Black Maxi Dresses And Red Rebecca Minkoff Micro Avery Bag

You know it's properly spring weather when I've got my denim jacket out again! I took advantage of the nicer warmer weather recently to wear some of my maxi dresses with my ankle boots and light jackets. I completed both outfits with a pop up of colour from the red Rebecca Minkoff micro Avery tote bag.

What I wore:

Jacket: Bubblegum denim jacket
Necklace: gifted Zatini red pendant necklace
Dress: black Jeanswest halterneck maxi dress
Shoes: RMK Chester black ankle boots
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff red micro Avery cross body bag (new purchase)

Why I wore it:

We decided to take the boys to a nearby strawberry farm (Chambers Flats) after seeing some of the other Aussie Vlogging Mums having fun there. Edit: This was before the big strawberry tampering crimewave across Australia, I'd have second thoughts about letting the boys touch unwashed and unchopped strawberries now! Support your local farmer but take precautions as advised by the police - wash and cut up before giving to children.

I really wasn't sure what to wear, but it felt a little warm for jeans. I decided on a simple black halterneck maxi dress with ankle boots in case they had a closed in shoes rule. The red bag and necklace were a way to add more colour to my outfit, it was only when it was pointed out on Instagram that I realised it matched the berries! I just wanted to wear my new bag! 😂

The ankle boots were a great choice as the ground was uneven and muddy in parts, but as you can see my denim jacket didn't stay on long, it was a beautifully warm and sunny day. After filling our boxes with strawberries we sat by the playground and had a picnic. Was such a nice way to spend the day, and fun for the boys to see where strawberries came from. We had so many we ended up turning some of them into a delicious smoothie later.


Last worn: denim jacket, black halterneck maxi dress, black ankle boots. First time I've worn the avery bag on the blog as it's a recent purchase.

  Other ways to wear: denim jacket and shorts, black halterneck maxi dress and kimono, black ankle boots worn 30 ways, Rebecca Minkoff micro Avery bag and jeans.

Perfect for pregnancy: denim jacket in second trimester, black halterneck maxi dress in third trimester, black ankle boots in second trimester.

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Rebecca Minkoff Micro Avery Reveal

In case you missed it, I shared the reveal of this bag as part of my shopping haul video on YouTube, including how I managed to score this bag so cheaply, making it the cheapest leather handbag I've owned!

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What I wore:

Jacket: Jeanswest Cassandra jacquard jacket

Dress: Jeanswest 'Sierra' embellished black maxi dress (on sale!)
Shoes: RMK Chester black ankle boots
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff red micro Avery cross body bag

Why I wore it:

Another black maxi dress with this little red Rebecca Minkoff avery bag. It's just such a fun pop of colour against the black.

Again I went with ankle boots under my dress as I wasn't sure what the rules were for our first activity of the day - the Steve Irwin Sea Shepherd ship was in the docks at Brisbane and they were providing tours. We took the boys along so they could explore the ship, it was a lot of fun and something a bit different for them! As I shared on instagram, it can be a little tricky taking pics with the boys in tow. The photo above captures the struggle well, and why I try to get photos before I even leave the house, ha!

After going out for lunch and some naps for the boys, it was off down the coast for Father's Day dinner with my parents.

I thought my pretty embellished black maxi dress was perfect for dinner, but worried that it may have been a little overdressed for the ship tour. I swapped out the jacket and wore a denim jacket during the day to try dress it down a little.


Last worn: jacquard jacket, black embellished maxi dress, black ankle boots, Rebecca Minkoff micro Avery bag (above).

Other ways to wear: jacquard jacket and skinny jeans, black embellished maxi dress and kimono, black ankle boots and printed shorts, Rebecca Minkoff micro Avery bag and logo tee.

Perfect for pregnancy: jacquard jacket in third trimester, black embellished maxi dress at 39 weeks pregnant, black ankle boots in second trimester.

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Black Maxi Dresses Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

A little black dress is a wardrobe staple. A black maxi dress in particular is a great option for a mum as you don't have to worry about it being too short, no matter what your day holds. It also goes effortlessly from day to evening, a maxi dress is so easy to dress up or down.


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Layering Tees Under Sleeveless Dresses For The Office With Rebecca Minkoff Regan Bag

When I'm feeling uninspired, I often go back through the archives of the blog to find the different ways I've worn things, to give me some inspiration. With a tough week, I knew I wanted easy outfits for the office, so I went with my classic fit and flare dresses. Looking back to one of the first ways I wore the black dress gave me the idea to layer them over some long sleeve tees. Great way to add some colour to an office outfit, and also keep me warm on the cold commute. The blue scarves were an extra touch of colour to brighten my day.

What I wore:

Scarf: Alexander McQueen azure wool skull scarf
Tee: Valleygirl blue 3/4 sleeve tee
Dress: Jeanswest tucked ponte black dress
Shoes: RMK Chester black ankle boots
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Regan Satchel Tote in moon

Why I wore it:

I knew I wanted to wear this teal top and little black dress together, that was an easy decision to make. I stood in front of my wardrobe the night before trying to think what scarf to wear with it, before I gave up and went to bed, leaving a pile of scarves to go through in the morning.

Most days I plan my outfit out the night before I wear it, but sometimes I leave accessory decisions to the last moment! I'm glad I did though, as when I'd put the outfit on in the morning and started looking at the scarves with it, this teal skull scarf was the obvious winner as the colours matched so well. You know I love a bit of matchy-matchy.

I felt great about this outfit - comfortable and practical for all of the rushing around I had to do, trying to make sure everything was in place to finish work early and race across the city for an urgent appointment for my son. I feel like 90% of my posts recently have been about one or both of the boys being unwell, winter hit us hard this year! I got a sweet gift from my colleagues as they know we've been having a hard time lately.


Last worn: teal 3/4 sleeve tee, teal skull scarf, black fit and flare dress, black ankle boots, Rebecca Minkoff Regan bag.

Other ways to wear: teal 3/4 sleeve tee and pencil skirt, teal skull scarf and maxi skirt, black fit and flare dress in spring, black ankle boots worn 30 ways, Rebecca Minkoff Regan bag and printed shorts.

Perfect for pregnancy: teal 3/4 sleeve tee in second trimester, black fit and flare dress in second trimester, black ankle boots and pregnancy announcement.

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What's In My Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Regan

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What I wore:

Scarf: Louis Vuitton monogram shawl in bleu
Earrings: Kmart blue fringe crescent statement earrings
Top: thrifted cobalt blue long sleeve tee
Dress: Jeanswest 'Rita' stripe jersey dress
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs black logo plaque ballet flats
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Regan Satchel Tote in moon

Why I wore it:

While the blues here don't match at all, I also really liked this outfit. I tend to default to blue when I need a bit of a boost - my favourite colour, a frequent go to as I know it's easy to wear, and sometimes you just need to simplify things as much as possible when life gets crazy.

The navy Rebecca Minkoff Regan bag was another shade of blue with the outfit, but I think all the different shades worked nicely with the black and white dress. Black and white is such a classic combo you can go all out with the other pieces you add to your outfit!

It was a really cold morning and I did regret picking ballet flats over ankle boots! I did add a trench coat to both this outfit and the one above too, but didn't wear it for the pictures as it would have covered up the sleeves!


Last worn: cobalt long sleeve tee, Louis Vuitton shawl, statement tassel earrings, striped fit and flare dress, black ballet flats, Rebecca Minkoff Regan (above).

Other ways to wear: cobalt long sleeve tee and pencil skirt, Louis Vuitton shawl and sheath dress, striped fit and flare dress for a baby shower, black ballet flats and wrap dress, Rebecca Minkoff Regan and navy dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: striped fit and flare dress in second trimester.

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Fit & Flare Dresses Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

A classic sleeveless dress can be worn to the office year round! In the cooler months it's easy to winterise your dress by layering a long sleeve tee underneath. You can take the opportunity to add some colour to a neutral dress with a bold tee as I have, or keep things simple and stick with a neutral tee to compliment the dress.



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Second Hand Shopping: Black Tees and Green Pants With Balenciaga Day Bag

Second hand shopping, opshopping, thrifting, whatever you call it. It's a big factor towards letting me continue to shop even though I'm working part time with two kids and much less disposable income than before!

The two outfits before show some of the secondhand pieces in my wardrobe. With the exception of the shoes, because I can never find shoes my size in an opshop! And the scarf I threw on at the last minute.

What I wore:

Tee: thrifted Mix Apparel black marle tee
Jeans: thrifted ASOS petite green skinny jeans
Shoes: Kmart sparkly silver glitter sneakers (new purchase)
Bag: Balenciaga truffle brown RH classic day bag

Why I wore it:

With a warmer day, I was able to just wear a tee with no scarf or cardigan needed. It was a nice sign of winter coming to an end, even if it immediately got cold again afterwards.

While I do love splurging on accessories, I have a much lower budget in mind when clothes shopping! I think this outfit showcases that nicely.

The black space dye tee was a piece I picked up at the 'fill a bag for $2' sale at my local opshop. The green pants were just $5 from a different opshop. The bag was a preloved find from Designer Archives, a consignment store in Brisbane city. The only new thing in this outfit was the shoes, a $8 Kmart bargain!

While the warm weather meant a scarf was definitely not needed, I did think about wearing a necklace. I decided to give it a miss and just let the glitter shoes be the highlight of the outfit. Even if we weren't doing anything more special than running a couple of errands and going to the doctors, it was nice to have a bit of sparkle to do so! These were so comfortable for a first wear too.


Last worn: space dye tee, green skinny jeans, Balenciaga day bag. First time I've worn the silver shoes on the blog as they are a recent purchase.

Other ways to wear: space dye tee in the office, green skinny jeans and mustard yellow, Balenciaga day bag and printed dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: Balenciaga day bag in second trimester.

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My Complete Handbag Collection

Taken back when I had turned the spare room into a walk in wardrobe room, it's the most recent video I have showing my complete handbag collection - a lot of which were bought pre-loved.

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What I wore:

Scarf: Seed Heritage Paisley print snood
Tee: thrifted Maison Scotch black paint splatter print long sleeved tee
Pants: thrifted French Connection olive skinny cargo pants
Shoes:  Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in black
Bag: Balenciaga truffle brown RH classic day bag

Why I wore it:

Another thrifted outfit, although I added the scarf at the last minute. Like the shoes, the scarf was bought new, but on sale.

Just like the outfit above, this long sleeve black tee was picked up at a 'fill a bag with clothes for $2' opshop sale. I'm really happy with it, and knew that I wanted to wear it with these olive cargo pants. They were also an opshop find, from the same opshop (although before the $2 sale!). They were just $3. They are so slouchy and insanely comfortable.

As it was a little chilly in the morning for daycare drop off I added this paisley print snood - I think it was the perfect piece with the colours in the outfit, and I think it made the outfit. Once again, the accessories were the most expensive part of my outfit. I definitely have a formula I follow with outfits!


Last worn: black long sleeve tee, paisley print snood, olive cargo pants, Converse, Balenciaga day bag (above).

Other ways to wear: black long sleeve tee in the office, Paisley snood and red dress, olive cargo pants and mustard cardi, Converse for travel, Balenciaga day bag and sheath dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: Paisley snood in second trimester, Converse and hidden baby bump, Balenciaga day bag for second trimester travel.

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Green Pants Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

Green pants can be simple to wear when you pair them with neutral basics like these black tees. It makes an easy stay at home mum outfit that doesn't require a lot of thinking to pull together. Just what you need in the morning rush trying to get yourself and kids ready and out the door on time!


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