Category Archives: Style

Buying cheaper can backfire.

Do you remember earlier in the year I was considering buying the Alexander Wang Rocco in tangerine? Sharron at StyleAtEveryAge had also blogged about her love for the neon Rocco and I was that close to ordering it. At $850 it is not crazy expensive, but it was still more than I wanted to spend on an every day bag. So I was over the moon when I saw the Alexander Wang Diego on TheOutnet.com at half price!

I bought it and have had a love hate relationship with it ever since. I love the style and the color, but the leather was laser cut - it almost felt like velvet. It meant that it lifted dye from every item of clothing it came into contact with. I tried using baby wipes – apparently a fool proof way of removing clothing dye from bags – but the leather – as it was like a fabric – did not respond. So sadly I returned it for a store credit this week. Just goes to show trying to make a ‘saving’ is not always the best approach. TheOutnet.com were brilliant about the return, as I had bought it way back in January, – and you know what – I knew immediately what to spend my credit on!!

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the Anya Hindmarch shoulder bag in mushroom on sale at $472 reduced from $1350.

I personally refer to this bag as the “Kat” bag, as Kat over at DoesMyBumLook40 got hers late last year from the Bicester Village outlets (which I cannot wait to visit one trip back to the UK!). I think it is the same shade as Kat’s – if so it will be perfect with my Acne Pistols, and of course most of my other boots! It is winging it’s way to me as we speak thanks to the lovely Ashley at TheOutnet.com who held it for me until my Diego return was processed. There are, however, still some left on the US site along with a lovely red color. I’m not sure it is a brand that is well recognized over here yet, so they haven’t flown out of the door as quickly as I had anticipated. For me it adds something special to it because the brand isn’t seen everywhere, unlike Coach for example.

You’ll never guess what too? The lovely Husband, knowing about my disappointment over the the Diego, and hearing my ‘need’ for a summer bag, walked in today with this for me. Spoiled, me? Oh yes.

School’s out for Summer!

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Yes it is the last day of school today!!! Early here, but we go back on the 7th August, plus we always seem to finish before Memorial Day which is this Monday, and the unofficial start of Summer. The pools are open and summer camps begin – the rhythm of life changes. I love it – less routine, with far lazier starts to the day. I woke Poppy this morning to the gentle refrain of me singing ‘School’s Out’ – nothing but encouragement to get her out of bed – though, as she had lost a tooth yesterday, she was pretty spritely looking for her gift from the tooth fairy. Is it wrong that I had to take cash out of her piggy bank for the tooth fairy? That’s what I call recycling:)

Once she was up, and had written her thank you card for her teacher – she burst into tears poor thing. I thought she was going to be excited about the end of school, but it must be bittersweet. The fact she was so sad to finish 1st grade confirms we’ve had a brilliant year, with fabulous friends and a wonderful teacher. Now I just have to convince her that 2nd grade will be twice as much fun!

Shoes – Vince Nina // Trousers – J.Crew café capris // T-shirt – Gap // Jacket – Zara (old)

Old friends, a birthday, a Eurovision song contest and wedding talk!

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It’s been on of those amazing weekends. I still feel on a high, though slightly weary after a weekend of excesses. Karin and Simon left this morning to head back to Stockholm but it was a memorable weekend.

Yes I did help choose the rings:) I think Karin found my advice invaluable…BUT I have promised not to share photos of it before the wedding in August. Needless to say it is a classic and stunning. The boys and girls then parted ways, as the ladies took on some hardcore shopping. Two pairs of Jimmy Choos, a Jimmy Choo clutch, a Coach handbag and a pair of ballet flats later Karin was all shopped out. And you’ll never guess what – I didn’t buy a thing!! I was having so much fun offering advice that I got my shopping endorphins vicariously through Karin.

I did however do some ‘browsing’ and I fell seriously head over heels (pun intended) for these Miu Miu jazz shoes!

Had I had 2 glasses of wine at lunch instead of one I’m quite sure this McQueen clutch would have come home with me.

Then I took some photos of a potential birthday present – I like to help my Husband out with a couple of pointers:)

As for Karin’s haul here’s one pair of the gorgeous wedding shoes – these are for the ceremony.

Naturally we had to get a pair for dancing in too:)

This is the bag that Karin walked away with from Coach. I adore the style – so slouchy and the interior design is perfect. I am lusting after it in yellow. Coach seem to have really upped their game recently and are moving away from the heavily branded C logo bags – thank goodness.

On Friday night after a tiring day of shopping we all headed out to our favorite restaurant where Simon proposed to Karin last year. MUCH fun was had. I was thrilled to wear my Ted Baker dress for the first time!

Dress – Ted Baker (no longer available online) // Shoes – Nine West // Clutch - YSL // Bracelets – Tiffany & Co // Ring – David Yurman

On Saturday it was Poppy’s birthday so after presents we went to her favorite BBQ joint for lunch. Later that afternoon she had the time of her life dancing to the Eurovision Song contest! We were SO excited that we managed to stream it live – quite giddy with excitement actually!

Yesterday we headed out for a little more shopping. You’ll be relieved to know this time I did actually leave the Mall with something. Two things in fact. I am enamored with Gap at the moment and I left with 2 pairs of jeans. The neon were in the sale in store but don’t appear to be online.

I LOVE these paint splattered skimmers. Both pairs are very stretchy and I managed to get into a 27″ in both so definitely size down.

On Sunday night we headed out for steak and fabulous red wine. Yummy – those 27″ might not fit today.

Shoes – Zara // Jacket – Zara (similar here) // Blouse – Zara (old) // Trousers – Zara // Clutch – YSL

Today it is a day for comfort and drinking lots of water. The sun is shining here again after a weekend of rain – not that we noticed it – we were having so much fun. Till next time our special friends.

Sandals – Zara // Skirt – Asos // T-shirt – Boden (similar here) // Neon scarf – Forever 21

A graduation and buying wedding rings!

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It was Hugh’s Pre-K graduation yesterday. I shed a couple of tears of pride. Where have the past 5 years gone? It’s a cliché, but true, your children grow up so fast.

Dress – Zara (sold out online but in the TRF section if you’re looking in store!) // Boots – Isabel Marant Dickers

The lady with the red trousers is Shirley. She adores Hugh – she cared for him in the baby room at the daycare and now babysits for us. I was so touched that she came to see him graduate.

We arrived home just in time to meet Karin and Simon, our friends from Sweden. They are visiting for the weekend. It’s a year since Simon proposed to Karin here in Atlanta, so this visit we get to chat about wedding plans and we’re off to choose wedding rings today!! Well rather they are off to choose them – but you know how I like to be involved and share my opinion. Fortunately Simon has known me for 23 years so has probably learned to accept/tolerate my interference by now:) I hope to share photos of the selected rings later. In the meantime my Husband kindly advised me to avoid wearing turquoise – apparently it could be interpreted as me trying to wear the store’s signature blue.

Jeans – H&M // T-shirt – Gap // Jacket – River Island // Boots – Isabel Marant Dickers

My favorite AllSaints employee.

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This post is dedicated to Charlie – my favorite man in Atlanta after immediate family:) Charlie is the Manager at the AllSaints concession in Bloomingdale’s and he is currently making me green with envy. Follow him on Instagram and you can see his exploits as he tours my home turf and visits AllSaints HQ and the various AllSaints stores in London.

Just for Charlie today I put on my Phinius dress – what I would like to call vintage AllSaints – it was the first item I bought off Charlie – probably almost 5 years ago now, and still one of my favorite AllSaints items. It’s one of those dresses that is so easy to wear and when I slipped it on this morning I made a vow to wear it more often – especially as my Newburys work so well with it.

Dress – AllSaints Phinius dress (old) // Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury boots

Pounding the pavements.

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Inspired by Martha’s post I went for a run this morning for the first time in months. Injuries and my new love for spin has kept me off the sidewalks, but a looming weekend of partying spurred me on today – plus the weather is perfect here – blue skies and crisp air. It felt great – just a casual 4 miles – but it reminded me why I love running so much. I earned my scrambled eggs that’s for sure and Mumford & Sons gave me an added spring in my step for the last half mile.

I wasn’t sure what to wear today – I changed my mind a couple of times. Our friends from Sweden arrive tomorrow for the weekend, and I have Hugh’s pre-K graduation and Poppy’s birthday celebrations – so lots of activities and outfits to plan! In the end, after yesterday’s post, I got the legs out again. This time with the Zara skort that has been featured on 80% of the blogs I read – admittedly worn by girls half my age. I have the white too and the fabric is lovely and stretchy and comfortable. You only know they are shorts from behind – and they are short shorts so make sure that razor goes all the way up the back of the leg!;)

Skort – Zara // Jacket – Zara // T-shirt – Forever21 // Boots – Isabel Marant Dicker

Airing the almost 42 year old legs.

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Gosh that looks so odd to see it in writing – I’m 41 3/4. I have to say I don’t feel what I thought almost 42 would feel like. I certainly don’t see myself as old, or middle aged for that matter. I still buy clothes that I like rather than what I, or others, think I should be wearing. I just have a few extra greys that need covering each month.

So am I wearing a skirt that is too short for my age? What do you think? I didn’t consider it too short till just now. I bought it based on the Michael Kors skirt I’d seen and I love the color. I think it is the only yellow item I have in my closet though – it’s definitely not normally a color I gravitate towards.

Michael Kors $695 version:

Skirt – JCrew Factory // Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury boots // Shirt – JCrew Factory (similar here)

Gwen’s love for Zara.

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My fellow blogger, Hollie, and I are both great admirers of Gwen Stefani’s eclectic rock and roll style – she always looks perfectly put together. Her make up and hair are always immaculate, even for a trip to the park with her sons. It was while Hollie and I were chatting about Gwen the other day that I realized Gwen is a fan of Zara! I have spotted her in three Zara items just this weekend – who’d have thought it? Gwen obviously embraces pairing high and lower end items – good for her!

Two of the items also happen to be in my closet – no surprise there. The first is the sarong skirt – I love how she has styled this over leggings…There’s a David Bowie t-shirt on Asos that I have been umming and ahhing about for a while now – it could be the perfect tee to replicate this look.

Next up is my jacket last worn here. Now I’m not necessarily a fan of her styling here but each to their own…though if I was Italian I’d wear that t-shirt in a heartbeat.

Finally I spotted this photo of her wearing these Zara pants heading to Chuck E. Cheeses – please Gwen how could you bear to step foot in there? I’d rather stick pins in my eyes.

These photos of Gwen always make me want to to wear red lipstick more often and I’m pretty sure images of her have influenced my choice of attire today.

Jeans – Primark (old) // T-shirt – Gap (from the sale) // Jacket – Zara // Sneakers – Golden Goose

Finally – I think my children are trying to tell me something – buying these cards obviously amused the Husband no end…I hope you all had a fabulous Mother’s Day!

Poppy’s Card (I’m suddenly ‘Joanna’ not ‘Mommy’):

Hugh’s Card:

My Mother’s Day lunch.

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We don’t really celebrate Mother’s Day in this house. Partly because I always forget about it – once I have remembered the UK Mother’s Day earlier in the year, I forget all about the US Mother’s Day. Plus it always falls around Poppy’s birthday – which as she will tell you is far more important. So my title today is a bit misleading. My lovely Husband is on his way back from the office to take me out for margaritas and tacos at our favorite Mexican, while the children are at school. Once school finishes in 2 weeks we won’t have much opportunity to indulge in a long lazy lunch without them – so I’m turning it into my Mother’s Day lunch without children – heck I might even go crazy and have two margaritas.

Top – Zara // Jeans – H&M coated skinnies (old) // Shoes – wedge heels DSW (Old – similar here) // Bag – Boden leather fold over clutch (BEST bags ever!)

Any changes of heart yet?

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It’s been a while since I last wore them and you’ve had the chance to consider…any changes of heart? Anyone now tempted? Oh well I’ll keep trying – I love them:)

We have the best weather of the year so far here in Atlanta – it’s ‘cracking the flags’ as my Nan used to say.

Shoes – Nine West (on sale plus an extra 30% off at NineWest.com) // Bracelets – H&M (old) and Tiffany’s // Watch – Fossil (old – similar here) // Nail polish – Essie Marshmallow

Poppy's Style

My blog about fashion, family, friends and fun.

Category Archives: Style

Buying cheaper can backfire.

School’s out for Summer!

Shoes – Vince Nina // Trousers – J.Crew café capris // T-shirt – Gap // Jacket – Zara (old)

Old friends, a birthday, a Eurovision song contest and wedding talk!

Dress – Ted Baker (no longer available online) // Shoes – Nine West // Clutch - YSL // Bracelets – Tiffany & Co // Ring – David Yurman

Shoes – Zara // Jacket – Zara (similar here) // Blouse – Zara (old) // Trousers – Zara // Clutch – YSL

Sandals – Zara // Skirt – Asos // T-shirt – Boden (similar here) // Neon scarf – Forever 21

A graduation and buying wedding rings!

Dress – Zara (sold out online but in the TRF section if you’re looking in store!) // Boots – Isabel Marant Dickers

Jeans – H&M // T-shirt – Gap // Jacket – River Island // Boots – Isabel Marant Dickers

My favorite AllSaints employee.

Dress – AllSaints Phinius dress (old) // Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury boots

Pounding the pavements.

Skort – Zara // Jacket – Zara // T-shirt – Forever21 // Boots – Isabel Marant Dicker

Airing the almost 42 year old legs.

Skirt – JCrew Factory // Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury boots // Shirt – JCrew Factory (similar here)

Gwen’s love for Zara.

Jeans – Primark (old) // T-shirt – Gap (from the sale) // Jacket – Zara // Sneakers – Golden Goose

My Mother’s Day lunch.

Top – Zara // Jeans – H&M coated skinnies (old) // Shoes – wedge heels DSW (Old – similar here) // Bag – Boden leather fold over clutch (BEST bags ever!)

Any changes of heart yet?

Shoes – Nine West (on sale plus an extra 30% off at NineWest.com) // Bracelets – H&M (old) and Tiffany’s // Watch – Fossil (old – similar here) // Nail polish – Essie Marshmallow

Dungarees – Asos (back in stock here) // T-shirt – The Gap

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Shoes – Vince Nina // Trousers – J.Crew café capris // T-shirt – Gap // Jacket – Zara (old)

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Dress – Ted Baker (no longer available online) // Shoes – Nine West // Clutch - YSL // Bracelets – Tiffany & Co // Ring – David Yurman

Shoes – Zara // Jacket – Zara (similar here) // Blouse – Zara (old) // Trousers – Zara // Clutch – YSL

Sandals – Zara // Skirt – Asos // T-shirt – Boden (similar here) // Neon scarf – Forever 21

Related articles

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Dress – Zara (sold out online but in the TRF section if you’re looking in store!) // Boots – Isabel Marant Dickers

Jeans – H&M // T-shirt – Gap // Jacket – River Island // Boots – Isabel Marant Dickers

Related articles

Share this:

Dress – AllSaints Phinius dress (old) // Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury boots

Related articles

Share this:

Skort – Zara // Jacket – Zara // T-shirt – Forever21 // Boots – Isabel Marant Dicker

Related articles

Share this:

Skirt – JCrew Factory // Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury boots // Shirt – JCrew Factory (similar here)

Related articles

Share this:

Jeans – Primark (old) // T-shirt – Gap (from the sale) // Jacket – Zara // Sneakers – Golden Goose

Related articles

Share this:

Top – Zara // Jeans – H&M coated skinnies (old) // Shoes – wedge heels DSW (Old – similar here) // Bag – Boden leather fold over clutch (BEST bags ever!)

Related articles

Share this:

Shoes – Nine West (on sale plus an extra 30% off at NineWest.com) // Bracelets – H&M (old) and Tiffany’s // Watch – Fossil (old – similar here) // Nail polish – Essie Marshmallow

Dungarees – Asos (back in stock here) // T-shirt – The Gap

Related articles

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