Chloe Paddington & Wearing Loose Printed Tanks To The Office With Pencil Skirts

The Chloe Paddington was my first ever designer handbag purchase. It might not be worn often (the heavy padlock really isn't kid friendly) but I do still love it. Of course I loved both times I wore it below. Not sure if it was the cooler weather after our heatwaves, or getting my first bag splurge out again to enjoy, but I was so happy in both of these outfits. Printed tank and black pencil skirts, such simple office style.

What I wore:

Necklace: Uniquely Made with Love Sea Change necklace
Tank: Jeanswest Elissa leaf print tank
Skirt: Jeanswest black ponte pencil skirt
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs black logo plaque ballet flats
Bracelets: the usual plus Cora purpleheart and mother of pearl watch C/O JORD
Bag: Chloe Paddington in 2007 Brun

Why I wore it:

This tank was a gift from my mum and it was such a good one, it's looked great with everything I've worn it with so far. See two more ways to wear it here.

I debated a little in the morning which necklace I should wear with the top. The leaf print has so many different colours, it's easy to pick a colour out of the print and wear a matching accessory. In the end I went with blue, of course.

Someone on Instagram contacted me to ask about my experiences with Chloe Paddington bags, and I was happy to chat a little about my first bag obsession. I'm not good with small talk, and meeting new people often leaves me at a loss for words, but if anyone talks handbags they will find it hard to shut me up, haha! After talking about the bag I couldn't resist getting it out again for a wear.

I did add a cardigan to this outfit to cover up in the cold office air con, but it wasn't needed for my commute, the weather was just right.


Last worn: leaf print tank, black pencil skirt with elastic panel, Marc by Marc Jacobs ballet flats, Chloe Paddington bag.

Other ways to wear: leaf print tank and pink shorts, black pencil skirt in winter, Marc by Marc Jacobs ballet flats and shorts, Chloe Paddington bag and burgundy pants.

Perfect for pregnancy: pencil skirt and hidden second trimester bump, Chloe Paddy at a few weeks pregnant.

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Chloe Paddington Review and Contents:

(yes, it really is that heavy!)

Where To Buy a Chloe Paddington:

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What I wore:

Jacket: Zara cream jersey blazer
Necklace: Happiness Boutique turquoise and coral pendant necklace (C/O)
Tank: Emerson crochet lace bib print top
Skirt: Jeanswest zip detail ponte pencil skirt
Shoes: Walnut Melbourne 'Ava' black lizard ballet flats (also available in silver)
Bracelets: the usual plus Cora purpleheart and mother of pearl watch C/O JORD
Bag: Chloe Paddington in 2007 Brun

Why I wore it:

Since I liked the printed tank and black pencil skirt combination above, I wore it again for my next day in the office. Funnily, this tank was also a gift from my mum, back when I was pregnant. Didn't realise the coincidence in wearing the tanks so close to each other until I put this post together!


As it was a little cooler with some rain forecast, I added the blazer over the top and kept it on pretty much all day. It was a little tricky taking photos - while the rain held off until later in the day, my neighbour (who you can see in the back there) kept walking past as I was trying to take photos. I don't spend long taking photos, just setup the tripod, align the camera then shoot. Still she managed to walk past twice! It was so awkward. I find it weird taking blog photos in front of people, as I'd have no idea what to say if they asked. "I take photos for the internet" sounds normal to another style blogger, but is kinda crazy when you think of it!

The only issue with a Chloe Paddington is the weight - while it was fun carrying it, it was back in its dust bag after these two wears. Twice in a week is enough for me, I have frequent back pain with my diastasis recti so a heavy bag just adds to it unfortunately! I think I'll always love my Paddy though, even if I don't wear it as much as I used to.


Last worn: cream blazer, red crochet detail tank, black pencil skirt, ballet flats, Chloe Paddington (above).

Other ways to wear: cream blazer and sheath dress, red crochet detail tank and shorts, black pencil skirt worn over a dress, ballet flats and fit and flare dress, Chloe Paddington and jeans.

Perfect for pregnancy: cream blazer in first trimester, red crochet detail tank in third trimester, black pencil skirt in first trimester, ballet flats in third trimester, Chloe Paddy at a few weeks pregnant.

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Printed Tanks Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

A black pencil skirt is an office staple, and it's so easy to pair with a printed piece like these fun printed tanks. Depending on the dress code for your office, you may need to cover up bare shoulders with a blazer. A cardigan is another option if the office aircon is particularly frosty and your dress code isn't as formal.

Linking up with Trend Spin, Turning Heads, Style Sessions, Style On The Daily.

 

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30 Ways to Wear a Grey Maxi Skirt: #30Wears Challenge Outfits

A 30 wears post with this classic grey marle jersey maxi skirt is so overdue. It's been worn nearly 50 times (48 exactly!) since I bought it in my third trimester four years ago.

The #30wears challenge is committing to wearing things you buy at least 30 times. As I take daily outfit photos, I have over 6 years of outfits to look back on and see all the different times I've worn things. Blog labels and searches in the archives come in helpful for pulling these posts together, and it's fun to see how many things I've hit 30 wears on.

#30Wears: Grey Marle Jersey Maxi Skirt

It's no secret that I love maxi skirts, and I've posted a few #30 wears posts featuring some of my maxi skirt collection (see them at the end of the post).

Maxi skirts are for petites too! I got lucky with this Target one, the perfect petite friendly length with no hemming required. It was $25, so that's 52 cents a wear so far on it. It's got a lot of life left in it still, and it's not going anywhere from my wardrobe. Not bad for an impulsive pregnancy buy four years ago!

Maxi Skirt and Graphic Tees (and a Tank)

A plain grey maxi skirt makes it easy to wear fun printed graphic tees, as it's a great neutral base. Even though one of these is a graphic tank instead of a tee, you can see it's still just as simple to wear. A nice easy outfit to pull together, the graphic top adds interest that the plain skirt lacks.

Maxi Skirt and Long Sleeve Tops

Maxi skirts work well in cooler weather with long sleeve tops. The long skirt protects your legs from the cold and keeps you cosy, and a longer sleeved top is an extra layer for a cooler day. If it's really cold, a scarf makes you even warmer. Again, you can see in these three outfits that the plain maxi skirt base means you can add fun printed scarves, bright colours, or even a top with embroidery detail, without your outfit feeling too overpowering.

Maxi Skirt and Layers

Sometimes you need a little more than a long sleeve top with a maxi skirt. As I wear my maxi skirts year-round, I've worn them with all kinds of layers. You can see the variety in these outfits, with a denim jacket, cardigans, a blazer, and a kimono. I've also worn this skirt in the middle of winter with a leather jacket when it's been really cold. These layering options are great pieces to add in spring or autumn when it's too cool to wear a skirt and top on it's own.

Grey Maxi Skirt And Summer Outfits

A maxi skirt is really made for summer though, it makes summer dressing easy. And if you have babies or toddlers, the long maxi length means you can run around with them and not worry about things being too short or showing more than you intended when you bend over to pickup the kids, or something they've dropped for the tenth time that day, ha!

Grey Maxi Skirt and Monochromatic Outfits

Lots of colourful outfits so far, but you can go completely neutral with a grey skirt and create a monochrome or monochromatic outfit. I like the two shades of grey together on the end there, but with the black v-neck tee is my favourite. I'm still sad that tee didn't survive through too many incorrect wash cycles on the washing machine and had to leave my wardrobe.

Jersey Maxi Skirt In Pregnancy

Since I bought this maxi skirt while I was pregnant, it makes sense that the most frequent way to wear it has been with a baby bump. It's been so nice having this piece that I could wear through my third trimesters with both my boys - and still be wearing and loving it afterwards. I'm impressed the elastic has held up too, they were pretty big baby bumps near the end!

Jersey Maxi Skirt Postpartum

Forgiving jersey material, a soft stretchy elastic waistband, all the things I loved about this skirt in pregnancy make it a great postpartum choice too. Much nicer pulling this on in the newborn days than attempting to squeeze into something with buttons, a zipper, or zero stretch! Having something you know will still fit and make you feel great makes getting dressed easy after being up all night with a newborn, and anything to make parenting easier is a winner!

Grey Maxi Skirt for Travel

I've gone on about how great this jersey maxi skirt is to wear, but the material is perfect to travel with too! It's comfortable for a long day of sightseeing, it can be crumpled up in a carry on bag and doesn't need ironing at your destination. For pregnancy travel (the middle pic) it was wonderful, and for running around Sydney with two toddlers (the left and right photos) it works just as well.

It makes me happy to have a piece in my wardrobe that's wrapped around my baby bump for both boys that's still going strong. It's nice to put together a post like this and see the bumps at different stages. So many fun memories attached to the times I've worn this skirt. I'm enjoying continuing the 30 wears challenge this year as it's great putting these posts together.

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Grey Jersey Maxi Skirts Under $50:

This Target skirt is no longer available, but above are some great alternatives, all under $50!

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30 Ways to Wear a Grey Maxi Skirt (In Video Format):

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More Posts in the #30Wears Series:

Perfect if you're looking for more ways to wear outfit inspiration! Alternative, see all the 48+ ways I've worn this skirt in my blog archives.

• 30 ways to wear a black maxi skirt
• 30 ways to wear red Balenciaga velo bag
• 30 ways to wear gladiator sandals
• 30 different ways to wear striped maxi skirt
• 30 different ways to wear skinny jeans
• 30 ways to wear a grey Rebecca Minkoff MAM bag
• 30 ways to wear a printed leather jacket
• 30 ways to wear black ankle boots in multiple seasons
• 30 ways to wear mustard yellow Rebecca Minkoff bag
• 30 ways to wear a classic denim jacket
• 30 ways to wear white and navy stripe maxi skirt
• 30 ways to wear a floral kimono
• 30 ways to wear a pink maxi dress
• 30 ways to wear a red Rebecca Minkoff saddle bag

Linking up with Passion for Fashion, Lizzie In Lace, Shoe & Tell, Mix It Monday, Hello Monday, On Monday We Link Up, Modest Monday, Wardrobe Wednesday.

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February Purchases and Wearing Things Twice In The Month I Buy Them

This time last year I was doing my #6monthsWithoutShopping challenge. This year, I'm not doing that challenge so I'm free to spend! I continue to have the goal of spending less this year than I did last year though. Even with the freedom to shop I haven't bought much, I've definitely changed my shopaholic habits.

Just two purchases this month! A long thought out purchase and an impulse buy, but I've worn the impulse buy one the most surprisingly.

Here's what I bought:

• Jeanswest Kara foil pullover in smoke marl and silver - $40.99 (gift card buy)
• Thrifted Jeanswest distressed denim shorts - $8.50

How I Wore It

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!



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