Thrifted Finds: Bright Tops and Maxi Skirts and Rebecca Minkoff Bags

During my wardrobe detox one of the 'gaps' identified in my wardrobe was some good bright coloured basic tops. I have lots of prints and grey tops and tees, but not a lot of just plain colours. I do have a few basic tanks, but I've been looking for something a little fancier than that, so that I can wear them to work easily as well. I haven't had much luck finding bright colours in the stores, but op-shops (thrift stores) organise everything by colour so shopping for colours is easy! Plus you can't beat the prices ;) Below are two outfits where I wore my recently-thrifted finds.

What I wore:

Jacket: thrifted Valleygirl pinstripe blazer

Necklace: Tai gold alphabet necklace layered with Roie Designs long freshwater pearl necklace with tassel
Tank: thrifted Cotton On yellow tank (new purchase)
Skirt: Target grey marle maxi skirt
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in white
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Swing bag in canary yellow (on sale in pink!)

Why I wore it:

Wore this after the dawn service on ANZAC day. I had layered up for the dawn service in a black top and cosy hoodie to stay warm, and it was nice to remove those layers and show some colour for the rest of the day. It's the first time I've worn this tank - one of my new purchases.

I decided to wear this blazer as it fit the 'fine lines' theme for the last fox pack style dare challenge on instagram, and as it was a little chilly to have my arms uncovered. This is the third time I've worn this blazer (previously worn here and here). I bought it on one of my op-shopping (thrifting) trips while I was on my maternity leave, thinking it would fit perfectly when I didn't have the baby bump in the way. I wasn't too impressed with the way it fit when I was pregnant, and this time around I wasn't entirely happy either. I think it's the shoulder pads and the placement of the cuffed sleeves. It's leaving my wardrobe, no point hanging onto it if I am fussing about the way it sits when I wear it. I'm certainly not lacking blazers!

Leaving My Wardrobe: pinstripe blazer

Previous outfits here and here.

Last worn: pinstripe blazer, grey maxi skirt, Converse, Rebecca Minkoff yellow Swing bag. First time I've worn the tank as it is a new purchase.

Other ways to wear: the same outfit at 40 weeks pregnant! Regular blazer as maternity wear, grey maxi skirt with pink striped tank, spring dress and Converse, yellow bag with a blue dress.

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What I wore:

Sunnies: Rayban new Wayfarers

Kimono: Choies red vintage pattern kimono
Necklace: House of Harlow sunburst necklace in silver and grey
Tee: Thrifted Dotti blue tee
Skirt: AT by Atmos&Here Mars striped maxi skirt
Shoes: black slim Havaianas thongs
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff MAB mini in soft grey

Why I wore it:

Spent the morning at the shops with DH and baby T, and then we had the grandparents over in the afternoon, so just a nice casual and comfortable outfit.

I've worn this kimono with a blue top before and really liked the colour combination, so I thought it would be nice with this new-to-me cobalt blue tee. And it was a lovely little bit of print mixing with the striped maxi skirt. I'm really pleased to see that I haven't actually worn this kimono with grey yet - I'm being a little bolder with my colour choices lately, encouraged by the personal stylist doing 'my colours' briefly so I know a little bit more about what things look good on me and look good together.


Last worn: Ray-ban Wayfarer, printed kimono, striped maxi skirt, Havaianas, Rebecca Minkoff grey MAM bag. First time I've worn the tee as it is a recent purchase.

Other ways to wear: kimono and gold jeans, striped maxi skirt with pastel cami, grey RM MAM bag with lace outfits. 

Linking up with Style to Inspire, More Pieces of Me, On the Daily Express, Bless Your Heart, Real Mom Style, Confident Twosday, Turning Heads, Wardrobe Wednesday, Style Sessions today.

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Rebecca Minkoff Bright Yellow Swing Bag and Denim - Skinny Jeans and Flares

First up, remember I spoke about little words of encouragement and compliments on Wednesday? Well, turns out my friend Leigh has discovered the wonderfulness of that idea already...and has a goal to write 10,000 notes of encouragement! You can back her project here. Check it out on Go Fund Me!


Now, outfits! I really stretched my creativity with my wardrobe in March by completing two style challenges in the same week. I don't know how people do multiple challenges at once! Some days required a lot of thought and it didn't give me as much freedom as usual - there was often only one thing I could wear to meet both challenges. I did get a really nice surprise at the end of the week to find out that I'd won the posh lady indigo style challenge, that was a wonderful way to end the double challenges!

This post is the last of my double style challenge week outfits. One really costume-y outfit to meet the theme and one casual and simple one.

What I wore:

Necklace: House of Harlow sunburst necklace in silver and grey

Top: Jeanswest Elise longline emroidered shirt coconut blue
Belt: vintage suede tassel belt from my mum's wardrobe
Jeans: Jeanswest 'spoylt' flared jeans
Shoes: Wittner 'Mimi' heels in mushroom
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Swing bag in canary yellow (on sale in pink!)

Why I wore it:

I felt a bit costume-y in this outfit when we went out for lunch. I think it was all just a bit too much together with the fringe, the embroidery and the flares. Flared jeans! I did have a few pairs of flares in my denim collection. Flares and bootcut were my main style a few years ago, then I got my knee injury and had to get rid of all my heels and suddenly they were too long to wear any more. I had to buy my first pair of skinny jeans to get something that would work with flats!

In my wardrobe detox session, the stylist helped me tackle my overflowing denim collection and I ended up getting rid of most of my flared jeans as they all needed heels. I just don't wear them often enough to justify keeping them. When I thought about wearing flares for my outfit to meet the challenge prompt of 'that 70s show', these were the only pair left! I thought the 'flick' of the hem would meet the 'chic flick' style challenge for Fox pack style dare too, but the challenge was actually 'chick flick' as in movie so I messed up on that one!

These jeans haven't been worn on the blog before, and I'm not sure if they will again. They will if I get around to getting them hemmed, and don't stumble across a better pair in a Jeanswest sale ;) I really need to get them taken up, as it took me a while to find a pair of heels that worked with these. And I'm still not completely happy with how they looked. I got rid of my favourite pair of flares and these are a poor second. I confess to spending the morning raking through the big black bin bag full of donations after my wardrobe detox looking for the other jeans instead....and then I remembered I sold them on ebay. I was happy to get rid of them on the day of my wardrobe detox but I'm regretting it now. I don't remember why I let them go, I keep telling myself that maybe they were one of the pairs that didn't even fit me any more.

And although it's now May, this was the second wearing in April of this embroidered top that I bought in March. After I buy something, I try and wear it twice in the next month and review it afterwards. You can read more about why I do this here.

My purchase review:

I really like this top! The fact that it's taken me a while to get around to wearing it is mainly because it's white and I try to avoid wearing white on days I'm at home with baby, and there are a lot of those days. It wasn't one of those purchases I needed - I know I have too many tops already - it was just something I wanted. As much as I love it, it's a lesson to myself to stop making impulse 'got to have it as it looks pretty' purchases! I only just managed to wear it twice in April even though I was aiming to do wear it twice in the month, that's not a great start. As far as impulse purchases go, I've made worse ones, but I really should be trying to only buy things I have planned for!


Last worn: embroidered top, heels, Rebecca Minkoff Swing bag.

Other ways to wear: boho top with denim shorts, flared jeans with a printed cami, brown heels in the office, swing bag with a striped maxi dress.

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What I wore:

Sunnies: Rayban new Wayfarers

Scarf: Burberry cashmere tartan scarf
Tee: Atmos&Here oversized stripe tee
Jeans: Jeanswest Bindi skinny 7/8 jeans in indigo luxe
Shoes: black slim Havaianas thongs
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Swing bag in canary yellow (on sale in black or pink)

Why I wore it:

In contrast to the outfit above, I felt comfortable and like myself in this outfit. And I love these jeans! Nice and casual and a little cosy for running errands. It was the last outfit for my double style challenge week on instagram too. Tartan scarf for 'tartan, gingham and plaid' post lady indigo challenge prompt, and my as I don't have a red lipstick, my brightest lip balm for Fox pack style dare 'bright pout' theme.

There are a lot of challenges that centre around red lipstick! Is it as much of an essential as the instagram challenges make it out to be? For reference, I have lip balm and tubes of Lucas' paw paw all over the place and in multiple handbags, but I only have one lipstick, the same shade I wore on my wedding day. I liked it so much at my wedding makeup trial I had to have it. I don't feel I'm missing anything only having one lipstick, until I do these challenges! Am I weird for not having a red lippy?


Last worn: Ray-Ban Wayfarers, Burberry tartan scarf, striped tee, skinny jeans, Havaianas.

Other ways to wear: striped tee over a third trimester baby belly, Burberry tartan scarf in winter, more print mixing with skinny jeans, yellow bag with a neutral maxi skirt outfit.

Linking up with Fab Favourites, Casual Friday, Passion for Fashion, Fashion Friday, Mix It Up, Fashion Friday, The Ultimate Rabbit Hole, Link Up With Lisa, Shoe and Tell, Let It Shine today.

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Corporate Style: Zara Jersey Blazer and Pencil Skirts with Printed Tops

Another two outfits showing what I wore to work. Black pencil skirts, printed tops and a blazer is a great office wear formula.  Each outfit had a little twist though to make it just a bit different from the normal.

It is just starting to get a little chilly in the mornings, so I needed a jacket. I eneded up wearing my Zara jersey blazer both days! I am feeling completely justified in buying another version of this in a different colour when it popped up on ebay in my size!

What I wore:

Jacket: thrifted Zara black blazer

Dress: Atmos & Here Willow printed tee dress
Skirt: Jeanswest black ponte pencil skirt
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs metallic mouse flats
Bracelets: the usual plus beaded neon and gold and black and gold bracelet set
Bag: Louis Vuitton Damier Ebene 30 speedy bandouliere (with Coach feather bag charm)

Why I wore it:

Again, this was a double style challenge outfit. I knew exactly what I wanted to do for the 'classic with a twist' prompt for fox pack style dare, although it took a little bit of thinking for the posh lady indigo 'metallica' idea. I was going to go with a sparkly statement necklace, but figured it would be too busy with the printed top, so when with gold accessories instead.

If you've been reading my blog for a while you might recognise the print of the top. It's not actually a top, it's that tee dress I wore over and over when I first bought it. I've worn pencil skirts over dresses before, and I've worn this dress as a tee with a skirt over it casually too. It's a wonderful way for me to get some more wear out of a dress, especially one I love as much as this. I really liked this outfit, probably because it let me wear one of my favourite casual dresses to the office!


Last worn: Zara blazer, Atmos&Here botanic print dress, black pencil skirt, metallic mouse flats, LV speedy bandouliere.

Other ways to wear: jersey blazer with a dress, tee dress with Converse, pencil skirt with a tiny second trimester baby bump, mouse flats and a maxi skirt, speedy bandouliere with denim shorts.

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What I wore:

Jacket: thrifted Zara black blazer

Headscarf: Louis Vuitton "comete" bandeau scarf
Necklace: Tai gold alphabet necklace
Tank: Jeanswest 'Hannah' print tank in paradise pink multi
Skirt: Jeanswest zip detail ponte pencil skirt
Shoes: Wittner 'Bloomy' black heels
Bracelets: the usual plus JORD black Fieldcrest wood watch (C/O)
Bag: Balenciaga RH classic city in 2010 sorbet

Why I wore it:

Just realised I haven't worn this bag in over a year! When I last wore it, I was in the third trimester!

This was also a double style challenge outfit. It also took forever to come together, despite how simple it is. printed top, pencil skirt, blazer and heels for the office, easy! But I had a heard time deciding on the right top and jacket for this look, as I'd added in the headscarf for the 'mad hatters' theme for posh lady indigo style challenge. I don't have a hat I could wear to the office, just my big sunhat for the beach, so I picked the scarf instead. Because the scarf has a colourful print I couldn't pick a nice top that worked with it. I spent about half an hour the night before - and ended up getting rid of a few tops as I had a try on session through my wardrobe - before I settled on this brushstroke stripe tank. When I wore it the next day I wasn't sure if I should use the headscarf as I had planned for the 'this has a story' prompt for the fox pack style dare challenge, or the fact that the outfit took so long to put together!

I got to work not feeling the best in this outfit. I thought it looked okay, but nothing special. I much preferred the previous outfit (above). But everyone at work loved this. I kept getting compliments all day on it! I had people telling me I looked great, asking me where I got the scarf, that I should wear the scarf more often...one of the most stylish ladies in the office asked if I had bought the top and scarf together as they looked like a set! My friends and I will often compliment each other's outfit choices, but I'm not so used to the input from others. I also had the fun of explaining what an instagram style challenge was to one of my male colleagues, who now asks me each time he seems me what theme I'm dressing for.

It was really nice and unexpected. I ended up feeling a lot more confident than I had that morning when I walked out the door! Reminded me of how just taking a few seconds to give someone a sincere compliment can make their day. I've always been a big believer in 'if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all' like my mum taught me. It's only recently I've realised that I should be making more of an effort to be vocal with my appreciation when there are nice things I could say! Random acts of kindness don't need to be big things, try giving someone an honest compliment to make them smile. :)


Last worn: Louis Vuitton bandeau, black Zara blazer (above), brushstroke stripe tank, pencil skirt, ankle strap heels, Balenciaga sorbet city bag.

Other ways to wear: LV bandeau worn as a belt over a pregnant belly, blazer with jeans and a tee, brushtroke stripe tank and denim, ankle strap heels in winter, Balenciaga city with a maxi dress.

Linking up with Whatcha Wearing Wednesday, Style Me Weekly, Because Shanna Said So, What I Wore, Style Me Wednesday, Oh Hey Girl, Get Your Pretty On, Trendy Wednesday, Spotlight Weekly, Throwback Thursday, Thursday Fashion Files, What I Wore to Work, Thursday Threads, Fun Fashion Friday, Feature Friday today.

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