Tag Archives: Istanbul

Istanbul

It’s July 1^st and today we leave Istanbul for the coast. We’ve had the most amazing time in the city – even after the events of Tuesday evening. Once we had reassured everyone that we were miles away from the airport, the scale of the atrocity began to sink in. The people of Istanbul, and Turkey as a whole, are already suffering from hugely decreased tourism this year, and now it seems the industry may grind to a halt. Our hotel was practically empty, and we were treated like royalty wherever we went. The Grand Bazaar was empty yesterday morning. I truly feel so sad for these wonderful people who are being hit hardest – the terrorists are unfortunately achieving one of their goals.

As I write this I am sitting in the domestic terminal in awe at how ‘normal’ it all feels. I’ve had 2 pat downs, which is reassuring, and for some reason my mentality has firmly remained ‘sod the bastards, I’m not bending’, rather than giving into fear. We’ve also managed to keep the kids blissfully unaware of specific events and their main concern remains when they will get their next cheese pide!

So the world still turns and we will still travel – the greatest education for all is to accept and embrace the other cultures of the world. With deeper acceptance and awareness, we may all still hope for peace.

Top – Mango (old) // Jeans – Zara (on sale here) // Shoes – Castañer // Bag – Hill & Friends

Top – Madewell (old) // Jeans – Zara (on sale here) // Shoes – Madewell (on sale here with an extra 20% off with code META20) // Bag – Hill & Friends

Dress – & Other Stories (in sale) // Bag – Hill & Friends // Shoes – Soludos

Dress – Madewell

Follow me on Instagram @PoppysStyle to see where we are now!

Vacation planning

2 Replies

In 3 weeks time we’ll be back in Istanbul! We have a week in the city before heading to the coast where we are staying in a house on the beach for 3 weeks. I am already panicking about what to pack!

I love to get ‘dressed up’ when we’re in Istanbul – we don’t go anywhere too ‘fancy’ but this year we have said we may visit SoHo House for roof top cocktails. When we get to the beach I live in swimwear and denim shorts – so that is pretty easy – though this year we are staying a bit more out of the way, so I need to be cognizant of cultural norms and not head out wearing my sheer, see through dress…no I don’t have one!

I have to say I am completely smitten with Gap this year. I have bought more from them than any other year – hopefully I’ll pull them through their tough times they are currently experiencing! Over the weekend I ordered the following to throw in my case. In the US there is currently 40% off with code MONDAY.

I absolutely love a romper for the beach – we are literally right on the beach this year so this will be ideal for heading up back to the house for a cocktail. I can throw it on over my bikini after a tough day on the sand.

This maxi dress is gorgeous for Istanbul – I can throw a scarf around my shoulders when I need to show a little respect in certain areas or when visiting a mosque, and then it’s perfect for roof top cocktails listening to the call to prayer.

These soft spun dresses are currently reduced and the 40% off can still be applied. I adore them. Perfect for sightseeing – beautifully cool when ~~being dragged~~ walking around ancient ruins in the blistering heat!

I love the colour of this linen dress – again perfect for day to night in Istanbul with a pair of espadrilles.

Now with denim shorts I love to wear a lovely lacy, pretty top. Mango is always my destination for blouses as they are more generous across the bust and go up to a US 10 in most cases.

This is so pretty – I love a collar.

I have a similar embroidered blouse to this one that I love to wear with jeans under a jacket in the spring and fall so it is really versatile.

This in pink is gorgeous – I have bought this – it is such and unusual shade – normally tops are ecru or black and that’s it! It will look stunning with black or grey jeans at home too.

Ok I made a joke about sheer dresses but this sheer blouse is beautiful over a cami and has sleeves so provides a little more modesty.

As always I will pack too much, wear 1/3 of it and get complaints from the rest of the family about the weight of my bag. I will never be a capsule packer! What about all those ‘just in case’ situations! 😉

As for the past week I feel I’ve been busier than ever with the kids out of school – the morning disappears when they are at camp and then I take them to the pool which requires an hour of preparation finding swimsuits, towels, lost goggles, spf and enough snacks to feed an army. On Friday I thought I’d cracked it then turned up at the pool without my own bikini bottoms – damn!

Top – Mango (last year but the same in black here this year) // Shorts – J.Crew // Shoes – Sam Edelman (old)

Top – Zara // Booties – Dolce Vita Haku (old) // Shorts – J.Crew

Shoes – TopShop // Jeans – J.Brand Selina // T-shirt – Madewell (old) // Bag – Mansur Gavriel

Dungarees – Gap // T-Shirt – J.Crew (old) // Shoes – fringe Converse

Shoes – TopShop // Jeans – Zara (old) // Shirt – H&M (can no longer see online but this is similar with wide cuffs) // Bag – Mansur Gavriel

Oh I also popped into Zara on Friday and bought this beautiful top. I love it – this is a large.

Screen Shot 2016-06-06 at 10.44.19 AM

And before I leave you – TopShop are on fire with their shoe game this season. Check out these new Gucci tributes – they are available in pink and gold and will sell out in a flash like the loafers!

Farewell Istanbul, hello Cyprus

1 Reply

Wow my feet have barely touched the ground till now – we arrived today in Northern Cyprus….and breathe…Istanbul was incredible but it is nice to switch gears now. Istanbul has everything – it is beautiful, exciting, historic, friendly, crazy and breathtaking. We did so much and saw so much and I feel 3 nights is the perfect length of time. We shopped, visited ancient mosques, took boat trips over to Asia and ate incredible food.

Of course the Grand Bazaar was my favorite – I am so shallow – shopping for me any day over historic places of worship. Poppy and I really got in to the swing of our bartering, though no doubt we still paid well over the odds, but we felt better about it!

I struck the jackpot with a beautiful silk scarf and two rough cut stone rings.

We visited the Hagia Sophia which is just breathtaking in it’s size and beauty. Of course Mom and Dad still managed to embarrass the kids.

Our hotel was fabulous – a boutique Turkish hotel with a roof terrace and spa. The kids loved having access to a basement pool and I loved having access to the evening sunset.

One evening we skipped the kebab house and went straight for the baklava for dinner – just divine!

As for what I have been wearing my clothes have mainly been dictated by comfort. Istanbul is hot during the day but, being right on the Bosphorous, it can be cool and breezy in the evening.

Dress – Splendid (now on sale here and I am wearing a large) // Shoes – Havaianas

Top – ASOS // Jeans – J.Crew // Shoes – Havaianas

Dress – Mango (now 50% off in sale) // Shoes – TopShop

Top – Mango (similar here) // Jeans – J.Crew // Scarf – Grand Bazaar // Shoes – Havaianas

We arrived in Northern Cyprus this morning, after a quick flight from Istanbul, picked up the rental car, and arrived at our amazing house by noon. We have struck gold again…and relax…

Our first full day in Istanbul

1 Reply

We arrived late last night and Poppy, Hugh and I were thrilled to be reunited with their Daddy! He had arrived a day earlier to indulge in a little Byzantine culture – our first trip here 24 years ago was to aid his PhD in Ancient History – but we happened to fall in love too. Istanbul is a very special place for us and I am quite surprised it’s taken us so long to get back here!

We were super excited at Manchester airport – Turkish Airlines are one of the best, if not the best airline I have ever flown on!

Poppy’s Hat – Accessorize // My hat – Accessorize Shoes – Ancient Greek // Shorts – J.Crew (now on sale reduced from $75 to $44.99) // Top – Mango

This morning we began the day with a trip to the Grand Bazaar where Poppy became the only person I know to get something for free instead of having to barter! She is in her element here – people are SO friendly and she is chatting everyone up a storm with her pidgin Turkish!

With her gifted scarf – just for being cute!

All packed and ready to go!

2 Replies

Bury, Istanbul and N.Cyprus here we come!

Jumpsuit – Splendid (on sale at NAP UK here US here I’m wearing a medium) // Shoes – River Island // Hoodie – AllSaints (medium) // Scarf – Primark (old)

What to wear with the denim shorts

9 Replies

Okay so my summer bottom half is sorted – denim shorts in an array of washes and distressing – mostly from J.Crew with a pair from Madewell thrown in. So what to wear on top? I have some great t-shirts that I have collected over the years, some well loved and in their natural state of distressing, others newer and more basic like these tanks from J.Crew (25% off with HappySpring). However, I want to wear my shorts in the evening too on vacation, especially as on our flight from Istanbul to N. Cyprus we have the lowest weight allowance ever, so my summer wardrobe has to be capsule by necessity. That means I need some ‘dressier’ tops to wear in the evening – as light as possible too 😉

For me Mango have come up trumps again. I find their tops fit my top half far better than Zara, maybe as they are slightly more generous in my opinion. Here are my top picks – some of which I’ve just ordered so fingers crossed they’ll be here in time for the beach next week!

First this tie dye top is a fabulous basic and a great price too!

This t-shirt also comes in coral and I love the fringing – very similar to this IRO tee I keep seeing.

This is new on the Mango site this weekend – a lighter blue shade of the shirt I have ordered – but again a beautiful soft, boxy, short sleeved shirt that can be worn with harems or a skirt too.

Mango always do great peasant/embroidered tops and this year they have some beautiful short sleeved ones. I have ordered this blue one just because the color is so striking and different.

Both of these are on my list for summer – I can’t choose between them so might need both 🙂

Or alternatively there is a camisole version which I think is gorgeous for evenings by Kyrenia harbor with a sunless tan and a bottle of ice cold Efes! Mango have even styled them as I would wear them – simplicity at its best.

Continuing with camis I love this chambray/denim top to wear with white denim shorts.

For a couple of dressier tops I have ordered the following black and cream tops – loose and airy for steamy nights in Istanbul.

Finishing with a couple of peasant tops – another stunning short sleeved one with beaded detail.

This is a beautiful simple version that will be easy to pack and wash, long sleeves this time so I can wear it in Bury too before we leave for Istanbul! Always thinking!

So is anyone else balancing variety with luggage allowances!? It’s a challenge but I have to say one I am happy to deal with as previously I have ALWAYS over packed and only worn 25% of what I take – this time will be different! The consolation of course is that I am heading to a country famous for it’s clothing manufacturing – there will be some shopping even if I and the children have to wear it all home 😉

This weekend has been pretty lazy so far. My Husband and I went out for dinner last night to our favorite restaurant which is unfortunately changing hands and will become a steak house – we’ve had some amazing nights there in the years it has been opened and celebrated birthdays, anniversaries and our great friends even got engaged there. It’s been fun Abattoir.

Boots – AllSaints // Leather trousers – J.Brand // Shirt – Mango // Jacket – J.Crew // Clutch – YSL

I had lots of lovely comments about my outfit – specifically the lovely long, drapey shirt I’m wearing – again this is Mango and it is currently on sale and also available in a great blue and this beautiful coffee color.

On Friday I lived in my workout gear and I am still struggling to move my arms after lots of upper body work! Back on Thursday it was a day for ecru and off white.

Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury boots // Jeans – TopShop Hayden // T-shirt – J.Crew (on sale plus an extra 30% off with HappySpring)

I’m off to soak up last nights wine with a massive curry – yup I better hit that gym again tomorrow!

Some punk inspiration.

5 Replies

I walked into the kitchen this morning to the sound of ‘You’re my favorite waste of time‘ – not sure if it was the Owen Paul version or the original version, but here’s the Owen Paul version from ’86, which I remember well.

After a bleary couple of seconds wondering why Nick Jr. wasn’t on the t.v. yet – I realized it was my lovely Husband’s way of reminding me that 22 years ago today, over a couple of Newkie Browns in The Central Bar, he announced he was ‘infatuated’ with me. I remember the whole day so vividly – from bumping into him in the library, to the Moscow Mules, to the shock and delight of discovering he ‘was into me’ (I told the story here last year). He was, and still is, the antithesis of every other guy I had dated – non-conformist, smart, sensitive and charming (not sure how many of my exes read this – they might not anymore!) – I had a pretty good feeling this one was a keeper.

As the summer of ’91 progressed, our relationship hit the fast track. Within a couple of months we were planning our first vacation together. He was studying for his PhD in Byzantine History so it seemed natural to head for Turkey – somewhere I had never been before – but I was excited to have my personal tour guide. Our first overseas adventure was thrilling – back packing down from Istanbul, via various Roman ruins (and bars), to Side on The Mediterranean, where we drank Efes in the sun. It was the trip that sealed the deal for me – he was the ‘one’ – oh and he was hot too – look at the hair and those soccer playing legs!:))

These next photos made me giggle. They are some of the very few we have from the early 90s as most of our photos were stolen, along with other items, from the container when we moved here. My love of harem trousers must have come from him – here we are at my Graduation Ball in 1992 – he was dressed in Turkish, tailor made, harem trousers with a tailcoat – and had more jewelry than me:)

Love the photo bombers in the back:)

So today, unintentionally, I realized I could be accused of channeling one of his favorite bands – The Clash. Happy ‘when we started dating’ anniversary my lovely…

Jacket – Zara // Trousers – Zara tartan trousers (old) // Sneakers – Golden Goose // Polo shirt – Matalan

Poppy's Style

My blog about fashion, family, friends and fun.

Tag Archives: Istanbul

Istanbul

Top – Mango (old) // Jeans – Zara (on sale here) // Shoes – Castañer // Bag – Hill & Friends

Top – Madewell (old) // Jeans – Zara (on sale here) // Shoes – Madewell (on sale here with an extra 20% off with code META20) // Bag – Hill & Friends

Dress – & Other Stories (in sale) // Bag – Hill & Friends // Shoes – Soludos

Dress – Madewell

Vacation planning

Top – Mango (last year but the same in black here this year) // Shorts – J.Crew // Shoes – Sam Edelman (old)

Top – Zara // Booties – Dolce Vita Haku (old) // Shorts – J.Crew

Shoes – TopShop // Jeans – J.Brand Selina // T-shirt – Madewell (old) // Bag – Mansur Gavriel

Dungarees – Gap // T-Shirt – J.Crew (old) // Shoes – fringe Converse

Shoes – TopShop // Jeans – Zara (old) // Shirt – H&M (can no longer see online but this is similar with wide cuffs) // Bag – Mansur Gavriel

Farewell Istanbul, hello Cyprus

Dress – Splendid (now on sale here and I am wearing a large) // Shoes – Havaianas

Top – ASOS // Jeans – J.Crew // Shoes – Havaianas

Dress – Mango (now 50% off in sale) // Shoes – TopShop

Top – Mango (similar here) // Jeans – J.Crew // Scarf – Grand Bazaar // Shoes – Havaianas

Our first full day in Istanbul

Poppy’s Hat – Accessorize // My hat – Accessorize Shoes – Ancient Greek // Shorts – J.Crew (now on sale reduced from $75 to $44.99) // Top – Mango

All packed and ready to go!

Jumpsuit – Splendid (on sale at NAP UK here US here I’m wearing a medium) // Shoes – River Island // Hoodie – AllSaints (medium) // Scarf – Primark (old)

What to wear with the denim shorts

Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury boots // Jeans – TopShop Hayden // T-shirt – J.Crew (on sale plus an extra 30% off with HappySpring)

Some punk inspiration.

Jacket – Zara // Trousers – Zara tartan trousers (old) // Sneakers – Golden Goose // Polo shirt – Matalan

Top – Mango (old) // Jeans – Zara (on sale here) // Shoes – Castañer // Bag – Hill & Friends

Top – Madewell (old) // Jeans – Zara (on sale here) // Shoes – Madewell (on sale here with an extra 20% off with code META20) // Bag – Hill & Friends

Dress – & Other Stories (in sale) // Bag – Hill & Friends // Shoes – Soludos

Dress – Madewell

Share this:

Like this:

Top – Mango (last year but the same in black here this year) // Shorts – J.Crew // Shoes – Sam Edelman (old)

Top – Zara // Booties – Dolce Vita Haku (old) // Shorts – J.Crew

Shoes – TopShop // Jeans – J.Brand Selina // T-shirt – Madewell (old) // Bag – Mansur Gavriel

Dungarees – Gap // T-Shirt – J.Crew (old) // Shoes – fringe Converse

Shoes – TopShop // Jeans – Zara (old) // Shirt – H&M (can no longer see online but this is similar with wide cuffs) // Bag – Mansur Gavriel

Share this:

Like this:

Dress – Splendid (now on sale here and I am wearing a large) // Shoes – Havaianas

Top – ASOS // Jeans – J.Crew // Shoes – Havaianas

Dress – Mango (now 50% off in sale) // Shoes – TopShop

Top – Mango (similar here) // Jeans – J.Crew // Scarf – Grand Bazaar // Shoes – Havaianas

Share this:

Like this:

Poppy’s Hat – Accessorize // My hat – AccessorizeShoes – Ancient Greek // Shorts – J.Crew (now on sale reduced from $75 to $44.99) // Top – Mango

Share this:

Like this:

Jumpsuit – Splendid (on sale at NAP UK here US here I’m wearing a medium) // Shoes – River Island // Hoodie – AllSaints (medium) // Scarf – Primark (old)

Share this:

Like this:

Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury boots // Jeans – TopShop Hayden // T-shirt – J.Crew (on sale plus an extra 30% off with HappySpring)

Share this:

Like this:

Jacket – Zara // Trousers – Zara tartan trousers (old) // Sneakers – Golden Goose // Polo shirt – Matalan

Related articles

Share this:

Like this:

Poppy’s Hat – Accessorize // My hat – Accessorize Shoes – Ancient Greek // Shorts – J.Crew (now on sale reduced from $75 to $44.99) // Top – Mango