Monday 1 January 2018

30 Wears: Pink Maxi Dress From Mothers En Vogue (Maternity/Nursing Dress)

Happy New Year!

The 30 wears series will continue in 2018, as I had so much fun doing it last year. Each month I'll show you 30 ways I've worn one of the pieces from my wardrobe in an effort to wear more of what I already own, and enjoy what I have instead of constantly buying more.

Kicking off this year's posts with a favourite, my 'Havana' pink maternity/nursing maxi dress from Mothers en Vogue. I'm surprised it's taken me so long to hit 30 wears with this piece, if you've been a regular reader you'll know I wear it often. Through 2 pregnancies and afterwards it always makes me feel great. It's one of the pieces heavily featured in my pregnancy style book too! One of those maternity pieces I'm keeping in my wardrobe, even though my pregnancy days are behind me.



#30 Wears: Pink Mothers En Vogue Empire Waist Maxi Dress


#30 wears: ways to wear a pink maxi dress | Away From Blue Blog


It's tricky to calculate cost per wear on this dress as I received it courtesy of Zibibo back in February 2014. It's nearly 3 years old. 'Courtesy of 'means I didn't have to pay anything for it, although as I said when I got it, it made me rethink my normal budget for a maternity piece as it was certainly worth the $129.90 retail price. 30 wears in almost 3 years means wearing it about once a month on average, which is impressive for such a statement piece and given how many dresses I have already.

All dresses that come into my wardrobe are judged against this dress. If they don't make me feel as good as this dress does, they don't stay! To have a piece that works for pregnancy and breastfeeding, for casual through to more formal events, is such a lifesaver when you're having the 'don't know what to wear' panic before an event.


Pink Dress and Gold Belt


3 ways to wear pink maxi dress and gold glitter belt | awayfromtheblue


This gold belt is a very common accessory! The gold glitter belt works perfectly with the bright pink of my maxi dress, and you'll see it pop up many times in the photos below. Belted over a baby belly, or even just belted over my left over mum-tum, a belt is a frequent go-to with this dress.


PInk Dress Unbelted


3 ways to wear plain pink empire maxi dress unbelted | awayfromblue


The best thing about a maxi dress is that it's an instant outfit. While I do like belting this maxi dress, sometimes you just want the simplicity of a maxi dress and not worrying about accessorising or belting it. As the empire waist on this maxi dress is elasticated, the belt is more for show than function anyway.


Scarf as a Belt


3 outfit ideas pink maxi dress and Louis Vuitton bandeau scarf as belt | awayfromblue


When I do want to belt this pink maxi dress but I want something other than the go-to gold belt option above, I try to mix things up a little with this Louis Vuitton bandeau scarf worn as a belt. I love how the colours in the scarf compliment the pink dress, it's got pinks and purples and orange in the print.


Pink Dress and ColourFul Bags


colourful bags to wear with a pink maxi dress #30wears | away from the blue


A bright pink maxi dress sounds pretty in your face, and when I ordered this I considered the grey one instead as I wasn't sure I could pull off so much pink. Every time I wear it though I'm so grateful I went with the colourful option. It's just so cheerful with all that colour. You don't need to stick with neutral accessories when wearing a bright dress. I like pairing the bright pink dress with colourful bags! Blue, purple or yellow, a colourful bag works nicely. As you can see I particularly love the pink and purple colour combination.

Pink Dress and Denim Jacket


denim jacket and pink maxi dress worn 4 ways | away from blue


I like this combo a lot, as you can see by my wearing it 4 times! The outfit with the printed snood is easily my favourite of all of these ones though. It was the first time I wore this dress without a baby bump, and I found it perfect for those early postpartum days. In spring or autumn a denim jacket is a great layer with a maxi dress, and you can add a printed scarf to keep you cosy if it's really cold.


Pink Dress and Layers


ways to layer up a pink maxi dress for multiple seasons 5 outfit ideas | awayfromblue


It's not just denim jackets that make good layers with maxi dresses! I like to wear cardigans with my maxi dresses, and for something different, a kimono. You can even try belting the layer over the top of the dress too, as I've done in two of the photos above.


Pink Dress in Pregnancy


mothers en vogue havana maternity nursing dress worn with a baby bump | away from blue


This Mothers En Vogue dress is a combo breastfeeding and pregnancy one, and it does both those things so well. With a nice bit of stretch, it easily covered a growing baby bump, even right through to the final days of pregnancy. It was nice to have something pretty I could pull on and feel good about in, no matter the size of the growing belly!


Pink Dress and Special Events


4 ways to wear a pink maxi dress to special events | away from the blue


Pregnant or not, this beautiful dress has become my default for special events. Christmas day, birthday parties, date nights. I think everyone needs that one staple piece in their wardrobe they can pull on for an event that makes them feel special. For me, this pink dress is it. I love how it turned out to be the last thing I photographed for the blog before giving birth to baby boy, it's such a cherished piece and that makes it even more so.




Pink Maternity Maxi Dresses Under $50:



Some of these are nursing ones too!

Non-maternity Pink Maxi Dresses Under $50:







Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane and the chance to see the baby bumps across two pregnancies. This dress really has been worn to so many things, and accommodated all of the pregnancy and breastfeeding related body changes so well 😂 Want more outfit inspiration? Browse through all the times I've worn this MEV dress on the blog.


2017: A year of 30 wears posts


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Friday 29 December 2017

December Purchases and 2017 Spend: Yearly Budget

Not too many purchases to share with you for December! I hope 2017 has been a good year for you, and 2018 is even better!


I did end up purchasing something off my wishlist from Rebecca Minkoff in the Cyber Monday sale, but as it didn't arrive until December I've included it in this monthly wrap up instead of November's purchases. With an extra 35% off and the items I wanted already reduced before the discount, I got a bargain! Both items together and shipping were still much less than the bag at full price. I love the Rebecca Minkoff sales!


What I Bought:

Rebecca Minkoff Regan Satchel Tote in moon worn 4 times
Rebecca Minkoff Crystal Star Shoulder Guitar strap worn 3 times
Jeanswest Brianna basque hem tank in black (gift card purchase, worn once)








How I Wore It:


It's easy to achieve my goal of wearing things twice in the month I buy them with accessories, they are frequently reworn. While I technically bought the bag and guitar strap in November, as they didn't arrive until December I count that as the month they arrive. Since I bought the tank in the post-Christmas sales at Jeanswest I didn't get a chance to wear it twice, but a good basic black tank like this is sure to get a lot of wear over the coming months.


December Purchases and Yearly Budget spend for fashion blogger away from the blue


Fashion Spend For The Year


See what I bought in August, in October, and in November.

In January I set myself the goal of 6 months without shopping. And I exceed that, managing 7 months without shopping in the end. I was curious how much more I'd save this year as a result. This year I spent $1,696.53. Only $127.58 less than last year.

Not the massive savings I'd expected, but I did excitedly splurge on an expensive bag that to be honest made up most of the total spend! I'm still pleased I managed to spend less this year, even with the splurge on the drool-worthy bag!

What I'm doing in 2018


I'm not doing another 6 months without shopping. I did have a lot of fun with it in the end. It was amazing that I could change my shopaholic ways and not only achieve but exceed the goal I set myself.

While I'm not setting myself another no-shop challenge, I am continuing with my #30wears goal. This means continuing to blog my daily outfits so I can look back and tally up how many times I've worn things, with the goal of sharing monthly something I've hit 30 wears on. The only way I can continue to do this with my clothes (I've hit it with so many of my shoes and bags already!) is to buy less.

So 2018 will be a buy less and rewear more year. You're likely to keep seeing the same few pieces on frequent rotation as I get closer to 30 wears of them. Also going to try to spend less in 2018 than I did in 2017, and continue the reduction in my spending.



Blogaversary


2018 also marks 6 years of blogging for me and 1165 posts, wow! Hope you're having as much fun reading as I am writing. I don't see myself stopping blogging any time soon, it's nice to have a little relaxing time to myself each day to browse blogs and write posts while the boys sleep.

Thank you all for your clicks, comments, shares and follows over the past few years. Have a happy new year!


Linking up with Weekend Wear, Flashback Fashion, Friday Favourites, Style Elixir.



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Wednesday 27 December 2017

Boxing Day Sales! Bright Tanks and Printed Relaxed Fit Shorts

I love printed pieces, especially stripes, and given the choice between a plain piece and a printed piece I'll usually go for the print! Over the past couple of years I've been really trying to focus more on adding basics to my wardrobe - nice plain pieces that go with anything in my wardrobe. Plain doesn't have to mean boring though, as you can see from these fun colourful tanks. Simple style and cut but bright and cheerful colours.

For their first wear, I wore these bright tanks with some relaxed and soft printed shorts. Easy summer SAHM dressing.

What I wore:

blue tank, aqua bag, Jeanswest Parker printed shirred short. Summer SAHM style | awayfromtheblue

printed relaxed fit shorts, rebecca minkoff aqua mini MAC bag Roise Designs beaded bracelet | awayfromtheblue

awayfromblue instagram bright blue tank, Jeanswest parker printed shorts
NecklaceHouse of Harlow sunburst necklace in silver and grey
TankJeanswest Maya gather back tank in mid turquoise (new purchase)
ShortsJeanswest Parker printed shirred short (new purchase)
Shoesblack slim Havaianas thongs
Bracelets: the usual plus Roie Designs black leather Swarovski beaded wrap bracelet
BagRebecca Minkoff mini MAC in aquamarine with python embossed leather

Why I wore it:

I was excited to wear these two new pieces together, I bought them both during separate shopping trips at the Jeanswest sale. I like that these shorts have pockets too. I was surprised to see how nicely the blue tank works with the aqua bag - I wouldn't change anything about this outfit! It was so comfortable and perfect for a hot summer day.

We took each of the boys shopping separately to let them pick out Christmas gifts for each other, then watched Santa's arrival parade at out local shopping centre. (I wore this earlier in December). To finish off a busy morning, we had swim lessons. It was a much more relaxing and quiet afternoon!


Last worn: black Havaianas, Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC. First time I've worn the blue tank and the printed shorts as they are recent purchases.

Other ways to wear: blue tank in the office, printed tank and grey teeHavaianas in multiple seasonsRebecca Minkoff mini MAC and purple cardigan

Perfect for pregnancy: Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC in third trimester.



Printed Relaxed Fit Shorts Under $50:








What I wore:

bright yellow tank, navy printed shorts, colourful summer outfit | away from blue

silver bracelet stack, Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC in aquamarine with python embossed leather | away from the blue

awayfromblue Instagram | yellow and blue summer soft printed shorts outfit
Necklace: Uniquely Made with Love Sea Change necklace
TankJeanswest Maya gather back tank in chartreuse (new purchase)
ShortsJeanswest 'Scarlette' printed shorts
Shoesslim gold Havaianas
BagRebecca Minkoff mini MAC in aquamarine with python embossed leather

Why I wore it:

I've worn these blue printed shorts with a yellow top before, and my little mustard yellow micro Regan bag. I like blue and yellow together, and this is the first outfit I thought about when I tried on this yellow tank in store. Even if it is incredibly similar to the last time I wore these shorts with yellow!

It was a quiet Sunday, just a couple of errands in the morning, but I loved how bright and colourful this outfit was. I'm looking forward to wearing this tank a lot more - perfect addition to my wardrobe.


Last wornblue printed shortsgold HavaianasRebecca Minkoff aqua mini MAC (above). First time I've worn the tank as it's a recent purchase.

Other ways to wear: yellow tank and lace pencil skirt, blue printed shorts and pink vest, Havaianas in multiple seasons, Rebecca Minkoff aqua mini MAC and maxi dress.

Perfect for pregnancyRebecca Minkoff aqua mini MAC and maternity denim.



How You Can Wear It:


An ideal wardrobe would have the perfect balance of plain pieces and printed pieces to allow for a lot of outfit options. Basic plain pieces don't have to be neutrals - add a little colour with bright basics that still pair just as nicely with printed pieces as neutrals do!




Boxing Day Sales!


Here are some of the best boxing day sales around:



  • Up to 50% off at The Iconic plus get an extra 20% off with code 'HOT20'! Same day or next day delivery available for New Year's Eve outfits! Order up to 29th December for NYE delivery.






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