Tag Archives: H&M

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.

Nike-Internationalist-Womens-Shoe-629684_302_E_PREM Nike-Internationalist-Womens-Shoe-629684_303_E_PREM

 

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)

 

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

Operation Dinner Out

If you’ve been reading for a while you’ll already know how much we all love it here in Northern Cyprus. We were here in 2013 and my husband and I came here for our honeymoon in 1998. It’s a place that is very special for him as he lived here as a child with his family in Famagusta in the early 70’s. In fact he was evacuated when the Turks invaded in 1974. The North-South divide still elicits much controversy, and Turkey and Greece are still trying to negotiate a some kind of settlement. Often it is the Greek Cypriot story that gets the most press and sympathy, but the Turkish Cypriots suffered greatly too, and I would love to see the island reunited one day, in some form or other.

For now, however, we consider ourselves fortunate that entry into the Northern territory is more relaxed, and we get the opportunity to enjoy the history, culture and food that it has to offer.

So food! Yes the food here is amazing – if of course you avoid the Anglophile restaurants in Kyrenia serving fish and chips…Last night we returned to one of our serendipitous finds from 2013 – the Besparmak Buffavento restaurant. It is nestled in the mountains at the foot of the road that takes you to Buffavento Castle – a climb we are planning to endure tomorrow morning!

For dinner I wore my new J.Crew shorts and the H&M blouse (similar here) I bought in Manchester. I love this outfit – I felt completely appropriate for the evening. J.Crew, of course, currently have a massive sale on for the 4th July weekend – use LONGWEEKEND to get 30% off the shorts and up to 40-60% off lots of other items too!

image3 image4Sandals – Ancient Greek Sandals (similar here) // Shorts – J.Crew // Blouse – H&M

The boys made an effort too.

image5Fortunately the restaurant had not changed a bit and we had an amazing evening.

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Poppy wanted to share a little with you all too:

Hi! I am so happy to be here – I remember it from the last time. The weather is great and very hot! The house we are staying in is big and I have my own room, and there is a big swimming pool for us all to play in.  Last night we went to a restaurant that I remember from our last visit, and I had an Adana kebab with mezze. I love the food here. I wore my new romper from Zara (now on sale here) which is perfect for vacations.

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Finally here is one of me stealing my Mom’s aviators. She wouldn’t let me keep them though…My top is old from H&M and the shorts are from Zara (also on sale here).

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Overalls and Gucci loafers

You know me and my shoe collection…of all my purchases my shoes are my most indulgent. As I’ve said many times previously your shoes will love you regardless of those few extra vacation pounds, or that pizza and wine last night, so when I feel like a pick-me-up the best way to do it is with a pair of fabulous shoes!

Today I have taken inspiration from this image, that I first saw in Grazia, of Mytheresa.com Senior Fashion Editor Veronika Heilbrunner.

overalls and gucci loaferI love the simplicity of the outfit which means my eyes are immediately drawn to her shoes! So here is my interpretation today, with the same black Gucci loafers, only with black dungarees and the addition of a jacket – spring seems to have done a runner here this week.

overalls and Gucci loafers v1Shoes – Gucci fringe loafers // Overalls – H&M // Tank – J.Crew (25% off with THEBEST) // Jacket – Mango (similar here) // Bag – H&M

p.s. I just received notification that the ASOS sale has started with up to 70% off enjoy!! 

The simple jumpsuit

I have always loved jumpsuits. This time of year is when I most appreciate them. A great jumpsuit can take you from day to night with a simple change of shoes or jacket. I particularly love a great jersey jumpsuit that offers supreme comfort and looks fabulous with sneakers or heels. My favorites are from Splendid and though they are expensive at full price I have been really lucky in the sales on Net-a-Porter.com or on TheOutnet.com. ASOS also offer a reliable, diverse choice of other brands of jumpsuit.

As always browsing on Pinterest has led to trouble. I’ve been lusting after this jumpsuit forever since I saw this image:

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And look what I found on TheOutnet.com just now while writing this post…

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Other Pinterest images that have given me inspiration include the following, demonstrating the humble jumpsuit’s versatility.

jumpsuit 1 Jumpsuit 2 jumpsuit 3 jumpsuit 4 jumpsuit 5 jumpsuit 6

Today I’m wearing my Splendid grey jumpsuit that I got in the sale on NAP over Christmas – it’s the same as the khaki I wore here. I’m afraid my kids have been playing with the camera so all photos are super bright today – sorry – it’s fixed now!

IMG_0916Sneakers – Stan Smiths // Jumpsuit – Splendid // Jacket – Gap (40% off everything with code TREAT) // Bag – H&M

I could easily switch the sneakers for a pair of heels and head out for the evening feeling fabulous.

Just to prove I haven’t given up on the jeans here is my outfit from yesterday.

IMG_0904Shoes – Zara // Jeans – MiH (TheOutnet.com reduced by 65%) // Shirt – J.Crew (it’s lavender and gorgeous – even more so that it’s in the sale at $39.99 with an extra 30% off too using THEBEST)

 Jumpsuits to try:

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Can’t get it out of my head

Sometimes, in fact mostly, Pinterest can be deadly. As I was watching Mad Men last night I was surfing Pinterest looking for some denim inspiration – i.e. images to help me style pieces that I ALREADY have. Damn Pinterest, I fell in love with this image.

style inspiration J.Crew

It’s an image from J.Crew – and I already have the trousers – but I LOVE the shirt. Light denim, boxy and short sleeves. Can I find it anywhere? – No of course not – and I now NEED it.

Thanks to a call I put out on Twitter and Instagram I have found two that are very similar and may meet my ‘needs’. I’ve ordered both to compare and contrast…you know how dangerous that is…

The first is from Everlane. Super simple, gorgeous shape, great price and guaranteed great quality. I love this as it doesn’t have pockets on it. Thanks to Rebecca for helping me find it!

EverlaneIt also comes in a light denim.

everalne light denimThe second is from Mango – the soft pocket shirt. I love this one because of the pockets and I love the collar, or lack of collar. Thanks to Eve for helping me find this one!

MangoSo both are on their way – which one do you prefer? I’ll show and tell as soon as they arrive, and please do let me know if you see anything else similar! I have a bee in my bonnet now!

Today it’s a day for comfy dungarees! The sun is shining and I’m about to get changed for a run!

dungarees

Dungarees – H&M // Shoes – Dolce Vita // Shirt – J.Crew (similar here)

 

 

Experimenting with denim

A few weeks ago everyone was talking about these H&M wide leg jeans.

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They are a cheaper version, or tribute to the Rachel Comey jeans worn brilliantly by Leandra here.

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They were unavailable online in the US and I managed to try a pair on in Manchester when I was home. I’d heard they came up tiny so tried a UK 14 but couldn’t even pull them over my butt! Hoping that they were miss labelled (glass half full and all that) I ordered a pair online too. Well what do you know they fit! Certainly still snug but I was quite relieved that I hadn’t piled on as many pounds as I was being led to believe – though I could have believed it with all the Monster Munch I consumed while back in Bury 🙂

Having got them back to Atlanta I decided I was very unsure about them – lets say they are not exactly leg lengthening – but the rebel in me still loves how different and wacky they are. I trawled through images looking for inspiration on how to wear them.

 

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H&M wide leg jeans inspo 1H&M wide leg jeans inspo 2H&M wide leg jeans inspo 3 H&M wide leg jeans inspo 4 H&M wide leg jeans inspo 5 H&M wide leg jeans inspo 6 H&M wide leg jeans inspo 7I’ve played it pretty safe with how I have styled them today – toning it down with ballet flats and a blazer. I am feeling quite courageous though and have some more radical ideas for future outings – be warned!

IMG_0711 IMG_0705 IMG_0694Jeans – H&M // Flats – Tory Burch Eddie (no longer available – similar here) // Top – Mango // Jacket – J.Crew

While many of you will think they are hideous, I thought this was the perfect time to share some very wise words from The Man Repeller:

           “I like — nay, love — these pants. They’re me. I know they don’t look good but I think they’re cool. They make me feel like a more interesting version of myself and that, to me, is what style is about: presenting a difficulty and attempting to unpack it or make sense of it. I can’t tell you exactly why I like them but I can sharply recall having never really cared for pants that do the things we’re supposed to expect of them: flatten our stomachs, tighten our asses, makes our legs look longer and leaner, yadi ya. Maybe that’s a function of my believing that fashion is not about what’s flattering and vice versa or maybe this is simply a matter of style. And the thing about style, like with everything else, is that if you believe in it, you have to be willing to fight for it.”

Dressing for Spring

Yesterday we had a ‘teacher work day’, meaning that there was no school for the children. Instead we had the most wonderful day shopping and at the movies. The weather was incredible and the 3 of us had so much fun. They even enjoyed IKEA and we were in and out in record time having located storage boxes for my winter jumpers and new beach chairs for spring break. The highlight of the morning though was visiting their favorite H&M store!

Poppy was thrilled to find Sue’s top. It looks perfect with her new Zara shorts that she is wearing!

IMG_2061After H&M we headed to the movies to watch Cinderella – highly recommended – we loved it and I even shed a couple of tears!

IMG_2063For the casual day out and about I wore little makeup – a real treat in the spring sun – plenty of spf though of course!

springBoots – Rag & Bone Newbury boots // Jeans – H&M // Tunic – J.Crew (25% off with SaleLove)

Today it’s back to work with a bump – none of us were rallying to get out of bed this morning. After blogging about it the other day I decided to wear my Mango top for the first time – I love it – I am wearing a US 8.

IMG_0668 IMG_0657Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury (similar here on TheOutnet.com QUICK!) // Jeans – Zara // Top – Mango // Jacket – Mango (50% off on sale) // Bag – H&M // Sunglasses – Oliver Peoples Ria

At least the sun is still shining for us!

It’s transitioning to spring

I’ve already taken some of my large knits downstairs into my ‘storage closest’, and sadly my cashmere onesies will be heading there tonight not to be seen again till November 😦 I’m still keeping a few sweaters around as the weather here is completely unreliable right into May – only then can you guarantee heat daily. My daffodils know spring is blooming, we have deer roaming the neighborhood with their babies, and the blossom is beginning to appear. Spring makes me smile.

To acknowledge the warmer temperatures I’ve worn tees and jackets, and had my ankles on show for the past two days.

IMG_0612Shoes – Gucci // Jeans – J.Crew // Tee – AllSaints // Jacket – Mango (currently reduced by 60% in sale) // Bag – H&M

IMG_0627 IMG_0618Shoes – Vince Claire in ink // Trousers – J.Crew // Tee – AllSaints // Jacket – Helmut Lang TheOutnet.com (reduced by 60%)

I hope you are all able to stash your sweaters away soon!

A Military Jacket

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Working in the magazine industry means that I am lucky enough to have subscriptions to almost every fashion magazine in the country. Call it competitive intelligence. Unfortunately this means that month after month I am bombarded with the most amazing images and advertising creative.

Gucci always use incredible images but this month I have been fixated with this stunning visual.

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I love everything about it – the flares, the snakeskin, the suede, but mostly I adore the military jacket.

Now in addition to my constantly full magazine basket, I also have my fabulous blogging friends who insist on placing temptation in front of me. Recently both Michelle and Eve have blogged about this stunning military jacket from Zara.

Zara

As I was dropping it in and out of my basket last night, I remembered a jacket that I haven’t worn for a while. I bought it from Boden maybe about 3 years ago? I dug it out and low and behold it is perfect. Note to self – be careful what I eBay and send to charity in the future! I was so relieved I still have this jacket, as I did nearly try and sell it a few times when I was rebelling against all things Boden. The quality is amazing and the color and buttons are perfect. Now I can channel the money I would have spent on the Zara jacket into my Gucci loafer fund! Result!

IMG_0597Shoes – Marks and Spencer // Jeans – Marks and Spencer // Top – Zara (old) // Jacket – Boden (old) // Bag – H&M

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