Away From Blue | Aussie Mum Style, Away From The Blue Jeans Rut

Monday 1 October 2018

30 Ways To Wear: Balenciaga Part Time Bag In Black #30wears

This black Balenciaga part time bag will always be a classic to me. Even with the giant silver hardware being discontinued and replaced with smaller, lighter hardware, I think the bag is timeless. It's easily been worn over 100 times, over 70 on the blog. It's definitely due to be celebrated with a post showing 30 different ways to wear it.

Note: No haul video or post as I managed to complete #noSpenderSeptember with no fashion purchases for the month!

30 Ways To Wear: Balenciaga Black Part Time Bag

30 ways to wear Balenciaga Part Time Bag in black #30wears | awayfromblue blog

Cost Per Wear

Once again, another item I find tricky to calculate cost per wear of. I know how much I paid for it all the way back in December 2010, as I still have the emails from the London Balenciaga boutique. It's all in pounds though, and almost 8 years later I don't remember what it converted to! It was over 1,000 pounds at the time, so I have a lot more wears left to go to hit the magical '$1 per wear' figure most people seem to aim for when calculating cost per wear. I fully expect to have this bag for a lifetime though so I might hit that 1,000 wears one day!

I know expensive bags aren't for everyone. Some people splurge more on clothes, or shoes, or holidays, or cars, or jewelry, and some people are just saving up so they have some money to splurge! But hopefully this post still gives you some outfit ideas for how you could wear a similar black bag of your own.

30 Ways To Wear A Balenciaga Part Time Bag: Video Style

Balenciaga Part Time Bag and Dresses

5 ways to wear Balenciaga part time bag with dresses | awayfromtheblue

You can really see the versatility of the part time bag in these 5 outfits! It's a very large, slouchy bag so not the usual piece you think of when wearing a dress (I usually go for smaller bags) but it works so well with so many dresses. You can see it in a mix of seasons, and a mix of dress styles, looking fab with each one.

Part Time Bag and Jeans

4 outfit ideas balenciaga part time bag with skinny jeans denim style | awayfromblue

Skinny jeans are my go-to style, and while I have worn this bag with other kinds of denim, my favourite 4 were these outfits with my trusty skinny jeans. There's something about the slouchy Balenciaga leather paired with denim that I just love, and so this part time bag is frequently worn with jeans.

Balenciaga Black Part Time Bag and Monochrome Outfits

how to wear Balenciaga part time bag with monochrome outfits | away from blue

You might know from reading my blog that I am a big an of bright handbags! I love a pop of colour with a handbag against a monochrome outfit, but with this black part time bag you can use it to let other parts of your outfit shine. From the bold and colourful scarves in the first and third outfit, or just letting the cheerful print be the statement part of the outfit with the dress in the middle there. It's good to have a neutral black bag to tie in with a monochrome back or grey outfit.

Balenciaga Bag and Printed Pieces

4 ways to wear Balenciaga part time bag with prints casual and corporate outfits | away from the blue

This bag is such an easy piece to grab when you're wearing something printed. You don't have to worry about matching it to colours in the print, or that it won't go with the print. A black bag just goes with whatever you have on and you don't need to worry about coordinating it with printed pieces in your outfit.

Part Time Bag and Print Mixing

part time bag and pattern mixing outfit ideas for balenciaga part time bag | awayfromblue

Of course with a neutral black bag, you can go all out with your outfit, mixing different colours and prints together. While my favourite thing to do is to add a printed scarf to an outfit for a bit of mixing, you can achieve this by wearing two different printed items of clothing together too like in the first outfit.

Balenciaga Part Time In Summer

black balenciaga part time bag in summer 3 outfit ideas | awayfromtheblue

You will see me wearing all of my bags year-round on this blog! I don't keep things set aside for different seasons, preferring to wear and enjoy the handbags all year. That means a big black bag works perfectly in summer for me. I don't think you have to stick to lighter coloured handbags just because it's summer.

Black Part Time Bag in Winter

Black balenciaga part time bag in winter | awayfromtheblue

Of course, despite working year round, a black bag is undeniably a winter staple. It works with any kind of layers you put together, being a classic neutral shade. With all of the darker layers that tend to get worn around winter, a black bag is a great piece to have in your wardrobe.

Balenciaga Part Time Bag in Pregnancy

A frequent feature in these posts, pregnancy outfits! I like including them in these wrap-ups as it shows you why I invest in my handbags. Clothes quickly stop fitting in pregnancy, somes shoes follow suit, but handbags and accessories always work and I'm glad I get to have these photos with my baby bumps to look back on.

Where To Buy The Balenciaga Part Time Bag:

Friday 28 September 2018

Blue Wrap Tops And Colourful Skinny Jeans With Louis Vuitton Neverfull Tote

Sometimes I'll look through my wardrobe for something I want to wear and come across something I haven't worn in a while. These wrap tops haven't been worn recently and were definitely overdue a wear, so I set them aside waiting for an opportunity to wear them. I decided they would look great with my colourful jeans.

The resulting outfit formulas below are exactly the same, with a wrap top, cosy scarf, skinny jeans and Louis Vuitton neverfull bag. But with the different colour schemes I think they look completely different.

What I wore:

blue wrap top, family tree print scarf with green skinny jeans LV neverfull tote | awayfromblue

Louis Vuitton MM Damier azur neverfull tote and green skinny jeans | awayfromtheblue

awayfromtheblue instagram | blue and green skinny jeans wrap top neverfull and tree print scarf outfit

Scarf: Fashion Scarf Girl Family tree scarf in blue and navy (c/o)
Top: Dorothy Perkins 3/4 sleeve wrap top
Jeans: thrifted ASOS petite green skinny jeans
Shoes: black slim Havaianas thongs
Bag: Louis Vuitton MM damier azur neverfull

Why I wore it:

An early start and a busy morning meant I wanted a simple and fuss free outfit. I always enjoy this wrap top when I wear it as it's so cosy and soft. The only downside to it being chilly in the morning and needing a scarf is that the scarf kind of covers up the wrap detail of the top, ha! You can see it better the last time I wore it here.

When I bought these green jeans I thought they were something to challenge me and make me try different things, as I usually find green tricky to wear. But I've been finding these jeans work with so much! I've been wearing them so frequently lately. I love blue and green together so expect to see me wearing them that way a lot more often! Sticking with simple block colour pieces makes an outfit come together really quickly. It made it a simple choice when picking a scarf to wear too, as I didn't have to worry about the family tree print clashing with the clothing I was wearing. I think the navy tree part of the print matches the shade of blue in the wrap top quite nicely too!

Carried my Louis Vuitton Neverfull tote as I needed a big bag to cart everything around in as hubby and I had a busy day full of appointments and errands.

Last worn: wrap top, family tree scarf, green skinny jeans, Havaianas, Louis Vuitton Neverfull tote.

Other ways to wear: wrap top and chambray skirt, family tree scarf with purple, green skinny jeans and blue knit, Louis Vuitton Neverfull tote for the beach.

Perfect for pregnancy: Louis Vuitton Neverfull tote at 38 weeks.

What's In My Bag: Louis Vuitton Neverfull Edition

What I wore:

navy and red SAHM style skinny jeans outfit with poppy print scarf Louis Vuitton NF MM | away from blue

Louis Vuitton neverfull damier azur MM with red skinny jeans | away from the blue

awayfromblue instagram | red poppy print scarf navy wrap top and skinny jeans lv neverfull SAHM outfit

Scarf: Fashion Scarf Girl large poppy scarf in white (c/o)
Top: Atmos & Here Arlene wrap top in navy
Jeans: thrifted Emerson red skinny jeans
Shoes: slim gold Havaianas
Bag: Louis Vuitton MM damier azur neverfull

Why I wore it:

While blue and green is a fairly new colour combination for me, I've always loved red and blue together. I was quite surprised to see that I've never worn this navy wrap top and these red jeans together before! They seem like such an obvious pairing.

The scarf was a last minute addition to my outfit, as the day was off to a cooler than expected start. On this morning there was a dust storm in Brisbane so everything was just a little hazy and the early sunlight was very golden! Last time I wore this poppy print scarf it was with navy and I really liked the combination, so I was happy to wear it with the same colour again. Again, the scarf does cover up the wrap design of the top a bit though!

We had a busy morning with a dentist appointment for the eldest followed by swim lessons. This was an easy and comfortable outfit for all of that. The big Louis Vuitton wasn't really needed as I wasn't carrying all that much, I just thought it went nicely with the rest of my outfit.

Last worn: navy wrap top, poppy print scarf, red skinny jeans, gold Havaianas, Louis Vuitton Neverfull (above).

Other ways to wear: navy wrap top and denim shorts, poppy print scarf in monochrome outfit, red skinny jeans and rainbow knit, Louis Vuitton Neverfull worn 30 ways.

Perfect for pregnancy: navy wrap top in third trimester, red skinny jeans in first trimester, Louis Vuitton Neverfull in second trimester.

Blue Wrap Tops Under $50:

How You Can Wear It:

A plain blue wrap top is a really easy piece to wear - you can wear it with prints, or simply with jeans. A colourful pair of skinny jeans is a bold way to colourblock your outfit, and a fun way to wear a colour combination that you already love, or want to try out!

Linking up with Fab Favourites, Weekend Linkup, Lizzie In Lace, Shoe & Tell, Sunday Reflections, Modest Monday, Start the week stylish.

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Wednesday 26 September 2018

Basic Tees, Prints, Black Jeans and Metallic Flats with Rebecca Minkoff Bags

The one benefit to Brisbane's lovely spring weather suddenly being replaced with a wet and cold spring week is that I got to continue to layer for a little longer. I took the opportunity to try some bolder outfits, with a little print mixing in the first outfit and some bright colours in the second outfit. Despite the very different resulting outfits, the formula was the same with basic tees, black jeans and metallic ballet flats.

What I wore:

print mixing skinny jeans and red tee outfit: skull scarf and stripes | awayfromblue

Rebecca Minkoff red micro Avery cross body bag on arm | awayfromtheblue

awayfromtheblue instagram | plain red tee with black print mixing skull scarf and stripe outfit

Jacket: Kmart striped maxi cardigan
Scarf: red and black skull print scarf
Tee: Jeanswest Emma woven trim tee in terracotta
Jeans: Jeanswest prima denim super skinny jeans in absolute black
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs metallic mouse flats
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff red micro Avery cross body bag

Why I wore it:

I wanted to wear this Rebecca Minkoff Avery bag again, I had worn it over the warmer weekend and really liked it so decided to wear it on this day too. Even though the shades of red with the plain tee, skull scarf and Avery bag are all different, I liked how well they worked together with the black.

This wasn't the outfit I had planned! Hubby and I had another kid-free morning with an appointment and then a lunch date. I'd picked out a dress to wear but the cold and rainy morning made me change my mind and go for a staple skinny jeans outfit. It was a good excuse to give this striped duster a wear too, a bit too cold for winter wear but perfect for spring.

We had a productive morning, but I did regret the striped duster outfit choice when we headed to the bay for lunch - it was really cold and windy, not perfect stroll along the beach weather as we'd hoped. Lunch was good though, and I did really like the print mix of the skull scarf and stripes together. I love pairing my skull print scarves with stripes for a bit of print mixing.

Last worn: striped duster, skull scarf, red tee, prima skinny jeans, gold mouse flats, Rebecca Minkoff micro Avery bag.

Other ways to wear: striped duster and monochrome outfit, skull scarf and red jumper, red tee in the office, prima skinny jeans and teal henley, gold mouse flats and wrap dress, Rebecca Minkoff micro Avery bag and maxi dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: striped duster in second trimester, skull scarf in third trimester, prima skinny jeans in second trimester, gold mouse flats in second trimester.

My Rebecca Minkoff Handbag Collection:

What I wore:

colourful accessories with monochrome printed jeans outfit: orange and mint | away from blue

Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC in aquamarine with python embossed leather | away from the blue

awayfromblue instagram | SAHM style printed skinny jeans monochrome outfit with colourful bold accessories

Jacket: Cotton On black knit wrap cardigan
Scarf: Fashion Scarf Girl plain crinkle scarf in orange (c/o)
Tee: Jeanswest Emma woven trim tee in dark green
Pants: Sass & Bide Playman skinny jeans
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs silver tuxedo flats
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC in aquamarine with python embossed leather

Why I wore it:

After being too cold on the windy day above, I picked a cosier topper for this outfit, my black belted cardigan. It's the belt you can see hanging down in the insta photo, in case you were wondering! It was much warmer for a busy but cold day, with daycare for the boys, working from home, and then my son's specialist appointment in the afternoon.

You might recall I mentioned when I bought this tee that it's actually a dark green! It really does look grey in particular lights, and looks so grey here with the black cardigan and printed jeans.

I picked the bright accessories as I remembered this old outfit with the orange scarf, olive tee and aquamarine bag. I thought I could recreate it with this orange crinkle scarf. I really like the aqua and orange combo, and it really pops with the monochromatic outfit. I love how the chevrons on the jeans tie in with the crinkle texture on the scarf - although that wasn't planned, a happy coincidence I noticed when I reviewed the photos!

Last worn: black belted cardigan, dark green tee, orange crinkle scarf, chevron print jeans, silver ballet flats, Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC bag.

Other ways to wear: black belted cardigan and skater dress, dark green tee and lace skirt, orange crinkle scarf and navy dress, chevron print jeans with pink and blue, silver ballet flats and grey jeans, Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC bag and maxi dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: black belted cardigan in first trimester, silver ballet flats in third trimester, Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC bag in third trimester.

Basic Tees Under $50:

How You Can Wear It:

A basic block colour tee is a wardrobe staple and so easy to dress up or down. With a plain tee, you can add interest to your outfits in other ways. It makes print mixing easy as the plain tee goes with any other prints you want to wear. Of course if you aren't a fan of print mixing, you can use a neutral basic tee as the base of an outfit you add colourful accessories too, as I've done with the scarf and bag in the second outfit.