Monthly Archives: March 2013

Running with music.

It’s spring and it is time to get out and start pounding the pavements again. The idea is to alternate with Spin classes and that should hopefully keep me injury free. I always run with music – sometimes I get so in the zone I actually get chills and I can feel the rush of energy and endorphins that a great track gives me. Normally I run with an iPod shuffle – it’s tiny, neat and light so doesn’t hinder the – ah hem – athlete in me. However, when I was back in the UK I really wanted to take some photos of the amazing views I am privy too when running over t’moors. That meant either holding my camera while running – no thanks – or taking my iPhone. The latter option was obviously preferable.

Now I’ve always been put off by wearing a cumbersome arm band while running but I have to say this one I used was very light, sweat proof and easy to adjust. It’s the iPhone neoprene armband from MobileFun.com. It’s also a pretty decent price at just $12.99 especially when you compare with similar products on the market. If you are like me, and feel the need to document as you run, I can recommend this – perfect for keeping all your Instagram followers up to date. The other advantage of running with an iPhone of course is that you can actually keep track accurately of miles and pace using an app like MapMyRun. You can even bore people to tears on Facebook with how many miles you’ve run:)

What else have I been up to? Well yesterday I went to Target to stock up on some Spring clothes for Poppy – you have to be quick as they disappear fast. She thinks her Mommy is ‘totally the best’ for buying her her first denim jacket. I also sneaked in a pair of jeans for me. Target have some fabulous bright clothes in right now – lots of tie dye and dip dye items too – right up my alley. These jeans were just $25 and they come in green and purple too.

Finally here are my ootd for the past couple of days. I’ll be reporting back later with a new haircut – think I’m going back to the faux hawk/undercut – I feel the rebel in me rising again.

Sweater – J.Crew (from sale) // Jeans – velvet toothpick jeans J.Crew (from sale) // Converse – charcoal grey

Jacket – Zara (old) // Tee – Gap (old) // Jeans – Hudson Collin // Boots – Office Nighthawk (sale bargains)

Transitional dressing.

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Oh my goodness what a lot of snow you’ve all had in parts of the UK! In March too!? I don’t think I’d even have the proper attire for snow like that! It’s a great time to do a bit of online browsing/shopping if you’re stuck indoors:)

Here it’s definitely brightening up – though torrential rain yesterday caused trees to fall and bring power lines down resulting in a fire in the neighborhood – all a bit scary really! All were fine and I noticed the charred trees today – it seems to be a regular occurrence when it rains here.

So some layers were required today as the temperature climbs again – I love the drape of this jacket from River Island – I’m so happy it made its way into my luggage:)

Jacket – River Island // Jumper – AllSaints Godiva jumper (old) // Tank – H&M (old) // Jeans – Gap jeggings // Boots – Isabel Marant Dicker

Comfy sneakers.

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Yes I know sneakers are everywhere right now and every blogger, magazine and newspaper, it seems, has featured them – so it’s my turn with a pick of some of my favorites. I have been a sneaker/trainer advocate for some time and always used to make a point of buying them cheap from the US, when we first started traveling here. Friends laughed at me when I described my various pairs of trainers that were either for ‘fashion’ or ‘fitness’ – well you don’t want to wear smelly trainers that you worked out in down at the pub!

My favorites were, and probably always will be, the Nike Air Max ’95s. I had a pair of grey with green and a pair of blue with orange, which I adored and wore both till they fell apart – unusual for me!

I am also a big lover of hi tops and again Nike tends to be my go to brand. I love these Dunk wedge sneakers that they have designed. As you see, like my trousers, I like my sneakers loud!

Going old school – I love these Vans – perfect with skinnies or boyfriend jeans with a simple sweatshirt for a great tomboy look.

These new Adidas ones have caught my eye too. I love Adidas and have a pair of navy Gazelles. I had a pair of green ones that I hunted high and low for back in the early 90’s when Ms. Moss made them a must have item. These hi-tops are a grey marl jersey fabric – they look super comfy and I can’t resist grey marl ever – even on sneakers.

Finally, of course, we can spend a little more should we so wish. Waiting in my closet to be worn are a pair of Marant Bobby sneakers. As soon as the rain disappears they will be on my feet – I adore them and they are the perfect color for summer with shorts.

After Kat reminded me about the Ash Virgins, I took a peek at their new Spring sneakers and I am currently yearning for a pair of Ash Virgin star cutouts in silver – they’d be awesome with boyfriend jeans and my Zara red leather jacket:)

Coincidentally my past few outfits have revolved around sneakers. On Saturday night we went out to our lovely neighbors for little get together. It was a fabulous night, late and indulgent and the kids had a blast too. I wore my new Matalan maxi skirt, old Gap striped t-shirt, Boden Union Jack scarf (old), Gap denim jacket (old) and white Converse.

Today I went for comfort, and rain is expected so the Bobby sneakers are still in their box! I bought these Nike sneakers over a year ago and love the girly pink trim on them:)

Jacket – Boden JohnnieB (old) // Sweatshirt – AllSaints Decay top (old) // Jeans – H&M boyfriend jeans // Sneakers – Nike Air Max (similar here)

So have you bought into the sneaker trend? Which are your must haves?

Red leather and camo.

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The sun is out and I just had a great spin class – I feel full of the joys of Spring today. It’s early release from school so I am taking my wee ones for hair cuts, and frozen yogurt if we make it through the hair cut unscathed!

The title says it all for my outfit today – and there are insufficient words (at least in my limited vocabulary) to express my love for this jacket. It’s now sold out online in M and L so I am glad I acted when I did!

Jacket – Zara // Trousers – camouflage harem trousers Zara (old) // Sneakers – Ash Gwen (back in stock on the Ash US site) // Long sleeved t-shirt – Zara (old)

Spring?

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Yay the sun is out! After a few snow sprinkles yesterday I was worried winter may be here for a few more weeks. It’s funny as a remember leaving hospital 5 years ago with Hugh and it was snowing then too!

I’m loving my new Marks and Spencer cardigan – it’s perfect with the AllSaints Dita dress – even if I did just bloody well spill beetroot juice on it – gah! Fortunately managed to get it out with some lightning fast action! So much for staying healthy – beetroot juice – good for body – crap for clothes.

Leggings – Zara // Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury boots // Dress – AllSaints Dita t-shirt dress // Cardigan – Marks and Spencer

Oil pulling.

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I am turning granola. Well I’m at least becoming more ‘green’ friendly and more aware of pollutants entering the temple that is my body. I suddenly realized this just the other day when Avril was telling me to stop using Bio Oil as it is a mineral oil full of rubbish stuff that will actually dry my skin out. Rosehip Oil apparently is the way to go – so I have just ordered some from Amazon to give it a whirl as a night treatment.

The other ‘treatment’ I started doing regularly just a few weeks ago may make you feel queasy – but I assure you it is fabulous and you will notice a difference too. Oral health is really important – not just to prevent tooth decay and bad breath – but gum disease has also been shown to raise the incidence of heart disease and premature birth/miscarriage. I am REALLY OCD about my teeth, especially after orthodontic treatments as a child and adult. I want to keep my teeth around forever thank you. In the past I have used a mouth wash for whitening, freshening and rinsing after brushing. Mouthwash can be really harsh and has brought tears to my eyes in the past – plus read the label – I dare you – so many chemicals! Anyway I was reading about juicing (see I am turning granola…) and stumbled across an article about oil pulling. Bear with me. Using an organic oil – I prefer coconut oil – you just swill it in your mouth, like with mouthwash, only for a bit longer, about 15mins. Coconut oil can be a bit intimidating as it is solid at room temperature – but trust me – take a tablespoon in your mouth and it will turn liquid at body temperature. It tastes fabulous – just like coconut – no surprise there really. Ok so what does swilling oil do? Well to a scientist, ah hem, like myself, it makes perfect sense. The oil ‘pulls’ toxins and bacteria from the teeth and gums. Remember hydrophilic and hydrophobic at school? Well all the rubbish stuff in your mouth is actually quite oil friendly (feel free to switch off here, but I used to use oil in my research to separate certain proteins – some liked oil and some didn’t). So the theory is that oil pulling every morning or every other day will remove all the rubbish from your mouth. Avoid swallowing it as it is now full of toxins, and spit it in the bin or down the loo as it will block your sink drains! I swear it has been beneficial – and much more pleasant than mouth wash. Others say it not only freshens breath, whitens teeth and helps oral hygiene but can also aid a more restful sleep and diminish arthritic pain – true detoxification. Give it a go and let me know what you think. It’s now part of my morning routine – and I actually ‘swill’ while showering every morning.

It’s Hugh’s birthday today so we’re both hanging out together. It’s the last time I’ll be able to take him out of school on his birthday. The new drum kit seems to have been a hit (groan – no pun intended) – at least with me and Poppy – one of us WILL tour with Jack White.

I had to nip into Zara to take a couple of things back – poor Hugh got dragged along too but he gave me 10 mins to try a couple of t-shirts that didn’t come home with me.

Boots – Rag & Bone charcoal suede Newburys // Trousers – Dorothy Perkins coated jeggings // Knitted tunic – H&M (old) // Coat – Boden Iona coat (only $97 in clearance!) // Scarf – Marks & Spencer bicycle scarf

Larkin’ about.

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Slowly moving back to the land of the living today. Which is good as it is Hugh’s 5th birthday tomorrow and he is VERY excited. So excited that last night he was trying to convince me it was Wednesday today. Given my jet lag I almost believed him.

Today I took my inspiration from a couple of my favorite US bloggers – Tiffany Wendel Personal Styling and Sheree from It’s Not That Deep. Both are Moms, and REALLY cool Moms at that. I love browsing their sites, and though I’m not sure I can get away with all their looks, they certainly provide great inspiration. Both of them have worn a black fur gilet over a denim jacket recently:) I’m also trying to wear all my warm, furry things before it warms up and they get packed away to the downstairs closet!

I started having some fun on our big rock in the garden – a rock I only venture near in the winter as I am sure it provides shelter for snakes in the summer!

Fur gilet – Skaist-Taylor for NM and Target // Denim jacket – Gap (old) // Red jeans – Zara (old) // Top – The Limited collection, Marks & Spencer (old) // Sneakers – Converse

Complete change of subject now, but I was on my drive into work this morning listening to NPR as usual. They reviewed a book, Wave, written by Sonali Deraniyagala. She survived the horrific Tsunami on Boxing Day 2004, but lost all her family to it. It was heart wrenching to listen to her story – but I really now want to read this book – here’s the NPR link.

Where am I and what time is it?

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Jet lagged. Very. Why does it affect me more coming back this way? Managed to survive Hugh’s party yesterday though, only just, then devoured a mountain of pizza to feel better. Very fuzzy today and I have a drum kit to assemble tonight for the birthday boy!

Jacket – Boden tweed jacket (old) // Trousers – J.Crew wool café capris in guava // Jumper – Boden sparkle Skye jumper // Boots – Acne Pistols.

A girls trip to the Trafford Centre.

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So apart from my weekend in London – the other highlight of my trip that I had been looking forward to for some time, took place yesterday. My sister took the day off work and left her 2 boys at daycare so we head to the Trafford Centre for a girls day out with Mum. We try to do it every time I’m back but often there are children involved – who it has to be said – can somewhat hamper the shopping experience!

We arrived as the stores were opening and had a blast. I relished every moment of it. There is something really special about spending time with your family that you take for granted when they are around all the time. Mine are not – so it was lovely watching Mum and Louise have fun and get the same thrill out of shopping as I do.

We started at M&S where Louise and I both got a couple of scarves – Mum had some 20% off vouchers so it was hard to say no:) Plus Mum got a couple of bags that she paid all of 10GBP for what with her 20% off and various vouchers she had collected!

My scarf – the Indigo Flamingo print (I also got a fabulous bicycle print scarf which isn’t on the website):

Louise’s scarf is a gorgeous silk Autograph scarf:

Looking at these simple images of scarves it is evident how different Louise and I are in our style. She gravitates towards greys, taupes and neutrals – she has very elegant, sophisticated tastes and prefers simplicity to loud eccentric prints. See the difference?:) I think it speaks volumes about our personalities!

I then had lots of fun in Ted Baker. Their store is amazing. Full of great colors and the decor is very grand and decadent. I had been wanting to try the Jupi dress since I fell in love with it in Bloomingdale’s. It’s a lot cheaper here with the exchange rate and sales tax so I knew I had to try it. Ted Baker do the 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 sizing which drives me nuts as I am always at the 3/4 end. The store only had a 4 so I tried it and even though it was fine – with my top heavy frame it felt too billowy around the hips. I put it back knowing Selfridges have a concession that I could check later. I did, however, know that there was also a t-shirt in the same print – far more practical and versatile. So I tried the 3 in the top and decided to get this instead of the dress. End of. Totally love it. The changing rooms are a lot prettier than my photos suggest!

One thing I didn’t get about Ted Baker is that they will only exchange items – not refund them – I think that is pretty rubbish these days.

So on to Zara – Mum got a fabulous quilted jacket (can’t see it on the website) and Louise picked up this gorgeous white coat. Both Mum and Louise are really petite so look amazing in everything they put on!

We then headed off for lunch – there’s a huge selection at the Trafford Center. I knew I wanted a long decadent lunch i.e. one with wine – so we chose Pizza Express. Now I remember when they were new and lovely. This one was fine – but PLEASE it is 2013 – can’t we figure out using laminated menus instead of grubby, greasy card? As a customer experience ‘expert’ I realize I may be overly judgmental, but this is the first thing your customer sees in a restaurant. Sort it out Pizza Express! It just makes the whole restaurant feel less than clean. Regardless, lunch was fabulous. I love my Mum and sister:)

So finally I had to look in Selfridges. I love this store. The whole shopping experience is immediately elevated. Now yes I had already bought the t-shirt but just for curiosity’s sake I went to the Ted Baker concession to see if they had a 3 in the dress. They did. After a couple of glasses of wine it was a no brainer:)

Here’s what I wore for the day.

Jacket – River Island // T-shirt dress – AllSaints Venice t-shirt dress // Trousers – Dorothy Perkins coated jeggings // Boots – Rag&Bone Newbury

See you all when I’m back in Atlanta!! England it has been a BLAST!

Poppy's Style

My blog about fashion, family, friends and fun.

Monthly Archives: March 2013

Running with music.

Sweater – J.Crew (from sale) // Jeans – velvet toothpick jeans J.Crew (from sale) // Converse – charcoal grey

Jacket – Zara (old) // Tee – Gap (old) // Jeans – Hudson Collin // Boots – Office Nighthawk (sale bargains)

Transitional dressing.

Jacket – River Island // Jumper – AllSaints Godiva jumper (old) // Tank – H&M (old) // Jeans – Gap jeggings // Boots – Isabel Marant Dicker

Comfy sneakers.

Jacket – Boden JohnnieB (old) // Sweatshirt – AllSaints Decay top (old) // Jeans – H&M boyfriend jeans // Sneakers – Nike Air Max (similar here)

Red leather and camo.

Jacket – Zara // Trousers – camouflage harem trousers Zara (old) // Sneakers – Ash Gwen (back in stock on the Ash US site) // Long sleeved t-shirt – Zara (old)

Spring?

Leggings – Zara // Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury boots // Dress – AllSaints Dita t-shirt dress // Cardigan – Marks and Spencer

Oil pulling.

Boots – Rag & Bone charcoal suede Newburys // Trousers – Dorothy Perkins coated jeggings // Knitted tunic – H&M (old) // Coat – Boden Iona coat (only $97 in clearance!) // Scarf – Marks & Spencer bicycle scarf

Larkin’ about.

Fur gilet – Skaist-Taylor for NM and Target // Denim jacket – Gap (old) // Red jeans – Zara (old) // Top – The Limited collection, Marks & Spencer (old) // Sneakers – Converse

Where am I and what time is it?

Jacket – Boden tweed jacket (old) // Trousers – J.Crew wool café capris in guava // Jumper – Boden sparkle Skye jumper // Boots – Acne Pistols.

A girls trip to the Trafford Centre.

Jacket – River Island // T-shirt dress – AllSaints Venice t-shirt dress // Trousers – Dorothy Perkins coated jeggings // Boots – Rag&Bone Newbury

Sweater – J.Crew (from sale) // Jeans – velvet toothpick jeans J.Crew (from sale) // Converse – charcoal grey

Jacket – Zara (old) // Tee – Gap (old) // Jeans – Hudson Collin // Boots – Office Nighthawk (sale bargains)

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Jacket – River Island // Jumper – AllSaints Godiva jumper (old) // Tank – H&M (old) // Jeans – Gap jeggings // Boots – Isabel Marant Dicker

Related articles

Share this:

Jacket – Boden JohnnieB (old) // Sweatshirt – AllSaints Decay top (old) // Jeans – H&M boyfriend jeans // Sneakers – Nike Air Max (similar here)

Related articles

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Jacket – Zara // Trousers – camouflage harem trousers Zara (old) // Sneakers – Ash Gwen (back in stock on the Ash US site) // Long sleeved t-shirt – Zara (old)

Related articles

Share this:

Leggings – Zara // Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury boots // Dress – AllSaints Dita t-shirt dress // Cardigan – Marks and Spencer

Related articles

Share this:

Boots – Rag & Bone charcoal suede Newburys // Trousers – Dorothy Perkins coated jeggings // Knitted tunic – H&M (old) // Coat – Boden Iona coat (only $97 in clearance!) // Scarf – Marks & Spencer bicycle scarf

Related articles

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Fur gilet – Skaist-Taylor for NM and Target // Denim jacket – Gap (old) // Red jeans – Zara (old) // Top – The Limited collection, Marks & Spencer (old) // Sneakers – Converse

Related articles

Share this:

Jacket – Boden tweed jacket (old) // Trousers – J.Crew wool café capris in guava // Jumper – Boden sparkle Skye jumper // Boots – Acne Pistols.

Related articles

Share this:

Jacket – River Island // T-shirt dress – AllSaints Venice t-shirt dress // Trousers – Dorothy Perkins coated jeggings // Boots – Rag&Bone Newbury

Related articles

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