Getting More Wear From Your Wardrobe: Work and Weekend with Burgundy Pants

I would love to have a wardrobe full of pieces that work for any situation I come across. That means being able to build business casual outfits to the office as well as stay at home mum outfits and weekend wear. One thing that helps is having go-to outfit formulas.

A shirt and pants is one of those outfits you could wear for work or the weekend! These burgundy pants are a favourite of mine, and I love how they look with my camel trench coat. Both outfits below I had in mind to wear to work, but only one of them was worn into the office.

What I wore:

Jacket: Barkins beige trench coat 
Scarf:  Seed Heritage Paisley print snood
Shirt: Zara star print shirt
Pants: Jeanswest 'Fiona' skinny leg pant in shiraz
Shoes: Walnut Melbourne 'Ava' black lizard ballet flats (also available in silver)
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff MAB mini in soft grey (on sale, 30% off!)

Why I wore it:

I probably should have tucked the shirt into the pants to make this look a little more formal, but I loved this outfit all the same. After dealing with a few days of gastro, I was cleared to go back to work so I just pulled on an easy outfit! I know the burgundy pants, star print shirt and trench look great together as I've worn them that way before.

This outfit was perfect for the office - even with the shirt untucked and it kept me nice and cosy for my early commute.


Last worn: camel trench, paisley print snood, star print shirt, burgundy pants, Walnut Melbourne flats, Rebecca Minkoff MAM bag.

Other ways to wear: camel trench and fit and flare dress, paisley print snood and little red dress, star print shirt and denim shorts, burgundy pants with dress worn as a shirt, Walnut Melbourne flats and pleated skirt, Rebecca Minkoff MAM bag and maxi skirt.

Perfect for pregnancy: trench coat and pencil skirt in first trimester, printed snood in second trimester, star print shirt in early weeks of pregnancy, burgundy pants in first trimester, ballet flats and maternity pencil skirt, Rebecca Minkoff MAM in third trimester.

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Burgundy Pants Under $50:

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What I wore:

Jacket: Barkins beige trench coat 
Scarf: Forever New Skye Foil Feather scarf in berry / gold (on sale!)
Shirt:  Jeanswest Tory textured shirt (on sale!)
Pants: Jeanswest 'Fiona' skinny leg pant in shiraz
Shoes: Asos Cleo leather boots in tan
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff MAB mini in soft grey (on sale, 30% off!)

Why I wore it:

I like to plan and layout my work outfits ahead of time so I'm not rushing in the morning. This outfit was one I'd planned out, hung up and was ready to wear when I woke up and realised I'd caught the cold the boys and hubby had. It hasn't been a good winter health-wise! So after a few days off work, I was back to getting outside of the house again, but still pretty exhausted. I had booked in the day off as I had an early morning appointment for Baby Boy so rather than trying to find something new to wear, I just decided to wear what I'd planned to for the office.


Just like the outfit above it's a shirt, trench and scarf with my burgundy pants. I just swapped the ballet flats for these slouchy boots to make it a little more casual for an appointment then playgroup. While I did feel a little overdressed for playgroup - and one of my friends did comment I looked rather more pulled together than usual! - this was still a great outfit to wear. I love navy and burgundy together!

With pieces like these burgundy pants in my wardrobe that work both casually and professionally, it's a good push for me to be stricter with what I buy and make sure it works in multiple ways.


Last worn: camel trench (above), feather print scarf, navy shirt, burgundy pants (above), tan boots, Rebecca Minkoff MAM (above).

Other ways to wear: camel trench and skinny jeans, feather print scarf and stripes, navy shirt and denim shorts, burgundy pants and ombre knit, tan boots and shirt dress, Rebecca Minkoff MAM and denim shorts.

Perfect for pregnancy: trench coat and stripes in first trimester, burgundy pants and belly band in first trimester, Rebecca Minkoff MAM and maternity pencil skirts.

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Colourful Pants Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

If you have a business casual or smart casual dress code, you can get more wear from the pieces in your wardrobe by wearing them to the office during the week and casually on the weekends. Colourful pants are good for this - they adhere to a relaxed office dress code and don't look out of place on the weekend or as stay at home mum wear. They are a nice variation on the standard black you see for work pants and just as easy to wear.


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Shift Dresses In Winter With Boots, Scarves and Cross Body Bags

I love to wear my dresses year-round! These shift dresses layer up perfectly for a cooler day. Fleece lined tights and boots are essentials to help you wear them in winter.

What I wore:

Jacket: Cotton On black knit wrap cardigan

Scarf: blue tartan scarf
Dress: Zara printed bib front tunic dress
Belt: Kmart thin gold glitter belt
Shoes: Asos Cleo leather boots in tan
Bag: Louis Vuitton Damier Ebene 30 speedy bandouliere

Why I wore it:

Wore this to spend the morning in the city with the boys. I'd been a little unsure what to wear but when I saw the #WinterStyleFile outfit on instagram by @emhawkerblog I just had to try replicate it. While I don't have the exact dress, I did have this dress with a similar print that worked quite well I think. The original outfit was a dress and boots by @slowdownstyle. Em added tights, a cardigan and hat so I added a scarf. See all 3 outfits on Instagram.

Even if it was quite warm in the city and I soon shed the layers, I really liked this outfit. every time I wear this dress I love it. I actually managed to tear it a while back, I was tugging to get it out of the washing machine and it had got tangled with something and I heard a rip. Thankfully the tailor could fix it up, as I'm planning on keeping this dress in my wardrobe for a long time. Unbelievably, this is only it's 19th wear. I was sure I'd have worn it more often.


Last worn: black belted cardigan, blue tartan scarf, gold belt, printed shift dress, tan boots, Louis Vuitton Speedy Bandouliere bag.

Other ways to wear: black belted cardigan and red jeans, blue tartan scarf and chambray skirt, gold belt and pink maxi, printed shift dress and ankle boots, tan boots and skinny jeans, Louis Vuitton Speedy Bandouliere bag and denim shorts.

Perfect for pregnancy: cardigan and hidden early baby bump, tartan scarf in first trimester, gold glitter belt at 38 weeks pregnant, dress in the third trimester, speedy bandouliere and maternity office wear.

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Blue Printed Shift Dresses Under $50:

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What I wore:

Jacket: Wittner 'Santa Fe' cobalt blue leather jacket
Scarf: Seed Heritage Paisley print snood
Dress: Zalora Basics faux leather placket red shift dress
Shoes: Asos Cleo leather boots in tan
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Love cross body bag in grey

Why I wore it:

This red shift dress was packed away when I outgrew it in pregnancy as it's not breastfeeding friendly. It was so good to get it out and wear it again. I like red and blue together so the cobalt leather jacket seemed like a good choice with it.

I felt a little overdressed for the day care drop off / pick up and working from home, but it was still nice to have a reason to wear this dress again, it's been such a long time since it was last worn. Unboxing and wearing all of my winter pieces and non-breastfeeding pieces made my 6 months without shopping challenge easier to stick too, as it felt like I had 'new items in my wardrobe again!


Last worn: cobalt leather jacket, printed snood, red shift dress, Asos Cleo boots (above), Rebecca Minkoff quilted Love bag.

Other ways to wear: cobalt leather jacket and printed jeans, printed snood and stripes for the office, red shift dress and ankle boots, Asos Cleo boots and boho dress, Rebecca Minkoff quilted Love bag and chambray.

Perfect for pregnancy: printed snood and second trimester bump, shift dress in second trimester, Rebecca Minkoff Love bag in second trimester.

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Red Shift Dresses Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

It's easy to layer up your summer dresses for winter. You can go neutral with black cardigans, fleece tights and tan boots, or you can be a little brighter with a colourful jacket like this cobalt blue one. Layered outfits like this work perfectly at the beginning or near the end of winter when the temperatures vary during the day, as it's easy to take layers off as it heats up.



And just in case you missed it on social media, I ended 7 months without shopping with a pretty spectacular purchase!

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Plain Henley Tops, Printed Jeans and Cosy Cardis: Winter SAHM Style

A plain top, printed jeans, a neutral cardigan and Converse makes an easy stay at home mum winter outfit.

I have a few long sleeve henley tops I packed away with my winter things that I've been trying to make an effort to wear again. In the last official month of winter I'm not sure I'll have many more chances to wear them!

What I wore:

Jacket: Cotton On black knit wrap cardigan

Necklace: Nibbly Bits Feather pendant in peach (C/O)
Top: Jeanswest 'Tilda' black shirt
Jeans: Portmans pink leopard print skinny jeans
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in white
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Love cross body bag in grey

Why I wore it:

If you saw my Insta stories you might know I was lucky enough to be given a few new teething necklaces by Dee from Nibbly Bits. This peach feather pendant is one of the ones I got, it goes nicely with a lot of outfits. I've shared my love for teething necklaces before, so I'm thankful to add some new ones to my wardrobe!

I love these pink leopard print jeans - I tend to wear them with grey a lot as I like pink and grey together but they look just as good with other neutrals like this black Henley. I actually ended up taking the cardigan off during the day - we went out to the local Quandamooka festival. While I didn't try a BBQ roo, croc or emu kebab we did enjoy walking around and meeting some of the boys' friends from daycare.

Unfortunately our lovely morning out turned into a stressful afternoon with an unexpected doctor's visit for Baby Boy - I was grateful for having the teething necklace on as it kept him amused in the waiting room.


Last worn: black belted cardigan, black henley top, pink leopard print jeans, white Converse, Rebecca Minkoff quilted Love bag.

Other ways to wear: black belted cardigan and skater dress, black henley top in the office, pink leopard print jeans with blue and yellow, white Converse and maxi dress, Rebecca Minkoff quilted Love bag and chambray.

Perfect for pregnancy: cardigan and hidden early baby bump, black top in second trimester, leopard print jeans in first trimester, Converse and maternity shorts, Rebecca Minkoff Love bag and maternity maxi dress.

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Black and Grey Cardigans Under $50:

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What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Alice longline Australian wool cardigan
Scarf: star print pashmina
Top: Jeanswest 'Aubrey' pintuck yoke henley in deep teal
Jeans: Sass & Bide Playman skinny jeans
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in black
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Love cross body bag in grey

Why I wore it:

A busy day! It was a little chilly in the morning when I wore this so I added the scarf. I thought this one wouldn't compete too much with the print on the jeans. While I loved the pop from the teal henley with the black and grey, I wasn't too sure about the scarf. Kept me warm though so met its purpose!

Had our local ABA meeting in the morning, but sadly we had to leave early to go to another doctor's appointment for baby boy. It's a shame as it was a good discussion topic too - talking about birth experiences and the first breastfeed. While my baby days are behind me, I think birth stories are fascinating, so many different ways our little ones make their arrivals into the world!


I'm so incredibly lucky to be able to return to work part time, but I am finding it difficult on my days off to cram everything in - the time goes so quickly! I know we will hit a rhythm soon. With winter coming to an end hopefully we will have less sickness and doctor visits too. I love our GP and everyone there at the surgery but it would be nice not to see them all so often.


Last worn: wool cardigan, star print scarf, teal henley, Sass & Bide printed jeans, Converse, Rebecca Minkoff Love cross body bag (above).

Other ways to wear: wool cardigan and tall boots, star print scarf and shirt dress, teal henley and chambray skirt, Sass & Bide printed jeans worn two ways, Converse and purple jeans, Rebecca MInkoff Love cross body bag and blue kimonos.

Perfect for pregnancy: star print scarf in second trimester, teal henley and maternity pencil skirt, Converse for second trimester travel, Rebecca Minkoff Love bag and maxi dresses in third trimester.

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Printed Jeans Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

If you're not sure what to wear with a printed piece, go plain! If you have a pair of printed jeans, dress, or top, pick a simple basic to wear with them. In this case, I picked two plain henleys. One a nice neutral black against the colourful print, and the other a pop of teal colour with the black and grey.



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