Office Outfits: Blue Printed Dresses, Purple Balenciaga Work Bag and Starfish Project Necklaces

I've been back at work for 2 months now and I still have unworn office pieces in my wardrobe! Working part time I definitely have less need for strictly office clothing in my wardrobe. I was so excited to unbox my office pieces from storage near the end of my maternity leave, but now I'm wondering if I really need all of them.

I had a mini wardrobe declutter recently where I went through the still unworn office pieces and pulled a few out to donate or sell on ebay, but these dresses will definitely be staying in my wardrobe. Blue is my favourite colour, so there's always room in my wardrobe for a blue dress or two. Blue looks so good with purple too.

What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Monica Mac coat in Indigo
Necklace: Starfish Project Veronica short yellow multi strand necklace
Dress: Jeanswest Aztec print dress
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs logo plaque flats in camel
Bag: Balenciaga raisin purple 2009 giant silver G21 hardware work bag

Why I wore it:

If I had to pick just one favourite office dress, this would be it! Can't believe it's been a year and a half since it was last worn, but it's not breastfeeding friendly so was packed away while I was on maternity leave. I love the navy colour and the print. I usually wear a belt with this, but I'd decided to wear a long necklace so took the belt off. I changed my mind at the last minute and picked this yellow Starfish Project necklace instead. It met the style challenge prompt of 'V' as it's the 'Veronica' necklace! I do think this dress looks much better with a belt though!

I love blue and yellow together, and blue and purple, but I wasn't sure about the purple bag and yellow necklace together. I figured that they were far enough apart in my outfit that it didn't matter and I could wear it anyway. Still not sure I'd wear the two colours together again, but it doesn't look too bad here.


Last worn: navy macintosh, Aztec print dress, Marc by Marc jacobs tan flats, Balenciaga purple work bag.

Other ways to wear: navy macintosh and monochrome outfit, Aztec print dress and tights, tan flats and skinny jeans, Balenciaga purple work bag and pencil skirt.

Perfect for pregnancy: Aztec print dress in third trimester, tan flats in third trimester.

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Blue Printed Dresses Under $50:

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What I wore:

Jacket: Barkins beige trench coat 

Necklace: Starfish Project Hannah turquoise bead necklace
Dress: French Connection blue Paisley print dress
Shoes: Acne pistol boots in "skin"
Bracelets: the usual plus Roie Designs waxed leather cream howlite beaded wrap bracelet
Bag: Balenciaga raisin purple 2009 giant silver G21 hardware work bag

Why I wore it:

Another take on the same outfit formula, with a blue paisley print dress this time and a long turquoise Starfish Project necklace. Just like in the outfit above, I was happy to wear a statement beaded necklace with the printed dress. You can wear statement necklaces with more than just plain basics.

It was a little cooler when I wore this too so I got another old favourite out of my wardrobe, these Acne Pistol boots. I wasn't sure I could handle the whole day in heels, even though these are very comfortable they are quite high. I was pleased my weak knee held up well despite not having worn tall heels in a very long time. Over 2 years!

Just like the paisley print dress, these ankle boots haven't been worn in such a long time as they aren't ideal stay at home mum style. While I probably could run in them if I had to, I prefer to chase toddlers in flats, ha! Wearing Pistol boots and dresses is a spring outfit favourite of mine, so I'm sure you will see these pop up more now as I wear them to work. I'm thankful for a business casual dress code that lets me wear ankle boots!


Last worn: camel trench, paisley print dress, Acne pistol boots, Balenciaga purple work bag (above).

Other ways to wear: camel trench and fit and flare dress,  blue printed dress and pink accessories, Acne pistol boots and printed shorts, Balenciaga purple work bag and pink skirt.

Perfect for pregnancy: trench coat in first trimester, paisley print dress in second trimester, pistol boots and maxi skirt in third trimester.

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Starfish Project Beaded Necklaces:

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How You Can Wear It:

Printed dresses make getting ready for work in the mornings easy as they are instant outfits. You can still add accessories though, colourful statement necklaces work just as well with printed pieces as they do with plain basics. These Starfish Project necklaces support a very good cause too!


Linking up with Turning Heads, Confident Twosday, On Trend, The Style File, Style on the Daily, Wardrobe Wednesday, What I Wore, Oh Hey Girl.

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Open Knits and Colourful Jeans with Converse and Cross Body Bags

It's spring now in Brisbane but I still have some older winter outfits like these to share.  A cosy knit and colourful jeans is a simple cold weather outfit. I didn't wear my knitted jumpers a lot over winter as dry clean or handwash only pieces aren't my first choice for wearing around two toddlers! They worked perfectly for work from home days when I do the daycare pick up / drop off.

What I wore:

Scarf: ASOS crinkle oversized leopard print scarf
Jumper: Jeanswest 'Serena' ombre knit
Jeans: Jeanswest blackberry super skinny jeans
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in white
Bracelets: the usual plus Roie Designs waxed leather cream howlite beaded wrap bracelet
Bag: Louis Vuitton Damier Ebene 30 speedy bandouliere

Why I wore it:

I absolutely loved this outfit - it's taken me a while to get around to posting it on the blog though! I wore this when it was really chilly in the middle of winter, so the extra scarf was necessary for the cold morning. I wasn't sure what scarf to wear with this at first, the purple jeans and ombre knit are a busy enough outfit on their own. I've worn the ombre knit with leopard print before though so I grabbed this one. I really liked the way this looked.

Nice and cosy (with a long sleeve tee under the open knit) and colourful with the purple jeans, but comfortable and quick to pull together in time for dropping the kids off at daycare before working from home for the rest of the day.


Last worn: leopard print scarf, ombre knit, purple skinny jeans, Converse, Louis Vuitton speedy bandouliere.

Other ways to wear: leopard print scarf and red shift dress, ombre knit and burgundy pants, purple skinny jeans with matching scarf, Converse and printed jeans, Louis Vuitton speedy bandouliere and maxi dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: ombre knit at 40 weeks pregnant, purple jeans in first trimester, Converse and dress in second trimester, speedy bandouliere and maternity pencil skirts.

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Open Knit Jumpers Under $50:

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What I wore:

Necklace: Uniquely Made with Love Sea Change necklace
Jumper: Wildfox Couture rainbow dreamer Lennon distressed knit
Jeans: thrifted Emerson red skinny jeans
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in white
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff micro Regan satchel in Harvest Gold

Why I wore it:

This distressed knit is either a love or a hate, I don't think there's any in-between! First time I wore it I shared that Baby Boy kept getting tangled in the distressed pieces. Last time I wore it I rolled and tucked to hide the distressing a little more. Since I didn't get a proper blog photo first time I wore it, I was eager to wear it in all its raw ripped glory again. A work from home day with the boys at daycare was the perfect chance - no little toddler hands grabbing and pulling on it! A day to myself meant I could wear a 'grown up' beaded necklace too, even if I did have to take it off in the evening as baby boy kept trying to play with it like he does with my teething necklaces.


I loved how colourful this outfit was with the rainbow knit, red skinny jeans and yellow bag. Felt a little 'wasted' as I only worked from home and didn't see many people, so I'm sure I'll wear this combination again next winter.


I feel a little sad when I look up the previous times I've worn these knits as they've been worn so rarely. I've actually downsized my jumper collection this year, rather than buying more. Usually June is a big spending month for me coming into winter and stocking up on winter pieces, but as I was doing my no-shop challenge I haven't added any wintery things. I'm sure I'll return to loving my knits more next winter when the boys are bigger, but right now I've been preferring layering up summer pieces and sticking to wearing things that are machine washable. Two toddlers can be messy!


Last worn: Wildfox Couture distressed knit, red skinny jeans, Converse (above), Rebecca Minkoff micro Regan.

Other ways to wear: Wildfox Couture distressed knit and maxi skirt, red skinny jeans and graphic tee, Converse and floral dress, Rebecca Minkoff micro Regan worn 30 ways.

Perfect for pregnancy: Converse and maternity denim shorts, skinny jeans in first trimester.

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Colourful Jeans Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It

Cold morning and in a rush? Grab a favourite knit, add some bright jeans and you're ready in an instant! I like the winter days where it's warm enough to just wear a jumper and jeans, it's the simplest and easiest outfit formula and keeps you cosy no matter what the day holds. Maybe just stick to machine washable knits if you're spending time with toddlers!


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Aztec Print Dress Worn Two Ways for Different Seasons

While I managed to complete my 6 months without shopping challenge (and even added an extra month!) there were a few things I was eager to buy as soon as the challenge was over in August. This cute tiered little black Aztec print dress was one of those pieces.

I'm wearing it for different seasons in the two outfits below. It shows how versatile the dress is, but also how crazy our weather was near the end of winter. Within a few weeks it went from winter, to summer to winter again. Now it's spring it's thankfully continuing to warm up again.

What I wore:

Jacket: thrifted SES Fashions mustard yellow cardigan
Necklace: Starfish Project Hannah turquoise bead necklace (new purchase)
Dress: Kmart Aztec print tiered little black dress (new purchase)
Shoes: RMK Chester black ankle boots
Bracelets: the usual
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff micro Regan satchel in Harvest Gold

Why I wore it:

When I first saw this dress I instantly thought of wearing it with tights, ankle boots and a mustard cardigan. I was lucky to find this one at the start of August as I'd missed out on my dream mustard cardigan in an opshop as I was doing my no-buy challenge! It was so good to be able to wear the outfit I'd dreamt up when I first saw this dress. I thought the green necklace was another nice touch of colour with the mustard yellow.

It was a bit of an eventful day for Toddler T. His first trip to the dentist (he did really well!) and then his first play. There was a local production of 'Going on a bear hunt', one of the books he loves reading.

We finished the day with dinner at the in-laws. I liked how well this outfit worked for everything in the day, and at night. It was really cold in the evening so I was glad I wore the tights!


Last worn: mustard cardigan, black ankle boots, Rebecca Minkoff micro Regan. First time I've worn the dress as it's a recent purchase.

Other ways to wear: mustard cardigan and grey maxi skirt, black ankle boots and rolled skinny jeans, Rebecca Minkoff micro Regan worn 30 ways.

Perfect for pregnancy: ankle boots in second trimester.

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Little Black Dresses Under $50:

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What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Dana drape knit cardi in boysenberry

Necklace: Nibbly Bits BB plum silicone teething necklace (C/O)
Dress: Kmart Aztec print tiered little black dress
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:

In complete contrast to the outfit above, this was a much warmer day. I added the cardigan because it was a little windy in the morning, but with 30 degree weather when we went for a walk in the park the cardigan quickly came off. It was nice to get a little taste of summer near the end of winter. I'm looking forward to wearing this dress again with Converse now it's spring in Brisbane.

While it's very similar to the outfit above, I think the beauty of a little black dress is that you can make it look a little different each time just by changing the accessories.

Since I like to review everything I buy after wearing it twice to see how it's working for my wardrobe, my review of this little black dress:

I love this dress. It swishes beautifully when I wear it, although as you can see I haven't been able to capture a pic of that yet! I stumbled across it in Kmart while looking for shoes for baby Boy, and I hoped it would be there once my no-shop challenge is over. When it was still there I figured I'd wait until it went on sale. After checking the stock levels each time I went in and constantly thinking about it I decided to go ahead and buy it at full price. It was only $15. I don't like buying things full price no matter the cost, but it was only $15 and it has now sold out in my size without being reduced so I'm pleased I got it. I have so many outfit ideas in mind for it!


Last worn: purple cardigan, Aztec print dress (above), purple high tops, Rebecca Minkoff mini MAB tote bag.

Other ways to wear: purple cardigan and pink tank, purple high tops and skinny jeans, Rebecca Minkoff mini MAB tote bag and pink maxi dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: purple cardi and stripes in first trimester, mini MAB tote bag in third trimester.

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Colourful Cardigans Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

A classic little black dress in any style is widely regarded as a wardrobe staple. You can make it look different each time by changing the accessories you wear with it. Both these outfits followed a very simple formula, picking a colourful cardigan and similar accessories. Just like kimonos in summer and scarves in winter, cardigans are good for adding a little colour in those in-between seasons. To keep things simple, you can wear a colorful cardigan with neutral layers, like a little black dress.


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