Printed Maxi Dresses & Pink Balenciaga Bags

The simplest outfit of all has to be a printed dress, and you'll know if you've read my blog a while that maxi dresses are my favourite! I wore both of these recently for different occasions - a maxi dress works for so many events.

What I wore:

Necklace: Kmart navy and gold beaded tassel necklace
Dress: Jeanswest Sophia high-low maxi dress
Shoes: Rebecca Minkoff Georgina studded gladiator sandals in blush
Bag: Balenciaga Day bag in 2005 magenta

Why I wore it:

Second wearing of my Christmas dress! I bought this dress back in October. I usually stick to my 'wear twice in the month I buy it' rule for fashion purchases, but decided to treat myself to a new dress for Christmas and put this aside until the day.

This time around, I wore it to head over to my parents for dinner. Nothing formal, just another excuse for me to wear this pretty dress! These studded Rebecca Minkoff gladiator sandals are a staple for me over summer - the neutral shade just goes with everything - and were an obvious choice with the dress.

I thought the magenta Balenciaga day bag would work nicely with the pink and the purple in the print. While not an exact match to the shade of pink in the dress, I still really liked this combination together. I thought the navy and gold tassel necklace was a good pairing with the dress too.

Unfortunately I managed to break (and kinda repair) this necklace part way through the evening. It's not quite as symmetrical now, although it is back in one piece! Despite breaking the necklace, we had such a nice time at my parents.


Last worn: high-low maxi dress, navy tassel necklace, gladiator sandals, Balenciaga magenta day bag.

Other ways to wear: high-low maxi dress for Christmas day, gladiator sandals worn 30 ways, Balenciaga magenta day bag for travelling.

Perfect for pregnancy: Balenciaga magenta day bag in third trimester.

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My Balenciaga Handbag Collection:

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What I wore:

Necklace: Kmart pink multi-colour beaded necklace
Dress: Jeanswest 'Chantelle' crochet detail blue printed maxi dress
Shoes: Balenciaga studded sandals in sorbet RGGH
Bag: Balenciaga RH classic city in 2010 sorbet (more affordable preloved)

Why I wore it:

This outfit was for a much more casual occasion, although I again opted for the ease of a maxi dress. We had an early morning start to surprise hubby at the airport as he arrived after a week away in America. An even earlier start than expected as his plane arrived 20 minutes ahead of time, so instead of leisurely getting ready I had to hurry up and get us all fed and dressed and drive to the airport. In the end I probably didn't need to get there as early as I did, his plane was only actually 10 minutes early in the end, but as we were surprising him and he wasn't expecting to see us, I wanted to be there ready with our signs so he'd see us as soon as he stepped through customs.

Since I wanted to put in a little bit of effort into my outfit, I went with my trusty blue maxi dress. It's just as comfortable as pyjamas when you're sitting around at the airport waiting for someone to arrive! I've worn it with pink before in the past, I really like blue and pink together. I was surprised to see I hadn't worn this pink Balenciaga sorbet city bag with it before though! I really liked the combination.

I picked a pink necklace which kind of matched, and my sorbet Balenciaga studded sandals which matched the bag exactly. Simple accessorising for the morning rush!


Last worn: pink beaded necklace, blue printed maxi dress, Balenciaga studded sandals, Balenciaga sorbet city bag.

Other ways to wear: blue printed maxi dress layered for a rainy day, Balenciaga studded sandals and shorts, Balenciaga sorbet city bag and pencil skirt.

Perfect for pregnancy: blue printed maxi dress at 39 weeks, Balenciaga studded sandals in second trimester, Balenciaga sorbet city bag in second trimester.

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Printed Maxi Dresses Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

A printed maxi dress is such a time saver, it's an instant outfit. They are easy to accessorise too! You can pick similar colours out of the print to wear in your accessories and add some neutral pieces like in the first outfit, or just pick a contrasting colour and wear that in all your accessories like I have in the second outfit.



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Peplum Tops, Pencil Skirts & Rebecca Minkoff MAB Tote | Weekday Wear Linkup!

It's the Weekday Wear Linkup, with some office style!

Keeping things simple for my return to work after a bit of a break, I stuck with an outfit combo I've worn before. Peplum tanks and pencil skirts, easy office style and just what you need after a few weeks leave over Christmas (I wore these mid-January).

What I wore:

Earrings: gifted Kmart navy tassel earrings
Scarf: Fashion Scarf Girl grey tiny bird print scarf (c/o)
Necklace: Kmart navy and gold beaded tassel necklace
Tank: Kmart black sleeveless frill hem peplum tank (new purchase)
Skirt: Cotton On 'Mica' mesh spot skirt in dusty pink
Shoes: Walnut Melbourne 'Ava' black lizard ballet flats (also available in silver)
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff medium MAB tote in moon navy

Why I wore it:

Last time I wore this skirt I mentioned how much I wear it with black - the fuzzy polka dots just make black an obvious pairing! I thought the peplum tank and textured pencil skirt would be a fun combo, but still good for a busy day at work.

It was a bit of a weird day, with wind and rain forecast but also quite humid so I added this bird print scarf onto the handles of my Rebecca Minkoff MAB bag in case I needed it later with the rain. It actually started raining just after I took these photos!

With the black and pink, I decided to wear accessories that would match the navy bag for a third colour in my outfit. I loved the tassel earrings and tassel necklace together, both are Christmas gifts. Only downside was that the statement earrings kept catching on my braid. I have to remember to wear simpler pieces when I have my hair braided on the side like this!


Last worn: navy and gold tassel necklace, pink polka dot pencil skirt, black ballet flats, Rebecca Minkoff MAB tote bag. First time I've worn the peplum tank and scarf.

Other ways to wear: pink polka dot pencil skirt in winter, black ballet flats and jeans, Rebecca Minkoff MAB tote bag and sheath dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: pink polka dot pencil skirt in first trimester, black ballet flats in second trimester, Rebecca Minkoff MAB tote bag in third trimester.

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What's In My Bag: Rebecca Minkoff MAB Tote

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What I wore:

Earrings: Kmart silver tassel earrings
Scarf: Fashion Scarf Girl plain crinkle scarf in hot pink (c/o)
Necklace: For King & Country Priceless Australian coin and crest necklace
Tank: Kmart navy bird print peplum frill hem tank
Skirt: Atmos&Here grey marle jersey pencil skirt
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs silver tuxedo flats
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff medium MAB tote in moon navy

Why I wore it:

Once again, repeating the outfit formula above as I liked it so much. This time around, with a printed tank and a plan pencil skirt. And a simpler hairstyle, as I picked grey tassel earrings to match the pencil skirt and the blazer I brought along for meetings. Like the outfit above, it was both a humid and rainy day so I didn't add the blazer for the pics, but it really dressed up the outfit in the office. A grey jersey pencil skirt and a grey jersey blazer together looks very formal, even with a fun printed peplum tank in the middle.

Picked a bright pink scarf to accessorise. This crinkle one didn't get any wear during the day with my blazer worn in the office aircon instead, but I loved how it popped on the bag!


Last worn: silver tassel earrings, coin pendant necklace, pink crinkle scarf, bird print tank, jersey pencil skirt, silver bow ballet flats, Rebecca Minkoff MAB tote (above).

Other ways to wear: bird print tank and olive jeans, jersey pencil skirt worn two ways, silver bow ballet flats and little black dress, Rebecca Minkoff MAB tote in winter.

Perfect for pregnancy: jersey pencil skirt in third trimester, silver bow ballet flats in third trimester, Rebecca Minkoff MAB tote in first trimester.

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Peplum Tanks Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

A peplum tank is a flattering option, and it is such a cute touch to have a little extra frill on a basic tank. Paired with a pencil skirt (with a blazer on top if needed to meet stricter office dress codes) it makes a simple feminine office outfit. You can go with something plain, or pick a printed tank for a little more interest and colour.

Weekday Wear Linkup #06

Welcome to the Weekday Wear linkup! A linkup for you to share your weekday outfits - whether that is office wear or stay at home mum wear - if you wore it on a weekday, you can link it up!

Guidelines:
1. Please link to a specific outfit post, not your blog homepage.
2. Link back to this post so others can find the link up.
3. Follow your host Away From The Blue on Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube.
4. Add up to two posts and be sure to visit and comment on as many other posts as possible to get some weekday outfit inspiration!
Optional: tweet the post you linked up with the hashtag #weekdayWearLinkUp so I can retweet!

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Striped Tee Dresses and Purple Balenciaga Work Bag

Continuing the theme of blog posts this week and wearing some more new things, two new-to-me striped tee dresses.

My sister had a wardrobe clear out just before Christmas, and hers was a much more successful one than mine. I shared a video of some of the things I scored. I was thrilled to get two striped tee dresses, something I've wanted for a while. I've worn the black one before, but it was the first wearing for the white one. With the dresses from my sister's wardrobe and the bag from my bestie's wardrobe, it's easy to see you don't need to head to the stores when you want something different! Look through things friends or family are discarding from their wardrobes 😂

What I wore:

Earrings: gifted Kmart silver tassel earrings
Necklace: gifted Target silver Alisha trinity pendant necklace
Dress: Cotton On 'Tina' white striped tee dress in Lissy black / Gardenia (from my sister's wardrobe)
Shoes: Balenciaga studded sandals in sorbet RGGH
Bag: Balenciaga raisin purple 2009 giant silver G21 hardware work bag

Why I wore it:

I wore this for a rare kid-free couple of hours to shop! I popped out to browse the Kmart new year clearance sale. They had all their Christmas stock marked down, and I walked away with quite a lot for next Christmas! I got a trolley full of goodies for $15, and just one of the things in the trolley was a $15 tree. As well as Christmas things, they had a lot of clothes and some toys marked down so I enjoyed getting to wander through the store and even try things on at my own pace without kids in tow! I've already shared the shorts I got, and I picked up a peplum top and some new PJs for myself too.

Kept things simple with my outfit. Just the tee dress, silver pendant necklace and earrings (both Christmas gifts) and then Balenciaga accessories. This tee dress was one of the new with tags pieces my sister never got around to wearing. Worked out nicely for me! I did mull over the pink studded sandals with the purple studded bag, as the bag has silver hardware and the sandals are rose gold. I think they are far enough apart that it worked though.

While I think this dress might be a little too short for days with the kids, it worked out perfectly for a morning shopping by myself, and was nice on a hot and humid day!


Last worn: purple Balenciaga work bag, Balenciaga studded sandals. First time I've worn the necklace as it was a Christmas gift, and first time I've worn this dress from my sister's wardrobe.

Other ways to wear: purple Balenciaga work bag and jeans, Balenciaga studded sandals and maxi dress.

Perfect for pregnancy: Balenciaga studded sandals in second trimester.

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What's In My Bag: Balenciaga Work

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What I wore:

Dress: All About Eve striped black tee dress
Shoes: Rebecca Minkoff Georgina studded gladiator sandals in blush
Bag: Balenciaga raisin purple 2009 giant silver G21 hardware work bag

Why I wore it:

Unlike the striped tee dress above, I wore this on a day out with the kids. This dress is just slightly longer and has a longer hem in the back that made me feel more comfortable wearing it out for a morning of running errands.

Usually when I'm with the kids I'll take a small cross body bag as I'll be carrying the bulky baby bag too. On this day, we weren't planning to be out long and I didn't feel like carrying the baby bag all morning, so I decided to put the wipes, water bottles and a changing kit in my Balenciaga work bag. I was feeling quite happy with my decision until we got to music time at the library - with an entire room full of kids dancing and stomping and running around my poor bag was trampled on a few times (mostly by my boys though!). I think I'll stick with the small cross body bag that fits inside the baby bag if needed for a while longer!

Handbag stomping aside, I liked the way this outfit looked! I love the pop of colour with the purple against the black and white stripes. This dress was so nice on an overcast but humid day too. I kept the accessories simple, no necklace and just my trusty Rebecca Minkoff studded sandals, as it really was too hot to contemplate wearing anything more.

Last worn: black striped tee dress, studded gladiator sandals, Balenciaga purple work bag (above).

Other ways to wear: black striped tee dress with gold shoes, studded sandals worn 30 ways, purple Balenciaga work bag in the office,

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Striped Tee Dresses Under $50:

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How You Can Wear It:

A tee dress is a lovely easy outfit option for a hot summer day. With lots of choice for designs, you could pick one in your favourite print (mine is stripes!). If you have young kids, best to consider the length of the dresses to avoid any unfortunate moments in the playground! Definitely something you want to try on at home or compare measurements with a dress you already have and know is kid-friendly.


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