Monday 14 September 2015

Corporate Style: Printed Shirts and Pencil Skirts. Balenciaga Day Bag

Sharing two more of my recent office outfits, going with a simple 'formula' of a printed shirt and a pencil skirt. I'm still wearing my trench coats as although it's Spring in Brisbane it can still be a bit chilly in the morning, especially if you have to go bare-legged.

What I wore:

Away From Blue Blog | Choies Strawberry Print Shirt Black Trench Pencil Skirt Office Wear

Away From Blue Blog | Balenciaga truffle brown RH classic day bag
Jacket: Temt black trench coat 
Necklace: Tai gold alphabet necklace
ShirtChoies pink chiffon shirt with strawberry print (C/O Choies)
SkirtAsos black tailored tab front pencil skirt
ShoesMarc by Marc Jacobs metallic mouse flats
BagBalenciaga truffle brown RH classic day bag

Why I wore it:

Adding a bit of colour to an otherwise overly black outfit with my strawberry print shirt. While the other shirt I ordered from Choies tore on the first wear, I'm pleased to see this one is still going strong.


Last worn: black trench coat, strawberry print shirt, black pencil skirt, metallic mouse flats, Balenciaga day bag.

Other ways to weartrench and a printed dress, printed short and denim shorts, black pencil skirt and purple cardi, gold mouse flats and skinny jeans, Balenciaga day bag and a shift dress.


More printed shirts for the office under $60:







What I wore:

Print Mixing in the office shirt and tartan scarf camel trench brown balenciaga day bag

Balenciaga truffle brown RH classic day bag
Jacket: Barkins beige trench coat 
Scarf: red tartan scarf
Necklace: custom Cooper charm by Silhoupette
ShirtJeanswest 'Ruby' mixed print shirt
Skirt: Jeanswest black ponte pencil skirt
ShoesWalnut Melbourne 'Ava' black lizard ballet flats
BagBalenciaga truffle brown RH classic day bag

Why I wore it:

Wanted to add some more colour to this outfit, so after trying on a few different scarves before running out the door, I settled on this brightly coloured tartan scarf. I really liked the print mixing, even thought the shirt has print mixing inbuilt already too. Ended up keeping the scarf on in the office as I liked the look so much.


Last worn: camel trench, tartan scarf, mixed print shirt, black pencil skirt, ballet flats, Balenciaga day bag (above).

Other ways to wearcamel trench and a printed dress, tartan scarf and winter layers, printed shirt and shortsblack pencil skirt and a black blazer, ballet flats and a maxi skirt, Balenciaga day bag and stripes.


Last year, my church did a series called Struggles. I really enjoyed it. This past weekend I decided to participate in the #strugglesFast with some others. It was no computers, no smartphone and no TV. While I was allowed to use a computer for work purposes, I only used it to work at my usual Sunday evening Church Online events. I failed the fast 3 times: when I had to google the address of the emergency vets on my phone (Cooper had a minor injury but our usual vet was closed), when I turned on the computer to go to church online and my email opened up and I couldn't resist scanning through a few subject lines, and when a friend at Church Online gave me a website to checkout in response to my question, and I went and opened it without thinking. I closed it as soon as I realised, but it still counts as a fail.

What I learnt from the #strugglesFast:

  • For someone as addicted to the internet (especially instagram) as I am, I expected it to be a lot more difficult to stick to the fast, but I'm quite pleased with how I did. 
  • I'm also rather amazed by just how often I'd still go to check my phone before I remembered I was on the tech fast. I ended up leaving it on a table, but the reflex was still there to grab it now and then.
  • I did find it a little frustrating not being able to just look things up online - I'd planned to cook a recipe for toddler T that I'd not printed out yet, but couldn't. I used a cookbook and made something different instead, luckily it was still a hit with him.
  • For all my fear of missing out, I caught up with everything I missed over the weekend within an hour on Monday morning - there really wasn't anything important!

If you ever think about taking a break from social media/the internet/technology for the weekend, I'd encourage you to give it a go. It's not as difficult as you might first think.


Linking up with Mix it Monday, Modest Monday, Turning Heads, Style SessionsOn Trend Tuesday, Reasons to Dress today.




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56 comments:

  1. Two lovely outfits for work. It is starting to get chilly here in the UK now in the mornings as we get nearer to autumn.

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    1. Still chilly here in the morning as we move into spring, but it heats up nicely during the day :)

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  2. Lovely outfits. I think that finding your "uniform" - in your case pencil skirt and printed top - can really make getting dressed in the morning so much easier. And the struggles Fast sounds like such a great idea.

    Rae | Love from Berlin

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    Replies
    1. You're right, a 'uniform' makes it much easier to figure out what to wear! :)

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  3. Woah, struggles sounds really hard, I definitely don't think that I could do it!! Especially with the internet! I love the pop of colour your scarf adds to the outfit

    The Hidden Thimble

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    Replies
    1. I didn't think I could do it either, but I managed it! :) You should give it a go! :)

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  4. It's hard to put it all down and then when you do it becomes equally as hard to get back into it all. I took a break from social media, though not completely, and it was successful but then trying to get back in the groove became really hard. Which is a good thing I guess. But not so much when you rely on it so much. Which says a lot about society these days LOL!

    Sxx
    www.daringcoco.com

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    1. haha yes! It actually wasn't as hard as I thought to catch up and get back into it, but I've also decided to spend less time on it than I did before, so I guess that helps! :)

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  5. love the top in the first pic, the red scarf in the next set, and the idea of a tech fast!

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  6. That #strugglesfast is such an excellent idea, I might give it a go. Tech is such a time suck and is even worse now I've started blogging!

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    1. It does take up a lot of time if we let it! I was so worried it would take me aaages to get across everything I missed with the fast and 'catch up' again, but it took much less time than I expected. Showed me I don't need as much time as I think on the internet!

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  7. wow, these looks so sweet :)
    http://lovelyattitude.com
    http://www.youtube.com/c/MissLovelyAttitude

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  8. OoooOh that Balenciaga! It just goes with everything doesn't it seem? You look so fresh faced and fierce!

    XOXO
    http://www.kellmenow.com/blog/
    https://www.facebook.com/kellmenow?fref=ts
    https://instagram.com/kell_menow/

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    Replies
    1. It is the best bag! It really does go with everything! :)

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  9. I love both the prints on your shirts! So fun :D
    I'm not sure I could survive a strugglesfast, I'm far too addicted to my computer and the internet
    http://closet-fashionista.com/

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    Replies
    1. I'm mainly addicted to my phone and instagram, haha! But I still managed it! It was an interesting break! :)

      Delete
  10. That strawberry blouse... serious heart eyes over here!! So cute and simple, I love it! I'm also envious of your media fasting. I seriously need to do that, I play on my phone for no reason way too much on the weekends!

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  11. Mica,

    I'm in love with that trench coat and that scarf!! Both looks are business fab!


    Amber
    All the Cute
    Recent Post: White Graphic Heart Tank

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  12. I love your early spring looks because I can totally copy them for our early fall. (; That's a shame about the Choies top, I remember when it happened. Good thing this one has maintain it's quality. But hey, you'll have that with almost any brand.

    I love the idea behind Struggle fest, though I'm a total Instagram and Snapchat addict. (; I'm sure I could do it though if I ever had to. Good for you!

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    Replies
    1. Oh yes I hear you on the instagram thing! Biggest timesuck for me, but I love it! I still haven't figured out snapchat :P

      It's nice we are in similar temps and can inspire each other, even if it is different seasons! :)

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  13. First, I am a total fan of your strawberry print shirt.
    Second, struggles seems like a way to avoid falling into nomophobia (No mobile phone phobia) - I do little things to keep myself from overuse of cell phone. One of them is turning off the ringer at night or when I am spending quality time with family.

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    1. I had never heard of nomophobia before! I learned a new word :)

      I am definitely reliant on my phone more than I should be, but I often have it set to vibrate so it doesn't disturb me when I'm playing with toddler T or when he's napping. Drives some of my friends crazy when I don't return their calls for a few hours, oops! haha!

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  14. I love your pretty blouses in these posts - great to have a Cooper sighting too!

    I'm unplugged nearly all weekend - I blog and sometimes browse online, but I'm mostly off. It helps not to have a cell phone!

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    1. I couldn't do without a mobile phone! Although in saying that, I thought I couldn't go without internet all weekend so who knows!
      I usually get most of my computer time in on the weekend, as I let hubby spend some more time with our toddler as he works all week.

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  15. I love a good pop of color like this! I think the second outfit is my favorite, just because I can't get over that scarf. So adorable.

    --Samantha

    http://www.BesosFromAmerica.com

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  16. That strawberry print shirt always makes me smile! I love that trench and scarf. So beautiful together. Disconnecting from the internet can be hard, but so rewarding! I've done it several times and get so much done.
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

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    1. It is amazing how much you can achieve! I think it's too easy to get 'lost' on the internet, especially on social media, and it take up more time than you expected.

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  17. Love your bold tartan scarf look, definitely my favourite. The #strugglesfast sounds very interesting, a friend and I recently did something similar by accident. I think it's always good to have conversation in-person sans all the tech at times.
    Style For Him

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    Replies
    1. Good for you and your friend! It's nice to spend more time focusing on people and less on a screen :)

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  18. I love your first look, the shirt is really beautiful
    x,Abril
    The Color Palette

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  19. I really love the coat and your scarf! That outfit is so great!

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  20. The top with the strawberry print is adorable. I am about to break out my plaid too. I am anxious for fall to arrive the temperatures just need to drop a little.

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    1. hehe, it's funny, I'm waiting for the warmer spring temperatures here! :)

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  21. Good for you for taking a tech break! I try to step away a little bit over the weekend and not be too glued to my phone/computer, but I'm sure a real break would do me some good! Also, I love both of these looks. I love the difference a top in a fun print can make--those are my favorite parts to both looks here.

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    1. It's good to try step away for a bit! I think the break was good to show me just how much I was online, especially on instagram, through the day.

      Delete
  22. Great Corporate style. I like how you added fall colors. You look great.

    http://www.racheldinh.com

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  23. Great looks! I think i'd be able to take a break if I wanted to. I love tech and I went days without it before and surprisingly it didn't even bother me. You can get so much done if you take a break from technology.

    Florals&Smiles

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    Replies
    1. It is surprising how much you can get done! I think I'll try taking breaks more often too :)

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  24. In love with your bag and adore the scarf! I need a nice one this winter so you've just gotten me in the mood for scarf shopping soon! :)

    Tatyana x

    Secret little Stars

    http://www.secretlittlestars.com/

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  25. Beautiful outfits! I love how you styled them!

    http://roadesque.com
    http://ourruins.com

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  26. I can't go without technology on the weekends because I need it for work! We do something involving work every single day in order to keep up with everything. However, there are days that we might be with friends or doing something fun where we are out and about and won't use our phones too much but the GPS on it is a must! Maybe a day where we plan to stay home and take the day off, then I'll try to be without technology! How did you spend that day without it?

    By the way, love the strawberry print and perfect pattern-mixing in these outfits Mica!

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    1. I think it's hard when you have work commitments!
      I ended up spending a lot of time cleaning/organising and reading in toddler T's nap times, and more time engaged with people and not spending time as I answered alerts on my phone or looked something up to add to the conversation!

      Delete
  27. I do not own ANYTHING Balenciaga but I LOVE THIS BAG!! It looks so perfect for work, but also for the weekend, big enough for everything but not at all bulky. And good for your for taking a tech break!

    If you can make it to the #reasonstodress linkup I would love to have you!

    Angie from reasons to dress, fashion, travel and life as a mom in Italy.

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  28. love all the scarfs!so chic!
    Irene
    www.thedailylace.com

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  29. Tech breaks are so necessary every now and then, good for you. I love those blouses and the plaid scarf. You are one polished work woman!

    <3 Ada.

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  30. That blouse is so cute and of course, your B bag is to die for. Have a great week!

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  31. Break out the plaid scarves...love it!

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  32. That strawberry print shirt always gets me! Love that you used it to brighten up a dark outfit :)

    The Dragonfruit Diaries
    Check out my YouTube channel too!

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  33. Wow, the techno fast sounds harder than No Buy July! I find I'm okay if I'm holidays or something but at home, it's just part of the routine!

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    1. Yes, it is such a routine for me! Toddler's eating his morning snack, check my phone, toddler's asleep, check phone/computer....it was interesting going without it, and it got easier the longer I did it. It does help with the no spending too, not seeing all the sale emails, haha!

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  34. Thank you to everyone who left a thoughtful comment :)

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  35. You are a WHOLE LOT of fall inspiration lady, that is all I have to say...that and I really love your scarf!


    and thanks for sharing this through the #reasonstodress linkup!

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  36. I thought your strawberry top was from Equipment when I was scrolling through, crazy that it's so much cheaper! How is the quality?

    I tried to go without technology for a weekend, and I'm sad to say I couldn't do it! I didn't know what to do, and then I wanted to google what to do when bored online - definitely defeating the point. I wish it wasn't so hard, it's a little depressing to think about when you realize that smartphones and being constantly online wasn't even a thing until less than 10 years ago.

    Angelina Is | Bloglovin'

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