Tag Archives: H&M

I spoke too soon.

Sorry to all of you in the UK and elsewhere – but I am sharing a J.Crew code that is only valid in the US – complain to them not me:)  Using HEYSPRING you can get 25% off online and in store.  They don’t often have such great discounts at J.Crew so I have taken advantage of it ready for our trip to the beach for Spring Break.

This camouflage sweatshirt is similar to the one Marlene wore here – but I think I have ordered the lighter, grayer, colorway.

JCrew Sweatshirt

 

J.Crew’s denim shorts are the best I have come across – super soft and stretchy – in fact I often size down as they give during wear.

Denim shorts

This denim jacket is a great dark vintage wash and it is already on sale.  I love it – I just need to try it on in store so I know my size.  J.Crew love their vanity sizing and often it is worth again sizing down.

Vintage denim jacket

Finally I have ummed and aahed about rash guards for the past couple of summers.  Going to the beach in April means it can still be pretty breezy, making that risk of sun burn even greater, so I have taken the plunge and ordered this one.  I prefer the solid color to a stripe.

Aqua rash guard

 

If that is too much coverage for you I really like this sleeveless version – and it is a great price, currently reduced to $49.50.

sleeveless rash guard

 All this talk of beach attire and Spring Break feels a little premature today as the temperatures drop again.  So yes I did speak too soon at the weekend and the boots are back on today – but just £27.20 boots from the M&S sale – RESULT!

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Jeans – Gap (on sale) // Boots – Marks and Spencer Mink biker boots (on sale at just £27.20 reduced from £75!!) // Bag – Marks and Spencer // Jumper – Zara (old) // Gilet – AllSaints (old)

Finally I look a bit crazed here – but this is me on a usual Sunday – no makeup and my hair is still wet after the gym…

Make up free.jpg

 

Shoes – Avarcas Pons Ankle strap in brown // Jeans – H&M boyfriend jeans // T-shirt – REALLY old Gap long sleeved t-shirt // Glasses – Oliver Peoples Wacks

 

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Bad ass dog.

On Wednesday morning, after returning from dropping the kids at school, I was confronted with a guy in our yard trying to break into the house.  I immediately went into fright or flight mode and just started yelling “F*ck off! F*ck off!  What the f*ck do you think you’re doing??!!!”.  I was very eloquent.  I’m not sure if he was more scared of me or Tennyson, my fabulous, loyal, protective, boxer who immediately went into attack mode.  I was slightly impressed by the dude’s agility and speed at getting back over our fence.  I suddenly realized he may be armed so I headed back inside to call 911 while Tennyson told him in no uncertain terms that he would not be welcomed back.

Tennyson now has his new sign in the front yard which really should say “Beware of the big, bad ass, dog”.

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The hero of the hour who has been spoiled rotten since.

Tennyson

 

It took me the day to recover from the adrenalin – I was shaken to say the least – but I felt I dealt with it appropriately and I’m moving on now.  I think they could hear me yelling in Florida!

Tuesday I headed to H&M to exchange some clothes for Poppy.  I took the opportunity to take a look at this gorgeous fringed top I had seen online.  I needed to understand why it is priced at $349!!  It is a lovely blue, but crikey I wouldn’t pay $20 for it.  The tassles feel really cheap and were already tangling and getting knotted on every top in the store.  Not to mention the top must have weighed 100lbs.  You’d need to be a line backer to wear it for more than 10 minutes.

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Here’s my outfit for the day – I felt really comfortable, it’s great to wear skirts again – crap photo – I blinked:)

 

IMG_5660Shoes – Adidas Gazelles // Skirt – Asos wrap jersey skirt // T-shirt – Asos forever t-shirt in nude // Sweatshirt – Target (can only see plus size online)

Here are some other outfits from this week – a bit of a mix due to going from 70 degrees to 50 degrees throughout the week.

IMG_8057Dress – Mango (kindly bought by my sister – similar here) // Shoes – M&S Limited 

IMG_8077 IMG_8074 IMG_5666 IMG_5665Jumper – TopShop (stealing Frances’ style again) // Shirt – Zara (old) // Trousers – H&M // Sneakers – Adidas Samoas // Nail polish – Essie Play date

And then after a bang trim, ready for a fun night out at dinner with my Husband on Friday night where I drank too much Port with my cheese…I went full on ’80s – big hair and lots of silky flowy fabric.

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Boots – Zara // Trousers – Mango harems (old) // Top – Zara (old) // Jacket – River Island (old – similar here)

Today I plan on doing not much else but sitting here – Hugh helped me assemble it – we’re the logical ones of the family:)

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Sometimes things just don’t work out the way you imagined…

So the blonde hair…it’s going tomorrow.  I am going back to my roots.

After a week of scaring myself in the mirror and trying to make my complexion look less jaundiced, I’ve given in and I am going back to my roots tomorrow.  Glossy, dark chocolate locks here I come.  I wanted a change which is why I thought I’d try the lighter locks but, to be honest, with my skin tone I feel so washed out, and my hair is so dark that I already can see root growth.  The maintenance would kill me!

It was really after seeing the following photo that I decided not to persevere any longer.  I love this jacket but I look so drab and dreary in it with lighter hair.  I’ve also binned the shoes – I loved them once but again I think the pink/nude color does me no favors whatsoever.  If it ain’t broke don’t fix it – I should know by now to stick with my dark palette – in fact I should ask Donna over at I Won’t Wear Sludge Brown to do a color reading for me.

RI jacket

Shoes – Clarks Hamble Oak // Jeans – H&M boyfriend jeans // Sweater – Zara (old) // Jacket – River Island (old)

I am of course eternally grateful to my hairdresser for squeezing me in tomorrow before I leave on my trip this weekend!

Yesterday I was running some errands and I happened to nip into Neiman Marcus – as you do.  I rarely go in department stores as I think I’ve mentioned before I can find them overwhelming.  However, my eyes were opened by Neimans – what have I been missing!?  I had a quick look around the contemporary store – CUSP.  So many great brands like Vince, Rag & Bone, Alice & Olivia, Helmut Lang and even Isabel Marant – I had no idea there was a stockist here in Atlanta!  I may have found myself trying on some J.Brand leather jeans…just for size of course…for the record they fit big…I got into a 28″ because they are so beautifully stretchy.

I then headed to the shoe department – again I found my favorite Rag & Bone Newbury boots along with the Vince Nina flat that is back in an array of colors this Spring.  I was totally smitten by the sale shelf – I nearly cried with joy when I saw Isabel Marant boots and Chloé Suzanna boots less than half price!

Beautiful hairy Newbury boots in the sale:

Newbury

These Saint Laurent boots made me stop in my path – just stunning and they totally remind me of my Zara boots (yet to be worn).

SaintLaurent

 

So now I know what an Aladdin’s Cave Neiman Marcus is it could truly be catastrophic.  It’s a good job I don’t like mall shopping…

Today I had one last go at dealing with the blonde but headed back to my comfort zone when it comes to colors.

HM dress

 

Boots – H&M // Leggings – H&M (old) // Dress – H&M // Scarf – H&M (old) // Bag – Alexander Wang Rocco (TheOutnet.com)

 

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Spotted this week…

Following on from my previous post, and just to prove that procrastinating can sometimes pay off – I present to you my sequin skirt that is now on its way to me!  Not grey or blush – but a perfectly beautiful shade of indigo.  I hope it is as gorgeous in the flesh – especially as it was already in the sale and is currently an extra 50% off with code EXTRA50.

J.Crew sequin skirt:

jcrew sequin skirt

Unlike a lot of people I know I have very little blue/navy in my closet but I have definitely noticed myself being more and more attracted to navy items.  It’s such a classy color and many clothes look far more expensive, or even better quality, in navy than they do in black.  Not to mention that it is now no longer a fashion faux pas to mix navy and black.  Hence while browsing on Net-a-porter.com this morning I found myself uncontrollably besotted with these beauties.  My Newbury boot fetish continues.

newbury navy suede

It’s been an odd week to say the least.  An entire week off unexpectedly can certainly mess with your head – I feel slightly jet lagged and totally discombobulated!  We’re off tomorrow too for President’s Day, then I have 3 days at work before I’m off to the UK wooo-hooo!  Having the week off has been lovely as it has meant lots of time with the kids before I go and leave them.  Hugh even fell asleep on me yesterday – it was lovely – I hope he still wants to snuggle like that when he is 18;)

Poppy and I braved the snow the other day – I needed to return some stuff to Zara.

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Me – Sneakers – Golden Goose (similar here) // Jeans – Zara coated blue jeans // Coat – Zara // Bag – Alexander Wang Rocco navy nubuck (TheOutnet.com – now sold out, but similar here) // Poppy – Boots – Sam Edelman Louie // Pants – H&M harems // Coat – H&M // Hair band – Crewcuts

Friday I enjoyed a day of pampering, though to be honest 2 hours in the salon followed by a 2 hour facial was probably a little too much in one day!

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Sneakers – Golden Goose // Jeans – H&M grey boyfriend jeans // T-shirt – ASOS forever t-shirt // Jacket – Zara (old) // Scarf – Zara (old)

And here is the finished result – much lighter hair – still not convinced – but a nice change regardless.

AS sweater

Boots – Rag and Bone Newbury boots petrol (old) // Jeans – Boyfriend jeans Zara // Sweater – AllSaints Portland Jumper (old)

And finally a new ASOS dress to share with you.  It was in the sale and I’d been umming and ahhing about it all over the Christmas period.  I love the lace sleeves – just enough for me – and it reminds me of the lace sleeves on my wedding dress.

asos dress

Off to clean my mirror…!  🙂

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Starting to panic about packing!

In less than 3 weeks I’ll be heading to the UK for what has now become my annual meet up with my blogging friends.  To make the most of the CHILD FREE trip across the Atlantic I’ll be staying with my Mum and Dad for a few days too, and hanging out with my brother and sister.  To say I am excited is an understatement. (Caveat for when reading in years to come :  Poppy and Hugh I will miss you LOTS but Mommy just needs some girl time sometimes! xx).

I have of course already started to panic about packing.  An extensive wardrobe really only makes things more challenging.  I have – don’t laugh – started a spreadsheet that itemizes bottoms, tops, sweaters, shoes and accessories.  It is quite a long spreadsheet and needs some – shall we say – fine tuning?

The advantage of making a spreadsheet is that it can identify gaps in your travel wardrobe.  Now as you all know far too well there are few ‘gaps’ in my closet, but one is a practical, warm, trendy coat.  I have lots of wool coats but they are quite heavy for wearing when walking around London, plus they are harder to roll up and pack , and also less comfortable for layering.  Just play along with me please…

Given my above reasoning I realized that what I really ‘need’ is a parka.  Not a wax, storm proof parka, but a lighter weight, lined parka that will be cosy, plus has room to layer over a leather or denim jacket.  I narrowed my choices down to the following:

The Asos Cocoon Parka:

Cocoon parka

The Asos parka with detachable lining:

Asos Parka

It was a tough decision – there are pros and cons to each.  The idea of a detachable lining makes the second a great option, as does the ability to cinch the waist, whereas the cocoon version has less going on.  I polled my fellow bloggers and they were no bloody help as opinions were equally divided.  In the end I closed my eyes and picked one, and now the cocoon parka is on it’s way to me!  I hope it will work well to layer over my AllSaints leather jacket.

Today I am back to black again, with a touch of leopard and red:

AllSaints jacket

Sneakers – red converse // Jeans – Zara coated skinnies // Shirt – Men’s Gap white shirt // Sweater – Uniqlo cashmere men’s crew neck // Jacket – AllSaints Monument jacket // Hat – J.Crew (old – similar here)

Friday was red and black too for a trip to the mall:

red leather jacket and GGs

 

Sneakers – Golden Goose sparkle slides (similar here) // Leggings – H&M // Dress – ASOS swing dress // Jacket – Zara (old – similar here) // Scarf – H&M (similar here)

Finally yesterday with a glimmer of sun I bared the legs – albeit just the knees:

Asos dress

 

Boots – Stuart Weitzman Nude nubuck 5050s // Dress – ASOS

I’ve been pinning some packing tips but if you have any suggestions or tips please share – after all these years I am still crap at selecting a capsule wardrobe for traveling.  I’m always terrified of leaving something behind that I end up really wanting to wear.  OK, ‘terrified’ may be stretching it…

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A haircut for date night.

It was time for a color refresh yesterday and even though I am growing my hair it had got to the stage where I needed more shape.  The bob was getting a bit heavy so I had lots of layers added to blend it and make it easier to keep growing – it’s almost over my collar at the back now!

hair

 

Thanks as always to the gorgeous Lauren at Plum Salon who got me out of there in time for my Brazilian appointment – Christmas takes some preparation!  In fact after reading MommyEnnui.com‘s latest post top of my wish list for Santa this year is painless, permanent, immediate removal of all my unwanted body hair!

My outfit for the day was rather festive – red and sparkles!

red jacket 2 red jacket1

 

Sneakers – Golden Goose (old similar here and here) // Jeans – Zara // Sweater – Uniqlo men’s cashmere crewneck // Jacket – Zara (old similar here and here on sale!) // Sunglasses – Ray Ban Aviators

Last night we went out for dinner – a bit of romance before the Christmas mayhem begins.  I broke all the rules and wore my new Stuart Weitzman Highland boots with a short, tight, printed dress.  I felt quite boho though with my H&M gilet.  The boots are incredibly comfy and easy to wear – they made me feel pretty fabulous.  I think they are true to size – I’m wearing a US 8.5.  I have a pretty wide foot too and, contrary to many reviews, I don’t find them narrow at all.

Highland boots 2 Highland boots

Boots – Stuart Weitzman Highland // Tights – Marks and Spencers Merino rich tights (LOVE these) // Dress – Zara (this is a medium and dangerously short) // Gilet – H&M (similar here) // Clutch – Boden Canonbury clutch (just $44 in the sale!)

It is miserable weather here today so I am going to curl up on the sofa with a box of Belgian chocolates and watch It’s a Wonderful Life again!  What is your favorite Xmas movie?

 

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‘Tis brass out there.

I LOVE winter.  At 7.30am this morning, even though I knew I wanted to go straight back to bed after getting the kids to school, I dressed in my warmest running gear and ran like a banshee in the freezing cold and glorious sunshine – it was exhilarating.  The whole of the US (bar Florida of course) is shivering in Arctic conditions.  I love it – I get to wear hats, big coats and boots.

GG3 GG2 GG 1

 

Sneakers – Golden Goose (old – similar here) // Hat – Nordstrom // Jacket – J.Crew (old – similar here) // Jeans – Diesel Fayza // Sweater – Boden Off Duty Jumper

 

AS1 AS3

 

Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury Charcoal suede // Trousers – Zara pleather leggings // Tank – H&M (old) // Sweater – AllSaints (old – similar here) // Coat – Zara // Bag – Anya Hindmarch from TheOutnet.com

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Countdown to Thanksgiving

It’s really starting to feel festive here – not necessarily Christmassy – but the preparations for Thanksgiving are well underway.  Thanksgiving is probably my favorite Holiday.  It has all of the magic, food and family time associated with Christmas, but with none of the pressure of gift giving.  The children are off school all week so I’ll be off work too which is lovely.  We’re planning lots of lunches out, and trips to the park and movies.  On Thursday we have great friends coming over to eat and give thanks with us.  They are Bulgarian so have no family here either, and I’m really looking forward to drinking and eating way too much with some other ‘new Americans’.

In the meantime I’ve been far from thankful, a little resentful in fact that I didn’t get my hands on the H&M Isabel Marant fringe boots!!!  I’ve decided my life is not complete without them (see how I can go from deep to shallow SO quickly).  Tonight while nursing a cold in my onesie I am bidding on eBay in order to win myself a pair, at what I consider a reasonable price.  Wish me luck my friends!

Isabel Marant fringe boots

Today consisted of 2 outfits, okay 3 if you count my cashmere onesie that I am sitting here writing in (and the shame – I did go to the bus stop in it after promising it was only for indoors!).  I started the day in jade J.Crew café capris (bought in the sale back in January) but my ankles quickly turned blue.  I do love this coat though from Markses.

M&S checked coat

Coat – Marks and Spencer // Trousers – J.Crew Café capris (25% off with code WINTER) // Sweater – Boden Westbourne sweater // Shoes – VInce Nina

Here’s what I ended up in later with puffier eyes as I quickly deteriorated.

Zara floral top

Jeans – Black Gap skinnies // Tank (layered) – H&M // Top – Zara grunge top // Boots – Isabel Marant Dicker

Okay off to demolish a bucket load of clementines and chocolate orange – it’s all Vitamin C no?;)

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Dress down Friday.

Well it was quite an eventful day yesterday.  I have to say I wasn’t nervous, more excited than anything.  I pierced my own nose years ago at University.  Crazy, and after yesterday I’ve no idea how I did it myself – I must have been determined and drunk, and the bag of frozen peas must have helped.

I made my decision on Monday that I was finally going to do some piercings, and I made my appointment with Piercing Experience in Atlanta.  I know piercings aren’t to everyone’s taste, just like tattoos, and oddly much as I love piercings, I’ve never wanted a tattoo mainly as I don’t know what I’d have tattooed – there’s nothing of significance that I want to preserve in ink.  At first I wasn’t going to have my nose re-pierced, then I thought ‘what the hell, while I’m there why not?’.  I also had wee diamond tragus and helix piercings.

Ear-Piercing-Diagram

 

The photo that inspired me to begin with – I think this looks so pretty:

Cartilage piercong

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Piercing1

Christina was amazing – she explained everything, and was incredibly professional.  It was not intimidating at all, some pain of course – but far less than I’d prepared myself for.  Piercing Experience don’t use clamps or guns so it’s all completely sterile and as gentle as piercing through a tough piece of cartilage can be!  I was also really impressed with their choice of jewelry – from fine jewelry like I chose, to tribal and glass jewelry – it’s also all surgical implant grade.  I’m thrilled – I can’t wait to scare the PTA:)

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Now I just have deal with my Husband’s silly little jokes about avoiding magnets and the like – he’ll tire of it soon I hope!

It’s freezing here in Atlanta this week so I wrapped up well yesterday.

white and grey

Boots – Grey Nubuck Newbury boots // Jeans – H&M (old) // Jumper – Boden dropped shoulder v-neck (old) // Knitted jacket – Zara // Striped scarf – Boden (old)

Today is very much a dress down Friday after a few glasses of wine last night to calm the nerves:)  Also – very manky – but I wanted to keep my piercings dry for another day to help with healing so I didn’t wash my hair – that definitely made it a hat day!  The jumper has to be the BEST cashmere sweater ever.  It is a men’s Uniqlo crewneck size Medium.  Perfectly soft and slouchy.  I want one of these in every color – this is the dark grey.

Uniqlo cashmere

JCrew cap

Sneakers – Golden Goose // Jeans – Diesel Fayza Jogg Jeans // Sweater – Uniqlo Men’s cashmere // Hat – J.Crew

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So share – what did you nab in the Isabel Marant fervour yesterday?!  I did have a twinge of regret that I missed out on the fringe boots but hey ho…I got new bling instead:)
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Uggs

Come on I know we all have a pair.  I wear mine nearly every day at this time of year – they are perfect for slipping on for nipping out of the house to the yard or down to the bus stop – no where too public.  Yes I’m talking about Uggs – frowned on by stylists around the world, yet worn by everyone.  I just put mine on to take the Halloween decorations down – yes, yes I know it’s November 7th but I’ve been busy;)  They’re also perfect for nursing blistered feet after their first 6 mile run in 6 months yesterday…yes I’m hobbling around today.

I prefer the simple Classic Ugg – these are grey – but my favorite pair were the short classic in sand – I wore them out over 2 pregnancies.

Here’s my catalog pose.

 

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Sweater – H&M // Jeans – Diesel Fayza Jogg Jeans // Uggs – Ugg classic tall in grey

 

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