Category Archives: Style

Feeding my need for harems.

So you all know by now that I love harem trousers. I think it is the fact that they are a love ’em or hate ’em item that makes me love them more. There is no middle ground – they are completely polarizing – I know from the comments I receive. Thankfully there are a few of us harem lovers around, otherwise stores like Zara and Mango wouldn’t continue to provide as many amazing options as they do. Even Next has got in on the game – admittedly their crotch is not low slung – but they are great for a harem novice.

Here are my picks from Next – I have them in white and black, and I have just ordered the navy – they are incredibly comfortable and quite flattering if you ask me, though Next seem to employ the same online stylist as M&S.

In navy – these come in black and white too.

I love this pattern – it reminds me of the Lululemon Wee are from Space print.

And of course there has to be some animal print in there.

And my very favorite – the tie dye option.

Since buying my Mango trousers I’ve seen them featured on a few other blogs so I’m quite happy I bought them before the sold out in the sale on the US site! You can find them here on the UK site for just 19.99 GBP, again they aren’t too low slung for those of you who just want to dip your toe in the harem trend.

I’m not usually a fan of paisley but I love the folded waistline this paisley print pair – again just 19.99GBP in the sale.

I may have also bought these – at just 15 GBP they are great value – a lovely loose linen, perfect with sandals or heels – and great for vacation.

Now Zara are always reliable for harems. I have a couple of winter styles and then I bought these for my vacation that are now in the sale – I adore them – they are a great blue and lovely and silky. They are the perfect dressy holiday trouser in my opinion.

I’m very excited to see that they are now available in orange or pink in the new collection.

And now for a real love it or loathe it item. I, of course, LOVE it and have ordered it – it will be waiting on my desk when I return to work – what a treat! I love how ridiculously it embraces the full LOW slung harem trouser. With killer heels and a clutch I think it will look simple and elegant. I present to you the Zara baggy fit jumpsuit.

I told you that my Husband was a great lover of harems too – he even wore them at my graduation ball – well he’s just ordered a pair of tailor made ones here. I’m tempted to invest in some Cypriot couture myself, though I’m a bit concerned about what exactly ‘planted within’ means?

Meanwhile here I am in the wonderful Zara trousers out for dinner last night. The t-shirt is Ted Baker which is proving to be incredibly versatile – it goes with everything – and the sandals are Zara too. I actually put make up on for the first time in a week but still couldn’t face the heat of the hairdryer.

So have I persuaded you to give harems a go yet?

Güzleyurt and Salamis.

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It’s been a busy couple of days here. Over the weekend we headed to a ‘real’ Cypriot town where we were the only tourists – I stuck out like a sore thumb with my Nikon hanging round my neck. It was market day in Güzleyurt so off we went to stock up on some fabulous fruit and veggies.

We also made sure we beat the heat with a glass of strong çay.

This is a New Look dress that I bought on my trip back to Bury back in February. This is a similar one in navy and now just 7 GBP in the sale! I love it – but Hugh asked me if I had a baby in my tummy – so maybe not the most flattering on me. Comfort wins every time here though in the heat!

Today was an amazing day. When my Husband lived here from 1971 to 1974 they lived in Famagusta. The city is now home to a ‘buffer’ zone where only derelict, war torn buildings remain, patrolled by the Turkish army and the UN. It’s sad to see this part of the city crumbling away, but they obviously think a buffer zone is still needed to separate the North and the South. We drove around the barriers trying to pick out my Husband’s old apartment, where he lived as a child, that sits in the middle of the buffer zone.

Earlier in the day we visited what is probably my Husband’s most favorite spot in the World – Salamis. Imagine having ancient Greek ruins by the beach as your play ground when you were 7! He told me he had his 6th birthday party there and even wore a red toga for it – a lot of things are becoming clearer to me on this vacation:) I’ll be asking my FIL for the photos.

The Med is crystal clear here – almost too clear for me as I could see what I was swimming with – lots of tiny fish!

The obligatory photo on the headless statue.

Another fantastic lunch.

The neon beach cover up is from Target. I can’t tell you how hot I was standing here!

Who knows where tomorrow will take us!

My Boden sale picks.

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Yes the Boden sale has started!! Even with all their discounts throughout the year I still holdout for the sale for many items. There are some amazing bargains to be had and here are the items in my basket, which may be added to over the course of the day!

These colourblock points have been in and out of my cart all season. Now at $58.80 it would be rude not to order them. They’ll be perfect with floaty dresses or boyfriend jeans.

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I wore the chinchilla version of this scarf the other week in Bury – it’s super soft and now the acid lime will be mine.

Another item that I have been watching all season is this sparkle cotton top. It’s another great top for adding a bit of something special to a pair of jeans. It will be perfect under my new Next jacket too!

Finally (for now), these effortless cardigans are a perennial favorite of mine. I have the radish and a taupe one from previous years. They are beautifully soft and great with skinny jeans or shorts even. They work as great long layers over tanks and tees. The soot here is a great color for all year round, and the quartz melange is a gorgeous pink – they are reduced by 25% and 40% respectively and will no doubt fly off the shelves.

What are you snapping up? Have you had your eye on anything all season or are you making some impulsive purchases given the great prices?

A wedding, in the square, in the village, in N. Cyprus.

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As I was showering, getting ready for our evening promenade into the village, my Husband seemed unusually restless and impatient. I was taking my time, washing the grit and grime away from our hike up to Buffavento Castle earlier in the day. Little did I know we had a function to ‘attend’. Yes he had scoped out the village square earlier in the day, and he was well aware of the function about to take place that night. He was keen for me, and Poppy and Hugh, to catch a glimpse of local life, and I was ushered out of the door under the pretense that he was tired and wanted to get home soon.

We meandered up the road to the village square to get the children their ice creams, with the plan to sit in the municipal play area and watch them use their last reserves of energy on the swings.

When we got to the square there was a fervor of activity. A wedding was about to begin – it was just how it is in the movies!! I couldn’t believe our luck! I waited in two minds while the kids ate their ice creams – was I invading someones personal moment if I tried to steal a glimpse of the bride? Or was it really just like the movies where every man, woman and child is welcome to attend?

Suddenly the decision was made for me – the noise of car horns blasting up the road got louder and louder, and as the cacophony turned towards us we were cornered by the screeching wheels of 20 or so cars pulling up. Ever tried hand brake turns around a small village square? It looked like some of these dudes did it every week in their pimped up 1988 3 series.

So we stayed – and many of you will be relieved to hear that we didn’t actually get too close – mainly as I didn’t have enough Turkish Lira to pin to the groom and his new bride – it was definitely a ‘pay to enter’ wedding.

I only took out my point and shoot camera regrettably – but some photos came out okay in the dark.

I managed to surreptitiously grab some snaps of the local barber – a busy man at 8pm – I keep trying to persuade Hugh to get his locks chopped there but he’s not having any of it.

Watching and waiting…

On arrival the Bride wandered around in a circle several times – I later learned that it is traditional to walk around 3 times with the bridal party before the wedding:

The wedding stage was decorated and covered in floral arrangements, and the guests lined up with their gifts of money ready to congratulate the bride and groom .

The first dance – I couldn’t help but wonder who this lovely couple were, and what life will be like for them here over the course of their marriage.

The whole village had turned up with gifts – it was going to be a while before the party started. I think I may have just left a bowl out for gifts and cut right to the dancing if it was my wedding.

So we left them in peace and wandered home listening to the music increase in tempo – my feet were itching to do a u-turn but I didn’t want to cross that line of hospitality so stayed put at the house enjoying a late night beer with my groom.

My wedding outfit consisted of Gap shorts (not online – size down though they are BIG – these are a US 4!), Gap t-shirt (just $5.99 right now – make sure you size down though) and Zara sandals (in the sale) – I wished I’d been told so I could have worn a frock:)

And my outfit for our walk up to Buffavento – I swear they could see me in Turkey in this. Buffavento has never seen anything quite like it:) The t-shirt is Zara (old) and the shorts are J.Crew chino shorts in neon peach, worn with my Newtons.

Sightseeing.

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There is so much to see and do here in Cyprus, including doing absolutely nothing but lounge by the pool in the heat, and fortunately we are here long enough to do a little of everything each day.

On Wednesday we started the day with a trip up to St. Hilarion – one of the three castles that are perched on the mountains around Kyrenia. The children loved it and did great climbing the steep access to the Royal quarters. Poppy was spurred on by her desire to be a Princess for the day.

Up and up we went with lollipop rewards at the top. Well worth a visit for the views alone. The drive up there is interesting too – through a Turkish military zone with shooting ranges on the side of the mountain.

For this trip I wore my J.Crew Factory shorts (only $19.50 in the sale right now!!), Gap t-shirt (just $15 in the sale with another 35% off today using GAPMORE) and M&S sandals – though as you can see the Newtons were required for the climb. (Sorry about the blurry photo I was being rushed out of the door!).

Yesterday we hung out at the pool until the heat subsided in the early evening. We then headed off to Bellapais Abbey which is just stunning, if a little touristy due to the many people searching for the Tree of Idleness from the book Bitter Lemons.

We had some fun amongst the ruins.

Yes that sign behind her says ‘dangerous stairs’ – she’s a rebel and will do anything for the right shot.

I wore harems from Next, T-shirt from Zara (old) and sandals from M&S, and Poppy is wearing a t-shirt from Target, harems from Zara (similar here) and Havaiana flip flops.

After Bellapais we drove into Kyrenia for another wander along the harbor. We ate kebabs and lamaçun with the locals, and then I had my brandy sour at The Dome as I did 15 years ago. Apparently Kyrenia has some of the best forgeries in the World – there were a couple of ‘Birkins’ that caught my eye. Might be time to do some bartering tomorrow.

Finding our groove.

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It’s amazing how quickly you can get in the swing of things on vacation. Once you discover the supermarket, beach and local restaurant it all becomes so easy and you can hit the relax button.

We discovered our local beach yesterday – it was flippin’ hot at nearly 40 degrees celsius – our feet were burning on the sand! It was pretty busy too – but the Med was clear and warm and the kids had a blast. I was fascinated by the broad spectrum of people having fun – there were women with six packs and thong bikinis, and then there were women in Burkinis – all having a blast in the sun.

We picked up some fruit and water on our way there – I wish you could smell the sweetness of the melons wafting my way.

Last night we wandered down the road to try our local restaurant. My fingers were crossed that it would be good as there aren’t too many places that we can walk to here, and I want to make sure that OH isn’t driving all the time – he enjoys a cold beer too occasionally:) As we left the house I was shocked to discover that we were now a family of six.

Thankfully the food was amazing, and the view was even better. The restaurant was perched on a rock by the sea, and we listened to the waves crash as we munched on our mezze.

The fish was fabulous.

And so was the Efes.

My dinner guest wasn’t interested in having his photo taken:)

All six of us made it home and sat for a while staring at the thousands of stars, watching the Millennium Falcon fly over us, while listening to the call to prayer. A magical night.

I was comfortable but looking at the photos in the light of day this outfit is pretty unflattering – it gives me zero shape. Ahh well you live and learn – OH thinks I should write a post titled ‘Vacation Outfit Failures’ – he obviously didn’t like it either and thinks there may be more to come:) Thank goodness I have thick skin.

The loose shorts are old from Target, the t-shirt is the Gap sunwashed tee (Just $5 in some colors!) and the sandals are Zara (in the sale).

As I was on Gap getting the t-shirt link I completely fell in love with this dress – with a little imagination styling wise I think this is just gorgeous!

Day 1 in Cyprus.

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We’re staying in a villa just outside Kyrenia. It’s always great to arrive and find that the villa is all it was described to be! It’s fairly new and has all the home comforts that you need on vacation with children. We spent most of yesterday around the pool recovering from our traveling.

The rental car then arrived and we then headed out to explore and get our bearings. Kyrenia has a gorgeous harbor and castle – relative to the rest of N. Cyprus it is quite touristy – but in the grand scheme of things it is pretty low key. Just as I remember it from 1998, there are still lots of expats here. Most places even accept stirling as well as Turkish lira.

The Dome Hotel is where we spent the first night of our honeymoon in 1998.

We sat at one of the harbor bars for treats – Mum had one too:)

We then thankfully discovered a fabulous supermarket. We will be eating out, but it’s also reassuring to know that we can buy great food and eat at home when we need to. The children are very happy that we have found chicken kofte, fries and watermelon – they won’t starve:)

Now for my attire for the past couple of days. I love my new harems from Mango – so comfortable for travel. (Laughing at the Bisto gravy granules in the background – they’re to take home!).

Trousers – Mango // T-shirt – Gap // Sandals – Zara // Scarf – Gap

Yesterday I was in a bikini most of the time but ventured out in my River Island t-shirt dress and new M&S sandals. These sandals are perfect – so comfy and they have rubber soles so no slip sliding over cobbled streets.

The BIG holiday hair arrived after a day in the pool and the wind in Kyrenia:)

And of course Poppy didn’t want to miss out on the photo ops. Here she is in her new M&S dress.

Off to find a beach today!

Fun in Next!

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I will be traveling for the next few days – wending my way from Bury to Kyrenia – so there’ll be no blog post for a few days. To make up for it I’ve done two today. I couldn’t wait to tell you about my exciting morning;)

Mum and Dad took the children out for the day so I got to have some ‘me’ time in Bury with the shops that I miss. M&S, River Island, Primark and Matalan were all on my hit list. However, I was completely side tracked by Next. What a revelation!

Well in all honesty I had seen some of my blogging friends wearing some great items from Next recently, so I knew I had to take a look while I was here. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery no? We are all inspired by what we see in other blogs – and I’ve already bought Avril’s shoes, now I have Hollie and Eve’s jacket, and I think Kat’s jacket too?

For the trip I decided to give two fingers to the weather and wore all white, with my Boden leather jacket.

T-shirt – Zara TRF linen t-shirt with pink flower (old – can’t see it online in the sale but it may appear again) // Jeans – H&M (old) // Scarf – Boden chincilla pinspot lightweight scarf (I love this and want the acid lime one too)

Here’s the gorgeous Next jersey biker jacket in grey. I tried a 12 to start with and it was huge so ended up with a 10. Both Hollie and Eve All Worn Out have this. It is the softest, snuggliest jacket ever – perfect for Bury – maybe not so much for Atlanta and Cyprus.

I then spotted these great harem trousers in white. Some of you may like these – they are not low slung at the crotch – but have quite a tapered leg, others of you may not – as, with most white jersey, you can see the pockets.

I’m not normally a blouse person at all. But I was immediately drawn to this. The leopard print obviously caught my eye, but the colors are also lovely – greys, white and blush tones. The shape is great too and very forgiving for the muffin top.

With the jacket it creates a good day to evening outfit.

The top with skinnies.

Next up I saw this blue jacket. I loved it immediately. It’s a really flattering cut, lightweight and washable too. I also love the neckline. Oh and I totally love the fact it was only 28 GBP! I think Kat has this. It didn’t photo well at all – I think Next in Bury has the darkest changing rooms ever.

Finally the shoes. I didn’t get them – I wanted to – but the toe problem reared it’s ugly head again. I loved these and realized that I don’t have any navy heels at all so I could completely have justified them – but the little toe just wouldn’t behave. They came in grey too. I’m afraid I can’t see them online but I think they were about 28 GBP.

So all in all a fun trip to Bury – I even managed to grab coffee with my sister. I didn’t make it to anywhere else but Next I’m afraid. A good job I think really:)

Wish I could actually wear them.

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All my new sandals that is. It’s chucking it down here again in Bury. I thought I’d bought enough foul weather clothes – but I forget how foul it can get. I have zero waterproofs and zero waterproof shoes with me. Same can be said for the kids. We are completely unprepared for cold, wet, rain.

I think I might have enough sandals for Cyprus though. I’m hoping that wearing them there is pretty much guaranteed.

Here’s a closer look at the lovely bow cage M&S nude sandals – they really are lovely. Some reviews say size down but I ended up with my usual UK 6 – maybe it’s due to my wider feet – but just be warned you might want to try a size down. The nude have a suede heel rather than the metallic heel on the other two colorways.

As much as I love my sandals, my favorite purchases are these Autograph peep toe booties – in snakeskin and black – they are perfect. The heel height is about 3″ so perfectly comfortable and ideal for day wear too. As I’ve mentioned before, my toes have a mind of their own, so these keep them nicely encased and on their best behavior. I wish they came in nude too.

Now for what I’ve been wearing for the last couple of days. On Wednesday night, after my day out with Sue, I needed some comfy clothes. I know – the bra is bright blue and can be seen – but the photo is more so you can see the new Mango trousers. I LOVE them. The t-shirt is Gap and the bright pink looks great with the neutral trousers. Size down in Gap tees – this is a small.

Yesterday I wore plenty of brights – begging the sun to appear. Obviously it didn’t work. The nail polish is Essie Lapis of Luxury and complements the colors in the t-shirt really well!

Jeans – Boden skinny jeans // Jacket – Boden chic leather jacket (old) // Shoes – Marks and Spencer bow cage sandals // T-shirt – Ted Baker (old)

Looks like the Marks and Spencer sale has started today! Plus Boden currently have 40 items for men and women, and another 40 items for Mini girls and boys with 40% off – enjoy!

Day tripping.

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Sue and I both admitted to telling our children the same thing – ‘don’t be rude, and best behavior please’ – i.e. don’t show us up. And to be honest, when I met Sue and George in Leeds yesterday, all three children were very well behaved, considering we spent about 3 hrs in Giraffe eating, talking and drinking. We did resort to bribery a couple of times, so the children had a not so healthy lunch of pancakes, chips and ice cream (an extra scoop each while we finished the wine). I hope George got his Kinder egg that he was promised.

I’m so glad that we made the trip across the Pennines. You know there are just some people in this world who are genuine, and good, and radiate warmth – Sue is one of these people. Oh and she’s witty and charming too, darn her. She had made Poppy a gorgeous necklace, and bought sticker books for the children – so thoughtfuI, as I kicked myself for turning up empty handed.

Thanks to Rosie our fabulous waitress, who tolerated our constant requests, and didn’t bat an eyelid at the carnage and destruction that littered our table. She’s thinking of starting a blog with her friends, what a good idea I told her.

Thanks to The Grumps too for driving Sue’s car home and sorry if you didn’t get any dinner. I did lead her astray a bit, though in hindsight I’m not sure how much ‘leading’ was done.

Leeds, by the way, I am totally impressed. Full of fabulous stores and clean streets, which couldn’t be said for Manchester the other day. I get why Leeds is loved so much by so many. Shameful really that both my siblings went to University there and yet this was my first visit.

Next time I’m staying the night so we can really let our hair down.

Poppy's Style

My blog about fashion, family, friends and fun.

Category Archives: Style

Feeding my need for harems.

Güzleyurt and Salamis.

My Boden sale picks.

A wedding, in the square, in the village, in N. Cyprus.

Sightseeing.

Finding our groove.

Day 1 in Cyprus.

Trousers – Mango // T-shirt – Gap // Sandals – Zara // Scarf – Gap

Fun in Next!

T-shirt – Zara TRF linen t-shirt with pink flower (old – can’t see it online in the sale but it may appear again) // Jeans – H&M (old) // Scarf – Boden chincilla pinspot lightweight scarf (I love this and want the acid lime one too)

Wish I could actually wear them.

Jeans – Boden skinny jeans // Jacket – Boden chic leather jacket (old) // Shoes – Marks and Spencer bow cage sandals // T-shirt – Ted Baker (old)

Day tripping.

Superwoman Sue.

Great shot taken by one of the children – no awards here yet.

Sorry Rosie.

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Trousers – Mango // T-shirt – Gap // Sandals – Zara // Scarf – Gap

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T-shirt – Zara TRF linen t-shirt with pink flower (old – can’t see it online in the sale but it may appear again) // Jeans – H&M (old) // Scarf – Boden chincilla pinspot lightweight scarf (I love this and want the acid lime one too)

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Jeans – Boden skinny jeans // Jacket – Boden chic leather jacket (old) // Shoes – Marks and Spencer bow cage sandals // T-shirt – Ted Baker (old)

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Superwoman Sue.

Great shot taken by one of the children – no awards here yet.

Sorry Rosie.

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