Wearing A Colourful Bag to the Office with Textured Pencil Skirts and Black Shirts

After I completed 7 months without shopping, I celebrated in my usual fashion and bought a new bag! 😂 Although it's big and purple, I still think it's perfect for the office - you don't have to stick to neutral bags for work.

I wore it to the office the other week with a classic black shirt and textured pencil skirt outfits, wearing more of my office pieces that were packed away while I was on maternity leave.

What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Dixie collarless jacket

Necklace: freshwater pearl necklace and long freshwater pearl strand necklace
Shirt: French Connection verity voile black short sleeve shirt (with Target grey marle tank top underneath)
Skirt: Cotton On 'Mica' mesh spot skirt in dusty pink
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs black logo plaque ballet flats
Bracelets: the usual plus Roie Designs howlite and hematite beaded bracelets
Bag: Balenciaga raisin purple 2009 giant silver G21 hardware work bag (from my bestie's wardrobe!)

Why I wore it:

I felt really lady-like in this outfit! Which helped counteract some of the awkwardness I felt when I stepped back from setting my tripod up in the morning to get a blog photo and realised I'd just been standing in my bemused neighbour's way (you can see them jogging away in the background!). So awkward. I never know what to say when people see me taking outfit photos so I just kinda smile and shrug.

I've worn this top and pencil skirt together before. Back then I was hiding an early baby bump, this time around I'm using the outfit to disguise my mum-tum 😉
This pencil skirt was one I saw in a magazine a few years ago and thought it was nice, so I checked out the price details. When I saw it was called the 'Mica' skirt I just had to get my namesake. It's perfect for the office and one of those pieces I'm glad I impulsively bought. Despite the top layer being textured polka dots on a fine mesh, it's held up well over the years and I'm impressed by the quality, considering I bought it 5 years ago.

I hadn't planned a necklace to wear with this, I'd set out the clothes and thought I'd pick one at the last moment. I was still unsure as I was getting dressed until I added the tweed blazer I knew I had to go for my pearls. They are actually two different freshwater pearl necklaces! The shorter one is from my jewelry designer friend and I've worn it as a bracelet before.

Last worn: tweed blazer, French Connection shirt, grey target singlet, pink polka dot pencil skirt, Marc Jacobs black flats. First time I've worn the bag as it's a new purchase. 

Other ways to wear: tweed blazer and skinny jeans, black shirt and peplum skirt, grey target singlet and striped maxi, pink polka dot pencil skirt and striped tee, Marc Jacobs black flats and skinny jeans.

Perfect for pregnancy: boucle blazer in third trimester,grey singlet in third trimester, shirt and pencil skirt hiding first trimester bump.

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Textured Pencil Skirts Under $50:

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What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Monica Mac coat in Indigo

Scarf: Marc by Marc Jacobs mauve square scarf
Shirt: Forever 21 sheer black ruffle detail shirt
Skirt: Warehouse navy jacquard pencil skirt
Shoes: Walnut Melbourne 'Ava' black lizard ballet flats (also available in silver)
Bag: Balenciaga raisin purple 2009 giant silver G21 hardware work bag

Why I wore it:

I've been wearing blue and purple together often recently! I really like the combination. This purple scarf was the perfect topper to my black and navy outfit, and tied in nicely with my purple bag.

This black shirt is another one that hasn't been worn for a while. It's button up so would work for breastfeeding, but it feels a bit 'fancy' for stay at home mum wear so it was packed away with all my office clothes while I was on maternity leave. It's a little hard to see in the pictures with all the layers but it's got a fun ruffle detail down the front. You can see it better when I previously wore it here, again with the same skirt!

This jacquard pencil skirt is one of my favourite textured ones - it's a very pretty design, even if the skirt rides up a little as I walk! A ruffle shirt, textured pencil skirt and purple accessories might sound a bit much for the office, but I think all the pieces work well together.


Last worn: navy macintosh, purple blanket scarf, sheer ruffle shirt, jacquard pencil skirt, Walnut Melbourne ballet flats, Balenciaga work bag (above).

Other ways to wear: navy macintosh and striped dress, purple blanket scarf and chambray dress, sheer ruffle shirt and pink skirt, jacquard pencil skirt and grey tee, Walnut Melbourne ballet flats and wrap dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: jacquard pencil skirt in first trimester, ballet flats and maternity jeans.

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Purple Tote Bags Under $200:

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How You Can Wear It:

Neutral bags are a good choice for the office, but if you have a relaxed work environment with a business casual or smart casual dress code, it's easy to add a little extra colour to your outfit with a bright bag. While there are some exceptions, my general rules for picking a bag for work are to:
Carry a neutral bag if -  I'm going to be travelling for work, either across the city or to another state, and I'll need to carry my bag into meetings.
Carry a bright bag if -  I'm going to be in meetings in the same building all day leaving my bag behind at my desk and I'd like something fun to look as I work.

Don't be afraid to add a little colour to your office wear with a bright bag.


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Wearing Your Printed Shirts Out of the Office: SAHM Style with Purple Jeans

As I mentioned in Monday's post, I love my button up shirts as they are one of those pieces in my wardrobe that work for work and weekend. Having relaxed style shirts made with soft fabrics (like these ones I'm wearing are) helps make them a good option to do double duty for stay at home mum outfits.

What I wore: 

Jacket: Bubblegum denim jacket

Necklace: Nibbly Bits BB plum silicone teething necklace (C/O)
Shirt: Target blue abstract floral print shirt
Jeans: Jeanswest 'shale' super skinny jeans
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in black
Bracelets: the usual plus Roie Designs black leather Swarovski beaded wrap bracelet
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff MAB mini in soft grey (on sale, 30% off!)

Why I wore it:

I love blue and purple together so these purple toned jeans seemed like an obvious choice with this printed shirt. Another $10 target sale find, I always seem to have good luck in their sales.

Was an interesting day when I wore this. Baby Boy woke up early as always and when we got downstairs I noticed a giant rat in the yard. I've tried to show hubby it before and Cooper's unsuccessfully tried to catch it too. I took a photo for proof of all those times I've been sure Cooper chased a rat out the yard, and then carried on making brekkie.

When Baby Boy excitedly pointed at birds out the window I looked out again and saw the rat hadn't moved. I went out and scared the birds away from it and caught the poor thing in a cardboard box and gave him some food and water and a blanket made from an old top. I called RSPCA while trying to figure out if it was native or introduced. Although it meant I was late for the ABA meeting that morning, we took a little detour to the vet. She confirmed it was a melomys, a native Aussie animal which to my untrained eye looked like a cute rat. Toddler T even named him "E The Rat". Every time we pass the vets he asks if E The Rat is feeling better. I hope so, he was in very bad shape.

In the end we weren't too late to the ABA meeting, which worked out nicely as part of the introduction speech was a thank you for the volunteers as part of World Breastfeeding Week. I was surprised to get given a thank you gift for volunteering with my local group. It was so sweet, and I'm glad I didn't miss catching up with everyone.


Last worn: denim jacket, blue printed shirt, colourful skinny jeans, Converse, Rebecca Minkoff MAM.

Other ways to wear: denim jacket and maxi dress, blue printed shirt in the office, colourful skinny jeans and kimono, Converse and maxi skirt, Rebecca Minkoff MAM worn 30 ways.

Perfect for pregnancy: denim jacket and black dress in second trimester, blue printed shirt in first trimester, colourful jeans for work in first trimester, Rebecca Minkoff MAM and maternity denim shorts. 

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Purple Jeans Under $50:

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What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Peggie kimono cardigan in purple mulberry marle
Necklace: Nibbly Bits BB plum silicone teething necklace (C/O)
Shirt: Target mint stripe shirt
Jeans: Jeanswest blackberry super skinny jeans
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in white
Bracelets: the usual
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC in aquamarine with python embossed leather (on sale!)

Why I wore it:

Although not totally blue, I thought this mint shirt would look good with my purple jeans. I wore this out shopping with the toddlers. After being sick for a few days, we were feeling better so I made a small detour to Kmart before grocery shopping. I had my eye on a dress I'd continuously seen during my no shop challenge and couldn't stop thinking about. I was going to wait for it to go on sale, but decided to go ahead and buy it anyway as I kept thinking of it. It was only $15 too.

I've worn these purple jeans with the mint bag before, I really like the colourful combination. This shirt is so soft and so comfortable - while it works nicely in the office with a pencil skirt, I love wearing it casually too.


Last worn: purple cardigan, pinstripe shirt, purple skinny jeans, Converse, Rebecca Minkoff aqua mini MAC.

Other ways to wear: purple cardigan and maxi dress, pinstripe shirt and pencil skirt, purple skinny jeans and graphic tee, Converse and floral maxi dress, Rebecca Minkoff aqua mini MAC and black maxi dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: purple cardigan and printed cami in first trimester, striped shirt in second trimester, Converse and maternity shorts, mini MAC bag and kimonos in third trimester.

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Printed Shirts Under $50

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How You Can Wear It:

Your printed shirts don't have to be ignored when you're outside the office. They can easily be worn casually too:

• Perfect for breastfeeding so can be worn while on maternity leave. 
• A printed shirt and colorful jeans is a nice casual option for the weekends.

It's great to have pieces in your wardrobe that work for multiple situations, it means you can get more wear from them, and more value from your purchase.


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Plain Tops and Printed Maxi Skirts: Monochromatic Outfits with Purple Accessories

If you've been following me on Instagram you'll know I'm having a bit of a purple moment with my new-to-me handbag. These outfits pictures were taken a few weeks ago but they still feature that loved colour combo of blue and purple, and they follow an extremely simple outfit formula. Plain top and printed maxi skirt for easy stay at home mum style.

What I wore:

Jacket: Paper Scissors grey wrap cardigan
Necklace: Nibbly Bits BB plum silicone teething necklace (C/O)
Tee: Jeanswest two tone boxy oversized tee from my sister's wardrobe clearout
Skirt: Target navy side split maxi skirt
Shoes: Purple high top Converse look-a-likes
Bracelets: the usual
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff mini MAB tote in plum (on sale in pink, 43% off!)

Why I wore it:

A little bit of a busy morning! We had Baby Boy's weekly weigh, a pram walk with my ABA mother's group and then packing for a trip down the coast in the afternoon. We had a special day out planned on the coast for Toddler T the next day and decided to stay at my parents so we didn't have a lot of travel time in the morning.

Wanted a nice easy outfit, so went monochrome with the blue tee and navy striped maxi skirt. Added the grey cardi for warmth although I took it off during out walk by the bayside as it was such a nice day.

This blue tee is new-to-me, I got it from my sister's wardrobe clearout. I love how soft the fabric is, and I'm always a fan of relaxed oversized fits with my leftover mum-tum. Plus being my favourite colour I couldn't turn it down! A nice new addition to my wardrobe.


Last worn: grey belted cardigan, navy stripe maxi skirt, purple high tops, Rebecca Minkoff plum mini MAB tote. First time I've worn the tee from my sister's wardrobe.

Other ways to wear: grey belted cardigan and skinny jeans, navy stripe maxi skirt worn two ways, purple high tops and grey outfit, Rebecca Minkoff plum mini MAB tote and denim shorts.

Perfect for pregnancy: plum mini MAB tote and maternity shorts.

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Plain Tees Under $50:

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What I wore:

Jacket: Wittner 'Santa Fe' cobalt blue leather jacket
Necklace: Nibbly Bits BB plum silicone teething necklace (C/O)
Top: Glassons plain black long sleeve tee
Skirt: Izabel London Aztec print maxi skirt (C/O)
Shoes: Purple high top Converse look-a-likes
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff mini MAB tote in plum (on sale in pink, 43% off!)

Why I wore it:

This was a bit of a funny morning. Had some errands to run so we were a little later than normal for playgroup. I felt bad when we got there and found out there was no-one else there either! It had been a particularly cold morning, and with it being winter there are so many bugs going around. Was just strange seeing the normally packed room so empty with just my two boys in it. Thankfully another mum came along a little later too so the boys had someone else to play with as we sat and chatted to the staff who run the playgroup.

As it was such a cold morning, this maxi skirt seemed like a good choice - it's quite a thick fabric, so it combined with my black long sleeve tee and leather jacket kept me nice and warm. I've worn the top and skirt together before too, they work well.

This cobalt leather jacket is a nice way to add some colour to a monochromatic outfit, and the purple necklace, bag and shoes also helped to make my outfit a little brighter. While this outfit follows the same formula as the one above and has exactly the same accessories, the different colours and print make it seem completely new.


Last worn: cobalt leather jacket, black long sleeve tee, Aztec print maxi skirt, purple high tops (above), Rebecca Minkoff purple mini MAB tote (above).

Other ways to wear: cobalt leather jacket and office wear, black long sleeve tee and leopard print, Aztec print maxi skirt and red bag, purple high tops and skinny jeans, Rebecca Minkoff purple mini MAB tote and pink dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: printed maxi skirt in second trimester, plum mini MAB and tie dye dress in third trimester.

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Printed Maxi Skirts Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

Plain doesn't mean boring! You can pair a plain top with something printed like I've done here with the maxi skirts. Sticking with a monochromatic colour scheme is a fail-safe idea, but you can add additional colour to your outfit with accessories too if you like! A monochromatic outfit is an easy base to wear more colourful accessories with.

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