The Coach sale has started – there are some amazing price reductions and their quality is always fabulous!
Need a new purse?
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My high street crush.
After my success with the River Island jumpsuits I was lured into searching all things River Island on ASOS.com. Each time I’ve been back to the UK I’ve been more than pleasantly surprised by some of their offerings. Yes you have to do the mutton check on most of it – but I have a couple of jackets of theirs, and now the jumpsuits, which I love. So what else can they help me out with this summer? Well how about some fabulous, bright, summery dresses – all in great comfortable, stretchy fabric! So easy to throw on with a pair of sandals.
Here are my picks – several of which you’ll see me in over the coming weeks. I’ve provided ASOS links to make them easily accessible here in the US.
This is the dress that caught my eye first – I love the print – loud and yellow. I was concerned about sizing but the UK 12 is perfect – the fabric has plenty of stretch in it. Such a statement dress that is so easy to wear.
My love for the yellow dress led me to these two – the same style but a snake print – in both yellow and coral. Again a dressier version of a t-shirt dress that will take you from day to evening in the summer.
For those of you who are averse to print – this gorgeous pink dress delivers the same impact.
The following are jersey stretch swing dresses. Again I tried the UK 12 in both and they are perfect – even around the bust. These dresses will be great for transitional weather too, and I can see myself wearing them in the Fall with over the knee boots.
This marble print is on sale at just $33!
The blue leopard print is stunning in real life – the background is more cream than white.
This dress has to be my favorite. It’s a swing dress – slightly more fitted around the bust with less stretch so it might be worth sizing up if you are of ample bosom. I just LOVE the print on this.
Next a maxi dress. I’ve been on the look out for a tie dye max for a while and this fits the bill perfectly. I really like a racer back and the side split makes it less restrictive.
Finally this is a print that caught my eye back in February. I sized up in this to a UK 14 as it isn’t quite as stretchy and it is body hugging. Again this is currently on sale at $35.
Now just for good measure – this one is ASOS, not River Island, but I had so many compliments about my red checked dress that I wanted to share this one with you. It’s the same style so size down. Lovely and girly – but it will look great toughened up with a pair of sneakers. Also on sale at $60.
So get the legs out and get a dress on – you’ve no excuse now!
Finishing off with a couple of outfits from this week. I’m in workout gear right now, about to take the dog for a run while it is cooler!
Sneakers – Adidas Samoas with floral trim // Dress – Marks & Spencer Limited Edition (old)
Trousers – Zara (old) // Shoes – Marks & Spencer Limited Edition (old) // T-shirt – J.Crew // Cardigan – J.Crew (on sale plus an EXTRA 50% off with code SHOPNOW)
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My obsession with jumpsuits.
Obsession? Addiction? Call it what you will – I LOVE a jumpsuit. I love the fact that they are quirky, retro and not to everyone’s taste. I’m a little sad that they are becoming more mainstream.
I’ve acquired a few new ones over the past month – I must stop now as I am not sure I will have time to wear them all over the summer! At least three of these will be coming on vacation with me so let’s start with those.
First of all this River Island gem. It was in and out of my ASOS basket for weeks before I finally hit order after seeing Trea model it. Thank goodness I did – it is amazing. It is so comfortable (though I did size up to a UK 14 as River Island can be quite small) and it has adjustable spaghetti straps with a popper at the front to maintain your modesty. I am wearing it here with a body underneath so it doesn’t appear to be too restrictive as far as what underwear you can wear with it – always a concern for me with thin straps as I need to wear a bra.
So….as I loved this so much I tried this one…and loved it too! Again River Island from ASOS – I’ve just switched out the cheapo belt it came with for a wider one of my own.
Now this Zara jumpsuit is all I ask for – leopard print, comfort and a little cleavage for a night out:) It only comes in small and medium and this is a medium so it is definitely generous sizing for Zara.
I’ve been eyeing this khaki one online for a while and Cali persuaded me to buy it while we were in NYC last week. I’m glad she did – I really love it.
Finally good old M&S! This photo does not do it justice. The fabric is so drapey and soft, and it comes in black or navy but the black is sold out online. It feels so elegant on and it is a fabulous evening piece instead of a dress. This is a UK 12 but I know many of you taller ladies will be disappointed that it doesn’t come in a longer length too – it may come up too short for you.
So are you wearing jumpsuits this summer? Do you say yay or nay?
I’ll leave you today with my outfit from Thursday – one of my favorite t-shirt dresses from ASOS. Off now to finish assembling IKEA flat packs – 2 loft beds are done so now for the easy pieces!
Dress – ASOS (on sale) // Sandals – Ancient Greek
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My New York City trip!
I am tired. Very, very tired, but happy. Very, very happy.
My great friend, Cali, and I arrived in NYC at around midday on Saturday. The weather was perfect – blue skies and a cool breeze. We stayed in the Holiday Inn on Lafayette Street – which I have to say was the PERFECT location in the middle of SoHo.
My travel attire: Sneakers – Stan Smiths // Jeans – J.Crew // T-shirt – Ted Baker (old but similar here) // Cardigan – J.Crew
We headed straight out for lunch and found a fabulous place called Delicatessen for mussels and fries. They also had a ‘Macbar’ so we couldn’t resist the opportunity to taste the mac ‘n’ cheese with confit of duck – as rich and amazing as it sounds!
After a bottle of prosecco it was time to flex the credit card and we walked around the corner to AllSaints – how convenient that their sale had just started in store! It hasn’t started online yet so keep your eyes peeled here. I got a couple of great bargains along with the Rae dress that I just couldn’t resist.
That night we headed out for cocktails at The Pegu Club – of course the new dress was worn. A fabulous conclusion to a great first day!
Sunday morning began bright and early with maybe the BEST breakfast I have ever had at Jack’s Wife Freda. I had rose water waffle with fruit, and a lovely pot of tea – unfortunately we were even too early for mimosas to be served on a Sunday!
My #selfie – sorry no full length outfit shot, but I was wearing the ASOS maxi dress and my favorite Nars Yu lip pencil. The dress is perfect and even one of the assistants in Barney’s stopped me to tell me she had just ordered it.
It was then time to head Uptown where we enjoyed pounding the streets and window shopping – but of course we also had to get some gifts from the American Girl Store and then head to Barney’s for a cocktail. It was the perfect way to spend the afternoon.
Early that evening we rushed out to an Irish bar near Times Square to meet Avril and see the Belfast Community Gospel Choir perform. We walked in to the most rousing, amazing sounds. Both Cali and I ended up in tears for the next hour – their singing was so amazing. I have never felt so emotionally moved by a choir – being with fabulous friends, in NYC created an incredible experience that I will never forget. Of course I tried to claim a spot in the choir too:)
Cali and I departed and made our way back downtown…arriving back at our hotel at a little past 4am. Yep we made the most of it – Russian vodka bars and Speakeasy bars included.
We managed to rally on Monday to meet up with Avril and Gemma Louise at Balthazars for Avril’s birthday lunch. Cider with ice cubes helped the head:)
So today has been tough to say the least, but amazing memories made with amazing friends have made it easier. I feel very fortunate that I have such a supportive family that let me run off for a weekend of fun with brilliant friends who I love dearly – thanks for making it great Cali, Avril and Gemma Louise!
Shoes – Ancient Greek // Bag – Alexander Wang Rocco (old similar here) // Jeans – J.Crew // Top – AllSaints Tiko tee // Jacket – my new AllSaints Walker jacket bought in the sale not online right now
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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!
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Poppy’s Style – the swimsuit issue.
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!
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Pool attire!
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!
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Kristen Taekman of RHONY
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?
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The craziness is over…
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.
Lunch was by choice of the birthday girl at Verde and I decided to wear glitter, at least on my feet, for the occasion.
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!!
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COS online in the USA!
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!!
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Poppy's Style 