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Knitted Out For Winter 2016

June 7, 2016 / Fashion / 10 Comments

In the last week or so winter has decided to arrive. After the wet and windy weather we experienced over the weekend, I’ve been reaching for my knitted vests and thick knit cardigans.

I find jumpers can be a little to hot for me during a mild winter so I opt for vests that can be layered over long sleeve shirts and dresses.

I’ve got a few vests and capes that are going to be on rotation in my wardrobe this winter. I find they add a lot of interest to a simple outfit of a long sleeved tee and jeans. Which is pretty much my mummy uniform during winter anyway.

Eb & Ive Navy Vest with Leather Belt $79.95
Katies Cable Knit Vest $69.95
Rockmans Sleeveless Fur Trim Cardigan $59.99
Feather and Noise Megan Cardi $59.99

If you live further down south, the vest won’t really give you the warmth you need. If you do opt to wear one, you will no doubt need to layer with a warm jacket.

If you’re still after the knit look, a cable knit turtleneck jumper is the perfect knit to wear this season. There is no need to wear a scarf as the turtleneck keeps your neck warm for you.

Turtlenecks have been seen in the past as a daggy style of knit, but don’t be fooled by old thinking. So long as it’s in a neutral colour and it incorporates a cable knit pattern, your turtleneck will look on trend.

The styles to go for if you find you feel too full around the face is the cowl turtleneck – which drapes downward. The cowl draws the eye down so it doesn’t feel like your neck is swamped with fabric.

When choosing your cable knit, the colours that work well with jeans are navy, grey, ivory, cream, mustard and white.

I’ve found a selection of cable knit turtleneck jumpers online for under $100.

Dotti Longline Nena Roll Neck Jumper $69.95
Millers Chunky Roll Neck Jumper Ivory $35.00
Millers Chunky Roll Neck Jumper Navy $35.00
Rockmans Long Sleeve Chevron Stitch Cowl Neck Jumper $59.99
Sass Samantha Snow Knit $79.95
Portmans Olivia Roll Neck Knit $89.95
The Iconic Guilty of the Crime Knit $79.98

A complete winter wardrobe requires at least 1 type of vest and 1-3 knit jumpers that can be worn on rotation.

I need to add another jumper to my wardrobe after doing a stocktake of what I already own. I’m just scared that the weather will change to milder temperatures and I won’t get to wear it as much as I’d like.

What are your go-to pieces during winter? Are you a fan of the cable knit sweater or vest?

I’m linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT.

Disclaimer: There are affiliate links on this post. Should you choose to purchase an item, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Rock This Winter With Empress Eleven

May 17, 2016 / Fashion / 20 Comments

When I headed out to pick Esther up from Prep on the Thursday afternoon before Mother’s Day, a Couriers Please van stopped me on my street to give me a parcel I had to sign for. I wasn’t expecting any parcels as I hadn’t ordered anything online. I quickly placed the parcel in my garage and reminded myself to open it when I got home.

When I opened the package, I was excited to receive some winter clothes from Empress Eleven.

Too bad the weather in Brisbane hasn’t followed with the seasons! It’s been too hot to wear long sleeves. But last Thursday changed that when we had our coldest morning and I was able to trot out these new threads.

Empress Eleven is a plus size brand that caters for women sizes 14 to 24. I’m a big fan of their jeggings which I wear on a weekly basis and I was unexpectedly gifted another pair to keep them in my wardrobe cycle.

I’m a fan of the prices that Empress Eleven offer. The pieces are affordable and wearable for everyday or going out.

I decided to share three of the pieces I was gifted to show you how to rock this winter with Empress Eleven.

I’m going to start with my favourite. The Charlie Rose Cardi. I love the waterfall drape, shoulder details and the softness of the fabric. It looks great with tan boots and I got plenty of compliments when I wore this last Thursday.

Charlie Rose Cardi $59.95

I was surprised how flattering this Cross My Heart Top looked on me. I prefer to have a longer hem on my tops because I have a bit of a belly and I don’t like to emphasize it with shorter torso tops or croppped tops. Wearing all back underneath, this top looked lovely and I added a bit of rock glamour with an embellished necklace.

Cross My Heart Top, $39.95

A side on view to see the back hem

The last top I wanted to share with you, wasn’t one of my farourites. I feel like my boobs look droopy in this top and I think it may have to do with the high neckline and shoulder pads. I tried to counteract the neckline with a V-neck shaped necklace but I still wasn’t quite happy with how it looked on. Nevertheless, I wanted to show you what it looked like. It’s the type of tunic top I’d wear with skinny jeans. The material is soft and the shoulder details are striking and give the top a rock style edge.

Black Betty Top $59.95

I’m looking forward to getting more wear out of these items as the weather starts to cool in Brisbane. They will be perfect to wear when the day stays coolish all day as opposed to Summer temperatures by midday.

Has the weather turned cold where you are? Have you got a bit of animal print in your wardrobe this winter?

Linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT.

Disclaimer: I was gifted these items for the purpose of this post. All opinions are my own.

Polka Dots & Spots AW16

May 10, 2016 / Fashion / 16 Comments

A month or so after I bought my black jeans from Sussan, that random scan on my VIP card reactivated promotional material sent to my letter box.

I flipped through the AW16 Sussan brochure and loved this black and white polka dot shirt. I have been looking for a black and white polka dot tee – as another pattern to break up with my love of striped tees. I had never considered buying a polka dot shirt, and here it was styled so beautifully with blush pink and denim.

Sussan Spot Shirt

Sussan spot shirt with pink jacket

I visualized what I could wear with the shirt during autumn and winter and told myself I had to have it.

Then I looked at the price tag and thought… maybe I don’t need to have it after all.

At $99.95, I would have bought the shirt if I had a spare $100 to part with. I didn’t. And I forgot about it for a couple of weeks.

And then my wedding anniversary came up and Jacob didn’t know what to buy me and so I said he could buy me something at Mount Tamborine, but nothing took my fancy so we didn’t buy anything.

While I was researching some fashion pieces for a new blog post, I went onto the Sussan website and it said that there would be a VIP sale. I decided that that polka dot shirt would be my anniversary/mother’s day present.

I waited for the sale and headed online to see that the shirt had pretty much sold out online. Not to be deterred, I headed to my local Sussan store, hoping there would be some sizes left.

There were!

I quickly grabbed a size 16 and as I passed by there was a sale on blazers that were already reduced in price. I found a size 14 blazer and headed to the change rooms, with the pram and whiny kids in tow.

After settling my girls into the pram with some snacks, I quickly whipped the shirt on to check for size. I don’t like shirts that gape near the boobs. So the size is really important. The 16 fit and I was happy as. I put on the blazer and that fit too. Happy Days.

As I made my way to the counter, the shirt was reduced to $69.95 and the blazer was reduced down to under $20. The blazer was originally $149.95!

My total spend was around $88 which meant I basically got the blazer for free had I spent full price on the shirt. Sometimes, waiting can work in your favour as it did for me.

It seems any type of polk dots or spots seem to sell out as soon as they hit the stores. I found it hard to find a selection of spots and polka dot style pieces available in all sizes online. But if you’re keen to add this to your wardrobe, here is what I found.

1. ASOS Off the shoulder Polka Dot top $42.00

2. Handpicked by Birds Polka Dot Blazer $89.95

3. Cordelia St Ivory Spot Tee $69.95

4. Handpicked by Birds Polka Dot Jersey Maxi Dress $89.95

5. Portmans Spot Scarf $29.95

6. Cordelia St Spot Skirt $49.95

The blazer for me was a great find and I will share it with you in another post. At present it’s just too hot for a jacket during the day.

I wore my new shirt on Mother’s Day and Esther decided to match me with her black spot tunic that I bought at Easter time from Kmart.

Esther poses so well. I wonder where she learned that from?

When was the last time you got a bargain? Ever waited for a piece of clothing you couldn’t afford, go on sale?

Disclaimer: There are affiliate links on this post. Should you choose to purchase something, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Three Quarter Sleeve Tops – The Perfect Arm Length For A Warm Autumn 16

April 26, 2016 / Fashion / 17 Comments

Three quarter sleeve tops are my go to tops for Autumn and Winter.

The cooler weather in Brisbane tends to be quite mild so I find the length of a ¾ sleeve top just right for in between seasons.

I find that these tops tend to sell out quite quickly and will purchase a few different colours when I see them available.

Which is what I did a couple of weeks ago.

I should mention, our budget has been stretched these last couple of months with the knock on effect of paying some big bills at the beginning of the year and not getting money through to replenish the savings to keep us afloat.

There hasn’t been a lot of money spare to buy new clothes and so I’ve been creative with my well stocked wardrobe and did an edit recently on my Autumn Winter needs. ¾ sleeve tops were in short supply.

As I was shopping with my younger two girls to get groceries, I walked past Suzanne Grae and saw these off the shoulder ¾ sleeve tops and saw they were only $29.95. I tried on the red and loved it. I opted to go to the XL as the material is a little clingy.

I got plenty of comments when I wore it recently. Red has always been my colour and whether it’s in season or not, I love to wear it.

Depending on where you live in Australia, the three quarter sleeve top arm length may be perfect for you as the weather is still quite warm for Autumn. I also find these tops work well in Spring when the weather starts to warm up. The extra coverage also hides any dry elbows.

There aren’t many sizes left of this Bardot top from Suzanne Grae. I’ve put a selection of tops that are available online, but be quick to get these as they won’t last long. Already after putting this post together there is only 1 size left with the red and striped tops.

1. Surafina Geo Cream Pullover $69

2. Katies 3/4 Roll Sleeve Tunic $49.95

3. Suzanne Grae Fold Back Bardot Top $29.95

4. Freez Zippered Top $49

5. Atmos and Here Saint Moss Top $49.95

6. Millers Layering Basic 3/4 Sleeve Top $15

7. ASOS Pimkie Check Woven Top $40

8. Suzanne Grae Fold Back Bardot Top Stripe $29.95

Are you a fan of the three quarter sleeve?

Disclaimer: There are affiliate links on this post. Should you choose to purchase an item, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Blue, Black & White – A Winning Combination for Autumn 2016

April 14, 2016 / Fashion / 8 Comments

Last Friday night I held an essential oil class at my house and invited a few friends over. As each friend rocked up, we all noticed we were wearing nearly the exact same outfit. I couldn’t believe the similarities. What are the chances of everyone rocking up with the same outfit? My mum offered to take our picture as proof that we all dressed alike on the night.

Such a strange thing to happen, yet proof that the classic blue/chambray shirt, white tee and black jean combo is a colour trio that is popular this season and is suitable for smart-casual occasions.

From Left to Right: Millers Chambray Shirt $32, Katies Long Sleeve White Top $19.95, Katies Black Zip Trim Jean $59.95

Denim and chambray shirts and dresses seem to be everywhere at the moment. Nikki from Styling You shared 7 ways to wear a denim shirt this season which has put this style of shirt on my to buy list when money is available.

A dark denim dress is also on my list as well as a new pair of indigo skinny jeans as my jeans from last year are too big and are sagging in the wrong places.

Speaking of Nikki and denim dresses, I attended the Katies VIP Night where Nikki shared tips on what to add to our winter wardrobes. Denim dresses and shirts are the pieces to add as they can be worn now and layered when the weather turns cool – if it will ever turn cool in Brisbane!

Of course, Nikki warned we shouldn’t buy anything unless we’d gone through our wardrobe to check what we already owned.

I haven’t done a stocktake on my winter wardrobe because I’m still living in my summer clothes. Who knows when the weather will change so I can start to wear some layers.

Despite going to the event with not a clue on what I needed to buy (and resorting to not buy too much like last time), I ended up buying a black longline cardigan and scarf. You can never have too many scarves and the one I bought is unlike any that I own. I also know that I will get a lot of wear out of the black cardigan. As a result of my purchases I ended up getting a ¾ sleeve tee for free. It really pays to attend a styling event because you get armed with information to help you make good fashion choices for the coming season and usually the sales on the night mean the money spent is minimal. I had a $20 voucher that I received last time I attended Nikki’s event which I used and my purchases came to $44. Winning!

What I got from Katies from left to right: Textured Stripe Scarf $24.95, Black Ribbed Longline Cardigan $59.95, 3/4 Sleeve Ribbed Top $19.95

This weekend, I will be going through my wardrobe again. I’ve found that since walking Esther to school, my shape is changing – I’m getting my waist back and the front belly is s-l-o-w-l-y starting to disappear.

It’s been harder to lose weight after having Phoebe. I’m an emotional eater. If the day is going pear shaped because I’m breaking up fights or getting frustrated with toddler behavior, I head to the pantry and eat chocolate.

It’s all in the mindset and being organized with my food, but I get a bit lazy with my food choices. At least I’m not putting weight on…

What have you bought lately? Do you need new jeans? What do you do to manage your weight through winter?

Disclaimer: There are affiliate links on this post. Should you choose to purchase an item, I will receive a small commission at not extra cost to you.

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