Monthly Archives: May 2014

What I’ve been wearing.

Summer is in full swing here now. The kids are out of school, Memorial Day has passed and the pool is open daily. I’m still working half days while the kids are at camp – they are so American it makes me giggle. I would have done anything for a gymnastics camp when I was 8! I meet them after lunch each day, loaded up with pool toys and towels, and we then head to the pool. Pure bliss.

So here’s a quick catch up of what I have been wearing 9-12 over the past few days!

Let’s start with a low point – bad outfit and bad photo. I actually love this top but it is super unflattering on me – having seen the photo it makes my top half look enormous. Hey-ho – it is also extremely comfortable so it might still get worn around the yard!

Shoes – Avarcas Pons // Shorts – Gap (last year but a great selection here) // Top – ASOS peplum tank (now on sale)

I was inspired by FashionPearlsofWisdom.co.uk to get my Nike hi-tops out after seeing her post here. I love them but they are pretty warm so not ideal for warm weather!

Sneakers – Nike hi-tops (last seen here in one of my first ever posts) // Jeans – Zara (old) // Tank – Target (old) // Jacket – Next (old)

I really enjoyed wearing this next outfit – lovely and bright and summery. No hiding in this!

Sneakers – New Balance from J.Crew (old – similar here) // Jeans – Gap (old) // T-shirt – J.Crew (on sale here) // Jacket – J.Crew

I had to check with my Husband that these shorts weren’t too short – they are pretty short – but I love them! Just $25 from H&M and they also come in black too. I think they look great dressed down with a t-shirt and they have a jersey lining so they are really comfortable. I wear them low on the hips to give my cheeks a bit more coverage:)

Flip flops – Havaianas // Shorts – H&M // T-shirt – French Connection

My Pia dress is perfect for the summer. Really easy to wear – in fact I love summer dresses – I can just throw them on and off ready for the pool.

Shoes – Marks and Spencer (old – similar here) // Dress – AllSaints Pia (old – similar here) // Necklace – Macy’s I think!

As for today it’s all about the shoes. These have to be my most favorite sandals ever!

Sandals – Ancient Greek // Jeans – Zara // Top – Zara (old) // Bag – Alexander Wang (old – similar here with 50% off!!)

You’ll hopefully have noticed that the Net-a-porter sale has started – when I browsed just now there were some Alexander Wang Roccos on the US site still available and some Rag & Bone Harlow boots in the sale. Oh and the grey J.Brand leather trousers were also tempting at 30% off but I haven’t committed yet! In fact I am trying to save my pennies for this week when I will be in NYC!! I’m off to meet Avril while she is there with her choir – I promise lots of photos on Instagram so keep following us there!

Poppy’s Style – the swimsuit issue.

19 Replies

Remember last year when I did this?

Well I thought I’d make it an annual event just to remind us all that even though we are all different shapes and sizes, we should all embrace our body types. Confidence is what makes you feel sexy and striking in a swimsuit, not being skinny.

Swimsuit – J.Crew Papaya neon (30% off in the US with WEEKEND) // Hat – Amazon // Lipstick – NARS Timanfaya lip pencil

Happy Memorial Weekend in the US and Bank Holiday weekend in the UK!

Pool attire!

7 Replies

So it is Memorial Weekend here which not only means the pools open for the summer, but also there are LOTS of sales in which to buy new attire for the pool! As an example, on Tuesday I got a beach cover up from J.Crew – already reduced to $69 and then at the till a further 30% off was applied!!

It’s available online too – size down it fits big. It is stunning – the neon colors are amazing. I have a small in the blue version. Online use PACKME for extra 30% off.

Also available online with in the PACKME 30% extra off are the following – I keep dropping them in my cart!

This gorgeous striped tunic is perfect with denim shorts:

I adore the spearmint color of this beach tunic.

Now for swimsuits – I have to say that full price J.Crew are expensive – so wait for a deal like they have now and you will end up with the best quality, most comfortable swimwear ever – in my opinion at least! Even swimwear not in the sale is 25% off with PACKME.

Here are my favorites. I LOVE neon for the summer – and for the first time in years I have bought swimsuits.

The ruched neon suit will hide a multitude of sins:

The bandeau suit comes with removable straps – perfect for the beach when you need to run around after the children yet you also want to catch some rays.

J.Crew is amazing for their choice of mix and match bikini sets – all shapes, support and sizes of tops, plus bottoms from the teeniest tiniest to the more modest. I have chosen the sculpted top that has wider ties than a string and a more supportive cup, along with the regular bikini bottom. I initially tried the shrunken low rider – wowzers low, low, low indeed – returned immediately before I scared the children:)

ASOS also have an extra 20% of this weekend using WEBEGRILLIN – this can be stacked with items that are already reduced by 25%. There are some fabulous items – too many to count here so take a peek. One item I will recommend is my new crochet dress – it is simply stunning and I am saving it for my trip to NYC next week! Size up if you are apple like me – it fits slim but it’s super cute! I’m going to wear it with my Dickers or sandals.

I have plenty of outfit shots to share from this week and I’ll get them in a post soon! Right now I’m off back to IKEA for more kids furniture – a Memorial Weekend filled with flat pack assembly for me!

Kristen Taekman of RHONY

6 Replies

New York is my favorite Real Housewives franchise, closely followed by Orange County and Beverly Hills. The new series of the RHONY has provided me with a new style crush – Kristen Taekman.

(image – http://www.kristencarrolltaekman.com/)

She is a genius at mixing high and low end labels and many of her clothes are high street brands such as Zara and H&M. She always looks so chic, on trend and put together – and totally appropriate for whatever contrived situation they throw the ladies into!

I was smitten with one of her latest looks – a beautiful white maxi dress – seen in this video here.

After a little research I discovered it was Zara from last summer! She looked stunning in it…I can only find show clips of her wearing it so the images are not great.

Here is the actual dress in case you find it on eBay!

I have found a couple similar that are available now – another here from Zara:

And this one from Mango which I have ordered to try – I think I prefer the simple straps on this one.

There’s also this one from ASOS.

Another dress which was featured on the same show was this gorgeous Alexander Wang khaki dress.

I patted myself on the back here as it is very similar to this stunning dress from Asos which is hanging in my closet, and which is now on sale here!

Kristen has her own website here which documents the clothes she wears on each show – it provides great inspiration – and I am amazed how many of the items are affordable for all of us! You can also catch clips of the show here on Bravotv.com.

So go on ‘fess up – who is your favorite Real Housewife?

The craziness is over…

14 Replies

I’ve been neglecting the blog – apologies. I did warn you that May was full of events that need planning and execution! Today is Poppy’s 8th birthday. I cannot believe that 8 years ago I was lying in L&D having just had my first child at around 6.30pm…

The party was on Friday early evening and I have to say it was one of our best. I had the great fortune of catching up with Moms I hadn’t seen for weeks, some months! It was planned from 5-7pm and you can tell it was a great night as our last guests didn’t leave till 10ish – we didn’t want it to end. We were trying to make it a surprise for Poppy but of course 8 year olds have loose lips:) She loved the red carpet, VIP sign and VIP badges!

Poppy’s dress is H&M as is most of her closet these days! I find they are great for a girl who no longer wants to wear Boden appliqué, but they are still totally appropriate for a young girl.

Mikey from VibeSquad was our amazing DJ for the evening, ironically he’s a Londoner!

I tried to go with the disco theme in my ASOS Bowie t-shirt, Mango harems and silver Ancient Greeks. Thanks to the Husband for the super unflattering photo but it makes me smile – we had amazing fun catching up:)

Today after present opening we headed to the American Girl Store to pick up Isabelle – new friend to Saige from last year. I am not buying anymore American Girl Dolls…that store is my idea of hell on earth.

(Yes – another H&M dress!)

Lunch was by choice of the birthday girl at Verde and I decided to wear glitter, at least on my feet, for the occasion.

(Poppy in another H&M dress!)

Top – Mango // Jeans – H&M boyfriend jeans // Shoes – Golden Goose (back in stock in Barneys!) // Jacket – Zara (old)

Sorry PETA and all the vegan readers – I am completely obsessed with my new cowhide from IKEA! You can catchup with my IKEA trip on Instagram – we’ve just ordered the kids their new loft beds after having their rooms painted! They are growing up too fast!

One other thing to let you all know about before the vanish immediately – the new Nike Blazers are now in stock at J.Crew! If you love a hi-top, and don’t want to pay Golden Goose prices, these are a must! They’ll be sold out in the bat of an eye, I assure you.

Last week of school here this week – wooo hooo – summer is here!!

COS online in the USA!

5 Replies

A quick note to let all you in the US know that COS has finally reached our shores. COS is the sibling of H&M and & Other Stories. Having said that their style is very different. Lots of minimal, fluid, very unique cuts. I adore their dresses. The good news too is that I think they fit true to size unlike some other stores which are titchy!

How gorgeous is this skirt too?

To celebrate the launch of their online store all first time orders will receive 25% off using code HELLOAMERICA – enjoy!!

What I’ve been wearing.

13 Replies

May is the busiest month on our calendar every year. What with anniversaries, birthdays, the end of the school year, school recitals, school field trips, visitors from abroad etc…it is non stop here. I’m just coming up for air after an amazing weekend of catching up, eating and drinking with Simon – our friend from University, who now lives in Stockholm.

We had a very late night on Thursday talking and drinking good wine, and then we were off out for dinner on Friday. The kids and I hung out in front of the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday afternoon, streaming it live via SVT.se, the Swedish tv channel. This made it even more fun and Eurocentric listening to the Swedish translation:) I found it all as surreal as ever, but I loved the drama – and in the end the right diva won! For all you American readers who have no idea what I am talking about the Eurovision Song Contest is the annual competition that rocketed ABBA to fame in 1974. Here’s Conchita, this year’s winner from Austria, a drag queen with more diva in her than Celine Dion.

Before Simon arrived I had another hair cut and went even shorter – thanks to Chadd I am now sporting a magnificent undercut. I LOVE it.

Jeans – Zara TRF (old) // Shoes – Avarcas Pons // Top – Mango

On Friday morning we headed out shopping and I treated myself to a couple of NARS lip pencils – Yu and Cruella.

The color of both is so intense and bold and I feel really feminine wearing them with such short hair.

Dress – ASOS (currently on sale) // Sneakers – Adidas Samoas // Glasses – Oliver Peoples Wacks // Handbag – Marks and Spencer (on sale)

Then Friday night it was off to Abattoir again where Simon proposed to Karin a couple of years ago now!

Dress – Marks and Spencer (old – similar here) // Shoes – Nine West

Yesterday was Mother’s Day here in the US and my fabulous kids presented me with great handmade cards. This one from Poppy made me grin especially – there is no greater compliment she could have paid me than describing me as ‘odd’ and ‘risky’…

Today I’m off to watch her recital so decided to wear a dress again. I started off with the canvas Newburys.

However, with the jacket I decided the grey nubuck pair coordinated better – not much in it to be fair…

Dress – River Island // Boots – Rag and Bone Newbury boots // Jacket – Marks and Spencer

Finally – shhh it’s a secret – but we’re having a surprise disco for Poppy this weekend for her 8th birthday!! Here’s an idea I stole from Pinterest – all her friends will be VIPS!

The future’s so bright…

28 Replies

I’m one of the fortunate ones who rarely misplaces sunglasses. This means I don’t need to buy them often, which in turn means I spend a little more on a good pair when I do buy them – logical no? Living here in the sunshine also means that I always buy polarized lenses – I can’t live without them for driving in the glare. I currently have the following in my collection:

Silver Ray-ban Aviators with mirrored lenses:

Classic black Ray- ban Wayfarers:

And a pair of large round Chanel sunglasses similar to these, that I have to say I rarely wear as my Ray-bans are SO comfortable!

I’ve recently started wearing more gold jewelry again – I actually think it suits my skin tone better. Obviously that means I need a pair of gold aviators. I am torn between the classic gold with green lenses (these look silver but I assure you the description says they are gold!):

OR this gorgeous tortoiseshell pair with brown lenses and gold trim:

I have to say I am tempted by the tortoiseshell as they are so unusual – what do you think? Help me decide please!

As for this week here are my outfits so far. It is scorcchio here so I wore nothing more than a bikini at the weekend – summer is here, which also means lots of new summer items are getting worn!

Today I decided to put my new harems (I sized up as the waistband is a button up with a zip and quite snug!) on thinking I was heading into the office. I quickly had to do a u-turn though to meet my painter back at the house. We are about to paint the main living areas of the house Sherwin Williams Silverpointe – a gorgeous cool grey – I cannot tell you how excited I am after almost 7 years of yellowy-cream walls!

I have to say I LOVE these Chania Birkenstocks – they are a gladiator and look fab and feel amazing!

Top – Mango // Trousers – Mango // Sandals – Birkenstock

Yesterday it was a day for casual cut-offs and sneakers.

Top – Mango // Shorts – J.Crew // Sneakers – New Balance by J.Crew (old similar here)

And Friday I wore my lovely new Ancient Greek sandals, which are like jewelry on my feet, with this gorgeous ASOS maxi dress (it is generous – this is a US 6/UK 10) – thanks to Eve for the tip off!

Dress – ASOS // Sandals – Ancient Greek

Don’t look too close – I am desperate for a pedi after running and hot yoga all last week!

I hope you all enjoyed your Monday off in the UK – we only have 2 1/2 weeks left before the summer break here!

23 years ago.

23 Replies

23 years ago today I had what I thought was a one night stand. It turned out to be the beginning of an incredible, amazing journey of love, passion, laughter and risks.

I love you Dave – thank you for being the MOST amazing partner to live this life with xxx

Stocking up on the essentials.

16 Replies

I hate spending money on underwear. No one sees it and these days I opt for comfort rather than style. Once in a while though I start to get embarrassed about the state of my knicker drawer. Currently it is stuffed with more knickers than any girl can wear in a year – all a different shade of grey, faded colors or fraying elastic. Oh and there’s still the odd pair of thongs in there which I think I can safely say will never be worn again. So it is time to purge and restock.

Now here is where I promise not to model my new attire if you promise not to giggle about the size of them. I did used to wear thongs ALL the time. How I ever did it I have no idea. The thought of wearing one now makes my eyes water with discomfort. They were perfect of course for tight pants when a VPL is an absolute no no. Thankfully good old M&S came to the rescue with a whole range of no-VPL underwear. Yes after 15 years in the USA I STILL buy M&S underwear.

My favorite style is their famous Brazilian cut. Sales of underwear at M&S soared by 64% the year they were introduced. They are just a little cheeky – quite literally – being a little higher cut on the butt cheeks – but a hundred zillion times more comfortable than a thong.

And as we’re stocking up they do multipacks too which are great value.

I also ordered a multipack of their ‘boy shorts‘. I love to wear these when wearing a shorter skirt or dress and want to keep my modesty intact after a couple of glasses of prosecco.

Okay – now don’t laugh – I bought some ‘big knicks’ too. Sometimes comfort really does trump (oops) style. Thankfully these do have a little bit of lace detail so they aren’t completely Nana knickers. Trust me no one will know and you will be so thankful wearing them!

Finally just to prove I can still do ‘sexy’ I ordered a couple of these lace bodies from their Limited Edition. Just gorgeous for the summer under a maxi dress. I love the cross back detail too.

So now you know what I wear underneath here are my outfit pics from the last few days!

Today I’m back in a skirt as the sun shines again. I started the day in heels. It feels so fab to have bare legs again!

Shoes – M&S // Skirt – Mango (similar here) // T-shirt – J.Crew

I later changed into flats for running errands around town. I LOVE these – they are a great Miu Miu tribute with a lovely shaped toe.

Yesterday I was in one of my favorite simple ASOS dresses. Must remember to clean my mirror when photographing black!

Sneakers – Stan Smith’s Adidas // Dress – ASOS (on sale)

Then finally from the other day when it was still damp and cool after the storms.

T-shirt – J.Crew (30% off with GOSHOP in the USA) // Jeans – Zara (old) // Shoes – Arvacas Pons // Jacket – Zara (old)

So who else out there will admit to wearing big knickers? 🙂

Poppy's Style

My blog about fashion, family, friends and fun.

Monthly Archives: May 2014

What I’ve been wearing.

Shoes – Avarcas Pons // Shorts – Gap (last year but a great selection here) // Top – ASOS peplum tank (now on sale)

Sneakers – Nike hi-tops (last seen here in one of my first ever posts) // Jeans – Zara (old) // Tank – Target (old) // Jacket – Next (old)

Sneakers – New Balance from J.Crew (old – similar here) // Jeans – Gap (old) // T-shirt – J.Crew (on sale here) // Jacket – J.Crew

Flip flops – Havaianas // Shorts – H&M // T-shirt – French Connection

Shoes – Marks and Spencer (old – similar here) // Dress – AllSaints Pia (old – similar here) // Necklace – Macy’s I think!

Sandals – Ancient Greek // Jeans – Zara // Top – Zara (old) // Bag – Alexander Wang (old – similar here with 50% off!!)

Poppy’s Style – the swimsuit issue.

Swimsuit – J.Crew Papaya neon (30% off in the US with WEEKEND) // Hat – Amazon // Lipstick – NARS Timanfaya lip pencil

Pool attire!

Kristen Taekman of RHONY

The craziness is over…

Top – Mango // Jeans – H&M boyfriend jeans // Shoes – Golden Goose (back in stock in Barneys!) // Jacket – Zara (old)

COS online in the USA!

What I’ve been wearing.

Dress – ASOS (currently on sale) // Sneakers – Adidas Samoas // Glasses – Oliver Peoples Wacks // Handbag – Marks and Spencer (on sale)

Dress – Marks and Spencer (old – similar here) // Shoes – Nine West

Dress – River Island // Boots – Rag and Bone Newbury boots // Jacket – Marks and Spencer

The future’s so bright…

Top – Mango // Trousers – Mango // Sandals – Birkenstock

Top – Mango // Shorts – J.Crew // Sneakers – New Balance by J.Crew (old similar here)

Dress – ASOS // Sandals – Ancient Greek

23 years ago.

Stocking up on the essentials.

Shoes – M&S // Skirt – Mango (similar here) // T-shirt – J.Crew

Sneakers – Stan Smith’s Adidas // Dress – ASOS (on sale)

T-shirt – J.Crew (30% off with GOSHOP in the USA) // Jeans – Zara (old) // Shoes – Arvacas Pons // Jacket – Zara (old)

Shoes – Avarcas Pons // Shorts – Gap (last year but a great selection here) // Top – ASOS peplum tank (now on sale)

Sneakers – Nike hi-tops (last seen here in one of my first ever posts) // Jeans – Zara (old) // Tank – Target (old) // Jacket – Next (old)

Sneakers – New Balance from J.Crew (old – similar here) // Jeans – Gap (old) // T-shirt – J.Crew (on sale here) // Jacket – J.Crew

Flip flops – Havaianas // Shorts – H&M // T-shirt – French Connection

Shoes – Marks and Spencer (old – similar here) // Dress – AllSaints Pia (old – similar here) // Necklace – Macy’s I think!

Sandals – Ancient Greek // Jeans – Zara // Top – Zara (old) // Bag – Alexander Wang (old – similar here with 50% off!!)

Related articles

Share this:

Like this:

Swimsuit – J.Crew Papaya neon (30% off in the US with WEEKEND) // Hat – Amazon // Lipstick – NARS Timanfaya lip pencil

Related articles

Share this:

Like this:

Related articles

Share this:

Like this:

Related articles

Share this:

Like this:

Top – Mango // Jeans – H&M boyfriend jeans // Shoes – Golden Goose (back in stock in Barneys!) // Jacket – Zara (old)

Related articles

Share this:

Like this:

Related articles

Share this:

Like this:

Dress – ASOS (currently on sale) // Sneakers – Adidas Samoas // Glasses – Oliver Peoples Wacks // Handbag – Marks and Spencer (on sale)

Dress – Marks and Spencer (old – similar here) // Shoes – Nine West

Dress – River Island // Boots – Rag and Bone Newbury boots // Jacket – Marks and Spencer

Related articles

Share this:

Like this:

Top – Mango // Trousers – Mango // Sandals – Birkenstock

Top – Mango // Shorts – J.Crew // Sneakers – New Balance by J.Crew (old similar here)

Dress – ASOS // Sandals – Ancient Greek

Related articles

Share this:

Like this:

Related articles

Share this:

Like this:

Shoes – M&S // Skirt – Mango (similar here) // T-shirt – J.Crew

Sneakers – Stan Smith’s Adidas // Dress – ASOS (on sale)

T-shirt – J.Crew (30% off with GOSHOP in the USA) // Jeans – Zara (old) // Shoes – Arvacas Pons // Jacket – Zara (old)

Related articles

Share this:

Like this: