Over the Christmas / New Year break, I did a big BIG clear out.



Huge. Several kilos of items were taken down to Savers and, not going to lie, it felt GOOD.

I am determined not to get back up to insane levels of useless clothing ownership, where I couldn't see the goods for the tees (see what I did there?? Come on, that's gold) and I'm going with the "love it or lose it" approach from now on. And if that means I have to re-wear my "good" things a bit more instead of pandering to my need to avoid repeating an outfit within a fortnight, then get used to seeing me in my new favourite striped top from Atmos&Here^.




I also have a problem with "saving" items "for good" and discussing this with Mica at Away From The Blue, she is the same! You know, where you have an awesome special item but you don't want to waste the look on an insignificant event and eventually you never get full wear and enjoyment out of it? That. We need to stop that. And that thing where you want to wear something you haven't worn in ages but the same people will be at the event in question that saw you wear it last time (and they haven't seen you since) so you need to wear something different. That too. The struggle is real.


Exemptions have been granted to:

• Formal and cocktail dresses that are still wearable
• Calvin Klein work dresses that are a bit formal for what I wear to work now but are classic cuts and would be suitable for interviews or if have to corp it up for a work function
• A few tea dresses and such that are just too pretty to part with but aren't worn regularly enough to warrant space in the wardrobe so they have been archived into The Vault (suitcase under the spare bed).

I often wish my Mum or mother-in-law had kept some of their original fashiony things so I hope Miss L appreciates the curated selection I am storing on her behalf which will be legit vintage and probs back in style by the time she's old enough to wear them.

If you're after a comprehensive guide to wardrobe auditing, check out this recent post from The Fashionable Mum.

On that subject, the coathanger-turning trick works well for hanging items, but what about things in drawers? Any suggestions? 

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^ denotes affiliate link. By clicking through and purchasing, you don't pay any extra but I get a small amount of dosh to work on my minimalist wardrobe approach. Please see my PR and Media policy for more information.

As you might know, I'm tracking my expenditure this year on clothes, shoes and accessories in my #AlmostPoshStyleCost project. Here's January's wrap-up and here is February's.

Already, I'm up to around $185 for the year so I'd like to set myself a bit more of a challenge for the next couple of months to buy only what is on my current list of Needs, as follows:

• Lightweight coat/jacket; the bane of my life and the subject of a whole future blog post on its own
• Black ankle boots (eyeing off these ones in Target)
• Dannii Minogue Petites ripped jeans
• Tan ankle boots
• Flat black long boots
• Leggings
• Tights
• 3/4 sleeve tops / knits
• Casual jumpers
• Yoga / warm pants / trackies
• Real Techniques Expert Face brush
• Australis Mix It foundation

Okay, so it's pretty broad and not to say I can't add to the list as I go but it might curtail the random browsing. I find A/W tops hard to come by sometimes. They need to be big enough in the bust, small enough across the shoulders and back and 3/4 sleeves because long sleeves generally hang over my wrist. The tummy region has to be forgiving and any kind of bat wing or loose fit usually makes me look like a box.

Here are some possibilities that I may be adding to cart in the future.


1. Spurr Blair Ankle Boots | The Iconic | $69.95^
2. Maya Textured Top | Forcast | $59.95^
3. Mia Contrast Panel Top | Forcast | Was $59.95 now $39^
4. Dorothy Perkins Marle Wrap Back Top | The Iconic | $59.95^
6. Volcom Lived In Striped Hoodie | The Iconic | $50^
6. Nike Legend Poly Skinny Pants | The Iconic | Were $79.95 now $55.97^
7. Dorothy Perkins Striped Relaxed Pants | The Iconic | Were $49.95 now $35.96^
8. Spurr Basics Russia Boots | The Iconic | Were $59.95 now $20.98^

Have you got a current shopping list on the go? Is there an item out there that you have been looking for forever?

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^ denotes affiliate links. By clicking through and purchasing, you don't pay any extra but I earn a small amount of coin to assist on the lifelong quest for a transeasonal jacket. Please, don't even mention the word "trench" to me because I can't even. For more information, please see my PR and Media policy.

Yesterday I attended the Bloggers United Adelaide event down at Glenelg.

I was so excited when I heard this mob were coming to town, as I had read many a glowing report from the Sydney event and the goodie bags looked amazing. So I was totally in, no matter what, and when I saw how reasonable the ticket price was, I had to double-check to make sure I read it right!

As I mentioned, I had my new Crossroads dress on lock for a month. Thankfully, it went okay. Let's take a moment to appreciate the fact I wore a strapless bra for the first time in about 5 years and I didn't even really notice it so that's handy to know. Right as summer comes to a close, good one, Beth.


Don't worry, I changed my shoes after I took the photo.

Here's my face. Beauty blogger event, no pressure. Yes, sunglasses mark. Amateur.


There were LOADS of people there - some who I follow on Insta, some who I had met before, some I met for the first time. As Jenni from Styling Curvy said - "Who knew there were so many bloggers in Adelaide? I didn't!" We were at the beautiful Seawall Apartments in Glenelg and brands were stationed in various rooms as small groups moved through them in a speed-dating type format.

There was a range of interesting local, national and international brands - all of whom were delightful to talk with. Many of them had a strong focus on organic, natural, vegan and cruelty-free products and it was fascinating to hear a lot of the start-up reasons; "I couldn't wear make-up because of these ingredients", "My mum has sensitive skin", "I wanted something that would be effective but also long-lasting", "I am really passionate about this method of production", "This is something I really love doing".

Have a look at what I'll be talking about over the coming weeks for the Monday Make-Up Madness link up:













We also had two excellent talks; one by Jenni who NAILED IT:


 And Hayley and Lauren from Adelady who were totally cool:


Finally, GOODIE BAGS OMG. Stay tuned for some giveaways because I can't possibly use all this stuff in one lifetime.


This is the contents of just one bag. One bag of like 9 or 10. For reals.


Thank you to Bloggers United AU for such a fantastic and enjoyable event. If one comes to your city, GET THERE. Follow them on Instagram to get the latest.

Have you been to a Bloggers United event or any bloggy things lately?

As I mentioned at the start of the year, I have decided to track my expenditure on clothing and shoes for 2016 to see what it really adds up to. Here's what I spent in January and what I spent it on.

I did end up returning the Dorothy Perkins top - it was just a bit small and the crepe fabric gave no allowances, so that is now a $56.28 credit chilling at the Iconic with two items in the wishlist waiting for a sale. Well, when I say chilling - I mean, I've already spent it but let me go in chronological order, okay?

Patience is something I'm also trialling this year. I am waiting for Farfetch.com to offer free shipping before I claim my $500 prize because why would I pay shipping if I don't have to?

February saw a rise in expenditure as I grabbed some more "expensive" items.

The first was this off-the-shoulder dress from Crossroads. Admittedly I had questioned the trend earlier in the year, but I really liked the navy with cream trim waisted style, also I found a strapless bra that I had bought in the States in 2011 that actually fit so I thought I'd get on board. Never say never, am I right? I haven't worn it yet because I've been saving it for the Bloggers United event this Sunday.

Crossroads | Off The Shoulder Dress RRP $49.95 I paid $34.97 during a 30% off sale

Stylejack me if you like.

I clicked and collected as it wasn't available in my size in store and they had an offer for $10 basics online. I had mentioned my need for a white cami singletty thing last month and so I picked up one of those as well, saving $2.95. Here I am wearing it under that white Kmart top I also mentioned last month.


Mum and I hit up one of our favourite op shops and I picked up a Marks and Spencer dragonfly print top (marked at $3.25) and a cute striped dress from Gap ($6.25). I used my accumulated Salvos points and paid $6.20 total for both items. After trying on the dragonfly top at home, I decided I wasn't into it as much as I thought so I passed it on to my mother in law.

I intended to wear the Gap dress earlier but first I had to remove a big stain on the front and then my husband hung it out on the line. By folding the skirt over and pegging it. I KNOW.

So once it was all wrinkle-free I had it lined up for a Monday morning and went ahead and took my #everydaystyle pic, only to find it looked ridiculous. See how high it comes up at the waist at the front and bunches under the bust? Like I need that. So disappointing. Not sure what to do with it yet, it may be salvageable either by wearing a skirt over the top like I did recently here or maybe a knit in cooler months. Sure it was only $3.10 but still.


Anyway, that same day, we hit up Millers and I got an excellent pair of stretchy black cropped jeggings for $25. They are so comfortable! And did I mention stretchy?


Millers were having a "get 50% off the second item" sale so I nabbed this rad necklace for $6. They even regrammed me wearing it which was quite a thrill.


I had to get an emergency cardi one Friday when I had planned to visit the Garden of Unearthly Delights (part of Adelaide's Fringe Festival) in the evening and the day panned out cooler than anticipated. Picked this up from TEMT for $19.95. FULL PRICE, URGH! Excuse the dramatic spotlighting. Since I recently made the decision to only purchase transeasonal items from now on, I'm okay with this and I really like the colour.


The Iconic currently has an extra 20% off sale items (until Monday: use code EXTRA20 at checkout) so I thought I might as well hit up a couple of wishlist items with my stored credit. I went for these stripey numbers because stripes:

Atmos&Here Nadene Lace-Up Tee^ $34.95

Dorothy Perkins Stripe Jacket^ Was $79.95, on sale $28.80, I paid $23.04

Finally, I randomly hit up Kmart and stocked up on some basic tees in olive, grey and white for $5 each.

I decided I would track also start tracking accessory spending separately. I didn't acquire anything in January but this month I got said Millers necklace plus an awesome vintage leather mini Gladstone bag for $15 at the Animal Welfare League ReTAILs shop in Gawler.


Clothes and Shoes
Items bought: 9
Total original ticket "value": $196.10
Paid: $169.11
YTD Spend: $217.06

Accessories
Items bought: 2
Total original ticket "value": $27
Paid: $21
YTD Spend: $21 

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^ denotes affiliate links. By clicking through and stylejacking me, you don't pay any extra but I earn a small commission to continue my transeasonal acquisition program. For more information, please see my PR and Media policy.

You wil have noticed if you've been into a clothing shop recently that the Autumnal stuff is upon us, even if the weather isn't.

I have personally made the commitment that any new purchases from now on in should have a high transeasonability factor because I do not want to rock up to my wardrobe on a crisp cool morning and be like "Oh, nothing to wear, how lovely!"

If you're prepared and have good foresight, it's a great time to score big in the end of season sales on international sites. I picked up my most favouritist ever raspberry pink coat from an ASOS end of season sale and even though I only got to wear it for a little while that year, I have more than made up for it since. So, you know, bear that in mind.

It's time to start thinking about getting more fabric on; sleeves - not necessarily full length ones - light knits, leggings and skirts, shoes with more coverage . . . I've put together these basic building blocks (or a CAPSULE*, if you prefer) that can be teamed with the colours of the season as you see fit.

Behold the neutrality!


1. Forcast Colette V-Neck Knit (The Iconic) - $29^
2. Audrey Sweater (The Iconic) - $30^
3. Claire Cropped Jacket (Forcast) - was $79.95 now $39^
4. Sass Luna Drape Tank (Freez Clothing) - $39^
5. Atmos&Here Alma Tea Dress (The Iconic) - $49.95^
6. Boody 3/4 Leggings 2-Pack (The Iconic) - $49.90^
7. Liandro Scarf (Forcast) - $29.95^
8. Therapy Perry Boots (The Iconic) - were $59.95 now $47.96^

* Please pronounce in the style of the immortal David Bowie, ie "capp-syuell". Thank you.

Are you looking forward to the cooler weather approaching? What is your favourite thing about autumn dressing? Or do you not want to even think about the end of summer yet?

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^ denotes affiliate links. By clicking through and purchasing, you don't pay any extra but I earn a small amount of commission to start my transeasonal acquisition program. For more information, please see my PR and Media policy.