I have my 'wear everything twice in the month you buy it' rule. I started this a few years ago to ensure I was only buying things I could get use from right away, to stop the discovery of unworn with tags items in my wardrobe. There have been a few exceptions to this rule, one when my pregnant belly outgrew something before I got to wear it and the rest have been weather related. As I mentioned in the video, the foil jumper hasn't been worn because of the weather.
The wear twice rule still works though. I did consider buying something else this month but decided against it. Purely because I had to order it online and it wouldn't have made it in time for me to wear it twice in February. It was a 'want' item, not a 'need', but my large wardrobe makes almost every purchase a 'want'! It was easier to refrain from purchasing know it wouldn't pass the wear twice rule. Maybe next month I'll buy it if I keep thinking about it.
The foil knit, bought a few days before the heatwave, didn't get worn at all this month. There's a little more detail in the video above, but basically I bought this thinking I might not get to wear it right away, and bought it anyway as I didn't want to miss out on the trend again.
The denim shorts, an impulse buy, have been worn right away as you can see above, as they were perfect for the heatwave. I know I bought a lot of new shorts for summer a couple of months ago, but when you stumble across $60+ denim in your size in the op-shop, you buy it! While I've worn them similarly here with printed tanks and kimonos, the video has more ways to wear them.
I'm pretty content with my wardrobe now. I might buy that piece I keep thinking about or I might wait until cooler weather to see where the gaps are in my wardrobe!
If you're trying to build a wardrobe that takes you from SAHM duties to a business casual workplace like I am, you need some basics. When I bought these two tanks I knew they would be pieces I'd be able to get a lot of wear from. They are really basic, a little gathering on the back but otherwise just plain and colourful tanks. Simple tops like this are good to wear to the office as well as the other days I'm a SAHM with the boys.
An simple, staple office outfit. Closed in shoes, a bag big enough to carry everything needed for a day at work, blazer and a simple basic tank. Even if the heatwave in Brisbane meant that the blazer was quickly taken off after these pictures and only worn in the office air conditioning! It has been such a hot end to summer.
While I love my printed dresses for work, a variation of this outfit is often worn as I love my pencil skirts. A pencil skirt and blazer can have a casual tank underneath if you're in a business casual workplace like I am, or a dressier blouse or button up shirt for more formal environments.
With a basic top and classic plain blazer, you can add more interest to your office outfit with a fun statement necklace or printed pencil skirt. I love the textured lace on this one.
Another super-hot day, at the height of the heatwave. We were spending the morning in aircon so I added the kimono to keep me cosy, and also because I'd been wanting to try the navy floral with the mustard tank. I really like this outfit and felt great in this. I'll probably try this kimono and tank together again soon, I loved the colour combo.
I ended up taking the kimono off in the afternoon though as we ran around on a couple of errands. Even the brief moments between the air conditioned car and building made it too warm for any kind of layer!
Carried my Louis Vuitton speedy bandouliere bag again, I needed something fairly indestructible, and this is perfect as it's waterproof and easy to clean.
Since I was spending the day with the boys, I swaped the pretty but not kid friendly statement necklace I wore to the office with this much more kid friendly silicone teething necklace. Easily washable too, just like the Louis Vuitton handbag.
Basics are the best building blocks to have in your wardrobe, especially if you want pieces you can get more wear from. These tanks, while different colours, are the same simple cut and are so easy to dress up or down. With a few tweaks like swapping the fun kimono for a more formal blazer, and the casual denim shorts for a pencil skirt, it's easy to make a casual outfit perfect for the office. If you're on a budget, investing in a few pieces like this makes it easier to get more value from your purchases as you can wear them for different events. You don't have to spend big, both of these tanks were under $20! Linking up with Turning Heads,Trend Spin, Confident Twosday, Wardrobe Wednesday, Style on the Daily.
While it's still summer here in Brisbane, a few weeks back we were hit with some very un-seasonal weather. A sudden cold snap lead to the coldest February day in over 100 years! While most of my winter things are boxed away over summer, I managed to find pieces to make my cami tops more appropriate for the cold weather. I've been wanting to wear them more, before summer ends.
I didn't include this cardigan in the box of winter knits I pack away for summer, as I keep it out to wear in the office now and then. I was so glad I kept this as it was perfect for a chilly day. With the grey cardigan, grey skinny jeans and metallic silver flats and the neutral printed cami it all looked a bit boring, so the purple accessories were the perfect way to add a little bit of colour. It met the purple style challenge theme perfectly too!
I didn't expect to be pulling out my jeans so soon into the year, but I wasn't too upset at having a chance to wear these grey skinnies. They are the most recent addition to my denim collection after I got given them last year and a pair I'm sure will get a lot more wear over winter.
It was nice how easily this outfit came together. There was a break in the rain in the morning too, so we managed to get out and have our morning walk before having a quiet Saturday at home watching the rain fall outside.
A little bit of double denim. Again, I had the style challenge theme to dress to. This time the theme was 'indigo'. I'd planned a lovely navy dress to wear, but the weather made me change that pretty quickly to the denim jacket. With the black skinny jeans, it's an easy way to do double denim, and it kept me warm enough on a cold and rainy day. As did all the running around I had to do - after a week where things seemed to go from bad to worse, Friday was me trying to keep things together and get everything done to get to the weekend.
I'd picked this cami to wear as I've been trying to wear my camis more recently, and this one is one of my least worn. It's a cropped style, but being petite it's normal length on me. While I like this cami in the photos, I didn't feel very comfortable wearing it. The cropped length becomes more apparent when you've got your hands full with a wriggly toddler, and I found myself tugging the top back down a few times. While the ruffles are beautiful and the colours mean it goes with so much, it was just too fussy to wear. The back is cropped shorter than the front too and I found myself wishing I'd worn a normal length top many times when bending down to the boys, even though my jeans are mid-rise.
Looking at it, I'm thinking I should keep it, it's so pretty! But I know it's so annoying to wear it's not worth keeping around just for me to realise in a few months it hasn't been worn, to wear it again and feel the same frustrations. I have plenty other camis I enjoy wearing more, so this one is leaving my wardrobe. 5 wears in 3 years is pretty bad cost per wear, but it's time to let it go!
Camis can easily be layered up for cooler weather! They are the perfect summer option with denim shorts, so they work just as well with jeans, with an extra layer like a jacket or cardigan to keep you cosy if it's cold.