Corporate Style: Printed Shirts and Pencil Skirts. Balenciaga Day Bag

Sharing two more of my recent office outfits, going with a simple 'formula' of a printed shirt and a pencil skirt. I'm still wearing my trench coats as although it's Spring in Brisbane it can still be a bit chilly in the morning, especially if you have to go bare-legged.

What I wore:

Jacket: Temt black trench coat 

Necklace: Tai gold alphabet necklace
Shirt: Choies pink chiffon shirt with strawberry print (C/O Choies)
Skirt: Asos black tailored tab front pencil skirt
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs metallic mouse flats
Bag: Balenciaga truffle brown RH classic day bag

Why I wore it:

Adding a bit of colour to an otherwise overly black outfit with my strawberry print shirt. While the other shirt I ordered from Choies tore on the first wear, I'm pleased to see this one is still going strong.


Last worn: black trench coat, strawberry print shirt, black pencil skirt, metallic mouse flats, Balenciaga day bag.

Other ways to wear: trench and a printed dress, printed short and denim shorts, black pencil skirt and purple cardi, gold mouse flats and skinny jeans, Balenciaga day bag and a shift dress.

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More printed shirts for the office under $60:

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What I wore:

Jacket: Barkins beige trench coat 

Scarf: red tartan scarf
Necklace: custom Cooper charm by Silhoupette
Shirt: Jeanswest 'Ruby' mixed print shirt
Skirt: Jeanswest black ponte pencil skirt
Shoes: Walnut Melbourne 'Ava' black lizard ballet flats
Bag: Balenciaga truffle brown RH classic day bag

Why I wore it:

Wanted to add some more colour to this outfit, so after trying on a few different scarves before running out the door, I settled on this brightly coloured tartan scarf. I really liked the print mixing, even thought the shirt has print mixing inbuilt already too. Ended up keeping the scarf on in the office as I liked the look so much.


Last worn: camel trench, tartan scarf, mixed print shirt, black pencil skirt, ballet flats, Balenciaga day bag (above).

Other ways to wear: camel trench and a printed dress, tartan scarf and winter layers, printed shirt and shorts, black pencil skirt and a black blazer, ballet flats and a maxi skirt, Balenciaga day bag and stripes.


Last year, my church did a series called Struggles. I really enjoyed it. This past weekend I decided to participate in the #strugglesFast with some others. It was no computers, no smartphone and no TV. While I was allowed to use a computer for work purposes, I only used it to work at my usual Sunday evening Church Online events. I failed the fast 3 times: when I had to google the address of the emergency vets on my phone (Cooper had a minor injury but our usual vet was closed), when I turned on the computer to go to church online and my email opened up and I couldn't resist scanning through a few subject lines, and when a friend at Church Online gave me a website to checkout in response to my question, and I went and opened it without thinking. I closed it as soon as I realised, but it still counts as a fail.

What I learnt from the #strugglesFast:

• For someone as addicted to the internet (especially instagram) as I am, I expected it to be a lot more difficult to stick to the fast, but I'm quite pleased with how I did. 
• I'm also rather amazed by just how often I'd still go to check my phone before I remembered I was on the tech fast. I ended up leaving it on a table, but the reflex was still there to grab it now and then.
• I did find it a little frustrating not being able to just look things up online - I'd planned to cook a recipe for toddler T that I'd not printed out yet, but couldn't. I used a cookbook and made something different instead, luckily it was still a hit with him.
• For all my fear of missing out, I caught up with everything I missed over the weekend within an hour on Monday morning - there really wasn't anything important!

If you ever think about taking a break from social media/the internet/technology for the weekend, I'd encourage you to give it a go. It's not as difficult as you might first think.


Linking up with Mix it Monday, Modest Monday, Turning Heads, Style Sessions, On Trend Tuesday, Reasons to Dress today.

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Jeanswest Spring 2015 Collection: The Hamptons | Chambray Dress, Navy Striped Shirt, Lux Print Scarf

A while back, I was contacted by Jeanswest who wanted to let me know a little more about their latest spring collection, and they very kindly let me pick a few pieces from the collection to share with you. The spring 2015 collection is beautiful, lots of blue (which I love!) and it's all very easy to mix and match together. Blue, stripes, lovely soft fabrics and the usual affordable Jeanswest prices, so much to like! Thought I'd jump ahead from my winter outfit posts I have waiting and show you the two spring looks I wore last weekend.

What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Dana drape knit cardi in boysenberry

Scarf: Jeanswest Lux paisley print scarf (C/O)
Dress: Jeanswest Rachel Lyocell chambray dress (C/O)
Shoes: Asos airtime leather Chelsea boots in tan
Bag: Balenciaga truffle brown RH classic day bag

Why I wore it:

If you follow me on instagram, you'll know that Jeanswest had an olive shirt dress similar to this in their winter collection, and I promptly fell in love but couldn't buy it as I was doing #NoBuyJuly15 at the time. When I did get a chance to try it on in August, I was a little underwhelmed. I liked the neutral colour, and I loved the soft lyocell fabric, but wasn't as perfect as I had imagined, so I didn't buy it.

When I saw this chambray sleeveless dress in the new collection, I knew it would be perfect. I much prefer this to the olive shirt dress. The fabric is nice and soft, the sleeveless style will be great for the heat of spring and summer, and of course, it's blue! The drawstring waist can be pulled tight so it gives a little 'blouson' effect on the top half, or worn looser. Plus, it has pockets, which is always a bonus in a dress!

I have a chambray shift dress that I'd struggled to find ways to wear, preferring just to save it for a warm day when I could wear it by itself. I got this dress and instantly started putting outfits together around it. It's taken a while, but I've finally found the perfect chambray dress! (And the old shift one will be donated). Based on the rate that the dress (and even the maternity version) is selling out, I'm not the only one who thinks it's perfect.


Last worn: purple drape cardigan, Asos Chelsea ankle boots, Balenciaga day bag. First time I've worn the scarf and dress.

Other ways to wear: purple cardigan belted over a maxi dress, ankle boots and printed pants, Balenciaga day bag and a printed shift dress.

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More amazing pieces from the Jeanswest Spring 2015 Hamptons collection:

Jeanswest ship internationally too...

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What I wore:

Jacket:  Jeanswest Nadine 3/4 Sleeve dusky pink blazer

Necklace: Tai gold alphabet necklace
Shirt: Jeanswest Louisa stripe sleeveless shirt (C/O)
Jeans: Jeanswest Bindi skinny 7/8 jeans in indigo luxe
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs metallic mouse flats
Bracelets: the usual
Bag: Balenciaga truffle brown RH classic day bag

Why I wore it:

Feels like it's been a long time since I've worn these skinny jeans! The big bulky knee bandage you see above that I have to wear daily doesn't fit under these jeans, so they've been passed over in favour of my maxi skirts. I'm working up to not wearing the bandage every day. As we were going out in the afternoon to visit the in-laws for Father's Day I decided to leave the bandage off and see how my knee coped. It did well!

I really like this navy striped shirt from the Jeanswest collection. I have a similar sleeveless shirt in pink I bought a while ago, and love. It's one of those pieces that can be worn in the office or for stay at home mum or weekend wear, very versatile. At first, I was going to wear a purple cardi with this again, but then I saw this blush pink blazer hanging up and decided to go with that instead. I really like the pink and navy together.


Last worn: pastel blazer, skinny jeans, gold mouse flats, Balenciaga truffle day bag (above). First time I've worn the shirt.

Other ways to wear: pastel blazer and shorts, skinny jeans and a printed kimono, gold mouse flats and a maxi skirt, blue Balenciaga day bag and a summer tee dress.



The Jeanswest Spring 2015 collection is available online and in store.

This post, as always, has been written by me and includes all my own thoughts and opinions and styling. Some clothing was very generously provided by Jeanswest.



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Maxi Skirts and Graphic Tees: Dressed Up With a Cardi, Dressed Down With A Hoodie

Continuing to wear my maxi skirts as they fit my knee bandage underneath while still keeping me warm as we move into spring in Brisbane. (These pics were taken a few weeks ago near the end of winter). Decided to wear some of my grapic tees, as I haven't worn them in a while.

What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Peggie kimono cardigan in purple mulberry marle

Top: Monsterthreads star print graphic tee
Skirt: Target grey marle maxi skirt
Shoes: Walnut Melbourne 'Ava' black lizard ballet flats
Bag:  Louis Vuitton MM damier azur neverfull

Why I wore it:

I really liked this outfit! I've mentioned before how much I love the tee (a gift from my bestie) and I thought the purple cardi and the grey skirt worked nicely with the navy. I was really comfortable and happy in this all day. Just had some errands to run in the morning, and a checkup at the doctors with baby T.


Last worn: purple cardigan, navy tee, grey maxi skirt, black ballet flats, Louis Vuitton neverfull.

Other ways to wear: purple cardigan and a printed dress, graphic tee and a blazer, grey maxi skirt and yellow tank, black flats and a printed dress, Louis Vuitton neverfull in the office.

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More fun graphic tees:

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What I wore:

Sunnies: Rayban new Wayfarers
Jacket: Juicy Couture Long Sleeve Original Zip Hoodie in 'Silver Lining'

Tee: Threadless 'Stone Jungle' tee
Skirt:  Jeanswest plain jersey black maxi skirt
Shoes:  Walnut Melbourne 'Ava' black lizard ballet flats
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC with python embossed leather in aquamarine

Why I wore it:

This is a good example of how just changing one piece of an outfit can make it look really different. I think the grey hoodie dresses the outfit down and makes it a lot more casual than the outfit above with the cardigan. Still just as comfortable though, and perfect for a morning at playgroup with toddler T.

This Threadless tee hasn't been worn in over 3 and a half years (the length of time I've been blogging what I wear). I went through my huge box of Threadless tees and sold the majority on ebay a while back, but I kept this one as it was one of the first few I ordered, and I don't have a lot of green in my wardrobe. I don't have a lot of green as I don't wear it often...as the long time between wears for this tee shows! I'm still keeping it, too sentimental to let go. At least I sold the 20+ other ones I hadn't been wearing, to justify keeping this one.


Last worn: Ray-ban Wayfarers, grey hoodie, black jersey maxi skirt, black ballet flats (above), Rebecca Minkoff aquamarine mini MAC.

Other ways to wear: grey hoodie and jeans for a newborn photoshoot, maxi skirt and Converse, ballet flats and skinny jeans, Rebecca mini MAC and a maxi dress.



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