Print Mixing: Striped Tanks, Shorts and Floral Kimonos With Cross Body Bags

Just like last summer, I'm finding kimonos and shorts are a frequent go-to option in the heat. To mix things up a little, I tried some print mixing, adding floral print kimonos on top of the striped tanks. I always love print mixing with stripes, they just go with everything.

What I wore:

Jacket: thrifted Edited floral and bird print kimono
Necklace: Diva long red heart necklace
Tank: Atmos & Here Oregon stripe tank
Shorts: thrifted Jeanswest distressed denim shorts
Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star low in black
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff unlined saddle bag in cherry red (on sale in blue!)

Why I wore it:

Wore this for a very hot and humid day! We took the boys to the Bayside steam railway again. It's a huge set of miniature train tracks and you get to sit on the carriages of mini steam trains and zip around the tracks. One of the safety requirements is closed in shoes, so I wore my Converse despite the humidity.

The striped tank looked great worn just with the shorts alone, but I wanted to cover up my shoulders a little as it was such a sunny day. Like last time we went to the steam railway, I added a kimono on top. This one was a lucky thrift find. I always look in opshops for kimonos but over the years this is the only one I've found! With the red birds in the print, the red Rebecca Minkoff saddle bag seemed like the perfect accessory. Despite the small size, it comfortably held the essentials and the boys water bottles so I had them handy as we went for rides on the train. Turns out that sitting on the back of a tiny train as it steams through the trees creates a lovely cooling breeze too, it was such an enjoyable morning.

After riding on the trains, we walked over to the nearby park to let the boys run around a bit more, but the heat quickly sent us back home to cool off in the air conditioning!


Last worn: floral and bird print kimono, red heart necklace, black striped tank, distressed denim shorts, Converse, Rebecca Minkoff saddle bag.

Other ways to wear: floral and bird print kimono and maxi dress, black striped tank and maxi dress postpartum, distressed denim shorts and grey knit, Converse and pencil skirt, Rebecca Minkoff saddle bag worn 30 ways.

Perfect for pregnancy: Converse for second trimester travel.

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Brisbane Bayside Steam Railway Vlog

Taken the last time we visited!

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What I wore:

Jacket: Cotton On 'Gemma' cocoon kimono in Laos blossom navy print
Necklace: Uniquely Made with Love Sea Change necklace
Tank: Jeanswest 'Josie' striped back strap tank
Shorts: thrifted pastel pink cotton shorts
Shoes: black slim Havaianas thongs
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff small Darren messenger bag in peony

Why I wore it:

Despite having the same outfit formula as what I wore above, I didn't like this outfit as much. I love all of the pieces on their own, this is one of my frequently worn kimonos and you can't beat a classic white striped tank! I just felt it all looked a little off together. I did like how comfortable this was for a morning out with the boys though. We went to the local library and they played a bit in the playground before lunch.

I didn't hate this outfit - there were some things about it I really liked, like how well the pastel pink shorts went with the Rebecca Minkoff peony Darren messenger bag! I will definitely be wearing those two pieces together again!


Last worn: floral cocoon kimono, striped tank, beaded necklace, pastel pink shorts, Havaianas, Rebecca Minkoff small Darren bag.

Other ways to wear: floral cocoon kimono and flares, striped tank and maxi skirt, pastel pink shorts and leaf print tank, Rebecca Minkoff small Darren bag with a dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: floral cocoon kimono in third trimester, striped tank in second trimester.

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Striped Tanks Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

Stripes and florals are so fun to wear together! A colourful floral kimono is such an easy piece to add to a summer shorts and striped tank outfit too. It doesn't overheat you but allows you to add more colour and interest to what you're wearing. A basic striped tank is a must have piece you can wear so many different ways.


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Black Dresses For The Office With Pink Scarves and Rebecca Minkoff Darren Messenger Bag

You can add scarves to warm weather outfits by thinking a little differently about how you wear them. While these two scarves are very different, they are both pretty shades of pink and work so nicely with these little black dresses for the office. I continued the pink theme with my peony Rebecca Minkoff Darren messenger bag.

What I wore: 

Scarf: Hermes twilly worn as a headband (Confettis D'ex-Libris from 2009)
Necklace: House of Harlow 5 station necklace in black and silver
Dress: Jeanswest 'Gisele' contrast lace dress
Shoes: Walnut Melbourne 'Ava' black lizard ballet flats (also available in silver)
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff small Darren messenger bag in peony

Why I wore it:

It was Melbourne Cup day so once again I broke out my Hermes twilly to tie around my hair like a headband. I did the same thing last year! This year we weren't having a big lunch like we usually do, just a few snacks to watch the race. I was stuck working on an urgent issue and missed the race and the snacks.

I wanted to feel a little more dressed up than usual for the occasion - you see so many people wearing the prettiest dresses around the office and in Brisbane on race day. This little black lace dress which sometimes seems too dressy for work was the perfect piece to wear. I really liked the way the peony pink Darren bag worked with the lace on the dress too. Was good to give this dress another wear, it's one of the little worn pieces in my wardrobe, last worn a year ago!


Last worn: black lace dress, Hermes twilly, House of Harlow necklace, Walnut Melbourne flats, Rebecca Minkoff Darren bag.

Other ways to wear: black lace dress for a night out, Hermes twilly worn two ways, Walnut Melbourne flats and pencil skirt, Rebecca Minkoff Darren bag with stripes.

Perfect for pregnancy: black lace dress in third trimester, Hermes twilly in second trimester, Walnut Melbourne flats in third trimester.

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What's In My Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Darren Messenger

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What I wore:

Scarf: Fashion Scarf Girl leaf print scarf (c/o) (worn as belt)
Necklace: Eye Candy LA 'Sasha' statement necklace
Dress: Jeanswest tucked ponte black dress
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs silver tuxedo flats
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff small Darren messenger bag in peony

Why I wore it:

Unlike the lace dress above, this classic fit and flare dress is frequently worn to the office. It's the perfect style and length and always looks good! Sometimes I like to wear a belt with it. I decided to try something a little different with my leaf print scarf and tied it as a belt around my waist. I folded the scarf over a few times, wrapped it around, and then tucked the ends back into the scarf at the back. As the dress is a thick ribbed ponte fabric, it held in place perfectly through the day.

While I think the scarf and the small Darren bag added a great touch of colour with the dress, I couldn't resist adding just a little more with this statement necklace. The colours really popped against the black, and I was feeling very confident and happy with my outfit when I stepped out of the house. Only to quickly realise on my way to work that a braided hairstyle and this crystal necklace don't work so well together. The necklace kept getting caught rather painfully in my braid through the day! Will definitely be wearing this necklace and dress together again in future, but maybe not with my hair tied so close to it 😂



Last worn: black fit and flare dress, leaf print scarf, statement crystal necklace, silver ballet flats, Rebecca Minkoff Darren bag (above).

Other ways to wear: black fit and flare dress in winter, leaf print scarf and skinny jeans, silver ballet flats and purple jeans, Rebecca Minkoff Darren bag with peplum tank.

Perfect for pregnancy: black fit and flare dress in second trimester, silver ballet flats in third trimester.

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Black Dresses Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

A little black dress is a frequently recommended style staple. It is a classic piece to have for work. It's easy to change it up a little each time you wear it with different accessories, and to add a touch of colour. You can stick with a colourful bag like I have here, or try something a little different and add a scarf as well. You can drape a scarf over your neck or try an alternative way to wear it, like as a headband or wrapped around your waist like a belt.


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Plain Tees and Printed Maxi Skirts With Rebecca Minkoff Bags

When the heat hits, I look for simple easy outfits that don't have any unnecessary layers. A plain tee and a printed maxi skirt is simple summer style. And spring style, as I wore these a few weeks ago when it was still spring!

What I wore: 

Necklace: Jeanswest Taryn turquoise tassel bead necklace
Tee: Atmos & Here black essential v-neck tee
Skirt: thrifted Billabong red printed maxi skirt
Shoes: Rebecca Minkoff Georgina studded gladiator sandals in blush
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff unlined saddle bag in cherry red (on sale in blue!)

Why I wore it:

I adore this skirt so much and it was the first one that came to mind when picking an outfit to wear to meet Sasha. It's so light in the heat and swishes beautifully when you walk, kind of creating its own breeze. The day was forecast to be extremely hot, so we ended up spending more time indoors than anticipated.

Sasha is another Brisbane blogger and while she lives a little distance away from me, we caught up at a mid point in the city, at the state library. The cafe there was lovely and very quiet until I showed up with the boys! In the end we ducked into the kids play area at the library so the boys could run around a little more and we could continue chatting. Always so nice meeting another blogging friend in person, even more so when they are as interesting as Sasha. We spoke for a couple of hours, which seemed to be over in a few minutes, before I took the boys for lunch in the city and headed home.

Keeping things simple with the outfit, I went with a neutral black tee, a red bag to match the red skirt, and my latest necklace purchase to match the gold hardware on the bag. You can see why I enjoy Sasha's blog so much, we have very similar style! Thanks to Mr 4 who kindly took the photo for us.


Last worn: black tee, tassel necklace, red printed maxi skirt, studded sandals, Rebecca Minkoff saddle bag.

Other ways to wear: black tee and olive jeans, red printed maxi skirt and Christmas tee, studded sandals worn 30 ways, Rebecca Minkoff saddle bag worn 30 ways.

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Rebecca Minkoff Handbag Collection

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What I wore:

Necklace: silk beaded baby-friendly necklace
Tee: Jeanswest Emma woven trim tee in terracotta
Skirt: Target navy side split maxi skirt
Shoes: black slim Havaianas thongs
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Love cross body bag in grey

Why I wore it:

Thankfully this day wasn't as hot as the one above. As you can see, there was even a bit of a breeze! I kept to the simple outfit formula I'd liked so much above, going a little more colourful this time with the basic red tee and navy striped maxi skirt. I accessorised with the baby friendly necklace as we spent the morning at our local ABA group, the topic was baby / toddler massage.

The last time I did a baby massage class my now 2 and a half year old was a tiny little 3 week old, so I was really looking forward to it! I went in with two very eager to help little boys, which quickly turned into me chasing kids around the room in between attempting to practice the massage techniques. I definitely don't do the massage techniques as often as I should, but there are so many benefits to it so I'm going to try do it more often. It's a lot more fun to do when the boys are big enough to give feedback on what they like too!

Stuck with this neutral Rebecca Minkoff Love bag as I still had it out after wearing it a few days before and the grey was a good pairing with the brighter red and navy outfit.


Last worn: red tee, silk necklace, navy striped maxi skirt, Havaianas, Rebecca Minkoff Love bag.

Other ways to wear: red tee and jeans, navy striped maxi skirt worn two ways, Rebecca Minkoff Love bag worn 30 ways.

Perfect for pregnancy: Rebecca Minkoff Love bag in second trimester.

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Printed Maxi Skirts Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It

Printed maxi skirts can be a little daunting as they are such large pieces of print! You can keep things easy and simple by picking a plain tee to wear with them. You can go with a neutral black like I did in the first outfit, or try something different and add a little more colour like in the second outfit. You can't go wrong pairing a plain basic with a fun printed piece!



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