Autumn Layering: Prints, Colourful Cardigans and Striped Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAC

Every time I see someone like Lauren from Exploring My Style or Kiki from According to Kiki wearing their cardigans and talking about how great they are, I think of all my hardly worn cardigans. I wore them frequently in the newborn baby days over my breastfeeding singlets, and I've always had one kept in my desk at work to keep me cosy in the office air con, but I don't really wear them out very much. I'm trying to change that this year and take advantage of the milder autumn weather to wear some of my cardigans.

What I wore:

Sunnies: Rayban new Wayfarers
Cardi: Jeanswest long red drape cardigan

Necklace: Tai gold alphabet necklace
Tank: Emerson crochet lace bib print top
Skirt: Target grey marle maxi skirt
Shoes: black slim Havaianas thongs
Bracelets: the usual plus Disney Couture Winnie the Pooh bangle and Hermes Kelly double tour bracelet in rubis
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff striped coated canvas mini MAC in berry stripe

Why I wore it:

This was what I wore for Mother's Day! (Yes I am that behind with blogging!) This was my first Mother's day with baby T so hubby put a little more effort in than when it was just Cooper helping me celebrate ;) I was spoiled with some delicious and creative gifts, and we went out for lunch and a walk over to King Island. I wore the cardi in case it was a little chilly by the sea, but it was so nice sitting there on the sand enjoying the sunshine.

I've worn this cardigan with a maxi skirt before and didn't like the way it looked untied (I preferred it knotted) but this time around I liked the look and left it hanging down loose. Maybe as the printed top broke the long line up a little it looked a bit better.

Everything I wore worked for the 'channelling the person who has influenced your style the most' theme for the Fox in Flats style dare. The printed tank was a gift from my mum, the maxi skirt I bought on one of my many shopping trips with my mum, and I know my mum would have approved of the cardigan so I didn't catch a cold ;)


Last worn: RayBan wayfarers, red cardigan, red printed tank, grey maxi skirt, Havaianas, Rebecca Minkoff canvas stripe mini MAC.

Other ways to wear: red cardigan with an all-black outfit (1 and a half weeks postpartum), red printed tank in the office, grey maxi skirt with a plain pink top, Rebecca Minkoff canvas stripe mini MAC with a printed navy shirt dress.

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What I wore:

Cardigan: Jeanswest Dana drape knit cardi in Boysenberry

Necklace: Tai gold alphabet necklace
Dress: Jeanswest 'Chelsea' printed dress
Belt: thick brown Vera Moda belt
Shoes: Asos Cleo leather boots in tan
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff striped coated canvas mini MAC in berry stripe

Why I wore it:

I wasn't happy with this bag and outfit together  - but it was what I had wore the day before and had all my things in, so it was the best choice as I was running late in the morning. I tried to cram in rhyme time at the library before going to playgroup with baby T. I managed it and was only a little late. Hopefully I'll be on time next time!

The style dare for the day was 'favourite dress, different'. This dress is one of my favourites - I love the style and the colour. I purchased it last year, and wore it in spring, and in summer. I just layered it up a little this time around with a cardigan and leather boots for autumn. I couldn't decide if the belt looked better over or under the cardigan - I ended up putting it under the cardigan but I think this would look nice both ways, gives me another way to wear it later. I'm hoping to wear this dress through the year and not just have it as a warmer weather piece.


Last worn: purple cardigan, boho printed dress, tan leather boots, Rebecca Minkoff canvas mini MAC(above).

Other ways to wear: purple cardigan with maternity skinny jeans - first day out with a newborn, boho printed dress with ankle boots for spring, leather boots and skinny jeans in winter, Rebecca Minkoff canvas mini MAC with maxi skirts and a baby bump.

Linking up with Let It Shine, Style To Inspire, Modest Monday, Shoe and Tell, Mix it Mondays, Manic Mondays, Sunday Funday, Bless Her Heart, Real Mom Style, Turning Heads, Reasons to Dress, Confident Twosday, Style Sessions, The Wednesday Pants, Wardrobe Wednesday, Because Shanna Said So  today.

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Bare Legs in Autumn - Colours, Prints and Neutral Bags

After the crazy stormy weather, it actually turned into a nice couple of days, warm enough to go bare-legged even though it's nearing the end of autumn. I took the chance to wear some lighter outfits, guided again by what the theme of the day was for each day for the Fox in Flats May style challenge.

What I wore:

Jacket: no label white drape jacket

Necklace: House of Harlow sunburst necklace in silver and grey
Tank:  Jeanswest 'Jenni' singlet in indigo blue (on sale here!)
Shorts: Jeanswest 'Scarlette' printed shorts (on sale!)
Shoes: Acne pistol boots in "skin"
Bag: Audrey leather clutch in cognac C/O Avalina Leather

Why I wore it:

I had been looking at these shorts in my wardrobe recently, thinking it was a shame I didn't wear them as much as I had hoped to over summer. So when the challenge for the day was 'slick legs - leather, pleather, coated denim or dare to bare' I knew wearing these shorts again would be perfect. It worked out well as I was able to take advantage of the warm weather and go bare-legged, without needing to layer too much on top. I only needed the jacket in the morning and evening.

I chose the blue tank to wear with the shorts as it was an outfit idea the personal stylist suggested to me during my wardrobe detox - I quite liked the monochrome look, but I think a tank that matched the shorts a little closer would have been better. This was the closet match I had from my blue tanks though.

This bag hasn't been worn in a while! I wasn't sure what bag would look best with this, and I've been wearing my Rebecca Minkoff bags a lot lately so wanted to change it up a little. I just needed my wallet and phone as I was working from home and only popping out to day care with baby. I went looking for a nice bag and rediscovered this cute tan clutch, perfect and fit exactly what I needed.


Last worn: waterfall drape jacket, blue tank, printed shorts, Acne Pistol boots, Avalina leather clutch.

Other ways to wear: draped jacket with stripes, blue tank over a third trimester baby bump, printed shorts outfit for a day at a theme park, pistol boots with a little red dress, tan leather clutch with an Aztec print dress.

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What I wore:

Scarf: Asos crinkle oversized leopard print scarf

Dress: Zalora Basics faux leather placket red shift dress (new purchase, on sale!)
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in white
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff MAB mini in soft grey

Why I wore it:

I loved this outfit, but it was a struggle to come up with it, despite how simple it looks! The challenge for the day was 'vamp vixen', and I wouldn't say I'd have anything especially vampish in my wardrobe. It was also a quiet day with baby - a few errands to run but nothing that would need me to put a lot of effort into my outfit.

Had been wanting to wear this red dress again for its second wear of the month, and thought a scarf would look good. Red and leopard print sounds kind of vampish right? Even if I was balancing it out with a loose fit red dress, just a little bit of leopard in the scarf and extremely practical flat shoes. While I'm not entirely sure it met the challenge for the day, I really loved this outfit. This scarf is another one I rediscovered during my wardrobe detox, it hasn't been worn in almost 3 years! far too long between wears.


This is the second time I've worn this dress since I bought it (you can see the previous time here). I'm trying to wear everything I buy twice in a month after I buy it so I can see if it really works in my wardrobe, to make myself think more about what I'm buying and to try and stop buying things I just don't wear.

My purchase review:
I wasn't 100% sold on this dress when I saw it online but bought it because the price was good and it was a similar style to the dress I had been wanting to buy for a while. I am so glad I made this impulse purchase, it's a great dress! The colour is a little different from what I would usually go for, but so wearable. The length is good for being at home with baby too - just above the knees and it doesn't creep up too far when belt the ergo carrier around my waist while babywearing. Plus, it has pockets! The sleeves hit me at an odd point - probably as I'm petite - so I've just rolled the sleeves up a little more, but they stay there all day and that's easy enough to do each time I wear it.

This is one of those impulse purchases I'm glad I made - I knew that since I ordered from the Iconic I could return it if it didn't work out anyway. Even if I am trying to curb my impulse buys, this one was a worthwhile one!



Last worn: leopard print scarf, red dress, white Converse, RM MAM bag.

Other ways to wear: leopard print scarf with Aztec print dress, red shift dress with blue scarf and ankle boots, polka dot shirt dress and Converse, print mixing outfit with a neutral grey bag.

Linking up with Fab Favourites, Casual Friday, Passion for Fashion, Fashion Friday, Mix It Up Friday, The Ultimate Rabbit Hole, Thursday Threads today.

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Sales! Blue and Black Casual Outfits - Striped Maxi Skirt, Prima Denim Skinny Jeans

First up, some sales!

Nordstrom half yearly sale is on now - up to 40% off! Also, Vogue Online Shopping Night is on tonight! Some sales are only on for 12 hours, so be quick to shop! Details of some great ones below, and I've also updated the Sales and Discounts page again too.

• David Jones - 20% off clothes, denim, handbags and accessories. No code needed.
• Portmans - 25% off full price and free delivery. No code needed.
• Samantha Willis - 50% off selected jewellery. No code needed.
• Sambag - 20% off and free delivery with code 'VOSN20'.
• Sass and Bide - 10% off and free shipping. No code needed.
• Seed Heritage - 20% off with code 'VOSN'
• Surfstich - 25% off with code 'VOGUE'
• The Iconic - 30% off full price and sale items with code 'VOGQ30' when you spend $125+
• Fossil - 30% off pule free leather bracelet for orders over $150
• French Connection - 25% off everything with code 'VOGUE25'
• General Pants - free delivery and 20% off everything with code 'GP20'
• Wanderlust & Co - 30% off and free shipping with code 'VOSN'

I have to give a shout out my friend Kiki who said a lot of nice things about me on her blog. I'm so glad I could inspire her! Being a mum has a lot of changes associated with it, and the way we wear and view our wardrobe can change too, but it doesn't mean we can't enjoy what we wear. And if something no longer feels right (due to body/lifestyle/taste changes) it's good to let it go, or admit that an outfit combination just wasn't the best, and try again the next day. They are only clothes. I'm trying to remember this as I work towards reducing the size of my wardrobe.

Not every day has to be about trying something new or coming up with perfectly coordinated and accessorised outfits. Some days you just want to be comfortable and confident and you rely on simple 'outfit formulas' like the outfits below - blue tops over black! Both outfits showcasing a couple of my new April purchases. A blue knit and striped maxi skirt, and a blue shirt with black skinny jeans.

What I wore:

Jumper: thrifted Valleygirl blue knit jumper (new purchase)

Tank: Jeanswest 'Jenni' basic singlet in Hawaii blue (under knit)
Skirt: Target black and white striped maxi skirt
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in black
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff MAB mini in soft grey

Why I wore it:

First wearing of this cute blue knit jumper from my April purchases. This was taken the day after the crazy weather - the sun came out! It actually ended up being a really sunny and warm day, so I was glad I had worn a tank under this. Although it's a light weight knit, it was good to take it off in the heat of the afternoon. The Fox in Flats style challenge for the day was 'up up up' and to try a new hairstyle, so I tied a twilly around my messy bun. You can't see it in these pics, but you can see it in the photo on instagram.

We had to take Cooper to the vets for his regular vaccinations. Just a reminder if you have a dog and especially if you are in the Brisbane/Gold Coast area - get your dog vaccinated against parvovirus. There is a serious outbreak at the moment.

Cooper did really well at the vets, and as the vets have some cute kittens available for adoption, baby T got to play with some kittens for the first time. He loved them, it was so cute to see!


Last worn: blue tank, striped maxi skirt, Converse, Rebecca Minkoff grey MAM bag. First time I've worn the jumper as it is a new purchase.

Other ways to wear: cobalt blue knit with burgundy pants, blue tank and striped maxi skirt without the jumper, stripe maxi skirt in a monochrome outfit, Converse with spring dresses, grey MAM bag with cobalt blue and coral.

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What I wore:

Sunnies: Rayban new Wayfarers
Necklace: Tai gold alphabet necklace 

Shirt: Target mint stripe shirt
Jeans: Jeanswest prima denim super skinny jeans in absolute black (new purchase)
Shoes: black slim Havaianas thongs
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff MAB mini in soft grey

Why I wore it:

Wearing another of my April purchases! These Jeanswest prima denim black skinny jeans. I won't go on too much about how much I love these, as I already do that every time I wear the blue version. Jeanswest had a 40% off sale, so I had to get the black pair too. The 7/8th cropped style is the perfect length for petite ladies like me, no alterations needed!

The style dare for the day was 'geek chic', achieved with the collared shirt and a selfie in my glasses! I need glasses for working on a computer screen.

This was a really practical and comfortable outfit for running errands all morning - trying to get things organised for baby T's upcoming first birthday.


Last worn: Ray-Ban Wayfarers, mint stripe shirt, Havaianas, grey MAM (above). First time I've worn the jeans as they are a recent purchase.

Other ways to wear: striped shirt hiding a second trimester baby bump in the office, black skinny jeans with a printed top, Rebecca Minkoff grey MAM with a neutral third trimester maxi skirt outfit.

Linking up with WIW, Because Shanna Said So, What I Wore, Style Me Weekly, I Feel Pretty, Trendy Wednesday, Whatcha Wearing Wednesday, Style Me Wednesday, The Wednesday Pants, Brilliant Blog Posts, Throwback Thursday, Thursday Fashion Files, Look What I Got, Thursday Favourites, Labour of Life, Fun Fashion Friday, Feature Friday, Fashion Friday  today.

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