Summer Maxi Dresses and Louis Vuitton Speedy Bandouliere

Maxi dresses are such an easy summer option for me. I tend to wear any and all kinds of accessories with them too. While they are perfect with sandals, they look just as good with Converse, and with a Louis Vuitton speedy bandouliere instead of a smaller cross body bag.

What I wore:

Necklace: Nibbly Bits Feather pendant in peach (C/O)

Dress: Kmart Tropicana sleeveless tiered maxi dress
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in black
Bag: Louis Vuitton Damier Ebene 30 speedy bandouliere

Why I wore it:

I wanted something light and airy to wear for a planned morning out at the markets, but when it was cooler and cloudy in the morning I thought I'd add some Converse instead of my havaianas, as it was predicted to rain. By the time we got to the markets though, we realised our mistake. The humidity was so bad and closed in shoes were definitely not needed. I was glad I'd forgotten to grab my denim jacket on the way out the door!

We managed to have a speedy browse before Cooper decided he'd had enough of the heat and we reatreated home again. Somehow still managing to pick up bags of treats and things for Cooper before we left, ha! He's such a spoiled little pup.

The Converse helped meet the style challenge for the day on Instagram, as did the dress itself. I picked the speedy as it's damier ebene and waterproof if the predicted rain did happen. It's also just the right size to carry the water bottles for the boys and my own essentials, as we left the baby bag and stroller in the car as we walked around.


Last worn: coral tropical print maxi dress, Converse, Louis Vuitton speedy bandouliere.

Other ways to wear: coral tropical print maxi dress and denim jacket, Converse for travel with toddlers, Louis Vuitton speedy bandouliere and printed jeans.

Perfect for pregnancy: Converse for second trimester travel, Louis Vuitton speedy bandouliere and maternity pencil skirt.

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Louis Vuitton Damier Speedy Bag:

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What I wore:

Necklace: gifted Oxfam Noah's Ark green red beaded necklace
Dress: Jeanswest 'Elodie' tie dye grey jersey maxi dress
Shoes: Wittner 'Jasmarie' studded sandals
Bag: Louis Vuitton Damier Ebene 30 speedy bandouliere
Nails: OPI Breakfast at Tiffany Collection Five and Ten

Why I wore it:

I was excited to wear my new Christmas necklace with this dress - the neckline is just right for it! I was thrilled to unwrap this (and a bunch of other things!) from my bestie on Christmas, she always has such great taste and I adore everything she sends for the boys and I.

Wore this for a day that was just as hot as the one I wore the floral dress for above - but it was more bearable with sandals this time! Midway through our busy morning I got a few messages from Beth at Almost Posh. I'd found out from Insta stories she was staying nearby on holiday, so we quickly setup a quick coffee catch-up for that afternoon. After a bit of lunch with hubby and a little Jeanswest sale shopping to spend one of my Christmas gift cards, we met-up for a drink and chat. Beth is one of those bloggers I admire so it was nice to chat and pick her brain about Instagram, blogging and the juggle of a blog, work and motherhood.

Of course we discussed bags, and she even bought a clutch afterwards! It's a given that whenever you talk to me bags will come up at some point! I smiled that she had worn her Louis Vuitton neverfull tote as I had worn my Louis Vuitton speedy bag, although I completely forgot to get a photo of us together.

Last worn: tie dye maxi dress, studded sandals, Louis Vuitton damier ebene speedy (above).

Other ways to wear: tie dye maxi dress layered for winter, studded sandals and floral kimono, Louis Vuitton damier ebene speedy for a first flight with toddlers.

Perfect for pregnancy: tie dye maxi dress at 38 weeks, studded sandals and maternity shorts, Louis Vuitton damier ebene speedy and wrap dress in third trimester.

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Printed Maxi Dresses Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

Maxi dresses are perfect to combat the summer heat. A pretty printed one makes accessorising simple and not really required. You can think outside the box and wear a maxi dress with Converse too, you don't have to stick with simple sandals. Although sandals are a great choice in the heat! Any cross body bag looks great too, from a large LV speedy to a small clutch.


Linking up with Modest Monday, Hello Monday, Style Sessions, On Trend, Turning Heads, Confident Twosday, Wardrobe Wednesday.



Did You Know: I have a YouTube Channel! Full of pregnancy style ideas, handbag reviews and ways to wear inspo, along with a lot of what's in my bag videos: Away From The Blue YouTube. (There's the unboxing of my Speedy bag on there too!)

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Monochrome Printed Shorts Outfits for Summer

I love my soft printed shorts. They make summer dressing easy, particularly for a summer that's as hot as this one is. Take a pair of printed shorts, a similarly coloured top and you have an easy monochrome outfit that's perfect for beating the summer heat.

Even though I ended up 'redoing' one of the outfits a few days later as I didn't like the accessories!

What I wore:

Necklace: Nibbly Bits Abacus teething necklace in pop
Singlet: MEV Britney bubble tank in mood indigo C/O Zibibo
Shorts: Jeanswest 'Scarlette' printed shorts
Shoes: slim gold Havaianas
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Regan Satchel Tote in moon

Why I wore it:

Wore this for the longest drive I've ever done, a roadtrip to see my friend who had recently moved to Kilcoy. It's about an hour and a half from Brisbane, and there was roadworks so it took longer than expected. She told me it was an hour and a half and yet google suggested it had a shorter route, so I wasn't too worried when we set off slightly later than intended. I quickly realised Google was wrong when we hit our first patch of traffic! Thankfully my sweet friend let me stay a little longer so that the whole day wasn't taken up by driving, and our kids got some time to play together.

With the navy tank, printed shorts and Regan satchel bag I added the purple teething necklace to add just a little extra colour and stop my outfit being too monochromatic. While the tank and printed shorts are different shades of blue, I really liked this outfit. It was wonderful catching up with my friend too. The kids had a great time together, and it was nice to see them all before their sibling arrived (her due date was the very next day, but baby stayed in a little longer!).

Last worn: navy tank, printed shorts, gold Havaianas, Rebecca Minkoff Regan satchel.

Other ways to wear: navy tank and purple jeans, printed shorts and ankle boots, Rebecca Minkoff Regan satchel worn 4 ways.

Perfect for pregnancy: navy tank in third trimester.

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Printed Shorts Under $50:

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What I wore:

Necklace: Roie Designs long freshwater pearl necklace with tassel (first outfit) Nibbly Bits Abacus teething necklace in pop (second outfit)

Dress: Jeanswest 'Lucy' colour block tee in grey marle/rosebud
Shorts: Jeanswest Parker printed shirred short
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs black logo plaque ballet flats (first outfit) Wittner 'Jasmarie' studded sandals (second outfit)
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Love cross body bag in grey

Why I wore it:

No, you're not seeing double. I really did wear the top and shorts together twice. The first time I wore it, I wasn't sure on the shoes. I picked the ballet flats because it was a wet day and these ones are closed in and have rubber soles, good for the rain. But when I looked at the photos after I took them, I hated the shoes with the outfit. I was only working from home that day, with the daycare pickup and drop off, so I resolved to try the tee and shorts together again on Friday, but with different accessories.

I much preferred the studded sandals with the shorts, and as it was my day off I spent the morning at my ABA mother's group before going out for lunch and some shopping with my sister. So I prefered the days activities too, much nicer than working, ha!

Thought I'd include both very similar outfits to show you that if you're not enjoying an outfit, maybe all you need to do is change up the accessories! I really liked the colourblock tee with these shorts, the pink panel on the back added such a nice touch with the black shorts and I'll probably wear this combination again, with different accessories again.


Last worn: grey colourblock tee, Parker printed shorts, black ballet flats, studded sandals, Rebecca Minkoff Love bag.

Other ways to wear: grey colourblock tee and skinny jeans, printed shorts and bright tank, black ballet flats and wrap dress, studded sandals and maxi dress, Rebecca Minkoff Love bag and guitar strap.

Perfect for pregnancy: grey colourblock tee in second trimester, studded sandals in second trimester, Rebecca Minkoff Love bag in third trimester.

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More Printed Shorts Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

Printed shorts are so easy to wear. Basics are a good pairing with any kind of print in your wardrobe. Neutrals is a good rule of thumb, greys and blacks work well with most prints no matter what colours are in the print. You can always go more colourful though, and wear a piece that matches a colour in the print for a simple monochromatic outfit.


Linking up with Flashback Fashion, Passion for Fashion, Weekend Wear, Style Wise, Fab Favourites, Weekend Linkup, Friday Favourites, Shoe & Tell, Mix It Monday.


Did You Know: I have a YouTube Channel! Full of pregnancy style ideas, handbag reviews and ways to wear inspo, along with a lot of what's in my bag videos: Away From The Blue YouTube.

One of my latest videos is sharing what my Louis Vuitton Christmas present was:

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Blue and Green: Printed Dresses and Rebecca Minkoff Regan Satchel Tote Bag

I've always found green a little tricky to wear, but since embracing blue and green together I've had a lot more outfit options! Both of these summer dress outfits contain navy and green, but in differing amounts.

What I wore:

Necklace: Starfish Project Hannah turquoise bead necklace
Dress: Zara printed bib front tunic dress
Shoes: Rebecca Minkoff Georgina studded gladiator sandals in blush
Bracelets: the usual
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Regan satchel tote in moon (new purchase) with Louis Vuitton "comete" bandeau scarf  tied in bow

Why I wore it:

Just a heads up that this is the 21st wear of this dress, so I'm aiming to rewear it more often to get it to 30 wears this year! Fingers crossed! I tend not to wear it on days with boys as it feels a little short when bending down to pick up toddlers. It was perfect for our annual pre-Christmas shopping trip while the boys were in daycare though. In previous years we've even gone to Melbourne for it, but this year we just went down to Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast as I had a present to pick out at Louis Vuitton!

The #DAREcember style challenge for the day on Instagram was 'scarf', but it was much too humid for that! I knew we'd be going to Louis Vuitton so I dressed up my bag a little with the LV bandeau scarf tied in a bow. A nice neutral navy tote like this is perfect for accessorising with scarves.

The green necklace with the navy dress was another addition because of a style challenge, to meet the 'evergreen' prompt. I wasn't too sure about the green with the pinks and purples on the scarf though, but I think that they were far enough away that it worked. We had a really fun day shopping and then went out for dinner after picking up the boys from daycare.


Last worn: navy printed shift dress, Rebecca Minkoff studded sandals, Louis Vuitton bandeau, first time I've worn the bag as it's a recent purchase.

Other ways to wear: navy printed shift dress and denim jacket, Rebecca Minkoff studded sandals worn 30 ways, Louis Vuitton bandeau as hairband.

Perfect for pregnancy: navy printed shift dress in third trimester, Louis Vuitton Bandeau as a belt in second trimester.

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Printed Dresses Under $50:

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What I wore:

Necklace: Uniquely Made with Love Sea Change necklace
Dress: Atmos & Here Willow printed tee dress
Shoes: slim gold Havaianas
Bracelets: the usual plus gifted Lovisa rose gold beaded bracelet stack
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Regan Satchel Tote in moon

Why I wore it:

This tee dress is a favourite, it was worn almost weekly when I first got it, so I'm surprised it's only on its 12th wear! I stopped wearing it so frequently when baby T became mobile, like the dress above I'm worried it's a little short when I bend down to a toddler. The one thing I forgot about this dress is how easily it creases too - especially when little toddler hands grab and pull your dress when you're distracted and they want a cuddle, right before you take an outfit photo, haha! Creases are a fact of life though!

This was another child free day, as I left the boys with their grandmother to enjoy a little time to myself, to pick up some last minute Christmas things and indulge in a pedi before Christmas. Even though it's January, I still have December outfits to share! I am so pleased I started my Christmas leave a little before the big day, it was nice to ease into the busy Christmas time with some quiet moments to myself. Doesn't happen often when you're the mum of two toddlers, so the occasion deserved a pretty dress and some of my favourite accessories.

With the green on the print of the dress and the navy Regan satchel bag, this outfit has the same colour scheme as the one above, only with the proportions of each colour switched.


Last worn: printed tee dress, gold Havaianas, Rebecca Minkoff regan satchel (above).

Other ways to wear: printed tee dress and Converse.

Perfect for pregnancy: printed tee dress and pregnancy announcement.

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Printed T-Shirt Dresses Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

Printed dresses are easy options to deal with the summer heat. You don't need to think about accessories as the print makes enough of a statement on it's own. It doesn't mean you can't accessorise though, and have fun with colour. Accessories are a nice way to try out a new colour combination you might be unsure of at first, like green and blue.




Did You Know? I have a YouTube Channel! Full of pregnancy style ideas, handbag reviews and ways to wear inspo, along with a lot of what's in my bag videos: Away From The Blue YouTube.


Linking up with Style on the Daily, Oh Hey Girl, Seeking Sunshine, Fun Fashion.

Follow Away From the Blue on:
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