Jeanswest Dresses: Work and Weekend. Black Maxi, Aztec Print in the Office

First, the Shopbop Friends and Family Sale is on NOW! You can get 25% off with code 'SPRING25' at checkout. Some exclusions apply. Great time to buy those things you've been keeping in your cart while wishing for a sale! :)

My Shopbop Friends and Family Sale picks:

And of course, the usual outfits. I like shopping at Jeanswest, and I like pretty dresses....so two dress outfits! A new dress for a party and an old one being worn again (after a year!!!) for work.

What I wore:

Dress: Jeanswest 'Sierra' embellished black maxi dress (on sale!)

Shoes: black slim Havaianas thongs
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff metallic silver mini MAC (on sale in rose gold!)

Why I wore it:

Wore this pretty maxi dress for a friend's birthday house party. I just wore my Havaianas with it as I knew I'd be taking my shoes off at the door. I did take a jacket with me in case it got colder, but didn't wear it as it was quite humid. It was a really fun party although I couldn't stay long as I had baby T with me. He enjoyed meeting new people and dancing around to some of the music, as well as watching the bigger kids playing.


As this is the second time I've worn this dress since I bought it, and I've been reviewing all my new wardrobe additions lately, this is my purchase review:

I love this maxi dress! I picked it up in the Jeanswest outlet last month as I thought it looked pretty, and when I came out of the change room in it everyone was full of compliments. It's just perfect on me. Length and all, even on my petite frame! I don't really need to wear a necklace with it because of the detailed neckline, which works perfectly for life with a grabby baby.

When I was weighing up the purchase in the change room I was thinking about how I already had a black maxi dress, and there was no point in having two black maxi dresses. I definitely have enough maxi dresses! I reasoned that I loved this one more than the one in my wardrobe at home. So I decided to buy this one and get rid of my old French Connection one (I sold it on ebay). I'm not too sad I got rid of the old one bought this one instead, this is such a lovely dress.


Last worn: black embellished maxi dress, Havaianas, Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC.

Other ways to wear: black maxi dress and studded accessories, silver mini MAC with a colourful pattern mixing outfit.

---

What I wore:

Necklace: House of Harlow Dynamic necklace in gold

Dress: Jeanswest Aztec print dress
Belt: Asos skinny pale yellow belt
Shoes: Wittner 'Mimi' heels in mushroom
Bag: Louis Vuitton Damier Ebene 30 speedy bandouliere (with Coach feather bag charm)

Why I wore it:

Last time I wore this dress, I was in the third trimester (with a giant baby belly) and still working in the office. Funny to wear it again now almost a year later! It's been a long time between wears, and this is one of my favourite dresses. It hasn't been worn sooner as it's not ideal for life with baby, it's actually sheer with a blue slip underneath and the neckline isn't stretchy. It is perfect for working in my business casual office and having a lunch date in the city with my friends though!


Last worn: Aztec print dress, skinny yellow belt, brown heels, Louis Vuitton speedy bandouliere.

Other ways to wear: Aztec print dress layered up for winter, yellow belt with a purple maxi dress, brown heels for first day back at work after maternity leave, speedy bandouliere with denim.

Linking up with What I Wore, Get Your Pretty On, Because Shanna Said So, Whatcha Wearing Wednesday, Style Me Weekly, What I Wore, Style Me Wednesday, Oh Hey Girl, Trendy Wednesday, Throwback Thursday, What I Wore to Work, Spotlight Weekly, Fun Fashion Friday, That Friday Blog Hop, Casual Friday, Fab Favourites, Modest Monday today.

Follow Away From the Blue on:
Bloglovin : Facebook : Twitter : Google Plus : Instagram : LikeToKnow.It : Youtube 

Blush Pink Boyfriend Blazer. With Striped Tank and Shorts, LBD and Heels for the Office

As part of my shopping in March, I crossed an item off my want list, a pastel pink blazer! I was really excited to find one at a good price in the outlets, and excited to wear it. I'm worried it was a case of something looking great in the change room and not working when you get it home as neither of these outfits are really striking me as great outfits...sharing them anyway.

What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Nadine 3/4 Sleeve dusky pink blazer (new purchase)

Necklace: House of Harlow sunburst necklace in silver and grey
Tank: AT By Atmos&Here Orion stripe tank
Shorts: Jeanswest printed denim shorts
Shoes: Asos 'five star' leather sandals
Bag: Louis Vuitton Damier Ebene 30 speedy bandouliere (with Coach feather bag charm)

Why I wore it:

I was excited for a slightly cooler day so I could wear my new blazer! I really wanted to wear this with jeans but despite the rain it was extremely humid, so shorts it was.

Thought this dressed up a shorts and tank outfit nicely, although it does look a little odd in the photos. I think it's the length of the shorts and the blazer not working well together. We went out for lunch and a little bit of shopping.


Last worn: stripe tank, printed shorts, leather sandals, Louis Vuitton Speedy bandouliere. First time I've worn the blazer.

Other ways to wear: striped tank and paisley print skirt, printed shorts in summer, sandals with dresses, speedy bandouliere with skirts.

---

What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Nadine 3/4 Sleeve dusky pink blazer (new purchase)

Scarf: Paris print silk scarf
Necklace: custom Cooper charm by Silhoupette
Dress: French Connection fitted little black dress
Shoes: Wittner 'Bloomy' black heels
Bag: Balenciaga part time in black 2010 with SGH

Why I wore it:

Firstly, let me say that I know this outfit would have looked better without a headband. With running late, only having a few hours sleep, having a bad hair day and not having hair long enough to tie back, I had to go for a quick fix and settled on the scarf. Probably looked a little out of place in the office. I had one colleague tell me I "looked very 1930s". I just said thanks and that I'd take it as a compliment! It had been a tough night with an unsettled baby so I was more impressed I made it to work on time and less worried about the overall outfit.

Last time I wore this dress I was using the cut to disguise what I thought was a very visible first trimester baby bump. It has a little gathered section under the fitted waistband that's quite flattering and hides a slightly protruding belly! Works post-baby too ;)


I'm trying to review all my new purchases on the blog, to encourage myself to style things differently when I buy them and think about how they will work in my wardrobe, to make sure I'm not buying things that will just sit in my wardrobe unworn and adding to my overflowing closet. You can read more about why I'm doing this here.


As it's the second time I've worn this blazer, my purchase review:

This blazer is something I've been wanting for a while! It's a cute dusty pastel pink, and after seeing all the northern hemisphere bloggers with their pastel pink coats for winter I thought I'd buy into the trend for autumn. Don't really need a wool coat in Brisbane, a blazer will do. When I tried it on in store I tried it with a pair of skinny jeans and thought it looked good. A little creased and crumpled, but I reasoned that as it was spring stock it was bound to get a little creased from being in the outlet a few months. After wearing it once above, I quickly realised it was the material itself - it creases so easy. And dry clean only is not ideal for life with baby! Pastel pink is not the best colour on me (I now know after my personal stylist session), and the long-line boyfriend style length is not great on a petite frame.

However, I'm keeping this jacket. I really want to make it work! Even if I do have to iron it constantly, and neither of these are my favourite outfits. I know that when the cooler weather eventually comes to Brisbane (still in shorts in Autumn!) I will be able to wear it with jeans. And I could try belting it too, and wearing it with brighter scarves and tops to balance out the paler blazer. What do you think? How else would you style this blazer? Or should I just cut my losses and admit I was too overexcited by finding a pastel pink blazer to consider how it really looks on me?


Last worn: pastel blazer (above), French Connection LBD, black heels, Balenciaga Part Time.

Other ways to wear: black headscarf with black maxi dress, belted cardi over a LBD, ankle strap heels for a night out, black bag with grey outfits.

Linking up with Styled Up, Let It Shine, Style to Inspire, Mix It Mondays, Manic Mondays, Real Mom Style, Style Sessions, Confident Twosday, What I Wore, Wardrobe Wednesday today.

Follow Away From the Blue on:
Bloglovin : Facebook : Twitter : Google Plus : Instagram : LikeToKnow.It : Youtube 

Casual Autumn Denim Outfits: New Purchases and Something Leaving My Wardrobe

Hope you are having a great long weekend! There are some awesome sales on at the moment over Easter. Have a wonderful time with friends and family, celebrating the gift of life through Jesus or just enjoying the holidays. Either way I hope you get to eat plenty of chocolate! :)

I'm still playing catch-up, sharing pics of what I wore back in March. With the weather having cooled ever so slightly, I took the change to 'Autumnify' my usual outfits, and wear some of my new purchases! Sharing two of casual denim outfits I wore, and another item that's leaving my wardrobe. I've listed some of the things I'm getting rid of on ebay (including my designer bags) if you're interested: bit.ly/AFBebay.

What I wore:

Sunglasses: Rayban new Wayfarers
Shirt: Jeanswest Elise longline emroidered shirt coconut blue (new purchase)
Shorts: Jeanswest denim cuff shorts
Shoes: Acne pistol boots in "skin"
Bracelets: the usual plus blue and silver bracelet stack, House of Harlow Aztec bangle in white and silver
Bag: Balenciaga giant hardware Day bag in 2009 tempete

Why I wore it:

I had been looking forward to wearing this shirt so much since I bought it. After doing my wardrobe detox and learning a little about what colours look good on me, I know white isn't the best, but this top is just so pretty! I actually wore this before my personal stylist session so it was too late to return it. I'll just be aware it will look better worn with bright accessories. It was still a little too warm for long sleeves, I paired it with denim shorts to keep cool. It looked a little overcast in the morning so I wore ankle boots, but really didn't need them in the afternoon heat.

As this top has a pretty embroidered detail around the neckline I didn't wear a necklace with it and just stacked up my bracelets instead. Was a nice causal outfit for a morning at playgroup with baby T and then lunch and a shopping trip with my sister in the afternoon.


Last worn: Ray-ban Wayfarers, denim shorts, Acne Pistol boots, Balenciaga tempete day bag. First time I've worn the shirt as it's a recent purchase.

Other ways to wear: denim shorts for a lazy Sunday, Acne Pistol Boots with a dress in Spring, Balenciaga day bag with dresses.

---

What I wore:

Scarf: Louis Vuitton Stephen Sprouse leopard print scarf in pink and cream (2011 valentines collection)

Tank: Jeanswest 'Josie' striped back strap tank
Jeans: Jeanswest Bindi skinny 7/8 jeans in indigo luxe (new purchase)
Shoes: black slim Havaianas thongs
Bag: Louis Vuitton Damier Ebene 30 speedy bandouliere (with Coach feather bag charm)

Why I wore it:

Weather that's cool enough for jeans at last! Autumn has been a while coming here in Brisbane. Wore this out to go shopping in the city with baby T. With a rainy day it was cold enough to justify jeans and even a scarf, so I got the chance to wear my new Jeanswest skinny jeans. I know, I have too many jeans already. But these are incredible! I fell in love with them as soon as I tried them on and paid full price for them instead of waiting for a sale like I usually do. Just as well, as they are selling out quickly! They are actually cropped (7/8 leg) jeans but they are the perfect length for my petite frame. To justify buying yet another pair of blue jeans, I got rid of 4 pairs from my wardrobe (and added them to my closet cleanout sale on ebay).

It's been almost 2 years since I last wore this scarf! I've only worn it 6 in the past 3 years I've been blogging (and with some very questionable outfits too). For such an expensive purchase, I'm definitely not getting my money's worth. I won't elaborate on cost per wear, it's really not good! This scarf is leaving my wardrobe. I've consigned it with a local store so hopefully I'll get a fair bit of the purchase price back.

Leaving My Wardrobe: 

Louis Vuitton Leopard Print Scarf

Last worn: Louis Vuitton leopard print scarf, striped tank, Havaianas, LV Speedy bandouliere. First time I've worn the jeans as they are a new purchase.

Other ways to wear: pink scarf with pink cami, striped tank in the third trimester, speedy bandouliere with skirts.

Linking up with Fab Favourites, Passion for Fashion, Friday Favourites, Fashion Friday, Mix It Up Friday, Fashion Friday, Modest Monday today.

Follow Away From the Blue on:
Bloglovin : Facebook : Twitter : Google Plus : Instagram : Youtube