Tag Archives: Gap

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

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.

Finding our groove.

14 Replies

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!

Wish I could actually wear them.

14 Replies

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!

Home comforts.

18 Replies

Here was me thinking I might lose a few pounds on holiday. Errr not the way I’m going at the moment. Copious wine, Mum’s fab cooking, plus a trip to Tesco where I stocked up on a few home comforts.

I’ve already had steak and kidney pudding and mushy peas, the bag of revels, and the Monster Munch have been opened. It’s a good job I stocked up on some of my favorite shape wear from M&S this morning too! Right now if you use BRAFIT48 at check out you will receive 8GBP off every 40GBP you spend! I broke it up into separate orders online to benefit fully from the code!

These are my favorite pieces – they really do cinch the waist, and the legs have no elastic so completely eradicate the VPL. At 25GBP each who can argue with that? M&S also ship free to the US now so I can rest easy.

This afternoon we’re babysitting for my sister so the house has 4 children in it. Poppy is enjoying every minute of schooling Hugh, Jack and Tom – poor boys.

Here’s my outfit for today – starting with a jacket and sneakers for a trip into Bury, followed by a cardigan and flip flops for hanging out at home.

Jacket – Zara TRF (old) // T-shirt – Gap // Jeans – Asos Saxby // Sneakers – Golden Goose

Flip flops – Havaianas // Cardigan – Boden (30% off everything till 24th June!!) Limited Edition sparkle pocket cardigan (old)

Off to help corral the children!

2013 family vacation is underway.

8 Replies

We made it! I have to admit I was exhausted before I even got on the plane. Hugh and Poppy were so excited that the first thing they asked at 7am was ‘are we going yet’. Only another 12 hours of waiting, and answering that question then! Finally we were on our way, bags packed with what I know to be way too many clothes – I even managed to sneak some extra shoes in their bags;) For the first time we actually departed from the new Atlanta International terminal. In the past we have checked in there and then had to get the airport train all the way back to the old terminals which just seemed like a complete waste of time. This time we got to explore the sparkly new terminal, with a food court to rival those of the best airports in the World. I could quite happily have spent an hour or so in Ecco drinking wine and eating flatbread. Instead we had homemade ham and cheese butties which I think Poppy and Hugh appreciated far more.

My travel attire: Trousers – James Perse cargo trousers (similar here) // T-shirt – Gap // Sneakers – Golden Goose (I ended up wearing my hi-tops though – a story for another time!)

After an hour delay due to bad weather we were on our way, finally!

We arrived yesterday to glorious weather in Bury. So sunny in fact I managed to recover from my jet lag lying in the garden. Just perfect! I also got to try out my early birthday present from my Husband. Looks like he picked up on my not-so-subtle hints. My fabulous man presented me with a new Nikon D3200 before I left. I am SO excited to have a great camera. It’s the perfect entry level DSLR – even though it has all the bells and whistles, it has an ‘Auto’ setting for when I’m feeling lazy:) I have, however, read the instructions and have tried out some of the various settings.

Nana and Grandad have converted their serene garden into Alton Towers.

I found the perfect objects for some still lifes:

Unsurprisingly the weather here is ‘changeable’. I started the morning with a run in the sun. I’m not sure Bury rush hour traffic was ready for bright pink hot pants though. I suddenly felt rather self conscious.

My bare arms have since been covered with a grey cashmere cardigan, and I’m adding layers as the morning progresses.

T-shirt – Gap // Scarf – Marks and Spencer’s (from my last visit – has a bike printed on it – I love it! // Jeans – Gap // Ballet pumps – navy Tory Burch Eddie flats

We’re looking after cousin Alice today. I’ve a feeling Nana and I will be on the wine soon.

Spotty bag delivery!

10 Replies

A spotty bag arrived the other day, just in time for my trip. I have been eyeing these Boden drop shoulder V-necks all season. Even with a discount code they were great value, but something still stopped me from ordering. That is until now. When I saw they were just $34 in the clearance section I could resist temptation no longer. I can’t get a jumper at Target for that price. I just love this vintage yellow melange color, and the knit is super soft, and light enough to pair with shorts here in the air conditioning! If you’re tempted you might want to go down a size – this is a US 6 down from my usual US 8 in Boden knitwear.

Sorry for the photo quality today – a new camera is on my wish list for my birthday (my Husband does read this occasionally). My little instant camera fogs over with condensation every time I try to take a photo outside. Even at 8am it can’t handle the transition from the AC house to the heat and humidity outside! Hence today it’s an office bathroom shot:) Again I’m wearing Gap – I’m telling you they have turned a corner.

Jeans – Gap (on sale – plus in the US 35% off all online orders today with GAP35) // Shirt – J.Crew Factory (30% off everything with code SPREE) // Sneakers – Silver Supergas // Spotty Bag – Oil Cloth shopper Boden // Handbag – Alexander Wang Rocco // Nail polish – China Glaze Pool Party

Just two more pre-vacation packages to arrive ready to be packed for Tuesday…can you guess what they are?

What to do on a grey Friday.

5 Replies

With tropical storms/depressions passing through the Atlanta Metro all week, yesterday continued with dark clouds, heavy rain and warm temperatures. The weather in the UK looks far preferable and I never thought I’d be saying that sitting here! So what to do on a grey Friday? Why what else but head to the shops? Just for a browse mind.

Actually I had a top to return to Athleta. Their return policy is fabulous. I bought a sweater a while ago, and I’d worn it a couple of times but found it a tad itchy. It had sat in my closet taking up space so I decided to test their ‘anytime, any reason’ policy. They gave me a full refund yesterday! Pretty good hey?

So while I was down in Atlantic Station I popped into H&M for a browse. I left with nothing. Nothing I tell you. The main reason is that I leave for the UK in a week and a half – I know what I’m packing, well pretty much, and I can’t add anything to that pile. With heading to Cyprus after Bury, I’ll be out of the country for a bit, so there’s really no point in having a ‘new’ item hanging in the closet unworn. Travel is great for curbing my spending – until I get to the Trafford Centre that is.

I did however spot some gorgeous items on my wander through H&M. I just wish they wouldn’t try and cram so much on the racks – it’s so frustrating trying to find a size in there! As they still don’t have online shopping capabilities here in the US here are some snaps of my top picks if I were buying.

This dress was the perfect nude blush – the pattern is hard to make out here – but so subtle and girly for summer.

LOVE this embellished top – perfect with white jeans.

Okay so I’m going to say Marant again – but these jeans are very Marant – gorgeous embroidery on the legs – if it was the Fall I would have bought these.

I love the Divided section of H&M for cheap and cheerful tees – this animal print tank is lovely.

How perfect! Neon and animal print shorts – a great weight fabric too.

I have several of these tank dresses that I use for layering in the cooler months – they are great under sweaters with skinny jeans. The new colors they had yesterday were lovely – yet more neon.

This t-shirt is so me – pink and grey, what’s not to love? Why the pocket – why, why, why do we need pockets on our boobs? Gap and J.Crew are guilty of doing this too – please NO pockets. Just $10 though – I could have picked the pocket off at that price I guess.

This maxi skirt was divine – lovely light weight jersey for the summer – but only XS left in our store here. If I see this in the UK I think I’ll buy it.

After H&M I nipped into The Gap. As I’ve mentioned I am completely enamored with The Gap at the moment. Their neons, cuts and fabrics have led me straight back to their door this summer after not buying from them for nearly 5 years. They just got so boring with their chinos and white shirts.

Currently they have a tonne of t-shirts and shorts on sale, and all weekend in the US there is 25% off online. My favorite this season are still their sunwashed t-shirts that are now in the sale. Gap do fit big though, and even with my boobs I’m a small in their t-shirts.

Browsing done, I headed off to get the kids from camp and take Poppy for her dentist appointment. We have the best pediatric dentist ever and after two new sealants Poppy was still grinning. My lovely Husband finished work early and we all trooped off to try Yeah! Burger on the Westside – my favorite spot in Atlanta. It was perfect. Great food, great margaritas, great company – sitting on a covered porch as the torrential rain passed over. Another steamy summer afternoon in Atlanta.

Off to the Braves!

13 Replies

Not really pool weather here today so we’ve decided to head off to watch the baseball. I love going to Turner Field. It’s even more fun now the kids are old enough to sit through the whole 9 innings – as long as I take enough snacks to feed an army. I ran this morning so I’ve earned my pretzel and beers:)

It’s hot here but last time I wore shorts to the Braves game I sweated like a very sweaty thing on the plastic seats – nasty – I walked out looking like I’d had an accident…so today it’s neon jeans in an effort to stay cooler, or at least drier on the plastic seats! The planning that goes into an outfit can never be underestimated!

Jeans – Gap neon flamingo // Sneakers – Golden Goose Francy // T-shirt – Zara (old)

Before I start chanting at the Ted – as I was perusing the Boden Preview (20% off PRV3) yesterday, I thought I’d take a gander at the clearance section for this season. There are so many fabulous items currently discounted. I grabbed three sweaters that, in my eyes, are absolute bargains for the coming Fall.

This Cashmere crew neck in almond is divine – reduced from $148 to $88.80 – a bargain for cashmere. If it works out I may order more colors.

I’ve had my eye on this drop shoulder jumper in yellow all season and now it’s reduced to just $34 so I snapped up the yellow and the silver thank you very much.

Finally today is a very important day for a very dear friend – Happy 40th Birthday Mrs. School Gate Style – you’ll love your 40s I promise!

School’s out for Summer!

11 Replies

Yes it is the last day of school today!!! Early here, but we go back on the 7th August, plus we always seem to finish before Memorial Day which is this Monday, and the unofficial start of Summer. The pools are open and summer camps begin – the rhythm of life changes. I love it – less routine, with far lazier starts to the day. I woke Poppy this morning to the gentle refrain of me singing ‘School’s Out’ – nothing but encouragement to get her out of bed – though, as she had lost a tooth yesterday, she was pretty spritely looking for her gift from the tooth fairy. Is it wrong that I had to take cash out of her piggy bank for the tooth fairy? That’s what I call recycling:)

Once she was up, and had written her thank you card for her teacher – she burst into tears poor thing. I thought she was going to be excited about the end of school, but it must be bittersweet. The fact she was so sad to finish 1st grade confirms we’ve had a brilliant year, with fabulous friends and a wonderful teacher. Now I just have to convince her that 2nd grade will be twice as much fun!

Shoes – Vince Nina // Trousers – J.Crew café capris // T-shirt – Gap // Jacket – Zara (old)

A graduation and buying wedding rings!

17 Replies

It was Hugh’s Pre-K graduation yesterday. I shed a couple of tears of pride. Where have the past 5 years gone? It’s a cliché, but true, your children grow up so fast.

Dress – Zara (sold out online but in the TRF section if you’re looking in store!) // Boots – Isabel Marant Dickers

The lady with the red trousers is Shirley. She adores Hugh – she cared for him in the baby room at the daycare and now babysits for us. I was so touched that she came to see him graduate.

We arrived home just in time to meet Karin and Simon, our friends from Sweden. They are visiting for the weekend. It’s a year since Simon proposed to Karin here in Atlanta, so this visit we get to chat about wedding plans and we’re off to choose wedding rings today!! Well rather they are off to choose them – but you know how I like to be involved and share my opinion. Fortunately Simon has known me for 23 years so has probably learned to accept/tolerate my interference by now:) I hope to share photos of the selected rings later. In the meantime my Husband kindly advised me to avoid wearing turquoise – apparently it could be interpreted as me trying to wear the store’s signature blue.

Poppy's Style

My blog about fashion, family, friends and fun.

Tag Archives: Gap

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

Finding our groove.

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)

Home comforts.

Jacket – Zara TRF (old) // T-shirt – Gap // Jeans – Asos Saxby // Sneakers – Golden Goose

Flip flops – Havaianas // Cardigan – Boden (30% off everything till 24th June!!) Limited Edition sparkle pocket cardigan (old)

2013 family vacation is underway.

My travel attire: Trousers – James Perse cargo trousers (similar here) // T-shirt – Gap // Sneakers – Golden Goose (I ended up wearing my hi-tops though – a story for another time!)

T-shirt – Gap // Scarf – Marks and Spencer’s (from my last visit – has a bike printed on it – I love it! // Jeans – Gap // Ballet pumps – navy Tory Burch Eddie flats

Spotty bag delivery!

What to do on a grey Friday.

Off to the Braves!

Jeans – Gap neon flamingo // Sneakers – Golden Goose Francy // T-shirt – Zara (old)

School’s out for Summer!

Shoes – Vince Nina // Trousers – J.Crew café capris // T-shirt – Gap // Jacket – Zara (old)

A graduation and buying wedding rings!

Dress – Zara (sold out online but in the TRF section if you’re looking in store!) // Boots – Isabel Marant Dickers

Jeans – H&M // T-shirt – Gap // Jacket – River Island // Boots – Isabel Marant Dickers

Related articles

Share this:

Related articles

Share this:

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

Related articles

Share this:

Jacket – Zara TRF (old) // T-shirt – Gap // Jeans – Asos Saxby // Sneakers – Golden Goose

Flip flops – Havaianas // Cardigan – Boden (30% off everything till 24th June!!) Limited Edition sparkle pocket cardigan (old)

Related articles

Share this:

My travel attire: Trousers – James Perse cargo trousers (similar here) // T-shirt – Gap // Sneakers – Golden Goose (I ended up wearing my hi-tops though – a story for another time!)

T-shirt – Gap // Scarf – Marks and Spencer’s (from my last visit – has a bike printed on it – I love it! // Jeans – Gap // Ballet pumps – navy Tory Burch Eddie flats

Related articles

Share this:

Related articles

Share this:

Related articles

Share this:

Jeans – Gap neon flamingo // Sneakers – Golden Goose Francy // T-shirt – Zara (old)

Related articles

Share this:

Shoes – Vince Nina // Trousers – J.Crew café capris // T-shirt – Gap // Jacket – Zara (old)

Related articles

Share this:

Dress – Zara (sold out online but in the TRF section if you’re looking in store!) // Boots – Isabel Marant Dickers

Jeans – H&M // T-shirt – Gap // Jacket – River Island // Boots – Isabel Marant Dickers

Related articles

Share this: