Layering to Wear Clothes Year-Round, With Balenciaga Bags

I've mentioned a few times that I try to wear most of my clothes year-round. While winter knits and cardigans and boots don't stay in my wardrobe long before I box them away during warmer weather, there are just a few summer pieces that I store away during winter. Aside from my shorts, I keep my spring and summer items in my wardrobe year-round and try to wear them when it's colder.

The below outfits show how I layer two summery tops.

What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Dana drape knit cardi in boysenberry (25% off sale on knitwear!)
Necklace: For King & Country Priceless Australian coin and crest necklace
Tunic: Caroline Morgan navy embroidered tunic
Jeans: Jeanswest 'shale' super skinny jeans
Shoes: Asos leather Chelsea boots in tan
Bag: Balenciaga truffle brown RH classic day bag

Why I wore it:

I love this tunic so much! A gift from my mum, it didn't get worn much over summer as it turned out to be pretty impossible to breastfeed in. Now that Baby Boy doesn't need breastfeeds during the day, it was a good reason to get this top out again. While it was too cold to wear on it's own, I made it winter appropriate with the jeans, cosy purple cardigan and ankle boots. A very different outfit from when I previously wore it as a bikini coverup!

With the navy tunic, purple-ish jeans and purple cardigan, I wasn't sure what bag to wear with this when I remembered my Balenciaga day bag. It's been a while since I've worn it so it was good to get it out again, and I think it went quite nicely with the tan ankle boots and colours in my outfit.

Wore this to go out shopping with my mum and the boys - with Toddler T's upcoming third birthday my mum wanted to get him a bike so we went around a few stores looking at all the options and trying them out. Was a really fun day, topped off with making cookies in the afternoon after we picked the perfect bike.


Last worn: purple cardigan, embroidered tunic, slate skinny jeans, tan ankle boots, Balenciaga truffle Day bag.

Other ways to wear: purple cardigan and shirt dress, embroidered tunic and shorts, slate skinny jeans and purple accessories, tan ankle boots and chambray dress, Balenciaga truffle Day bag.

Perfect for pregnancy: cardigan in the first trimester, skinny jeans in the first trimester, ankle boots and printed dress in second trimester, Balenciaga day bag for second trimester travel.

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What I wore:

Jacket: Atmos&Here Nigella collarless shirt dress (worn as kimono)

Necklace: Roie Designs long freshwater pearl necklace with tassel
Tank: Jeanswest round neck lace detail top
Jeans: Emerson red skinny jeans
Shoes: Walnut Melbourne 'Ava' black lizard ballet flats (also available in silver)
Bag: Balenciaga part time in black 2010 with SGH

Why I wore it:

If you've been reading my blog a while you'll know I love my kimonos. Sadly there are a few months in the year where it's just too cold for short sleeves and they don't get worn. This shirt dress made an awesome long sleeved kimono though, and was just the right layer over my black tank.

I'd been wanting to wear this dress as a kimono after seeing Shea wear hers that way. Over 8 months ago, oops! It was too warm then. It was only when I saw another instagrammer wearing her shirt dress as a kimono that I remembered the outfit inspiration and realised it was the perfect temperature to try it! The red skinny jeans were a good choice with the red in the print of the dress. I really liked wearing this, it was fun to give a new outfit idea a try.

Had a less than fun day while wearing it though! Had to go to the dentist, which is never pleasant, no matter how sweet the dentist and lovely receptionist are.

It's been a while since I've worn this Balenciaga bag too! Such a good bag, but I've been favouring my smaller Rebecca Minkoff cross body bags a lot lately as they are easier to juggle with two toddlers. Also less expensive leather for sticky toddler fingers to be around!


Last worn: shirt dress, lace detail tank, red skinny jeans, black ballet flats, Balenciaga part time bag.

Other ways to wear: shirt dress in winter, lace detail tank and pleated skirt, red skinny jeans and printed cami, black ballet flats and printed skirt, Balenciaga part time bag in the office.

Perfect for pregnancy: tank hiding an early baby bump, jeans in the first trimester, black flats and maternity jeans, Balenciaga Part Time bag and striped dress in second trimester.

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How You Can Wear It:

You don't have to bid farewell to all your favourite warm weather pieces when autumn arrives. With the right layers, you can wear the most summery of pieces year-round. Jeans, boots and cosy cardigans are good ways to wear a lighter piece in the cold weather. You can have fun with your layering too - try something colourful like blue and purple, or something unexpected like a long sleeve dress worn unbuttoned as an extra layer.


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Maxi Skirts in Cooler Weather with Longer Sleeve Tops

If you're a regular reader you'll know I love my maxi skirts! I like to wear them year-round. When it starts to get a little cooler, I swap out the tanks I usually wear with them for longer sleeved tops. The little extra warmth is helpful in the colder mornings and evenings. These outfits were worn when it started to cool off a little, but before our winter weather really arrived.

What I wore:

Blouse: Jeanswest Elise longline embroidered shirt in coconut blue

Skirt: Target grey marle maxi skirt
Shoes: black slim Havaianas thongs
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff metallic silver mini MAC (on sale, 20% off!)
Nails: Revlon 'Plum Seduction'

Why I wore it:

This was a nice quiet, relaxing day without much on when I checked Instagram as the boys napped and saw that Lightning McQueen was in Brisbane for the day. Quickly threw this on and packed the baby bag so that as soon as the boys were awake we were ready to go. While Baby Boy was a little too small to understand, the Cars mad toddler T loved it! Was definitely worth the last minute trip.

I did think about wearing a jacket with this as I knew it would be cool by the river, but I was babywearing with the Ergo so didn't want too many layers - it gets pretty hot with a toddler strapped to you! It's the same reason I didn't add a necklace to this - but the embroidery and tassels on the top mean I really don't need a necklace anyway. It felt a little cooler on the way home but overall I was pretty pleased with this outfit. I love this embroidered blouse, always enjoy wearing it.


Last worn: embroidered blouse, grey jersey maxi skirt, black Havaianas, Rebecca Minkoff metallic mini MAC.

Other ways to wear: embroidered blouse and denim shorts, grey jersey maxi skirt and denim jacket, metallic mini MAC bag with metallic tank.

Perfect for pregnancy: maxi skirt and graphic tee in third trimester, metallic bag and maternity shorts.

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What I wore:

Top: Target blue abstract floral print shirt

Skirt: Noisy May long denim maxi skirt
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs silver tuxedo flats (on sale!)
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff metallic silver mini MAC (on sale, 20% off!)
Nails: Revlon 'Plum Seduction'

Why I wore it:

It's strange to be wearing this shirt when I'm just over a week away from successfully completing 6 months without shopping. I failed my no buy July challenge when I bought this shirt in 2015! Amazing how different it's been coping with the longer no-shop challenge a year and a half later. Will share a post next week with my tips and experience. After failing a 31 day no shop challenge I'm incredibly still staying strong with my 6 months challenge!


It's not the first time I've worn this shirt with a maxi skirt, although I did like this monochrome outfit better. I wasn't impressed with the way the shirt sat in photos, but I liked how this looked in person. Wore it to playgroup and a birthday party for one of Toddler T's friends. Thought the silver accessories were a good pairing with the monochrome blue outfit.


Last worn: blue floral shirt, chambray maxi skirt, silver ballet flats, Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC (above).

Other ways to wear: printed shirt in the office, chambray maxi skirt worn two ways in summer, silver ballet flats and purple jeans, Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC and denim shorts.

Perfect for pregnancy: printed shirt while battling morning sickness, metallic mini MAC and pink pregnancy dress.

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How You Can Wear It:

Maxi skirts aren't just for summer! When the weather starts to cool in autumn, or it starts getting warmer in spring, you can easily wear your maxi skirt. Pick a longer sleeved top for a little extra warmth and some closed in shoes like ballet flats too to keep your toes cosy. Printed or embroidered tops look lovely with plain block colour maxi skirts like the ones I'm wearing.


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Grey and Pink: Tees and Printed Jeans

Another grey tee post! In the final month of #6monthsWithoutShopping, I'm often feeling uninspired and picking something to wear and create outfits from like my grey tees or graphic tees is a good way for me to come up with outfits. Grey and pink is a colour combination I like to wear often, and both these outfits with my printed jeans show that nicely.

What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Peri drape sleeveless jacket (on sale!)

Necklace: Nibbly Bits Abacus teething necklace in pop
Tee: Spectrum basic v-neck tee in grey marl
Jeans: Sass & Bide Playman skinny jeans
Shoes: Walnut Melbourne 'Ava' black lizard ballet flats (also available in silver)
Bracelets: the usual plus Roie Designs waxed leather cream howlite beaded wrap bracelet
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff metallic silver mini MAC (on sale, 20% off!)

Why I wore it:

Starting to get a little too chilly now for short sleeves - winter weather has arrived in Brisbane. It was a milder day when I wore this though and I didn't need any extra layers. Had a busy morning with baby boy's weekly weigh and a doctors appointment and then spent some time with my mum and sister in the afternoon.

While I have tried wearing other prints with these fun Sass & Bide printed jeans, my favourite way to wear them is with plain basics like this grey tee. The monochrome outfit felt a little dull until I added the pink vest for a bit of colour, along with the bright teething necklace.

These chevron print jeans were perfect to meet Shea's Live Your Best Life for Less style challenge prompt of 'printed bottoms' too.


Last worn: pink vest, grey v-neck tee, chevron print jeans, black ballet flats, Rebecca Minkoff silver mini MAC bag.

Other ways to wear: pink vest worn two ways, grey v-neck tee and red kimono, chevron print jeans worn 2 ways, black ballet flats and pleated skirt, Rebecca Minkoff silver mini MAC and maxi skirt.

Perfect for pregnancy: grey tee and maternity pencil skirt, black ballet flats and maternity wrap dress, mini MAC and maternity dress.

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Printed Jeans Under $50:

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What I wore:

Necklace: Nibbly Bits Abacus teething necklace in pop

Tee: Atmos&Here grey Arizona zip tee
Jeans: Portmans pink leopard print skinny jeans
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs metallic mouse flats (on sale in black!)
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff mini MAB tote in plum (on sale in pink!)

Why I wore it:

Wore this to go to my local ABA mother's group. As it was a little cooler and raining on this day, I wanted something long sleeved so had a rummage through my box of winter things. This grey tee is one I've pulled back from the donate pile before. It's got zips on either side of the hem (that you can kind of see in the second photo) but I still worried it was a little dull for winter. I'm glad I kept it around as it pairs well with other brighter colours to make winter layering easy!

The pink leopard print jeans are always fun to wear, and met Shea's Live Your Best Life for Less style challenge of 'leopard spring brights' with just one item. Even though it's winter here in Australia, I've had fun with the prompts as I can usually find something that matches to wear in the cold. It's no secret I like pink and purple together, so the purple bag seemed like a good choice, especially when worn with the teething necklace.


Last worn: grey zip detail long sleeve tee, pink leopard print jeans, gold mouse flats, purple mini MAB tote bag.

Other ways to wear: grey long sleeve tee and shorts, pink leopard print jeans and graphic tee, gold mouse flats and printed dress, purple mini MAB tote bag and denim shorts.

Perfect for pregnancy: loose tee hiding an early baby bump, mouse flats and maternity wrap dress, purple mini MAB tote and maxi dress in second trimester.

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More Grey Tees Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

A grey tee is a great wardrobe basic, but your outfits don't have to be basic when you wear it! Try adding more interest with a pair of printed pants, or a scarf. A grey tee is a great pairing with a statement printed piece like leopard print. You can also add another layer, like the pink vest, for a little colour pop against the grey tee.


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