State of Origin Maroon Outfit and The Wednesday Pants Link Up

A special post today - a Maroon outfit for the State of Origin! I've posted about the game before, it's a bit of rivalry between two Australian states; Queensland (maroon) and NSW (blue). I'm linking up with Allison and The Wednesday Pants wearing my maroon and Allison will be wearing her blues. You can join the linkup below.

What I wore:

Jacket: Barkins beige trench coat (similar, on sale!)

Necklace: Tai gold alphabet necklace
Dress: Next brown polka dot and lace top
Pants: Jeanswest 'Fiona' skinny leg pant in shiraz
Shoes: Wittner 'Lumen' heel in patent leather
Bag: Marc By Marc Jacobs Classic Q Fran bag with gold hardware in carob brown

Why I wore it:

This is a great way to wear some maroon in the office, burgundy pants. Very appropriate for the 'Wednesday Pants' theme too! On game days, our office dress code is relaxed enough that people can wear footy shirts to the office. But if you don't have a team shirt, or you have meetings with customers so you have to stick to the dress code, then maroon items are a great way to still show your team spirit. Plus you can re-wear things you already own.

I haven't worn this top in a long time (almost 2 years!) so it's overdue a wear! It's a mock layer top so it's one piece, but it looks like two. It's very easy to wear, just has been neglected for a while as it's better in cooler weather and it didn't fit when I was pregnant and it's not ideal for breastfeeding. Glad to be able to wear it to the office again.

I was a bit shocked to see it's been 9 months since I used my Fran handbag too! It is still a favourite of mine, but when I last wore it I found it a bit much to juggle with the baby bag also, as it's quite large. I figured it would get more wear when I returned to work, but that hasn't been the case. Partly because I bought a new tote for work and partly because all of my handbags are hidden away in boxes under the bed now and it's easy to forget about them when I can't see them all out on display like I did before. We turned my dressing room into a nursery instead.
After buying another handbag in June, I think I need to put the breaks on the bag buying a bit and just enjoy what's left after my big bag clearout on ebay a while back. #NoBuyJuly15 means no buying handbags either! Despite all of the tempting sales.....I have kept away from the handbag sections of Shopbop, Matches Fashion and Net-A-Porter to avoid breaking my shopping ban.


Last worn: trench coat, brown lace polka dot top, burgundy pants, patent heels, Marc by Marc Jacobs Fran bag.

Other ways to wear: polka dot top with tweed pants, burgundy pants on the weekend, trench with a LBD, Marc Jacobs Fran bag with a maxi skirt 4 weeks postpartum, nude patent heels with pencil skirt in summer.

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This week I'm excited to be co-hosting The Wednesday Pants Link-Up with Allison of Sydney Fashion Hunter. Allison created her blog to share her experiences of hunting down that perfect fashion item in the beautiful harbour city she calls home. She's a globe trotting, shoe loving, designer handbag toting Aussie who loves to cook up a storm with a wine glass in hand. On the blog she mixes high end and high street. In "The Wednesday Pants" series she has set herself a challenge to wear the same white pair of Calvin Klein pants every Wednesday for an entire year, styled differently of course! This week is the State Of Origin decider and Allison is supporting NSW by showing her colours and proving that you can be stylish while still supporting the boys on the field.  Head on over to her blog and follow along.

We'd both love to see your style this week so link up below following these simple rules:-

1. Follow your host on Facebook, Bloglovin', Twitter and/or Pintrest.
2. Follow your co-host on Bloglovin', Instagram, Twitter and/or Facebook.
3. Your post should be either a white pants outfit from your archives or your best OOTD from this week.
3. Ensure your link goes to a specific blog page rather than you blog home page.
4. Include a link back to Sydney Fashion Hunter in your blog post.
5. Visit a couple of the other links and discover new blogs to love.

An InLinkz Link-up

Linking this post up with Wardrobe Wednesday(showing lingerie so not safe for work), Whatcha Wearing Wednesday, Pleated Poppy, What I Wore, Style Me Weekly, Oh Hey Girl, Trendy Wednesday, Brilliant Blog Posts, Thursday Favourites, Thursday Fashion Files, Throwback Thursday, Fun Fashion Friday, Feature Friday, Fashion Friday today.

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Comfortable Winter SAHM Style and Izabel London Review

Two casual and comfortable outfits for days with baby, featuring two new items that were given to me by Izabel London in return for showcasing them on the blog. I thought I'd include a review too, if you have been considering purchasing from them.

What I wore:

Jacket: Cotton On black knit wrap cardigan

Necklace: Roie Designs feather, quartz and love charm long necklace
Top: Asos new forever grey tee
Skirt: Izabel London Aztec print maxi skirt (new, C/O)
Shoes: Asos airtime leather Chelsea boots in tan (new purchase)
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff mini quilted affair bag in fire engine red (new purchase, on sale in black and studded version on sale too)

Why I wore it:

I was intending to add a scarf to this outfit for some more colour, but baby T was being cranky that morning so I forgot all about it and went out the door without one. At least there was a little bit of colour with the bag, and all I was doing was going to the doctors with baby and getting groceries so I didn't have to be over-accessorised for errands.

This skirt is one of the items I got from Izabel. It is so comfortable! I was a little unsure about ordering a maxi skirt from a new brand I'd never tried before, as I almost always have to have maxi lengths taken up at the tailor. Petite problems! This skirt has a fold-over waist detail though, so you can adjust the length to suit. I'm 5"2, and the skirt is the perfect length with the waist folded over all the way. It doesn't look bulky around the waist even with the top section folded down.

This cardigan I dug out of my wardrobe after getting rid of the other black cardigan I have. No need to have two black cardigans if I only love one of them. It was the perfect piece to keep me cosy and warm, and I'm glad I wore it because baby T was unwell and this cardigan was easily washed when we got home, unlike the leather jacket I wore last time.....


Last worn: black cardigan, grey tee. First time I've worn the skirt, bag and boots as they are all recent wardrobe additions. I bought a lot in June!

Other ways to wear: black cardigan with jeans, grey tee in the third trimester.

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What I wore:

Jacket: Izabel London striped waterfall cardigan (new, C/O)

Necklace: Tai gold alphabet necklace layered with thrifted pearl and heart long necklace
Tee: Zalora Basics maroon stepped t-shirt (new purchase)
Jeans: Jeanswest Bindi skinny 7/8 jeans in indigo luxe
Shoes: RMK Chester black ankle boots
Bag: Balenciaga flat clutch SGH in 2010 Sang

Why I wore it:

This cardigan is the best cardigan I have ever worn. I was showing hubby the new things I'd got and tried to explain to him just how awesome this cardigan is. It's part wool, so just as cosy and comfortable as a bathrobe, exactly what you need in winter.

This was the perfect outfit for a day at home as hubby helped a friend move, and then an evening out. We were overdue a date night, it's been quite a while since the last one! I just took my things out of the baby bag and put them into the clutch for our dinner/movie date, as well as adding the dangly necklace. I like a 'SAHM uniform' that can be dressed up for date night just be adding some accessories.

Izabel London Review

This was my first time visiting and ordering from Izabel London, so I thought I'd put a review together. (The company did not ask for this, this is just my thoughts). The big thing I like about their site is the fact that they share detailed measurements of the item and the model (like on the page for my waterfall cardigan). However, it's not on all items on their site so maybe it's a new thing they are rolling out. I was looking at some tunics but not all of them had the length listed so I didn't feel confident comparing them and decided to look at the other items instead, as I didn't want something too short. I'm pleased with the two things I did get though.
The customer service at is great - I've been dealing with Sohny and I've always gotten quick responses to emails and we have regularly kept in touch over the ordering process.
The shipping to Australia is good. It took 8 working days to arrive, so just under 2 weeks, and quicker than the estimated 10 working days specified on their website. I'd say it's similar to Asos standard shipping to Australia. They have an Australian returns address if you've ordered something that doesn't work out too. I didn't have to use it though, as I liked what I got style and fit-wise.
Sizing is comparable to Australian sizing, I ordered my standard Australian size and everything fit like I expected.

Overall, I'd recommend Izabel London. I think the products are great quality for the price, and I'm really happy with what I got. Plus if you're a fellow Aussie, a lot of their winter stock is on sale at the moment....I might be doing #noBuyJuly15 but there's no reason you can't have a browse. They ship worldwide too!


Last worn: skinny jeans, black ankle boots, Balenciaga clutch. First time I've worn the tee and the cardigan as they are recent wardrobe additions.

Other ways to wear: print mixing with skinny jeans, black ankle boots with a maxi dress, Balenciaga clutch with a printed maxi dress in summer.

Linking up with Shoe and Tell, Let It Shine, Modest Monday, Style To Inspire, Mix It Monday, More Pieces of Me, Daily Express, On Trend Tuesday, Turning Heads, Reasons to Dress, Real Mom Style, Bless Her Heart, Confident Twosday today.

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Baby's First Birthday Party: Blue Printed Maxi Dress

A couple of weeks ago, baby T turned 1! I shared some photos on instagram but a few people have been asking for a blog post, so along with what I wore I'm sharing some pictures and answering a few questions people had.

What I wore:

Necklace: House of Harlow sunburst necklace in silver and grey

Dress: Jeanswest 'Chantelle' crochet detail blue printed maxi dress
Bracelets: the usual plus silver charm bracelet and House of Harlow sunburst wrap bracelet in cobalt

Why I wore it:

This is what I wore for baby T's first birthday party. The same formula I wore when we were guests at other first birthday parties - maxi dresses are perfect for so many occasions! I quickly took this photo about 5 minutes before the guests arrived, after everything was set up and the last of the food was in the oven cooking. As we had the party at home, I stayed home all day, setting up before the party, having the party and then cleaning up afterwards. So I just wore some cosy blue socks! No shoes, no bag. I did try do some eye makeup for the occasion following a tip I'd picked up at a Clinique counter a few weeks before.

There wasn't really a 'theme' for the birthday party, everyone kept asking if there was one. Blue is a theme right?! We had everything blue, including the cupcakes! I did spend some time considering buying a blue wig to wear too, but DH told me that was going a bit too far!

A photo posted by Mica (@awayfromblue) on Jun 6, 2015 at 11:24pm PDT

Most of our decorations were pictures of baby. As well as buying up every kind of blue birthday decoration at the local dollar store (also Kmart has a huge range!), every wall and door had some kind of photo theme going on. Some of the photos, like the wall of Cooper and baby T photos, we've left up after the party as they make us smile. Others we had printed out to give away to the guests with the photo holders in party bags alongside some lollies at the end of the day.

A photo posted by Mica (@awayfromblue) on Jun 4, 2015 at 2:48am PDT

We had made plenty of floor space for everyone to sit down and play with baby, but that floor space was quickly filled up with all the gifts people generously brought. We asked people to fill in a 'birthday wishes' card so there was no pressure with gifts. It's hard not to go all out with gifts for a first birthday though!

It took more effort than I expected to plan and host a first birthday party, but it was worth it in the end. We just had finger food (pies, sausage rolls, sandwiches, fruit kebabs, cupcakes) so that all the prep was done up front. Once the food was served people could help themselves and I could concentrate on enjoying the day with friends and family and sharing stories about baby's first year. I'd filled out the baby books we got as baby shower gifts, so people were flicking through them during the party when they were letting others cuddle baby. We did the cake smash photos at the end of the day too.

A photo posted by Mica (@awayfromblue) on May 16, 2015 at 5:52pm PDT

It was wonderful spending the day surrounded by family and friends celebrating baby T's first birthday. He got lots of gifts and we had a lot of fun, but the absolute highlight of the day for me was when I had run upstairs to grab something after our first lot of guests arrived, and another group of people arrived. I looked down and saw baby's confused but happy face as the room filled up with even more people he knows and loves. The look on his face just made my entire day. Although he's a little too young to understand the concept of birthday parties, he has spent his first year getting to know and love his friends and family and he enjoyed having them all come together just to fuss over him. It's moments and days like these that are the best part of being a mum.

A photo posted by Mica (@awayfromblue) on Jun 13, 2015 at 1:15am PDT

Last worn: blue printed maxi dress.

Other ways to wear: blue printed maxi dress in summer.

Linking up with Passion for Fashion, Casual Friday, Friday Favourites, Fashion Friday, The Ultimate Rabbit Hole, Modest Monday today.

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