Tag Archives: J.Crew

Thanksgiving

I had a lovely week with family and friends and I have overindulged. Our friends joined us for dinner on Thursday and I have to say I was pretty chuffed with how the turkey came out after brining overnight. Needless to say on Friday morning I felt like I had been soaked in a bath of salt and wine too, hence I didn’t get too involved or carried away with Black Friday 🙂 In fact I had several items in and out of my Zara cart all day and didn’t buy any of them. I did succumb and buy the Off Duty jumper in charcoal and navy from Boden. I have a couple from previous years and love them so with 30% off I bit the bullet. I can never have too many jumpers!

Some of my favorite stores do still have great discounts this weekend carrying into Cyber Monday:

J.Crew – use HOLIDAY for 30% off and 40% off sale items till 11/30

Mango – use 5BLACK2 in the US and 5BLACK4 in the UK till 11/30

GAP are still offering 40% off everything in the US using code GIFT

Boden have 30% off using code 3K3G at checkout in the US and N9H6 in the UK

AllSaints – 20% off till Monday with promo code CYBER

ASOS have 30% off everything using TGIBF

Back on Tuesday we went to the movies to watch Hero 6 which was really good fun – popcorn and an empty theater – fabulous. I wore my fur as it was pretty chilly here in Atlanta.

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Sneakers – Golden Goose (on sale here) // Trousers – J.Crew slouchy wool jogger // Sweatshirt – Target (old) // Fur – Zara (currently in the Cyber discounted section!) // Bag – H&M (old)

Poppy and Hugh were very excited to get out of the house! Poppy is all in H&M except her fabulous red boots which are Boden – she hasn’t taken them off since they arrived!

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On Wednesday, once we had bought the 15lb turkey, we headed out for Mexican so we could prepare stuffing and cranberry sauce without feeling hungry!

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 Sneakers – Nike from J.Crew // Jeans – H&M (some washes just $14.95) // Jumper – J.Crew colorblock tunic // Coat – Mango

Today was spent walking and running with the dogs – time to detox before Christmas so hopefully I can still fit in some of my party wear! I am insisting however that we don’t even discuss Christmas in our house till next week when we get the tree. I need a week between celebrations to reset!

Christmas shopping

I LOVE Christmas shopping – even more so since I can be so productive online. I really do try and put some careful thought into gifting at Christmas – especially as I forget so many birthdays throughout the year! Here are some of my top picks for the special people in my life – some purchased and some not and I’m not saying which as they are hopefully reading my posts!

I find it especially difficult to select presents for the men in my life. This year booze is top of the list. As my family are in the UK M&S are always the best bet as I can pay here and designate a UK shipping address, plus they have a great selection of beers and wines.

A case of Aglianico is superb value at less than £39. There’s also 25% off now if you buy 2 cases – one for you and one for a gift!

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Another very special person loves his beer. This gift will go down a treat. A mixed case of IPAs and ales.

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My nephews are still really little but M&S have some great gifts for kids. I love this Gruffalo t-shirt and I know someone who loves the animated movie.

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My sister is going to hate me for this one – but at least it’s not a huge jar of beads like we received last year!

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My niece is only 3 but she loves clothes and princesses – well what girl doesn’t. Here are my choices for her this year.

A beautiful skirt from M&S which is actually very similar to Boden’s applique skirts:

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Or I also love the idea of this craft set to build your own princess!

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For the Mom’s and sister’s in our lives how about some sleepwear. Sometimes it might feel too intimate to buy sleepwear but when it is ‘lounge wear’ I think it is fine – especially when it is cashmere. I have these from last year and wear them all the time in the winter in front of the t.v.!

Rosie pure cashmere trousers:

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If pure cashmere is a bit too much for your budget then these cashmere blend pants are also gorgeous and they have all sizes available – last year I had to trawl daily to grab a pair as they sold out so quickly.

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J.Crew are fabulous for sleepwear and many of their items have 30% off here in the US with code SHOPNOW.

I love their whisper jersey collection like these sleep pants:

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and this nightshirt:

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For some proper Christmas pyjamas that can actually then be worn all year round I just love these buffalo checked shorts.

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Knitwear is always welcome in my house and this colorblock tunic is new in at J.Crew – I especially love the poppy color but I couldn’t manage to grab an image of that so click through here to see it! This is the burgundy and navy – classic for this season.

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I’ve been having conversations with a friend about this side zip cable sweater. It is gorgeous and again is 30% off right now with code SHOPNOW.

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I love this rib stitch turtle neck in electric red – totally festive but not a Christmas jumper!

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This t-shirt is a great gift for a good friend – full of color and really unique. The Donald Robertson Dancing Ladies tee.

 

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Now for some extra goodies that I just love and will make great gifts – I would certainly welcome them!

For the traveler I love this passport cover:

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I know several people close to me who would love to carry their jewelry in this.

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I just love this cup – it is basically all I can manage to say before my morning cup of joe.

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This bowl is so unique and they also do dinner plates. Absolutely striking.

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For jewelry and accessories I adore a great fur scarf.

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Anthropologie always have great jewelry that I know many of my girlfriends would be thrilled to receive.

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With 3 dogs I have recently become somewhat of an expert in scented candles. I have several on my wish list for Santa. I think these from Anthropologie are gorgeous stocking stuffers.

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A long list but by no means exhaustive! What are you shopping for this year?

I’m off to chill out after a brisk walk with the dogs. We have a week off for Thanksgiving and the whole family is excited. It’s our favorite holiday of the year – yup we’re totally American.

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Trousers – J.Crew drapey wool sweatpants // Jumper – Uniqlo mohair blend // Sneakers – Nike from J.Crew (similar here) // Gilet – Zara // Bag – H&M

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Jumper – J.Crew (on sale plus 30% off with SHOPNOW) // Jeans – Diesel Fayza (on sale here!) // Sneakers – Nike from J.Crew (similar here)

 

25% off everything at Boden!

Now you all know I don’t buy nearly as much from Boden as I used to – Boden used to dominate my closet! I was the Queen of Boden tunics! These days I like to be a little more daring and eclectic. Having said that there are still items that I always turn to Boden for and now is the ideal time to do it with 25% off till Thursday midnight!

Here are my picks and a few things I’ll be stocking up on. First of all for my Husband – he LOVES their lounge pants and all I can say is, given how fussy he is with clothes, they must be fabulous! They’d make perfect a Xmas present.

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Now for me. I find Boden’s Cashmere to be some of the best on the market. Far superior to J.Crew. It never bobbles and I wash all mine on the wool cycle in the machine with no shrinkage. I have a cashmere hoody from last year but absolutely love this cashmere lounge sweater – I adore the neckline. Again a perfect Xmas present.

14WWIN_BK015_NAV_W01I’m wearing my Westbourne jumper today. It’s one of my all time Boden favorites and I have it in black and grey. I am particularly loving the brighter colors that it is now available in.

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This toasty roll neck is a bit of a curve ball – especially in this colorway. I have ordered it – I LOVE the yellow – it makes it far more wearable for me that the yellow is away from my face.

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I am smitten with the Skye scarf in yellow. I have ordered a couple of yellow scarves this season and returned them as the yellow has been to bleurgh – this looks perfect fingers crossed! I absolutely love the pink in it too!

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Poppy will be glad to hear that I managed to order her red boots. She’s been hounding me for these for weeks!

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To get your 25% off make sure you enter 8A8C (F2J7 in the UK) at checkout. Now is the time to get those Xmas lists in order!

As for what I’ve been wearing well Saturday was definitely a comfy day at home nursing a little hangover after our night out.

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Boots – Uggs // Jeans – J.Crew (25% off with GETWARM) // T-shirt – Mango // Cardigan – AllSaints (old but similar here)

Today I am bracing for the Arctic blast that is due to hit us this week. More layers and coats!

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Jeans – Zara // Boots – AllSaints Bonny Cuban (similar here) // Jumper – Boden Westbourne // Coat – Mango (old) // Bag – Zara

Stay warm!

 

Pink and gray/grey!

Grey is a word I have terrible trouble with these days – American spelling or British spelling? It seems everyone in my family struggles with American English at times. My son demonstrated his Southern accent yesterday. He is pupil of the week in class and had to write a sentence beginning with “I feel…” to articulate his emotions on being selected. I checked his work afterwards and he had written “I feel people’s buckets with water”. Yes that’s right – he read it as ‘fill’ because as a true Southerner he ‘fee-yils’ things up. Just like Poppy brushes her ‘hay-yer’.

It’s election day here in the US today and I’m ready to vote. It’s also bloody freezing so I have the big guns out for the first time this year – my new Mango coat. I took inspiration from Pinterest for my outfit. Nothing more relaxing on a Monday evening than surfing Pinterest and catching up on Homeland while the Husband watches Monday Night Football!

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Here’s my winter version of how to wear pink trousers. These are the J.Crew wool joggers and they are fabulous – I can’t wait to wear them with my Vince Claires in the evening. They fit big and these are a US 6.

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Trousers – J.Crew // T-shirt – J.Crew // Sweatshirt – Everlane // Sneakers – Nike from J.Crew // Coat – Mango

The t-shirt can’t be seen but it’s so fun with Ostriches from a new selection at J.Crew:

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Yesterday I was in culottes – I just flipping love these from Marks and Spencers! Less than £30 too! I am in a UK 12 medium length and they fit beautifully.

IMG_9782 IMG_9798Boots – Zara // Culottes – Marks and Spencer // Sweatshirt – Mango // Jacket – Mango (similar here)

Remember to get and vote if you are in the US!

 

Urban sweats from Uniqlo

I have to say I am fairly new to Uniqlo – mainly as they haven’t been selling online long in the US and we don’t have a store here in Atlanta. When I am in NYC I always pop in to the SoHo store and I adore the simple, unbranded, classics that they sell. Many of my blogging friends love their silk shirts, merino sweaters and cashmere and last year I bought 3 of their men’s cashmere crewnecks. The quality and price point of Uniqlo is fabulous – I just wish we did have a store here as their sizing can be hit or miss making online shopping a bit of a gamble.

Recently I was online looking for cashmere and stumbled across the Urban sweats collection. Unfortunately it is pretty much sold out in the UK but there is still plenty of stock left of most items in the US.

The sweatpants are great with a cross over crotch and the sweat fabric is thick and soft.

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I love the cut of the sweatshirt too – cropped yet with a little something extra – I love to wear mine with a tank underneath with jeans. I actually had to replace mine as I was wearing it for the first time when I smashed our neighbors’ glass door!

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Today I am wearing the dress/tunic from the collection. It is a medium and fits beautifully. I really do love the thickness of the sweat – it is warm for a chilly Fall morning. I’ve tried to show you the cut at the back – it’s lower than the front.

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Sneakers – Adidas Samoas floral // Dress – Uniqlo Urban sweat // Jacket – J.Crew (25% off with STYLETREAT) // Bag – H&M (similar here)

I think I might be getting the cashmere out tomorrow – temperatures are falling ready for Halloween!

Fall break

We had a lovely long weekend just hanging around at home and eating great food. Yesterday I roasted a leg of lamb that was virtually demolished by the kids. They can be so picky about some foods – my daughter doesn’t like pizza at all – yet when it comes to a good roast with all the trimmings they practically lick the plate clean! I always love cooking a meal when I know it will be enjoyed!

Here are a couple of outfits from over the weekend – most of it was spent in comfy sweats lying on the sofa with the dogs 🙂 Firstly these are the joggers I raved about the other day – a dressy jogger – yes such a thing does exist!

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Sneakers – Stan Smiths // Trousers – J.Crew drapey wool joggers // T-shirt – J.Crew (on sale plus an extra 30% off with SHOPFALL) // Jacket – J.Crew (30% off with SHOPFALL)

IMG_9554Jeans – Zara // Jumper – AllSaints Sago // Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury // Scarf – School Gate Style

It’s absolutely wazzing it down here today and heading over the Atlantic soon – stay dry!

 

Cirque du Soleil and Columbus Day sales!

We’re on Fall break here till Tuesday. Its a new break they have introduced into the school calendar year and I love it! Previously we have gone from early August to Thanksgiving with no break – which take it from me – is a LONG slog. These few days off give us time for some well earned r&r in the perfect Fall weather that we’re enjoying.

Last night we took the children to Cirque du Soleil and all I can say is AMAZING! We saw them a couple of years ago at the same venue – a huge chapiteau erected down at Atlantic Station. I say huge but once inside it is remarkable how close you are to the action, they are masters at involving the audience in the story. If you ever have the chance to go and see a Cirque du Soleil show go! I was skeptical before my first show but these guys even make juggling a jaw dropping experience!

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Sneakers – Adidas Stan Smiths // Skirt – Mango leather drawstring skirt // Top – AllSaints (old but similar here)

My friends on Instagram mentioned how well my black eye has healed up – I have to say Bare Minerals concealer is the BEST – it literally conceals any blemish! Plus it is in powder form so never looks caked on – check it out the next time you walk into a glass door!

Fall break coincides with Columbus Day here which is on Monday. Another excuse for retailers to punt their Fall clothes. Don’t miss out on the following fabulous sales that are currently underway!

AllSaints – 20% off select items using OCTOBER

J.Crew – 30% off using WEEKENDPLANS

J.Crew Factory – 50% off entire site

Piperlime – 20% off with FALL20

Enjoy!

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Sneakers – Adidas Samoas // Skirt – Mango leather skirt // T-shirt – J.Crew (old but similar here)

 

J.Crew wool drapey sweatpants

I wore these trousers yesterday but by the time I got chance to take a photo I was just not feeling up to it. The pain meds knock me out completely but the good news is I feel like I am healing well and no longer need to take them!

Anyway the trousers! They are the wool drapey sweatpants – light, comfortable and dressy – a jogger you can wear out of the house. Think tailored pant with cuffs and elastic waist. I cannot overstate how much I love these. Size down and you’ll be in love too. I have the grey and navy in a US 6 and they are perfect with heels or sneakers.

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An evening with One Direction

Thank goodness I was alerted by a friend on Facebook that the concert was last night. I’d been telling myself for weeks that it was October 10th – can you imagine if we’d missed it!? Thankfully our evening with Harry et al. was well worth the chaos – I think every mom and daughter from the South East was at the Georgia Dome last night. One criticism was that they didn’t come on till 9.30pm! Knowing their audience was full of screaming school girls I thought this was a bit disrespectful, but the screaming girls didn’t seem to care! I’m very tired today and I had to drag poor Poppy out of bed but she was thrilled that ‘she heard her favorite song’!

Poppy naturally wore her Marks & Spencer 1D t-shirt along with H&M harems (old) and Sam Edelman Petty boots. I wore coated skinnies from Zara, an AllSaints tank, green jacket from Zara, with my AllSaints Bonny Cubans (similar here).

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Back on Tuesday I wore one of my favorite new tops that happens to be in the sale right now at J.Crew. The cut out sleeves are gorgeous and add some femininity to the outfit.

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Sneaker – Nike from J.Crew (on sale) // Jeans – Zara (old) // Top – J.Crew (on sale)

Today I am so tired I may fall asleep in the hairdresser’s chair later, but still I fancied wearing a pair of heels to perk me up!

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Shoes – Sam Edelman Anastasia (on sale) // Trousers – Zara // Sweatshirt – Splendid (similar here) // Bag – Zara // Scarf – Zara (old)

Now if I can just shake the ringing out of my ears I’ll start feeling much better #toooldforonedirectionconcerts

 

How do you feel about hats?

I was never a hat person till a few years ago. Here in the US most people must own at least one baseball cap even if they never wear it. I found it easy to start wearing caps to sporting events like NASCAR, baseball and football, and then I found myself gravitating to wearing them out and about on a bad hair day. Now I own several and I’ve just added a J.Crew felt Fedora to my collection. I LOVE it. This is a S/M I’m wearing but if you have a lot of hair you may need to size up.

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Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury // Jeans – H&M // T-shirt – J.Crew // Hat – J.Crew // Bag – Alexander Wang (old off TheOutnet.com – similar here on sale)

This Fedora is a perfect size for me – the brim isn’t too big and it sits nicely on top of my head. I’m always scared of being overwhelmed by hats having short hair. It comes in grey, navy and black, and all three colors are classics.

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If I had longer hair I’d love any of these broader brimmed hats from ASOS.

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Gray Asos Catarzi

 

Have you been tempted by a Fedora yet? I think you’ll be surprised how easy they are to wear – I certainly got plenty of compliments at the Mall this morning – though the Husband says he feels like he should be sitting in The Blind Beggar with me…or that I have an uncanny resemblance to Dave Angel, Eco Warrier.

Yesterday I was dashing around and had to throw something on quickly after yoga. This River Island dress is brilliant – simple to wear yet it certainly makes a statement.

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Boots – Isabel Marant // Dress – River Island via ASOS

After doing a bunch of returns at the Mall this morning and cleaning my windows we’re now off for margaritas and tacos – perfect! Happy weekend!