Grey Tees, Maxi Skirts, and Tesalate Towel

A good fail-safe wardrobe option for me is a grey tee. With all of the printed pieces in my wardrobe, grey tees are staple pieces I can always pull out when I'm not sure what to wear with something. With brightly coloured printed maxi skirts like the ones I'm wearing before, a grey tee is a simple choice.

What I wore:

Necklace: Happiness Boutique turquoise and coral pendant necklace (C/O)
Tee: Marc by Marc Jacobs blossom pocket tee in grey
Skirt: thrifted Billabong red printed maxi skirt
Shoes: Rebecca Minkoff Georgina studded gladiator sandals in blush
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff micro Regan satchel in Harvest Gold

Why I wore it:

I realised I hadn't worn this grey tee for a while and decided to give it a last wear. When I'm not sure about something in my wardrobe or it's been so long between wears, 'the last wear' lets me find out if I still love something and it deserves to stay, or if it needs to leave my wardrobe. I had such mixed opinions about this when I wore it though! Wasn't too happy with it in the photos, but it is so soft, comfortable and I felt great in it all day. It's staying in my wardrobe for now.

I want to try it with something other than this maxi skirt - as I've mentioned before it's a slightly too long thrift find that I just roll up and wear higher on my waist so it's a lot of bulk together with a slouchy tee. I will need to get this skirt tailored, I'm sure it's a keeper now!

Wore this to run a few errands with the boys. I've worn yellow and red together before, and again I really liked the combination. I think the mustard yellow micro Regan bag works nicely with the bright red of the maxi skirt.


Last worn: grey pocket tee, red printed maxi skirt, studded sandals, Rebecca Minkoff micro Regan bag.

Other ways to wear: grey pocket tee in winter, red printed maxi skirt and blue tee, studded sandals worn 30 ways, Rebecca Minkoff micro Regan bag worn 30 ways.

Perfect for pregnancy: grey pocket tee in second trimester.

---

Grey Tees Under $50:

---

What I wore:

Hat: Big W bow detail sunhat
Tee: Spectrum basic v-neck tee in grey marl
Bikini: Kiargo 'Captains Bridge' striped bikini
Skirt: thrifted tribal print maxi skirt
Shoes: slim gold Havaianas
Bag: Louis Vuitton MM damier azur neverfull

Why I wore it:

Wore this for a much-needed relaxing beach day the week before Christmas. My first weekend after finishing up at work for the Christmas break, so some sun was just what was needed.  I'd attempted no-heat curls the night before by plaiting my hair, but as you might have seen on Insta stories it didn't work too well! I ended up throwing my very frizzy and not at all curly hair up into a messy bun and hiding it under my sun hat at the beach. I got the chance to try out my new Tesalate towel at the beach too! They kindly sent me one, the 'this is love' towel.

Tesalate towels are 'sand free', and I was surprised to find that this claim is actually true! I tried to take a video showing how easy it was to flick the sand off the towel, but with my hands full with two toddlers it didn't happen. Trust me, it is sand free. No sand sticks to it, even wet sand. It washed well too.
The only downside is that after we went to the kid's water play area and sat down on the grass to dry off, it accumulated a few leaves on the underside of the towel. So it's good for not taking a bunch of sand home with you, but watch out for leaves and twigs!

I picked the grey tee to wear as I wanted something easy to throw on over my bikini, it was perfect. And my Louis Vuitton neverfull is frequently selected as my beach bag. It's nice to have a big bag to throw everything in when it doesn't fit in the baby bag which is filled with all the usual things plus towels for everyone! (That's another bonus of the Tesalate towel, it folds up so small!).


Last worn: sun hat, grey tee, striped Kiargo bikini, tribal print maxi skirt, gold Havaianas, Louis Vuitton damier azur neverfull.

Other ways to wear: sunhat and tunic, grey tee and skinny jeans, tribal print maxi skirt, Louis Vuitton neverfull and wrap dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: grey tee and maternity pencil skirt, Louis Vuitton damier azur neverfull at 38 weeks.

---

Printed Maxi Skirts Under $50:

---

How You Can Wear It:

If you have a printed skirt you're not sure what to pair it with, try a grey tee. It's a classic neutral that goes with everything. Perfect for a casual relaxed day at the beach, or a busy morning running errands.


Linking up with Style on the Daily, Fashion Frenzy, Oh Hey Girl, Fashion Files, Fun Fashion, Weekend Wear, Flashback Fashion.

Follow Away From the Blue on:
Bloglovin : Twitter : Instagram : Youtube : Facebook : Google Plus : LikeToKnow.It 

Summer Officewear: Blazers, Bright Tanks and Blue Pencil Skirts

While I'm still on leave, I haven't shared these outfits from before the Christmas break yet! Summer in the office is usually pretty relaxed, when the heat gets too much they often change our already business casual dress code to be even more casual. If I'm worried my outfit is a bit too casual though, even with relaxed dress codes, I add a blazer, just like I've done in both outfits below.

What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest grey jersey blazer
Necklace: Starfish Project Veronica short yellow multi strand necklace
Tank: Jeanswest Maya gather back tank in mid turquoise
Skirt: Warehouse navy jacquard pencil skirt
Shoes: Walnut Melbourne 'Ava' black lizard ballet flats (also available in silver)
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff medium MAB tote in moon navy

Why I wore it:

I'd just worn this blue tank a few days before, but wore it again to the office to squeeze in one more wear before the month ended, to meet my 'wear things twice in the month I buy them' goal. It's a great casual top, so I added the blazer to ensure it would work for the office as well. Although the turquoise tank and the navy skirt are very different blues, I thought they would look great together, and I couldn't resist adding this colourful yellow statement necklace for even more colour.

I really liked all the colours in this outfit together. The neutral black ballet flats and grey blazer were good accessories, and my Rebecca Minkoff navy MAB tote matched the jacquard pencil skirt well.


Last worn: grey blazer, turquoise tank, navy jacquard pencil skirt, Walnut Melbourne ballet flats, Rebecca Minkoff medium MAB tote.

Other ways to wear: grey blazer and fit and flare dress, turquoise tank and printed shorts, navy jacquard pencil skirt and winter layers, ballet flats and skinny jeans, Rebecca Minkoff medium MAB tote and maxi dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: navy jacquard pencil skirt in first trimester, Walnut Melbourne ballet flats and wrap dress, Rebecca Minkoff medium MAB tote in third trimester.

---

Bright Tanks Under $50:

---

What I wore:

Jacket: Zara cream jersey blazer
Necklace: Starfish Project Hannah turquoise bead necklace
Tank: Jeanswest Maya gather back tank in chartreuse
Skirt: Asos blue textured lace pencil skirt
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs logo plaque flats in camel
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff medium MAB tote in moon navy

Why I wore it:

Wasn't quite so sure about all the colours in this outfit. I love yellow and blue together, and the green necklace is great with the yellow tank...but I think that something was off about this outfit, I didn't like it as much as the blue one above. Getting woken up far too early by baby boy and being too tired to consider my outfit properly that morning may have impacted how I felt about it, ha! I am always harsher with my outfits if I'm not having the best of days.

I was hoping for an easy day at work for being exhausted before my day even began, but when I realised it wasn't looking that way I popped out to Starbucks for a little morning tea treat between meetings.

Thankfully my day improved when I got home, it's impossible to have a bad day when you get excitedly greeted by 2 little boys and a very fluffy dog.


Last worn: cream jersey blazer, mustard yellow tank, ASOS lace pencil skirt, camel flats, Rebecca Minkoff navy MAB tote (above).

Other ways to wear: cream jersey blazer and skinny jeans, mustard yellow tank and printed shorts, ASOS lace pencil skirt in monochrome outfit, camel flats and sheath dress, Rebecca Minkoff navy MAB tote in winter.

Perfect for pregnancy: cream jersey blazer and hidden baby bump, ASOS lace pencil skirt in third trimester, camel flats in second trimester, Rebecca Minkoff navy MAB tote in third trimester.

---

Blue Textured Pencil Skirts Under $50:

---

How You Can Wear It:

Your casual summer tanks can easily do double duty in the office when worn under a blazer and paired with a classic pencil skirt. If you're worried a bright tank may be too bold for your office, try picking neutral layers and accessories to wear with it. A blazer definitely isn't needed in the middle of a Brisbane summer, but you can easily take it off for the commute and slip it on to combat the cold aircon at your desk in the office. Such a simple layer to make any outfit feel more pulled together and office appropriate.


Linking up with On Trend, Turning Heads, Trend Spin, Confident Twosday, Style Sessions.

Follow Away From the Blue on:
Bloglovin : Twitter : Instagram : Youtube : Facebook : Google Plus : LikeToKnow.It 

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Outfits

Skipping a few outfits I still haven't shared from December to post my Christmas outfits before we get too far away from Christmas day! I've linked to a few of the Christmas day photos I shared too, in case you missed them on social media.

For Christmas Eve, we traditionally do crafts, make and decorate cookies, listen to Christmas songs, and just relax and enjoy spending time together while wearing our Christmas tees. Christmas day was a busy one, we had both sets of grandparents in Brisbane so we split the day between them both. Different activities means two different outfits.

What I wore:

Earrings: Jeanswest Evy dangly earring
Tee: festive glitter Santa tee
Skirt: thrifted Billabong red printed maxi skirt
Shoes: black slim Havaianas thongs
Bracelets: the usual plus Christmas bow bracelet (with bells!)
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Love cross body bag in grey with Rebecca Minkoff Crystal Star Shoulder Guitar strap

Why I wore it:

As Christmas eve was on a Sunday, we took advantage of the special Christmas service at our local church in the morning, before heading down the coast in the afternoon to spend time with my family.

As you might have seen from my overshare on Insta stories, we all wore our Christmas tees, made and decorated cookies, did some craft, ate a lot of good food and watched Polar Express with the boys for the first time. They loved it!

I often wear this tee with shorts to beat the heat (even while pregnant!) but decided to be a little different this year and wear with a skirt instead. Thanks to everyone who voted on Instagram to help me pick, I went with this red skirt over the chambray one I was also considering. Red and green are perfect Christmas colours!


Last worn: santa glitter tee, red printed maxi skirt, Havaianas, Rebecca Minkoff love bag. First time I've shared the guitar strap on the blog.

Other ways to wear: santa glitter tee and denim shorts, red printed maxi skirt and leather jacket, Rebecca Minkoff love bag and gold jeans.

Perfect for pregnancy: santa glitter tee in second trimester, Rebecca Minkoff Love bag in third trimester.

---

Shop The Post:

---

What I wore:

Earrings: Jeanswest Evy dangly earring
Necklaces: Tiffany diamonds by the yard necklace layered with Tai gold alphabet necklaces, Silhoupette gold plated Shih Tzu necklace and gifted Lovisa gold filigree heart pendant

Dress: Gypsy 05 orange ombre maxi dress
Shoes: slim gold Havaianas
Bracelets: the usual plus silver charm bracelet, gifted Lovisa rose gold beaded bracelet stack
Bag: Balenciaga envelope clutch in 2012 mangue with giant 12 RGGH
Nails: OPI Breakfast at Tiffany Collection Five and Ten

Why I wore it:

This is what I wore for our family filled Christmas day. We started earlier than expected of course when the boys woke up, and spent the morning exchanging and unwrapping gifts. After playing with the new toys a little and dressing the boys in the new clothes Santa brought them, we headed out to Christmas lunch at the in-laws. Another Christmas tree, more Christmas presents and some yummy food and drink.

Instead of putting the boys down for a now much needed and overdue nap, we hopped into the car to drive to my parents and thankfully they slept a little then.

Another Christmas tree, more presents to be exchanged and so much good food, we a delicious Christmas dinner there. A storm hit in the evening so when it briefly stopped we headed home, perfect timing as once we were home again we got hit with a second storm.

With traveling, unwrapping presents, playing with toys and lots of food, I went with a classic maxi dress. It's my go to for Christmas day as we all like to get dressed up for it in my family. Hubby's family is much more casual, but a maxi dress is perfect for both places. With 36 degree heat too (97 fahrenheit) this light dress was all I could stand to wear.

Although it's been a while since I've bought a new dress for Christmas, I was happy to shop my wardrobe and pick out an existing maxi dress. My bestie gave me this one, and it never fails to get compliments. Added lots of gold and rose gold accessories to compliment the peach ombre maxi dress and colourful yellow Balenciaga envelope clutch.


Last worn: Gypsy 05 ombre maxi dress, gold Havaianas, Balenciaga mangue envelope clutch.

Other ways to wear: Gypsy 05 ombre maxi dress and kimono, Balenciaga mangue envelope clutch and printed jeans.

Perfect for pregnancy: Balenciaga mangue envelope clutch in third trimester.

How You can Wear It

Formal or casual, however you dress to celebrate Christmas, comfort is key. With all of the good food you want something non-restrictive, so an empire waist maxi dress or elasticated maxi skirt is a good idea. Perfect for when the aircon gets too cold as it covers your legs, but loose enough to catch the breeze and keep you cool when it's a hot and humid day. You can wear a maxi in winter too, although snow might make it a little harder!

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas last week and you're having a great start to 2018!


Linking up with Lizzie in Lace, Style Wise, Friday Faves, Style Nudge, Hello Monday, Mix It Monday.

Follow Away From the Blue on:
Bloglovin : Twitter : Instagram : Youtube : Facebook : Google Plus : LikeToKnow.It