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Style it Project: Falling Flowers Kimono

February 4, 2015 / Fashion / 10 Comments

So I’m a bit late with this post. This feature piece for the Style It Project was for last month. It was to style the Bohemian Traders Falling Flowers Kimono. The Style It Project is run by Redcliffe Style and Kimba Likes where they choose one outfit of clothing that we can style for the month. This outfit is going to be on rotation during Autumn and Winter.

As you know I am a cape/kimono fan and have quite a few on rotation in my wardrobe. I also wear my scarves as kimonos so I can add variety to my current collection.

Just before Christmas I bought myself this red Paisley Rouge print Kimono which I was a little apprehensive in purchasing because it seemed to be a big size and I have to be careful swamping myself with too much fabric or else I look like a circus. I purposefully bought it to be worn over a red and white stripe short sleeve dress to cover my arms, but the dress revealed a bit too much of my jelly belly! Instead I teamed the kimono with my striped red tee and Katies Capris.

The drape in the kimono wears beautifully and I love mixing it with stripes or worn by itself over a white nursing singlet and cinched in with a belt.

Unfortunately after I wore this particular outfit I got covered in poo because my Phoebe did a huge poonami! I’m looking forward to wearing it more than five minutes next time I wear it again.

Ever worn a nice outfit and then get covered in poo or some other random substance your kid decides to wipe on you?

I’m linking up with With Some Grace for FYBF.

How to wear pastels without looking pasty

February 3, 2015 / Style tips / 22 Comments

Pastels are hard to wear unless you suit the summer palette of colours where pastels are your best friends.

But just because they are hard to wear doesn’t mean they should be avoided altogether.

For me being fair, I suit pastels with an icy tone or an underlying blue tone in the colour.

Sometimes this can be hard to tell if you are shopping online which is pretty much how I do my clothes shopping these days.

So how can you incorporate pastels into your wardrobe without looking pasty?

It’s all about what you team your pastels with and the two hero neutrals that make you pastels soar are white and grey.

Grey is the most flattering colour for most people. It’s mix of black and white in the one shade means it compliments pastels very well.

I have worked on some outfits using current pieces in the market to give you ideas on how to incorporate pastels into your wardrobe if it’s a trend you want to participate it.

First up we have a hint of mint teamed with a grey tee, white pants and black accessories.

1. Mimco Sunglasses Horizon Sunglasses $99.95

2. Witchery Short Sleeve Split Hem Grey Tee $39.95

3. Mimco Scarf Cheetahmaton Scarf $69.95

4. Colette Hayman Baby Travel Bag $69.99

5. Katies Uplifting Ankle Grazer $49.95

6. Tony Bianco Marti Slide $60.00

The next outfit combines two pastel colours together with a grey base in the skirt.

1. Witchery Woven Front Tank $59.95

2. Sussan Pink Solid Scarf $19.95

3. Colette Hayman Tassel Bead Necklace $12.95

4. Tony Bianco Ferrage Sandal $40.00

5. Witchery Knotted Rib Skirt $129.95

6. Colette Hayman Paige Disc Tote $49.95

What is your favourite pastel colour? Do you wear pastels often? I’m linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT.

Work Wear Ideas for Back to Work Mums

January 28, 2015 / Style tips / 6 Comments

The days when I wore office attire to work was over 8 years ago! EIGHT years ago.

I loved my work wardrobe and I had fun putting outfits together. When I became a plumber it was navy cotton drill pants and shirt day in and day out. While I don’t necessarilly long for those days back at work, I do sometimes wish I could dress up a little for a job. I guess this is why I try and put effort into my #everydaystyle outfits and when I go out on the weekend (which has been rare since having baby number three).

Anyway, I digress.

If you’re heading back to work after a long stint being a stay-at-home-mum you may find your wardrobe bare of work worthy attire. It’s also a time when you have a limited budget because of childcare fees, back to school expenses and possibly an incredibly high credit card bill from Christmas spending.

With this in mind I have created this capsule wardrobe with the most expensive piece being $140 and these items are available for purchase online or in stores. Don’t feel pressured to buy expensive brands to look the goods. You can create amazing outfits for little money. Back in the day when I worked in an office, most of my work wear came from Sussan, Rockmans, Kmart and Temt. (When I shopped at Temt I was pre-baby size 12!)

The size options in this work wardrobe go to a size 20 for most pieces.

The biggest issue when it comes to work wear is making your outfits look interesting and not blending into a sea of black and white. Black and white are good staples, but incorporating a bit of colour and pattern goes a long way in creating super stylish work outfits.

In this capsule wardrobe, there are 7 outfits that can all be intermixed and changed to create many more outfits depending on your preference for mixing prints or not.

I’ve only included one pair of shoes that will work with the whole wardrobe because by the time you’ve bought the clothes, not much is left for shoes. These Target shoes are a great versatile buy for $40 and once you start working and have a bit more cash to spend, you can upgrade them. Shoes worn to work get a really good work out and I found I was replacing my work shoes at least once a year.

The outfit ideas can be seen by their vertical placement and then you can mix the tops with the bottoms depending on your preference. I’ve included a mix of current trends including graphic prints, florals, bright colour and stripes.

Here are my Work Wear Ideas for Back to Work Mums

1. Table Eight Brodie Stripe Floral Dress $139.00 (available at Rockmans)

2. Table Eight Tamsin Adjustable Strap Dress $139.00 (available at Rockmans)

3. Target Zip Sheath Dress $59.00

4. Target Edge to Edge Blazer in Raspberry $49.00

5. Target City Dressing Short Sleeve Spot Shirt $20.00

6. Katies Graphic Print Skirt $49.95

7. Target City Dressing Fashion Blazer $59.00

8. Sussan Floral Abstract Swing Shirt $49.99 (on sale)

9. Target City Dressing Wide Leg Pants $40.00

10. Target City Dressing Short Sleeve Black Shirt $20

11. Sussan Floral Abstract Pants $49.95

12. Target Sandi Pointed Heels $40.00

13. Target City Dressing Short Sleeve Pink Shirt $20.00

14. Floral Digital Print Skirt $59.00

I purposefully left out accessories to focus on acquiring the clothes necessary to make different outfits.

How did you tackle your back to work wardrobe this year? Can you share any tips to help other mums?

I’m linking up with Kimba Likes for Wardrobe Wednesday

How to make the Bohemian Traders Oversized Striped Tee Dress Breastfeeding Friendly

January 22, 2015 / Fashion, Style tips / 3 Comments

Finding breastfeeding friendly clothes can be hard. I think it’s much easier than it used to be, but it can still be hard. Especially if you fall in love with a dress and know that you can’t wear it for 12 months or however longer you choose to feed your baby.

When I’m breastfeeding and I go buy new clothes, I want to wear them NOW.

When I saw Bohomian Traders had a red stripe oversize tee dress, I really, really wanted to buy it.

Red Stripe Oversize Dress Breastfeeding Friendly

But I didn’t because when I saw the front I knew it wasn’t breastfeeding friendly.

Or so I thought.

The best part about having a mum that reads my blog, is she knows what shops I like and she takes tips from the advice I dish out on the blog and on instagram. Sometimes I need to be reminded of my own advice!

On Christmas night I was DELIGHTED to receive the Bohemian Traders Oversize Striped Summer dress. I was even more excited when my mum had read the detailed description that the dress had a lengthy zip at the back.

Remember when I shared how I wore this dress back to front on Instagram?

Wearing this dress back to front so the buttons make it easy access for breastfeeding. 🙂

Well the same thing can be done with this dress. I like to bring the zip down a little to create a v-neck and tuck the corners in to cover over the Bohemian Traders label.

It is so easy to throw this dress on and tend to my babes.

And when I stop breastfeeding, I can wear it how it’s meant to be worn.

But I may revert back just to mix it up a little.

How many Bohomian Traders pieces do you own? Do you have your stripe dress yet?

You got that WHERE? Rockmans Skirts to suit every shape

January 20, 2015 / Style tips / 2 Comments

I wanted to start a new series on my blog where I style an item of clothing from a shop that I wouldn’t normally shop in. From past experience, I have always tried to keep an open mind when shopping for clothes because you just never know what you will find. Like my Chevron Dress that was actually a nightie or my black jumpsuit from Millers.

Since I discovered a new appreciation of skirts as part of my mummy attire, this week I found a fabulous print maxi skirt from Rockmans. It cost me $20 because it was on sale.

I love the colours and the fit is a flattering shape. It doesn’t cling to my thighs revealing my undie line and the length is perfect for my height. The black in the skirt means I can wear it with my existing black nursing tops and add a necklace for more interest to the outfit.

There were a few great skirts at Rockmans that jumped out at me and I put a collage together of the skirts that caught my eye and I have explained what skirt suits which shape. Don’t take this as gospel because I have sometimes found more skirt styles suit my shape than what is advised. I’m an hourglass shape, but my long legs and height allow me to wear more skirts than the recommended pencil skirt. A pencil skirt on me right now would not be a good look.