How many pairs of sneakers does a girl need?

Hmm well replace ‘need’ with ‘want’ and it seems to be never ending! I’ve had a love affair with sneakers/trainers since I was young when I cherished my Dunlop Green Flash. My Mum would whiten them for me, which inevitably resulted in crusty shoes, as you were in effect putting white paint on them that cracked once it dried! I soon moved onto Converse and they were my staple at University – I had a green pair and a lilac pair. Of course once the 90s arrived it was all about the Adidas Gazelles. Interestingly I still have Gazelles and Converse in my collection – but no Green Flash! Do they even still sell them?

So going back to the question I have so many sneakers now that I cannot ever say ‘I need those’ when it comes to a new pair. I have running shoes, sneakers for fashion and even sneakers-to-wear-with-work-out-gear-when-I’m-not-actually-working-out, as my husband duly noted this morning. Due to my rather large collection of sneakers, these days I tend to wait for the sales to add a new style, or a new color, to the mix. Many of the sneakers you will see in the sale are the same style as the new season, but just a different selection of colors. So unless you are buying high performance running shoes you won’t be missing out on any new technology!

Nike very kindly just sent me a code for an extra 20% off clearance – BACK2SPORT. Some of my favorite casual sneakers are the Nike Internationalist. These are currently on sale so you will get your extra 20% off making them just $48, reduced from the regular price of $85. I have a couple of pairs at home and I can vouch for their comfort.

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This navy pair are slightly more but have to be my favorite for the Fall, and you’ll get the extra 20% off too.

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While on the Nike site I fell hard for thesebright red but I adore Air Max! These would be amazing with black skinnies and a black cashmere sweater.

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If you are looking for some serious running shoes you can’t go wrong with the Lunar Flyknits. I always go up half a size at least for running to give me plenty of room in the toe box. These are in the sale, in a couple of colors, reduced from $150, with an extra 20% off too!

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Now for the classic New Balance. Take a look at these images and tell me they aren’t cool!

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My favorite New Balance 620s are on sale on the New Balance site reduced from $79.99 to $59.99. I found a discount code for you too! RETAILMENOT will get you 12% off plus free shipping. How could you say no to green and bubble gum pink?

630 green

 

Or navy and apple?

630 navy

 

Finally – (not on sale – don’t shoot me) – I spotted some amazing colors new on the J.Crew site. These always sell out super fast as they are custom colors unique to J.Crew. I’m definitely getting my hands on this olive and pink pair.

620 JCrew

The classic navy pair are gorgeous and a little more subtle.

630 JCrew navy

 

I wore a pair of my 620s yesterday, then I forgot to take a photo of them! I was dashing from one place to another and, take it from me, they added a little pace around the supermarket!

On Friday I made the trip to IKEA. One I try to do only x2 a year. This time of year is NOT the time to go as every GA Tech and GA State student is there trying to furnish their abode for the next year! As a side note I used to be quite a snob about cooking utensils and pots and pans – but IKEA do some fabulous pots and pans and baking ware!

WatermelonTrousers – Zara (old) // Shoes – TopShop Kingfisher // T-shirt – H&M

Today it’s back to work. I dropped Stella, our white boxer, at the vet today to have a mast cell tumor removed. Very common in boxers but still I hated leaving her there!

JCrew blazerShoes – Vince Nina (on sale here and here) // Jeans – J.Crew (sale) // Top – Mango (sale) // Jacket – J.Crew Regent blazer // Bag – Alexander Wang Rocco (similar here discounted)

 

A red blazer

My love of clothes extends beyond my own closet. I love to see what other people are wearing whether it be on Pinterest, other blogs or outfit sharing groups on Facebook (my favorite, Avenue 57, is a secret group to avoid trolls – email me joanna@poppys-style.com if you are interested in joining). They can be the sources of inspiration for many mornings when I am having an ‘ugh what do I wear?’ moment.

Take the other day when I absolutely fell head over heels in love with this outfit put together by my friend Natalie. Now she happens to be drop dead gorgeous, so pretty much everything looks amazing on her, but after seeing this I NEEDED a red blazer.

NatalieMy favorite blazers of all time are the J.Crew Regent blazer and I managed to get a couple of linen ones in the sale with various discount codes. Their Fall version is available in this stunning Bohemian Red but it is currently excluded from promotions so I am trying to hold out. At $198 it ain’t cheap.

B0323_RD6013Instead I have ordered this from Mango which is 50% off in the sale and now just $39.99. It’ll allow me to experiment and see if I can carry off red as well as Natalie can!

MangoIf you prefer something a little shorter Mango also have this divine minimal blazer.

Mango minimal blazerAs for the graphic tee that Natalie is wearing wouldn’t this look just amazing under a red or black blazer?

Kiss teeI have a few of the Donald Robertson tees from J.Crew already and absolutely love them. Quirky and great quality.

Yesterday, while waiting for the red blazer to arrive, I adapted the look with black and white. I love wearing a jacket and this was really fun to wear with the sneakers to dress it down a little.

monochromeJeans – Zara (old) // T-shirt – Donald Robertson for J.Crew (old) // Blazer – J.Crew Linen Regent blazer (now on sale) // Sneakers – Golden Goose

So a red blazer – to do or not to do?

Recovery

I am so, so tired today, but I’m struggling through! The struggle is eased by the fun memories of my birthday! My family yet again went above and beyond to make it a special day. Everywhere I looked there were little stickers with my face on them, and my husband made a card with a blog photo from every month of last year!

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We dined out last night at an amazing new steak house in Atlanta – Marcel – just exquisite – certainly an indulgent treat! For the occasion I wore the AllSaints Noir dress which I purchased in the sales. It was perfect – no waist to hinder over consumption! It has a cool zipper neck line which I love – it gives a little edginess to a LBD.

AllSaints dressDress – AllSaints // Shoes – Marks and Spencer // Bag – YSL

As I was searching for the sandals online (now on sale at just £19!) I came across this flat version at M&S – be quick – you know they are bound to sell out! There is also a closed toe heeled version here.

Today and yesterday during the day were very casual. Jeans and sneakers – my favorite ensemble!

JCrew teeSneakers – Stan Smith Adidas // Jeans – J.Crew boyfriend jeans // T-shirt – J.Crew

GGJeans – J.Crew (30% off with SHOPMORE) // Top – AllSaints (old) // Sneakers – Golden Goose (on sale here reduced to $167 from $555)

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I cannot believe I contemplated not getting these Golden Goose! They still have limited sizes available on sale here. I am wearing what is marked as a US 9 online, and they fit true to a Eur 39.

Okay I’m off for a lie down before the kids get home and I have to attempt 4th grade homework again!

The birthday weekend

Yup the birthday isn’t till tomorrow but that hasn’t stopped me from celebrating all weekend! After lunch with my husband on Thursday, I ended up with lunch out again on Friday. It was lovely – I headed to my favorite place and dined alone, contemplating the next year, and reviewing my early 40s! I’d done a little shopping in the morning and treated myself to a couple of new lipsticks and a Dior nail polish in Wonderland (the staying power of which is amazing!). It was a lovely indulgent day.

stripesJeans – J.Crew // Top – old AllSaints dress // Shoes – Cypriot sandals

Saturday was spent relaxing by the pool so I didn’t really get dressed. I had a lovely day reading and catching up on my enormous pile of magazines that has accumulated over my vacation.

Today we are off out to brunch – I’m feeling quite virtuous after an intensive spin class. Eggs Benedict may be required to raise my energy levels as I may have committed to getting a couple of guinea pigs for the kids! The cage has been delivered so I may now be held to purchasing two piggies later today! We’re not sure whether we’re going to end up with Patsy and Edina, or Freddie (Mercury) and Brian (May)!

shorts and tee v1Top – AllSaints (sale) // Shorts – J.Crew (on sale with an extra 30% off using COOLSALE) // Shoes – Sam Edelman (last year)

My birthday weekend starts now!

I’m 44 on Monday. How did that happen? I don’t feel anything like I thought you were supposed to at 44. Aren’t I supposed to be a grown up by now?

winging it

I’ve always loved to celebrate my birthday, so as my weekend starts today, so do my birthday celebrations! My husband joined me for lunch today and tonight we’ll be entertained by the GOP debate! I can’t wait – I hope Donald Trump will entertain as expected!

Today I started the day with a run – massive mistake. It was about 77 degrees so I thought it would be tolerable. I had failed to factor in the 100% humidity – talk about running through a sauna. I’m still as dehydrated as a Farley’s Rusk now! At least I got to wear my new running shoes and capris!

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And here is the first outfit of my birthday weekend. Yes I have all 3 colors of the TopShop Kingfisher espadrilles – I love them!

MadewellShoes – TopShop // Jeans – J.Crew // Top – Madewell (final sale)

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p.s. a quick update on our efforts to help out those 2 little girls – Taylor Swift is in!

 

Back to school

So the kids headed back to school today. I now have a 4th grader and a 2nd grader! Poppy spent a few minutes last night telling me she didn’t want to grow up – poor thing – I could kind of empathize with her! I expect they will have an a amazing time today – it’s been so long since they saw their friends.

I had them both at home Monday and Tuesday – hence the lack of posts. I’ve been mainly wearing workout gear to accomplish house chores and drive them back and forth to friends and cheer practice. I have to admit I secretly LOVE hanging out in capris and sneakers – it really is super comfortable in this heat. The other added benefit is that it gives me ones less reason to avoid the gym. Heck if I’m already dressed for it I’d better workout no? I have to say I think I have found my mojo again and I’ve really enjoyed the gym this week. So much so I’ve treated myself to some new running shoes.

I’ve harped on before about my love for New Balancethis remains one of my most read posts! Well after a few months in Nikes I’ve headed back to New Balance. I read about the Vazee Pace in my Runners World and decided to try them. They are AMAZING. Not only do they look good but they feel fabulous. They have a great wide toe box so no toes get scrunched up. My arch feels well supported, and the cushioning from the REVlite sole is just as brilliant as the W890s (the Vazee Pace will replace the 890s).

I can not say enough about how much I love these – and with a price of $109.99 it will be hard to find a better option for a casual runner with dodgy knees like me!

Vazee

 

I have also ordered the Nike Flyknit Lunar to try. I love the Flyknit and the lunar sole, and with these being in the sale I thought I might use the Nikes for the gym and keep the New Balance for running outside. I’ll see how they fit – but they were hard to ignore with the current discount!

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Nike have some great items on sale right now and I dropped these in my cart too. I love the pro capris for the gym and for running – super lightweight and comfortable. The only drawback is there is no pocket for my car key but I have remedied that with one of these.

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So today I am back in the office which called for getting dressed!

AllsaintsShoes – TopShop // Dress – AllSaints // Jacket – J.Crew

On Friday I took the kids to meet my piercing guru, Richard, at PiercingExp.com. My sparkly septum ring had finally arrived and I LOVE it. It’s a Gem Oaktier in solid rose gold with genuine white sapphires.

Septum MadewellShoes – J.Crew (on sale) // Jeans – J.Crew // Top – Madewell (on sale)

On a final, sad note – an Atlanta mom of two small girls died on Sunday after a mystery illness took hold. Nothing can take away the pain for her girls, but the community here is trying to get tickets for the girls to see Taylor Swift when she tours here. T.V. stations and news stations have got hold of the story so if you feel inclined please help us and Tweet with hashtag #wishes4riley and #bigdreamslittlegirl – thank you so much.

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Golden Goose Sneakers

I do love my Golden Goose sneakers. Yes they are expensive full price – crazy expensive. BUT if you hold out for sales there are some great bargains to be had and you can get your hands on a pair for the same price as two pairs of Stan Smiths. Worth every penny in my opinion. I was super lucky with my sale purchases this year and ended up with these from ShoeScribe (owned by Yoox).

Golden Goose

 

There are still several styles available in their sale – and I am obsessing over this turquoise iridescent pair. I’m hoping they sell out before I am sucked in.

Golden Goose

 

They are the coolest, most comfortable sneakers I own.

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AllSaints dressSneakers – Golden Goose // Dress – AllSaints // Bag – McQ Alexander McQ (similar here)

Bobbed

Yay!! Patience and perseverance have paid off and I now have a bob – albeit and short one! Now it is shaped it will be much easier to continue to grow it to my jawline. Sunshine and Biotin really seem to help with growth. Thanks O’Neil at Van Michael Salon – a great cut as always!

Bob

1 2Jacket – J.Crew (Final sale plus get an extra 50% off with YAYSALE) // Jeans – J.Crew (Final sale plus get an extra 50% off with YAYSALE) // T-shirt – AllSaints // Sneakers – Isabel Marant (similar here discounted)

Back to reality

Where am I? What time is it? Who am I? After a 20 hour journey on Saturday and a 7 hour time difference I am feeling just a tad fuzzy. The kids are waking up at 4am still so hopefully sending them off to camp today will get them back on schedule by the end of the week. Then it’s back to school next week! Roll on 2nd and 4th grade!

I went for something easy and comfy today – it’s so lovely having a different choice of clothes to wear!

ASOS dressBag – Alexander McQueen McQ (similar here) // Shoes – TopShop // Dress – ASOS // Scarf – H&M (old)

Screen Shot 2015-07-27 at 9.17.55 AMSunglasses – Mango

Final sale with up to 75% EXTRA off!!!!

Had to quickly inform all my US readers about J.Crew’s final sale. Many items now have up to 75% EXTRA off sale prices!

These gorgeous espadrilles were $115 and now work out at just $15 using SUMMERSALE at checkout!

silver espadrilles J.Crew

 

These fabulous neon ones work out at $18.75, reduced from $98!

neon espadrilles J.Crew

 

My final pick is this scarf that I pointed out the other day – now just $12.40 reduced from $59.99!

J.Crew black and white scarf

 

Just use code SUMMERSALE at checkout! Enjoy!