#30Wears: Black Ankle Boots

Another month, another #30wears post. This month I'm sharing 30 ways you can wear black ankle boots - across multiple seasons. If you're currently enjoying summer and want more sandal inspiration, I've done 30 ways to wear gladiator sandals.

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#noBuyJuly17 Results

Quickly wrapping up #noBuyJuly17 - I achieved it! Even after 6 months without shopping, I stuck to my goals this month and avoided the sales, not spending anything on fashion. I'm not going to try do 8 months without shopping, I'm open to shopping again in August.

However, I don't have the big 'wishlist' of items I was sure I'd have by the time my no-shop challenge is over, so I'm not going to be breaking the shopping drought with a huge haul or spending all those gift cards at once. I'll just see what I come across, and gradually spend the giftcards I'd set aside as a reward over the end of the year. A fairly uneventful end for a rather big achievement, no shopping for 7 months!

Despite the lack of a properly planned celebratory shop, I'm still really proud of managing to change my shopaholic ways. By buying nothing, I'm really getting more use from the things in my wardrobe that I already own, something I was trying to do but never seemed able to when I was just slowing down my shopping.

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30 Wears: RMK Black Leather Ankle Boots

I bought these boots in June, a little over two years ago. It was a month of a lot of purchases thanks to all of the sales there were on at the time and needing new winter pieces. These boots were a little more expensive than the pair they replaced, but they were on sale, in my size and with a smaller heel so they were the perfect choice for me as a mum! It's also good to see that while 30 wears in two years doesn't sound like a lot, it's more frequently than I wore the boots that these replaced so it was definitely a practical purchase, and I'm pleased I bought these.

I think black ankle boots are such a classic - definitely a must-have for me, and you can wear them many ways in different seasons.

Ankle Boots & Dresses in Warmer Weather

This is my favourite way to wear ankle boots. While I'm petite, I don't think these black ankle boots make me look shorter when paired with bare legs - they are a very flattering style. The slight dip at the front of them is one of the features that's supposed to stop them from 'cutting off' your legs and making you look shorter. While we rarely get weather that allows me to be bare legged and wear boots, wearing dresses and ankle boots with bare legs in spring and autumn is definitely a favourite.

Ankle Boots and Dresses in Winter

As much as I like the look of dresses and ankle boots with bare legs, I don't stop wearing it when winter arrives. Just add some extra layers like a cosy cardigan or jacket, a big scarf, and some fleece-lined tights (a winter essential for me!). If you're concerned about black ankle boots making you look shorter, this is a good way to wear them as the black tights and boots together elongate your legs.

Ankle Boots and Office Wear

While I don't think ankle boots would work in all offices, I have a business casual dress code at work and so ankle boots are a great choice in winter. Just like above, I wear them with dresses, although they look equally good with pencil skirts too. If it would fit in with your company dress code, there's no reason you can't rock ankle boots in the office.

Ankle Boots and Maxis

You can continue to wear your maxi skirts and dresses year-round by layering them up for winter weather. While sandals are great with maxis in the warmer weather, it's much cosier wearing them with ankle boots in winter. I've worn ankle boots with maxi dresses as well as maxi skirts.

Ankle Boots and Jeans

A really common way to wear ankle boots, because everything goes with denim! When it's a cold winter day, I'll usually tuck my skinny jeans into my ankle boots to keep my legs warm. It it's a warmer spring or autumn day, I'll usually roll my jeans up so they stop just above my ankle boots, showing the tiniest bit of skin. I've read a few times that cuffed jeans are a no-no for petites as they make you look shorter, and so I spent far too much time avoiding wearing my ankle boots this way. I really like it after giving it a try, I don't think it makes me look any shorter than I am and I love wearing it. Rolling my skinny jeans above my ankle boots is my favourite way to wear them with denim.

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Black Ankle Boots Under $100:

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How do you wear your ankle boots? Want more outfit ideas? 100+ ways to wear ankle boots in my blog archives.

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Black Ankle Boots With Extra Detail Under $100:

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Outfits for Expressing Breastmilk at Work: Pumping Friendly Dresses

It can be difficult finding affordable, stylish and professional breastfeeding friendly clothes! If you're returning to work while your baby is small you may need to find things you can wear that allow you to express breast milk through the day.

While I've expressed breastmilk for my babies at home and when out and about (like at a wedding!), I haven't had to express in the office or negotiate any pumping breaks during my day. I do know from my experiences outside the office that these outfits would work perfectly for expressing. They are ideal for attending and facilitating meetings too.


One more thing to note before I get to the outfits is that you have legal rights in Australia that allow you to continue to work and breastfeed - you can read more here to find out how to get the support you need to return to work while breastfeeding. "It is generally against the law to refuse to make arrangements to assist you to breastfeed at work, if these are reasonable". Your rights in more detail.

What I wore:

Jacket: Barkins beige trench coat 

Scarf: star print pashmina
Dress: Atmos&Here Arlette jersey wrap dress
Shoes: Walnut Melbourne 'Ava' black lizard ballet flats (also available in silver)
Bag: Marc By Marc Jacobs Classic Q Fran bag with gold hardware in carob brown

Why I wore it:

This dress is one of the handful of pieces I've bought that failed the 'wear twice in a month after buying it' rule. I bought it while on maternity leave, not wanting to pass on the sale bargain and knowing I'd get a lot of wear out of it when I returned to the office. I do like wrap dresses for easy breastfeeding, but this one seemed a little out of place in summer when I wore it and so it was put aside until my return to work. This is only it's second wear now, 7 months after I bought it!

Glad I bought it though, it is perfect for the office. I layered a colourful tank underneath but you can't really see it with all the layers on top! Really enjoyed wearing this, and I enjoyed getting out this Marc Jacobs Fran bag again too. It only really gets worn to the office so it's been a while since I've worn this too, over a year and a half!


Last worn: camel trench, star print scarf, zig zag print wrap dress, Walnut Melbourne Ava ballet flats, Marc by Marc Jacobs Fran.

Other ways to wear: camel trench and pencil skirts, star print scarf and skinny jeans, zig zag print wrap dress worn outside the office, black ballet flats and printed jeans, Marc by Marc Jacobs Fran and skinny jeans.

Perfect for pregnancy: trench coat and hidden first trimester bump, star print scarf and second trimester bump, black ballet flats and maternity pencil skirt, Marc Jacobs Fran bag in second trimester.

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Wrap Dresses Under $50:

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What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Monica Mac coat in Indigo
Scarf: Marc by Marc Jacobs bright blue stole

Tank: Kmart navy ribbed tank
Dress: Atmos&Here Betsy jersey wrap dress in watercolour print
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs black logo plaque ballet flats
Bag: Marc By Marc Jacobs Classic Q Fran bag with gold hardware in carob brown

Why I wore it:

Unlike the wrap dress above, this one has been worn quite a few times since I bought it while pregnant. Even though I bought it a size larger than normal to accommodate a growing baby bump in my final trimester, being a wrap dress it still fits nicely without the bump.

Decided to go with the blue coat, scarf and tank underneath too. I like all the blue with the turquoise print of the dress. I didn't feel quite as confident in this dress as I did in the same one with a different print above. Only because I kept stopping to realise through the day that the last time I'd been in the office with this dress I was pregnant, and it made me miss my boys. Hopefully it will be easier next time I wear this dress, I'll spend less time caught in my own thoughts.

Returning to work is an emotional time, compounded by baby boy not adjusting to the change well and having disrupted sleep. Walking into a meeting room, or the lift, or the kitchen, or sitting at my desk and realising last time I did those things in this dress I was pregnant made it a bit of a tough day to get through as my boys were always at the forefront of my mind.


Last worn: navy mac, cobalt scarf, navy tank, printed wrap dress, black ballet flats, Marc by Marc Jacobs Fran bag (above).

Other ways to wear: navy mac and chambray dress, cobalt scarf with monochrome maxi skirt outfit, navy tank and printed shorts, printed wrap dress and ankle boots, black ballet flats, Marc by Marc Jacobs Fran bag and burgundy pants.

Perfect for pregnancy: wrap dress in the last trimester, Fran bag at 40 weeks pregnant.

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More Wrap Dresses Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

A wrap dress is a classic wardrobe item that a lot of people have. They are timeless, suit so many different people and are usually pretty affordable. The wrap detail makes access for breastfeeding easy, and it's this feature that makes them a good dress choice for anyone who has to express too. You can easily layer a breastfeeding singlet underneath, or quickly slip them off to put on a pumping bra instead if you have one.

A wrap dress can make you look and feel good, meet corporate office dress codes and work for you if you're returning to work and breastfeeding or expressing.



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Printed Tanks, Cardigans, Colourful Bags & Skinny Jeans

First, Jeanswest are having a 40% off everything sale for members! Online and in store, ends Sunday!

I've mentioned before I'm happy to keep my summer pieces out and wear them year round. On a mild winter day (which is most winter days in Brisbane to be honest) all I need is a cosy cardi on top and it's perfect.

What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Dana drape knit cardi in boysenberry (Currently 40% off everything, including knitwear!)

Necklace: For King & Country Priceless Australian coin and crest necklace
Tank: Jeanswest 'Rowena' print tank (Currently 40% off everything!)
Jeans: Jeanswest Cecile dove grey skinny jeans (gifted, currently 40% off jeans!)
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs black logo plaque ballet flats
Bag: Balenciaga Day bag in 2005 magenta (20% off with code 'REAL')

Why I wore it:

First wearing of these new jeans! I was lucky enough to know someone doing the $5 challenge who saved more than they expected and decided to surprise people by using the money to treat them. (Can't share who it was as they are surprising multiple people!). I said I didn't need anything with my no-buy challenge, but there is that loophole where if someone else buys it for you it's not breaking the challenge! 😉

I went into Jeanswest, just for a look, and saw these jeans which were the perfect candidate to replace my old (10 year +) grey jeans I wasn't entirely happy with. I prefer a higher rise now. Super excited to have something new in my wardrobe, although it does mean saying goodbye to these old jeans. They had a good run and hadn't been worn a lot recently - I can see very few times in the past few years I've had the blog anyway.

As this was a quiet day, just a couple errands and grocery shopping, I decided to try something I'd been thinking about for a while and pairing the similarly coloured magenta bag and cardigan together. I actually really liked the combination! It was good to get this old tank out too. It hasn't been worn in a while after outgrowing it in pregnancy.


Last worn: purple cardigan, animal print tank, bow ballet flats, Balenciaga magenta day bag. First time I've worn the jeans as they are a recent gift.

Other ways to wear: purple cardigan and chambray dress, animal print tank and denim shorts, bow ballet flats and flares, Balenciaga magenta day bag and breastfeeding dresses.

Perfect for pregnancy: purple cardi in first trimester, printed tank hiding 20 week baby bump, magenta day bag and novelty pregnancy tees in third trimester.

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More Printed Tanks Under $50:

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What I wore:

Jacket: Paper Scissors grey wrap cardigan

Tank: Emerson crochet lace bib print top
Jeans: Nobody Denim Siren skinny super high-rise jeans in power black denim (C/O, on sale!)
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in black
Bracelets: the usual plus Roie Designs pearl, howlite and hematite beaded bracelets and black leather Swarovski beaded wrap bracelet
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff unlined saddle bag in cherry red (on sale in blue!)

Why I wore it:

A much more colourful printed tank in this outfit! :) The last time I wore this tank it was the height of summer and despite the heatwave we headed out to see Thomas the tank engine at the rail museum.

Although it was winter this time around, I ended up swapping my thick wool cardigan for this thinner one, as it looked like it might warm up. It was again a hot and sunny day, I was pleased I picked the thinner cardigan! I loved this tank, bag and cardigan together when I wore it with flares so I knew I'd like the combination again with different jeans.


Had a lot of fun with the boys running around the museum and playing with all the Thomas toys, and it was good being able to take a picture in the same spot with the same tank but a different season! Just goes to show you don't have to put all your summer tanks away when winter arrives.

Same tank, different seasons! https://t.co/TPNLX0YdEh @liketoknow.it #liketkit #LTKStyleTip pic.twitter.com/b9WG1U5nDS

— Mica (@AwayFromTheBlue) July 3, 2017

Last worn: grey drape cardigan, printed red crochet detail tank, Nobody Denim skinny jeans, Converse, Rebecca Minkoff studded saddle bag.

Other ways to wear: grey drape cardigan and flares, printed tank and striped maxi skirt, Nobody Denim skinny jeans in monochrome outfit, Converse and a dress, Rebecca Minkoff studded saddle bag and maxi skirt.

Perfect for pregnancy: printed tank in second trimester.

How You Can Wear It:

Your summer printed tanks can still be layered up and worn in winter with a cosy cardigan. Layering with printed pieces doesn't have to be tricky. For a neutral printed tank, try a plain block colour cardigan like in the first outfit. Neutral layers work well with a textured and colourful printed tank too. Monochromatic greys and black like in the second outfit make a colourful printed tank really pop.


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