leather jacket
• 30 ways to wear: purple cocoon cardigan
• 30 ways to wear a dark grey v-neck tee
• 30 ways to wear a navy and white striped tank
• 30 ways to wear a grey v-neck tee
• 30 ways to wear a navy floral kimono

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The Magnificent 8

The Magnificent 8 is a collaboration of 8 stylish women, ranging in age from early 20’s to early 80’s. The mission of this collaboration is to showcase how ageless style is. There are no age restrictions on style. So wear what you want, when you want, add a smile, and strut your style with confidence. And be sure to check out all 7 of these other amazing ladies!

• Grace of Graceful Rags
• Mica of Away from the Blue
• Roxanne of Glass of Glam
• Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge
• Rena of Fine Whatever
• Eugenia of Age of Grace 
• Lesley of Jodie’s Touch of Style 
• Charlotte of Jodie’s Touch of Style

Every quarter, the group chooses a theme and each create an outfit that suits our own personal tastes and fashion choices. We post them on the last Wednesday of every third month. Check out everyone’s posts with the links above for style inspiration at any age as they show you their restyled outfits!

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30 Ways To Wear: Chambray Maxi Skirt

A  new month, a new 30 ways to wear post! It's been a while since I featured a maxi skirt, and I am actually surprised that it's taken me so long to hit 30 wears with this chambray one!

Each month I go through my archives in the blog to find things I've worn 30 times or more to meet the 30 wear challenge, and compile all the times I've worn something into a helpful guide like this showing you how I've remixed things.

30 Ways To Wear: Chambray Maxi Skirt

The first 30 wears post I ever did was with a maxi skirt, but the last time I featured one was almost a year and a half ago, definitely overdue a ways to wear post with a maxi skirt for this series! This chambray maxi skirt is a stunner too! A sale purchase over 3 years ago, it's something I found through another blogger and fell in love with. I had to wait until it went on sale to get this, as I had to budget in the fact that I'd need to have it taken up, being petite. It's from the Noisy May range for tall people so there was quite a lot to cut off! 😂


Cost Per Wear

Cost per wear is a little tricky to calculate as I can't remember how much the alterations were! The skirt alone was just $24.49 and I've worn it 31 times since then, so it's under the $1 per wear that seems to be the goal most people aim for. If you add alterations as well though I would still have more wears to get that $1 a wear figure, but I know this skirt will be worn a lot more in future.

As someone who loves denim and maxi skirts, a chambray maxi skirt was an obvious choice and I really enjoy wearing this!

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30 Ways To Wear Chambray Maxi Skirt: Video Style

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Chambray Skirt With a Bright Top

The beautiful blue chambray skirt is a perfect pairing with bold block-colour tops! I love a good bright coral or pink tee or tank, or a longer sleeved teal henley for cooler weather. This is such a fun skirt to wear other colours with as blue goes with most of my wardrobe!

Chambray Maxi Skirt With Yellow

Calling out this colour option for you separately from the brights section above, as I love wearing this chambray skirt with yellow! Blue and yellow is a favourite and cheerful colour combination I love to wear, and enjoy pairing different amounts of yellow with this blue skirt - a little bit like a yellow bag, or a larger amount of yellow like a mustard cardigan or tee.

Maxi Skirt In Monochrome Outfit

The colour combinations above are fun to try, but you can also go the easy route and wear a monochromatic outfit with a maxi skirt. this blue chambray skirt is a great pairing for a blue tank, tee or blouse, and as you can see I'm wearing it with 3 different shades of blue here. You don't have to match the shades of the skirt and top exactly to create a monochromatic outfit!

Maxi Skirt And Graphic Tee

A graphic tee looks great with denim - and not just denim shorts and jeans! You can mix it up a little and pair a graphic tee with a chambray maxi skirt for a different look. This is such a nice combination for a hot day, and creates a slightly different outfit from the ones above where I've worn the skirt with bolder block-colour tees.

Chambray Skirt and Stripes

Just like the graphic tee set of outfits above, stripes and denim is another classic go-to outfit for me. there's something so simple about denim and stripes! I like pairing striped tees and tanks with this skirt. As it's a plain block-colour skirt, you don't have to worry about print-clashing when you pick a striped top to wear with it.

Chambray Maxi Skirt and Layers

Chambray isn't just a summer fabric for me, I like to get wear out of this maxi skirt year round. that means adding layers when it gets a little cooler. It could be as simple as adding a kimono over your maxi skirt, or extra layers on a winter day like a cardigan and scarf. A leather jacket works well with a maxi skirt in winter too, particularly paired with ankle boots to keep you cosy!

Maxi Skirt and Knit

Another winter outfit idea is to wear a cosy knitted jumper with a maxi skirt! It's such a simple outfit to wear and so incredibly comfortable. I love being warm and cosy in winter so I've worn a jumper with this maxi skirt a few times. You may need to add some extra layers like scarves, ankle boots and leather jackets if it's very cold, or even a pair of leggings under your skirt!

Chambray Maxi Skirt and Summer Tanks

Saving the simplest outfit for last - for a hot summer day, just pick this light chambray maxi skirt and add a plain or colourful tank. Simple fuss-free summer dressing for the heat! The lighter fabric of this maxi skirt means it billows around nicely as you walk, creating a cool breeze on the hot days. A great summer outfit choice!

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Where To Buy A Chambray Maxi Skirt Under $50:

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Similar Posts In the 30 Wears Series:

• 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.


Linking up with Lizzie In Lace, Friday Faves, On Mondays We Link Up, Mutton Style, Stylish Monday.

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30 Ways To Wear: Navy Printed Jersey Maxi Dress

My first 30 ways to wear post for 2021, with this pretty Jeanswest "Chantelle" navy blue printed empire waist jersey maxi dress. I actually thought I hit 30 wears on this a while back but I'd miscounted the number of posts featuring it - as I included it in my pregnancy style wrap posts too, but they were just outfit reposts and not a new wear. Stretchy jersey is so comfortable, pregnant or not! And it stretches well to fit the bump!

Each month I look through the my blog archives to see what things in my wardrobe I've worn more than 30 times. It's so helpful taking a photo of the outfits I wear each day so I can look back on the ways I've worn things and put these posts together.

30 Ways To Wear: Navy Printed Jersey Maxi Dress

This dress was a Jeanswest outlet sale find back when I was pregnant with my oldest boy, in 2014! With it being in my wardrobe almost 7 years and it accommodating a baby bump nicely, it's no surprise I've exceeded 30 wears with this dress. So far, it's up to 31 wears. I really thought I'd have worn it more by now, having owned it so long!

It's just the right kind of fabric, comfortable and stretchy without being too clingy, and thick enough to stretch without being sheer but not too thick and warm for summer. My favourite way to wear it, as you'll see in these photos, is to double over the elastic empire waist and create a little blouson effect on the top. It has the benefit of making the dress a little shorter too, perfect for my petite self!

Cost Per Wear

Sadly, I can't calculate cost per wear on this dress, as I can't remember how much I bought it for and I no longer have the receipt as it was 7 years ago. I think it was around the $40 mark, which would be about $1.29 a wear as I've worn it 31 times, but I really can't be sure. It was definitely less than $60 as it was more than half price at the outlets, I remember getting an extra % off on top of the sale price, and Jeanswest maxi dresses weren't over the $100 mark 7 years ago. Even without knowing the exact cost per wear figure I know I've gotten my money's worth from this third trimester pregnancy buy, it's a wardrobe staple even without the baby bump!

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Monochrome Outfit With Blue Printed Maxi Dress

Blue is my favourite colour so it's no surprise to see I like wearing even more blue with this dress! From a little thing like a blue bracelet or earrings, or something bigger like a blue bag, any shade of blue: pastels, turquoise, or cobalt works well with this navy dress.

Navy Printed Maxi Dress With Yellow

There are of course lots of other colours you can wear with a navy dress! Yellow and blue are a cheerful combination, and as with the blue outfits above you can do it in a small way by adding a pop of yellow with a necklace, or bigger and bolder with a yellow scarf and bag.

Navy Printed Maxi Dress with Purple 

Another go-to colour combo of mine, blue and purple. As with the other colours above, you can keep it simple with a small purple bag, or wear something bigger like the purple cardigan. This waterfall one looks great belted over the dress for winter! I've done a 30 wears post with this purple cardigan too.

Navy Printed Jersey Maxi Dress With Pink

The navy print on this maxi dress is such a good backdrop for any shade of pink to pop! My favourite is magenta pink, like that Rebecca Minkoff Edie crossbody bag in the middle there, or the magenta necklace in the bottom right. But other shades of pink accessories work well with a navy dress too, with the tiny pastel belt or the bold neon pink scarf!

Ways to Layer a Jersey Maxi Dress

I don't just wear my maxi dresses in summer, even a sleeveless tank style like this one. You can make a maxi dress work in winter by layering a knit over the top, or just cover up a little more on a cooler autumn or spring day by knotting a grey tee over it! Knotting the tee helps stop it looking too overwhelming if you're petite like me, and gives a bit of shape to the outfit. And of course if it's summer you can still layer like I have in the middle with the crochet trim kimono.

Easy Throw On And Go Outfits With a Navy Maxi Dress

The best thing about a jersey printed maxi dress is that it's an instant outfit! Never over or underdressed, you just need to grab and go! With these outfits I've been dressed up for our annual family Santa photo, a night out, or dressed down for a casual BBQ with friends and family, or running errands. It just works for any occasion without any fuss.

Jersey Printed Maxi Dress In Pregnancy

That photo I have in the middle is the only one I have to show off the beautiful crochet back of this dress, which is a shame! But it turns out it's really tricky to get a good photo of the back of your outfit when you're using a tripod and camera remote 😂 With the stretchy jersey material of this maxi dress it works in all three trimesters, and even as you can see in the bottom right there, for the final days of pregnancy at 39 weeks! I like that I've been able to wear this dress through both my pregnancies with my boys, and it also works for breastfeeding after as the top is so stretchy! It was definitely a good sale buy all those years ago!

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Where To Buy Navy Printed Maxi Dresses Under $50:

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Similar Posts In The 30 Wears Series:

• 30 ways to wear navy printed shift dress
• 30 ways to wear a tie dye maxi dress
• 30 ways to wear a pink maxi dress
• 30 ways to wear a navy tank
• 30 ways to wear a navy printed kimono

For more outfit inspiration, you can see all the times I've worn this dress in my archives, or browse the 30 wears series too. What outfit was your favourite with this dress?

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