Maternity tanks and denim shorts have become my go-to for the hot Queensland summer. I'm trying to vary the outfits a little by wearing different accessories, and sometimes adding a kimono, but as I mentioned before I'm seeing out the last trimester of my pregnancy mainly wearing the few maternity pieces I have. I've essentially ended up with a capsule wardrobe, so there are frequent repeats. When the clothes are so comfortable though, I don't mind repeating them often!
I appreciated the simplicity of the tank and denim shorts combo on this day, it was really busy! I didn't even get time to share this outfit on instagram like usual. Had a lot of running around to do. After playgroup in the morning, toddler T had a different gymboree class in the afternoon. It was really fun! He's so used to the same room and teacher each week, so experiencing a different class meant he was even more excited than usual.
I was glad I'd worn denim shorts - unlike skirts they are much more practical for running around with a toddler at gymboree.
A little while ago I wore my purple jeans and a graphic tee. I liked the combination so much I wore a similar formula again recently. Having a large collection of jeans and a few different coloured pairs means it hasn't feel too repetitive as I wore my jeans a lot over winter.
Wore this to go to playgroup. While we don't really celebrate Halloween in Australia, at the last minute the mums decided to have a Halloween picnic. I'd missed the email so arrived without food, but had put the boys in some of their superhero onesies for my annual Halloween photo so they were suitably dressed! I like the superhero onesies we have as they wear them outside of Halloween too.
I shared a pic on my instagram stories, it's nice to see the different "costumes" over the years. From Cooper alone to Cooper and Toddler T and now a trio with Baby Boy!
A few of the other kids were all dressed up and it made me wish I'd picked my "bones and skin" band tee to wear instead of this Oscar's Law one. With the bones on it it would have been kind of meeting the theme for the picnic. I do prefer this for feeding in though, and apart from briefly regretting that I wasn't wearing anything even even vaguely costume-like, I really enjoyed wearing this outfit.
Bit of a busy day when I wore this, so the simple graphic tee and jeans outfit combo was perfect to help me get out the door on time. I really liked the navy tee with the red jeans, and the silver mini MAC bag goes with everything. Last time I wore this tee it was with purple jeans and I wanted to try something different this time around so the red was a nice change.
This was a comfortable outfit for a morning running errands and trying to organise a few more Christmas gifts. Spent some time with my mum in the afternoon too.
I might be trying to stay away from the blue jeans rut but there's no denying jeans are a mum staple! I paired some of my colourful skinny jeans with anther great mum-friendly piece, peplum tops (perfect for hiding a mum-tum!). Accessorised both these outfits with my go-to Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC bags.
If you haven't been following along on Instagram, I'm on a quest to take outfit photos near all the jacaranda trees we pass when we are out 😂 A sure sign of spring in Brisbane, when everything is blanketed in beautiful purple flowers for a few short weeks.
I took the boys out to a local park and drove down this street - I knew it would be the perfect spot for photos. I may have picked this street to drive by because my friends took beautiful wedding photos here with the jacarandas, ha! You can see them lined up the street behind me there too. With two young kids though I needed to stick to the paths so picked this not too tall tree to pose by. My youngest boy decided to spend his time waiting while his brother took pics searching for the perfect fallen jacaranda flower to give me, and once he picked it he just couldn't wait on the sidelines any longer! You can't see as I cropped him out of that first photo, but he stood close by and in the frame of every shot after giving me the flower, ha!
That's life with toddlers though - and I like the photobomber outtakes as they have his cute little face in them! Photos done and flower safely stored away we spent a few hours in the playground.
Outfit wise I kept it simple, this comfortable peplum tee was a great neutral with the bright red skinny jeans. Both the tee and jeans were thrift finds, as is the statement necklace. The metallic silver mini MAC bag seemed like a good neutral to accessorise with.
Another brightly coloured outfit, with another pair of colourful jeans. These purple jeans are often worn with blue, and they are the first thing that came to mind when this navy bird print peplum tank popped up on my Instagram archive - it inspired me to get the tank out again. I'm sure I'm not the only personal style Instagrammer being inspired to pull pieces out again or try outfit combos after seeing things pop up on the Instagram archive! With the pink bird print I went with pink accessories: the blush necklace and the neon pink mini MAC bag was an extra burst of colour.
As it was forecast to rain most of the day we headed around the furniture stores and Ikea, keeping out of the worst of the weather and missing the storms entirely.
A peplum top is a great piece to wear with jeans. Super comfortable and great for hiding a mum-tum or a food baby, it's a nice little frill detail that elevates a tank or tee. For an extra bright outfit, you can try wearing a pair of colourful jeans instead of a classic black or blue pair.
I like to stick to my outfit formulas a lot, as you'll know if you follow my blog. A plain tee and a printed maxi skirt is one formula I wear often! It's such a simple outfit for a hot day, and sticking with a plain tee means you don't have to worry about prints clashing. You don't have to restrict yourself to neutrals either, I'm wearing two bright tees with equally colourful maxi skirts below.
Wearing a lot of new pieces here! It's so fun looking at my wardrobe after Christmas and seeing all the new combinations I can come up with! This raspberry pink tee, a gift from my mum, works so nicely with this blue floral maxi skirt, another gift from my mum! While there is pink in the print of the skirt, it's a slightly different shade. I still think they work so well together though.
I kept the accessories simple, sticking with plain silver, from the silver Tiffany necklace (a Christmas gift from the boys) to the silver bracelets I never take off and the metallic silver mini MAC bag. This bag goes with everything, such a staple for me.
Had a quiet morning at home with friends - we hosted Church Online at our place for a change. It's nice having the space to be able to do things like that in our new house!
Another bright and colourful outfit! I got this idea from Sheila and a comment she left on a previous post where I wore this red printed maxi skirt with a white tee and mustard scarf, saying the skirt would look good with a mustard tee. There is yellow on the print of the skirt so it seems like a great pairing, but I wasn't sure about the boldness of the two pieces together. When I picked up this pale yellow tee in the Jeanswest sales after Christmas, I knew I wanted to try wearing it with this skirt!
Although the red and yellow felt bold enough I couldn't resist adding a little extra colour with this aquamarine mini MAC bag. It's a firm favourite as I like the way it works with yellow! Kept the rest of my accessories simple and neutral to let the outfit shine.
This was the perfect combination of colourful and comfortable for attending a playdate with the wonderful Sasha, our kids had such a fun time together and despite a few interruptions we got a great chat in. She's such a sweet lady and blogger and I'm so glad to have had the chance to catch up with her again! Funnily enough I wore this maxi skirt last time I met up with her too!
A plain tee and printed maxi skirt is such an easy outfit for mum life - whether hosting friends at home or running around after your kids at the playground! For something a little different you can try a brightly coloured tee to wear with the maxi skirt, picking a colour out from the print to find the perfect colour of tee.
Maxi dresses are such an easy outfit - extremely comfortable, very little thought required, but they still look like you put some effort into what you're wearing.
After having lost my voice a few weeks back and feeling a bit under the weather, but with a busy weekend ahead, I pulled out more maxi dresses. I really wanted to stay in bed in my pyjamas, but this was the next best thing!
After a tough day the day before which involved only being able to whisper despite having two energetic and mischievous toddlers, I contemplated cancelling our plans on Saturday. With a first birthday party and leaving party to attend though I knew I couldn't let the boys miss out. Knowing I wasn't contagious, it didn't feel right not letting the boys spend time with their friends. It was quite a sad farewell, one of my friends is moving away and our children have grown up together, her two girls are similar ages to my two boys.
I was upset to be feeling unwell on this day as we had been looking forward to it for months! Toddler T loves trains but has never actually been on one. We decided to take him along to Steam Train Sunday as a surprise. I've included a little video below. The train does a loop around the city for about an hour, and he loved every bit of it!
We got there early to the station to watch the train come in and he was so excited, especially when we said he could go for a ride on it. It's definitely worth it if you're in Brisbane! You get to walk around the train carriage, between the carriages, and to talk to some of the staff who can tell you more about the train and the history. Fun way to spend a morning, and toddler T spent quite a few days afterwards telling everyone about his trip!
Again I wanted something easy, but also to get a little dressed up as it was a big family day out. This trusty pink maxi dress was a good solution. I tend to wear it pretty similarly every time now, so I tried something a little different with the blue Coach silk scarf as a belt instead of my usual Louis Vuitton bandeau. While I liked the colour combination of this, I did find this scarf slid around a lot more than my bandeau and I don't think I'll pair these pieces together again.
One thing to note with steam train Sunday is the soot. We were nearer the middle of the train and had the window open all the time. With trips out onto the walkway between the carriages as well, we did get a little sooty. Nothing a quick bath couldn't clear up afterwards though.
Maxi dresses are instant outfits. If it's a little cooler, add a simple layer like a denim jacket or a neutral cardigan. While it takes very little effort, a maxi dress looks pulled together enough for a party and casual enough for a trip on the train.
Kimonos aren't just summer pieces for me. I like to wear them in spring and autumn too! They just add an extra level of interest to an otherwise plain shorts and tee outfit. With the outfits below, I picked a kimono where the print matched the colour of the tee I was wearing. You know I like a little matchy-matchy!
It's not the first time I've worn this aquamarine bag with purple, I really like the combination. It was the perfect accessory to pair with the purple v-neck tee and the purple floral kimono.
Busy morning with a few errands to run and a quick dentist appointment for toddler T before his swimming lessons. He did really well, helped I'm sure by the fact that they were playing Paw Patrol on the TV in the ceiling, he just laid back and watched the show the whole time, haha!
Another day with the kids trying to run errands meant another simple outfit was needed. When I got this coral tee home after picking it up in the sales, I knew I had to try this outfit combination with it, and wore it just a couple days after buying the tee. The bright coral colour was such a good match for the orangey reds in the print of this Kindness collective kimono! Such a winning combination paired together.
While it wasn't a very exciting day, I did love wearing this outfit and I am sure to try pairing this coral tee and the printed kimono together again soon! Such a fun bit of matchy-matchy-ness!
Stuck with silver for the accessories, with the silver pendant necklace and Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC bag to be a balancing neutral for all the colour and print.
Shorts and a tee is such a staple outfit. To add a little extra interest to your outfit, you can put a fun printed kimono on top. It's a nice way to change up the look of a shorts and tee outfit without much fuss. If you're unsure, you can always pick a kimono with a print that matches the colour of the tee you're wearing for an easy, cohesive look.
The best thing about the warm summer weather continuing into autumn in Brisbane is being able to wear pretty maxi dresses like these without any layers. I wore these dresses to two very different activities over the weekend, but they worked perfectly for each occasion.
Wore this to celebrate Baby Boy's second birthday. It's crazy to think my youngest is 2 years old now! While his birthday was earlier in the week, we like to have a party on the weekend for them so friends and family can enjoy the celebrations too.
I'll be honest here, the bag was mainly for show! I had my keys, phone and wallet in it so I could locate everything quickly and easily during the party, but I rarely wore it all day. Even though I went with gold and rose gold with my necklaces and bracelets, I think the silver mini MAC still worked.
To make this maxi dress outfit a little more dressed up for the party, I took the time to curl my hair in the morning, layered my necklaces to add a few more accessories than normal, and wore my pretty statement earrings. I love these but have to wear them sparingly as they are big and colourful and so tempting for the boys to pull on, haha!
It was such a fun party, and it was so good celebrating our little one turning two.
After a really busy week, I had pre-booked a massage as I knew I'd need something to help me unwind at the end of the week! It was a really relaxed Sunday, grocery shopping, a massage, then lounging around a lot playing with all the new toys Baby Boy got the day before.
With the silver mini MAC bag against the grey dress, the outfit felt a little plain, so I added the colourful green beaded statement necklace. I really liked this outfit combination!
You might notice I've been wearing this maxi dress a lot recently - I'm aiming to hit 30 wears on it so whenever I'm considering wearing a maxi dress I think of this one first. It's at 23 wears so far and it would be nice to hit 30 this year.
Maxi dresses are great weekend options as they are fuss free outfits, especially when paired with a classic bag that goes with everything. They also tend to work well for busy days or more relaxed days - they never look over or under dressed. A classic weekend wardrobe must have!