Skinny Jeans, Printed Tops and Colourful Cardigans

Easy spring stay at home mum style for me has quickly become jeans, colourful cardigan and a fun bright bag. It's simple to pull together and I always feel confident in it. No matter how great you feel or think you look though, there are days of motherhood that are far from perfect.

What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Dana drape knit cardi in boysenberry
Necklace: Nibbly Bits Abacus teething necklace in pop
Top: Jeanswest Florence print long line tank
Jeans: Nobody Denim Siren skinny super high-rise jeans in power black denim (C/O, on sale!)
Shoes: Walnut Melbourne 'Ava' black lizard ballet flats (also available in silver)
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff neon pink mini MAC (on sale, 25% off!)

Why I wore it:

Cooper was being so cute I had to include this pic on the blog! He was staring at me intently while I was trying to take outfit photos this morning for some reason. Adorable.

I loved this outfit. I had time to do my hair in the morning, and an incredible day planned out down the coast for a girly day of shopping (I still have lots of gift cards I'd planned to spend to celebrate the end of #6MonthsWithoutShopping). I wasn't sure if it would be warmer on the coast so took a cardigan, although I did take it off in the middle of the day. My tank ended up untucked too.

Sadly, the outfit was the only thing I loved about this day. This is the perfect example of photos never representing real life. I could talk about how much I liked the colour combo, it's simple and perfect SAHM style for a fun day of shopping....but nothing turned out how I expected. Just a reminder that no matter how great something looks online, you never know the full story!

Long story short, just before we went out shopping I had one of those slow-mo moments of motherhood where you see something happening but are too far away to stop it and time seems to slow down. Baby Boy fell face-first from a height onto his nose. Lots of screaming, tears and blood later we headed to the nearest doctors. More screaming during the x-rays, a half-hearted attempt at shopping and then we went home. Thankfully nothing broken, and I was in the best company all day, but I felt so horrible for not being able to stop the accident and for derailing everyone's day off plans.

Could have been a lot worse, and will be a funny story later I'm sure. Right now it's not so funny when everyone gasps at your baby's bruised face and asks what happened!


Last worn: purple cardigan, printed tank, Nobody Denim skinny jeans, black ballet flats, Rebecca Minkoff neon pink mini MAC.

Other ways to wear: purple cardigan and chambray dress, printed tank and shorts, Nobody Denim skinny jeans and striped duster, black ballet flats and wrap dress, Rebecca Minkoff neon pink mini MAC and shorts.

Perfect for pregnancy: purple cardigan in first trimester, printed tank in third trimester, ballet flats and maternity pencil skirt.

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Black and Grey Skinny Jeans Under $50:

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What I wore:

Jacket: thrifted SES Fashions mustard yellow cardigan
Necklace: Nibbly Bits Abacus teething necklace in pop
Tee: Jeanswest Flavia foil printed polka dot tee deep iris
Jeans: Jeanswest Cecile dove grey skinny jeans
Shoes: RMK Chester black ankle boots
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff micro Regan satchel in Harvest Gold

Why I wore it:

This was a much less eventful day! This pic was taken a while ago, as you can tell by Cooper's winter fur coat still being on!

It follows a similar outfit formula to the outfit above, so of course I loved this too. When I bought this polka dot tee I was thinking of pairing it with my mustard yellow cardigan. I love blue and yellow together, and really liked the mustard and navy. And of course I just had to wear my mustard yellow micro Regan bag if I was wearing the yellow cardigan!

This was a simple but colourful outfit for baby boy's planned specialist appointment.

As it's the second time I've worn this tee on the blog, my purchase review:
I like to review everything I buy after wearing it twice to see how it's working for my wardrobe and learn any lessons that could avoid shopping regrets in future. Sometimes though, there are impulse buys like this tee that prove I don't need to over analyse everything before I buy!

This was my first and so far only purchase with my end of #6MonthsWithoutShopping celebratory gift cards. I'd actually walked into Jeanswest to try on another top, and picked this up just to try it on as it was so soft. While I didn't get the top I originally went in for, I couldn't leave without this tee. I have lots of tees. I particularly have a lot of blue ones. But this is still a piece I keep reaching for, and I'm glad I bought it. An impulse buy that worked out nicely!


Last worn: mustard yellow cardigan, polka dot tee, grey skinny jeans, black ankle boots, Rebecca Minkoff micro Regan bag.

Other ways to wear: mustard yellow cardigan and little black dress, polka dot tee and maxi skirt, grey skinny jeans and purple cardi, black ankle boots and maxi dress, Rebecca Minkoff micro Regan bag worn 30 ways.

Perfect for pregnancy: black ankle boots and pregnancy announcement.

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Colourful Cardigans Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It

Skinny jeans are a stay at home mum staple as they work for whatever life throws at you (even if your planned day out ends up consisting of sitting in doctor's waiting rooms). In the cooler months, it's so easy to add extra colours to these outfits with a bright cardigan. A bright bag that compliments the cardigan is a fun accessory choice, and something you can continue to wear as a pop of colour in your outfit as the weather heats up and the cardigans get packed away.



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Maxi Dresses in Spring and Steam Train Sunday

Maxi dresses are such an easy outfit - extremely comfortable, very little thought required, but they still look like you put some effort into what you're wearing.

After having lost my voice a few weeks back and feeling a bit under the weather, but with a busy weekend ahead, I pulled out more maxi dresses. I really wanted to stay in bed in my pyjamas, but this was the next best thing!

What I wore:

Jacket: Bubblegum denim jacket
Necklace: Nibbly Bits Abacus teething necklace in pop
Dress: black Jeanswest halterneck maxi dress
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs silver tuxedo flats
Bracelets: the usual plus Roie Designs pearl, howlite and hematite beaded bracelets
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff metallic silver mini MAC

Why I wore it:

After a tough day the day before which involved only being able to whisper despite having two energetic and mischievous toddlers, I contemplated cancelling our plans on Saturday. With a first birthday party and leaving party to attend though I knew I couldn't let the boys miss out. Knowing I wasn't contagious, it didn't feel right not letting the boys spend time with their friends. It was quite a sad farewell, one of my friends is moving away and our children have grown up together, her two girls are similar ages to my two boys.

I like maxi dresses and denim jackets together, especially for spring, so I repeated the outfit formula again. The colorful silicone teething necklace broke up the monochrome outfit a bit and was just enough of a pop with the black maxi dress and silver bag and ballet flats.


Last worn: denim jacket, black maxi dress, bow detail flats, Rebecca Minkoff silver mini MAC.

Other ways to wear: denim jacket worn 30 ways, black maxi dress and kimono, bow detail flats and wrap dress, Rebecca Minkoff silver mini MAC.

Perfect for pregnancy: denim jacket and third trimester bump, maxi dress in second trimester, mini MAC in third trimester.

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Rebecca Minkoff Metallic Mini MAC Bags:

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What I wore:

Jacket: Paper Scissors grey wrap cardigan
Necklace: Nibbly Bits BB plum silicone teething necklace (C/O)
Dress: MEV Havana maxi dress C/O Zibibo
Belt: blue Coach twilly scarf
Shoes: Walnut Melbourne 'Ava' black lizard ballet flats (also available in silver)
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff metallic silver mini MAC

Why I wore it:

I was upset to be feeling unwell on this day as we had been looking forward to it for months! Toddler T loves trains but has never actually been on one. We decided to take him along to Steam Train Sunday as a surprise. I've included a little video below. The train does a loop around the city for about an hour, and he loved every bit of it!

We got there early to the station to watch the train come in and he was so excited, especially when we said he could go for a ride on it. It's definitely worth it if you're in Brisbane! You get to walk around the train carriage, between the carriages, and to talk to some of the staff who can tell you more about the train and the history. Fun way to spend a morning, and toddler T spent quite a few days afterwards telling everyone about his trip!





Again I wanted something easy, but also to get a little dressed up as it was a big family day out. This trusty pink maxi dress was a good solution. I tend to wear it pretty similarly every time now, so I tried something a little different with the blue Coach silk scarf as a belt instead of my usual Louis Vuitton bandeau. While I liked the colour combination of this, I did find this scarf slid around a lot more than my bandeau and I don't think I'll pair these pieces together again.

One thing to note with steam train Sunday is the soot. We were nearer the middle of the train and had the window open all the time. With trips out onto the walkway between the carriages as well, we did get a little sooty. Nothing a quick bath couldn't clear up afterwards though.


Last worn: grey cardigan, Coach silk scarf, Mothers En Vogue maxi dress, black ballet flats, Rebecca Minkoff silver mini MAC (above).

Other ways to wear: grey cardigan and skinny jeans, Coach silk scarf tied on a bag, Mothers En Vogue maxi dress for dinner with friends, black ballet flats and wrap dress, Rebecca Minkoff silver mini MAC and printed jeans.

Perfect for pregnancy: maxi dress at 39 weeks, black ballet flats and maternity pencil skirt, mini MAC disguising an early second trimester bump.

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Maxi Dresses Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

Maxi dresses are instant outfits. If it's a little cooler, add a simple layer like a denim jacket or a neutral cardigan. While it takes very little effort, a maxi dress looks pulled together enough for a party and casual enough for a trip on the train.



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30 Ways to Wear a Classic Denim Jacket: #30Wears Series

First up, #noSpenderSeptember was achieved - nothing spent on fashion purchases last month! I did attempt a shopping trip but a minor accident derailed my plans. So no new purchases to report.



10 months into my #30wears challenge, and I've still worn very few items of clothing 30 times. I was sure by now I'd have a few dresses, maybe some tops that I'd hit 30 wears on, especially after not shopping for 7 months, but it's been mostly accessories like bags and shoes.

If you look at the maths behind 30 wears (this post has an amazing breakdown of it) I'd have to wear something every other week for 14 months to hit 30 wears on it. And I don't wear things that often, unless we are talking accessories. I'm still keeping up with my challenge, but I think I'm going to have to start wearing some favourites more frequently to hit 30 wears. Pieces I think I've worn a lot seem to only be around 12-15 wears. It's definitely an eye-opening challenge for me, making me realise just how much I have in my wardrobe already and how little I've worn even my favourite pieces.


A denim jacket is a classic piece most people have in their wardrobe so it's no surprise I've hit more than 30 wears with it! As it's spring I thought now was a good time to feature 30 ways to wear a denim jacket.

#30Wears: Classic Blue Denim Jacket

This jacket is one of the old pieces in my wardrobe. I remember where I bought it and who I was with (my sister) but not when exactly I bought it. Something I've easily worn more than 30 times as I've had it at least 10 years, and I've only been blogging for almost 6 years.

Denim Jacket in a Double Denim Outfit

I find double denim tricky to wear. When I was younger I wore similar denim jackets and jeans together for a double denim look without thinking twice about it! Now though, I find it a little harder to pull off. Probably after that famous double denim moment. I even had a denim bag! Not as embellished as Britneys, but it was my favourite bag for a while.

The standard advice for an easy double denim look now is to wear different shades or washes together. I take that a step further and like to wear my denim jacket with completely different coloured jeans. I love my blue denim jacket with my red or purple skinny jeans. Black is another good colour too, for an easy double denim look without looking like you tried too hard.

Denim Jacket and Dresses

This is a go-to spring and autumn outfit for me. For those days where it's just a little cooler and you need an extra layer so you're warmer in the cold mornings or evenings, a denim jacket is perfect. It's nice having a plain layer like this to wear with printed dresses too - you don't have to worry about clashing prints or colours, as blue denim goes with everything!

Denim Jacket and Maxi Dresses

I felt this was worth calling out separately from the other dresses above. A denim jacket works with maxi dresses for many different reasons:

• a sleeveless summer maxi dress you want to add a warmer layer to to get more wear over spring and autumn,
• a spaghetti strap maxi dresses you want to cover up in a formal setting like church, a denim jacket is perfect.
• to make a more formal maxi dress look more casual.

When I need to make a maxi dress work for a cooler day, a denim jacket is my first go-to, and I can even add a scarf if it's really chilly. I like maxi dresses and leather jackets together, but a denim jacket is my favourite way to layer with a maxi dress.

Denim Jacket and Maxi Skirts

Just like above with the maxi dresses, I find a denim jacket works really nicely with maxi skirts. It's a good way to make your maxi skirts work for cooler weather, when you just need a little extra layer on a cool spring or autumn day. Although maxi skirts are perfect in warmer months and ideal for summer, you can easily layer them up a little to work for the rest of the year.

Denim Jacket in Pregnancy

As I usually wear my denim jacket unbuttoned, it still worked perfectly in pregnancy. Having it unbuttoned left plenty of room for a growing baby bump, and it was just the right layer for a pregnancy over autumn. It was nice to have some non-maternity pieces to wear during pregnancy to help me feel more like myself, and a denim jacket unbuttoned is a piece that works in all three trimesters. You can get more pregnancy outfit tips in my book, Stylish pregnancy on a Budget.

Denim Jackets Under $50:

Want more outfit ideas? Check out the 40+ ways to wear a denim jacket in the blog archives.


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