Tag Archives: J.Crew

Beer is for breakfast.

The heat means I am wearing little more than shorts and a bikini each day. So in the absence of outfits here’s a quick round up of a fabulous trip we had yesterday up to Kantara Castle, the third castle after St. Hilarion and Buffavento.

It’s another venue we visited back in 1998. Back then we had a photo taken at the very top of Kantara by a friendly English man who was ex-military and was revisiting where he had served. I remember it vividly as MM still mocks me for the denim dungarees shorts that I wore that day. Funny how I have a River Island pair lurking in my closet today. I should have bought them with me to fully recreate the shot, as all our honeymoon photos, in fact most of our photos pre-2000, were ‘lost’ along with other belongings in the move to Atlanta. Insurance doesn’t pay out for the sentimental value of goods unfortunately.

We started the day driving up from the sea to Kantara. We stopped in an idyllic village where it only felt right to have a cold Efes in the shade, smelling the pine in the heat, 11am isn’t too early for beer is it?

We then made the climb to Kantara castle itself – I certainly sweat the beer off! The sun was beating down up there. It is well worth the short climb though – Kantara is my favorite of the three castles and in my opinion offers the best views down towards the Karpaz.

To reward ourselves we drove down the other side of the mountain to the ‘armpit’ of the Karpaz, in order to revisit Bo gaz. Fifteen years ago we had two magnificent dinners there – sitting on plastic chairs, on a dusty sidewalk down to the harbor, surrounded by what seemed like a thousand cats. The town is now significantly more developed, with more ex-pats having discovered it’s charm. We still managed to find some fabulous fish and octopus though – and the cats!

The shorts that I have almost been living in, as they are the softest denim and so comfortable, are old selvedge denim shorts from J.Crew – there are similar ones here. The t-shirt has become a favorite – it is the essential t-shirt from Gap in diva pink – just $12.99 now.

I wore the same shorts the other day with a Gap tank and Zara sandals ($49.99 in the sale).

A lazy day on the beach is in store for us today – I’m going to soak up every minute of our last week here!

Some last minute sale purchases.

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At the start of the Zara sale I was a little disappointed with how few items grabbed my attention – though that may have had something to do with being up at midnight to be online as the sale went online. Well as happens every time, the more you look, the more treasures you find – especially in the ‘Last Sizes‘ section – but you’ve got to be quick! If when you click below they are out of stock – never fear – I see items popping back in and out of stock daily – in fact almost hourly at the moment – depending how much surfing I am doing!

This Kimono jacket is just lovely – the colors are gorgeous – and it’s only $29.99!

This bird print dress is relatively recent – and I love the shift shape. Again it is just $29.99.

I have these sarong trousers – and they are beautiful with a really interesting cut. Now just $39.99.

This crochet blouse is just gorgeous and has been out of stock in the sale for a while – I was lucky enough to snap up a Large when it came back yesterday. It will look great with jeans in the Fall. It reminds me of a gorgeous Next one that I treasured back in 1989!

When I’m hunting the Last Sizes section I am mainly looking for dirt cheap bargains like this t-shirt. I ordered the Medium in this.

This is my absolute favorite purchase and it will look great with my harems. It is the same t-shirt that Sue has and wears so well – a bargain at $14.99!

These are not yet in the Last Sizes section – I have been watching them all season but feared the print just made them too obviously ‘Zara’. I love them and have finally decided to hit the order button. I really want to wear these together with my white stilettos. We’ll see when I try them on!

What have you seen in the sales recently? Have you been scouring the Zara sale still or have you moved on to the Next sale in the UK?

Finally a quick round up of holiday activities and outfits. We went to Famagusta the other day to wander around the old City inside the castle walls. Before 1974 this was were all the Turkish Cypriots in the city had to live and there are lots of sad signs of war and destruction. Over the centuries many civilizations have lived in the walled city and left their mark so there are lots of great ancient sites and stores to see!

On Saturday night we wandered up to the village for our nightly ice cream and lo and behold another wedding was taking place. I also discovered it is the month of Ramadan, after offering our gardener a glass of water he told us he was fasting. I am learning new things all the time here – I had no idea Ramadan was timed to coincide with the gorgeous crescent moon.

I am wearing the Gap sunwashed t-shirt, J.Crew chino shorts in peach neon and my Marks and Spencers bowcage sandals.

Last night we went out for a ‘fancy’ dinner – according to the children that is. It’s about as fancy as it gets here in N. Cyprus – but I wore a frock for the occasion:) (I’ve worn the red version here). The sandals are Marks and Spencers. As my Husband was driving I was unable to polish off the full bottle of wine on my own (it must be the heat) so I brought it home – classy.

Spotty bag delivery!

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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?

A new adventure for us.

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Poppy is a rising 2nd grader and my son, Hugh, starts kindergarten in August. For the non-Americans out there kindergarten is the first year of elementary (primary) school here, that you start when you are five. Hugh is so ready for school and so are we! I have none of the fears, sadness or nervousness that I had two years ago when Poppy was starting school. That’s what happens when you’re the second child. No one worries quite so much, because Mom and Dad have been through it all before. Those psychologists are really on to something when they talk about how birth order impacts personality.

Hugh has been in daycare since he was 3 months old so he is more than happy with the school routine, but I can tell he is somewhat apprehensive about new teachers, new classrooms and new friends. It doesn’t help when your 7 year old sister is constantly telling you all about it, who everyone is, and how she has already done it because “she’s 7 and is a 2nd grader”. Irritating for Hugh? Yes. Funny how I now have so much sympathy for my younger brother and sister having to deal with their know-it-all big sister.

We’re lucky that our elementary has a week long camp for new kindergartners, so they can become familiar with their new surroundings. So this morning I excitedly dropped off my nervous 5 year old. I embraced all the fabulous teachers that I now know so well, and left Hugh, thankfully, running into the classroom where he had spotted his best mate from daycare. Hooray!

Two children now at school – how did that happen?

Trousers – Zara sarong style trousers // Tank – J.Crew (old) // Jacket – Zara (old) // Sandals – Sam Edelman Gigi // Earrings – Forever 21 gold leaf (old)

Flash of neon

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I’m actually enjoying the rain this weekend. It means I get to get dressed on Saturday and Sunday instead of just throwing on a bikini and shorts for the pool. I ran some errands this morning and wore my harems that I actually didn’t think would get worn again till the Fall, but they are surprisingly light and airy for the summer – or unsurprisingly so, given that the Turks have worn şalvar for years in the heat.

The driveway turned into a river as I was trying to take a photo – the things I do for you:)

Harems – Zara (old) // Tank – Target (old) // Scarf – J.Crew linen scarf (old) // Sandals – Tory Burch Emmy (old – love this year’s silver though!)

Before I leave you, if you are hunting for the perfect summer bootie here in the US – I noticed that some of my favorites – the Sam Edelman Petty in smokey praline, are in the sale on Zappos.com!

As are the leopard print ones that I love with shorts – like here.

Okay – now off to take Poppy to a party for a couple of hours – hmm what to do in the rain with all that time on my hands?

What to do on a grey Friday.

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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.

Just for fun.

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Last night it occurred to me, as I was surfing some blogs and Instagram, that there are a lot of folks out there running, working out, doing crossfit etc. in preparation for the summer. I find it incredibly motivating seeing what others are up to in their work out regime and I love chatting with people about what works best for them. So I have a new challenge for you – just for fun:)

Every day I work out I will upload a post work-out photo on Instagram (poppysstyle) and tag it with #PSFitClub. Follow me here and leave a comment including the #PSFitClub. I’ll follow you back, and all you need to do is upload your post work-out photo tagged with #PSFitClub – easy hey? We can have our own virtual, global training group. Great motivation! I want to see rosy cheeks, sweaty brows and dirty sneakers/trainers. Tell us what your goals are, what you have done, how you feel, and what your reward will be. In 6 months time we can compare photos from now and then! Have fun with it. To start us off here I am after my hot, humid, sauna like run here this morning. After today – for those of you that have zero interest in working out – I’ll just be posting #PSFitClub photos on Instagram🙂

And now the reason behind #PSFitClub – so I can continue to drink wine, eat chocolate and wear fabulous clothes! Here’s what I’ve worn so far this week.

Trousers – J.Crew factory (old) // Shirt – J.Crew popover // Shoes – Nine West

Dress – Asos // Boots – Rag & Bone canvas Newburys // Sunglasses – Chanel

Sandals – Zara // Jeans – Zara (old) // Top – Zara // Bag – Alexander Wang Rocco

Boden Fall Preview!!

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Oooh it’s a while since I’ve been SO excited about Boden’s preview! They are really changing things over in West London. The first thing I noticed on the preview were the colors – lots of fabulous pinks, oranges and greens, along with some beautiful neutral tones. Classic Boden is still there for the loyal followers, but there is definitely a younger, contemporary vibe to appeal to those more ‘on trend’ shoppers.

Here are some of my top picks that are sitting in my shopping cart – don’t bother adding it up – it’s a lot! There is however 20% off the preview right now (code PRV3) and it’s always nice to get items you REALLY want before anyone else has tried them and returned them, though you will have to wait till the end of July if you can!

You all know how much I’ve loved this season’s folded clutch – well next season’s version is a dream too, in some amazing colors. It’s quite large as you can see from the above photo. I have the following colors in my cart:) Again it can also be worn cross body – I love the versatility for day to evening.

Next up are these amazing Chelsea boots – look at the details and trim! The pewter would be amazing with some black wool trousers – if only I still worked in the City I’d wear them every day!

These fuchsia desert boots are fabulous – just imagine them with a grey cashmere jumper and boyfriend jeans!

The Chic ankle boot is a dead ringer for the Sam Edelman Petty boot – so it’s not in my cart as I have the leopard print version sitting in my closet – but you know Boden’s quality will be amazing.

There is plenty of cashmere again this season. I have J.Crew and Boden cashmere – and Boden’s is far superior – so much softer and better quality – in my eyes anyway. This year I want a simple black crew neck.

This cashmere sweater is gorgeous – more expensive because of the pattern, but for a statement jumper it can’t be beaten.

Finally (for now) I adore this short sleeved sweater – again perfect with boyfriend jeans, which it looks like I’ll be wearing through to Christmas this year!

My only critique is PLEASE don’t become just another J.Crew – there are a couple of items that are completely J.Crew – stop it Boden and stick with your own creativity please.

This necklace is a smaller version of the ubiquitous J.Crew bubble necklace:

…and this sweater is either J.Crew or Joules…not keen I’m afraid.

What are your favorite picks for next season? Just try and save some pennies as I expect there will be a lot more added throughout the season again as they have done this summer!

School’s out for Summer!

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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)

Airing the almost 42 year old legs.

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Gosh that looks so odd to see it in writing – I’m 41 3/4. I have to say I don’t feel what I thought almost 42 would feel like. I certainly don’t see myself as old, or middle aged for that matter. I still buy clothes that I like rather than what I, or others, think I should be wearing. I just have a few extra greys that need covering each month.

So am I wearing a skirt that is too short for my age? What do you think? I didn’t consider it too short till just now. I bought it based on the Michael Kors skirt I’d seen and I love the color. I think it is the only yellow item I have in my closet though – it’s definitely not normally a color I gravitate towards.

Michael Kors $695 version:

Poppy's Style

My blog about fashion, family, friends and fun.

Tag Archives: J.Crew

Beer is for breakfast.

Some last minute sale purchases.

Spotty bag delivery!

A new adventure for us.

Trousers – Zara sarong style trousers // Tank – J.Crew (old) // Jacket – Zara (old) // Sandals – Sam Edelman Gigi // Earrings – Forever 21 gold leaf (old)

Flash of neon

Harems – Zara (old) // Tank – Target (old) // Scarf – J.Crew linen scarf (old) // Sandals – Tory Burch Emmy (old – love this year’s silver though!)

What to do on a grey Friday.

Just for fun.

Trousers – J.Crew factory (old) // Shirt – J.Crew popover // Shoes – Nine West

Dress – Asos // Boots – Rag & Bone canvas Newburys // Sunglasses – Chanel

Sandals – Zara // Jeans – Zara (old) // Top – Zara // Bag – Alexander Wang Rocco

Boden Fall Preview!!

School’s out for Summer!

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

Airing the almost 42 year old legs.

Skirt – JCrew Factory // Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury boots // Shirt – JCrew Factory (similar here)

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Trousers – Zara sarong style trousers // Tank – J.Crew (old) // Jacket – Zara (old) // Sandals – Sam Edelman Gigi // Earrings – Forever 21 gold leaf (old)

Related articles

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Harems – Zara (old) // Tank – Target (old) // Scarf – J.Crew linen scarf (old) // Sandals – Tory Burch Emmy (old – love this year’s silver though!)

Related articles

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Trousers – J.Crew factory (old) // Shirt – J.Crew popover // Shoes – Nine West

Dress – Asos // Boots – Rag & Bone canvas Newburys // Sunglasses – Chanel

Sandals – Zara // Jeans – Zara (old) // Top – Zara // Bag – Alexander Wang Rocco

Related articles

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Related articles

Share this:

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

Related articles

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Skirt – JCrew Factory // Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury boots // Shirt – JCrew Factory (similar here)

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