Tag Archives: Mango

We are connected!

Phew! After a week offline we’re back in the land of the living. We have just driven 3 hours from outside Sevilla to Orgiva, South of Granada and North of Motril. It’s a little town in the valley – very bohemian and laid back with amazing vistas of mountains around us. I can hear the kids screaming in the pool now, after a lunch of Spanish omelet, pork meatballs, and maybe a couple of cervezas. Life is good.

In Sevilla, with Noddy – our Fiat 500L:

Tapas in Cadiz:

Performing our ablutions before heading into the Cathedral in Cordoba:

My outfit for the blazing heat of Cordoba:

Top – Mango Sale bought in Cadiz! // Shorts – Mango // Shoes – Sam Edelman // Flamenco Dancer – Unknown

This can’t be Bury – I’m wearing shorts!

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Ok it rained today but it’s supposed to be fab tomorrow as well! Fingers crossed as my little sister turns 40! We’re planning on taking the children for a day out and a picnic, then on Thursday I get her all to myself to do lunch and shop with a belly full of wine;)

We arrived Sunday morning and it has been fun ever since. Poppy and Hugh are having a great time with cousin Alice. Three kids are REALLY loud together – especially two Southern accents and one very strong Bolton accent:)

I’ve been rubbish with outfit photos since I arrived – sorry – but here is one from Friday when I got my hair cut shorter and went darker thanks to Chadd and Gina at A La Mode! I love these Sam Edelman sandals – again I took a US 8 in these and they fit beautifully. They are a great platform that give me some extra height without compromising comfort.

Shoes – Sam Edelman // Jeans – Zara (old) // Top – Mango (on sale now)

I’ll be back with plenty of photos over the next couple of days celebrating with my sister!

Kristen Taekman of RHONY

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New York is my favorite Real Housewives franchise, closely followed by Orange County and Beverly Hills. The new series of the RHONY has provided me with a new style crush – Kristen Taekman.

(image – http://www.kristencarrolltaekman.com/)

She is a genius at mixing high and low end labels and many of her clothes are high street brands such as Zara and H&M. She always looks so chic, on trend and put together – and totally appropriate for whatever contrived situation they throw the ladies into!

I was smitten with one of her latest looks – a beautiful white maxi dress – seen in this video here.

After a little research I discovered it was Zara from last summer! She looked stunning in it…I can only find show clips of her wearing it so the images are not great.

Here is the actual dress in case you find it on eBay!

I have found a couple similar that are available now – another here from Zara:

And this one from Mango which I have ordered to try – I think I prefer the simple straps on this one.

There’s also this one from ASOS.

Another dress which was featured on the same show was this gorgeous Alexander Wang khaki dress.

I patted myself on the back here as it is very similar to this stunning dress from Asos which is hanging in my closet, and which is now on sale here!

Kristen has her own website here which documents the clothes she wears on each show – it provides great inspiration – and I am amazed how many of the items are affordable for all of us! You can also catch clips of the show here on Bravotv.com.

So go on ‘fess up – who is your favorite Real Housewife?

The craziness is over…

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I’ve been neglecting the blog – apologies. I did warn you that May was full of events that need planning and execution! Today is Poppy’s 8th birthday. I cannot believe that 8 years ago I was lying in L&D having just had my first child at around 6.30pm…

The party was on Friday early evening and I have to say it was one of our best. I had the great fortune of catching up with Moms I hadn’t seen for weeks, some months! It was planned from 5-7pm and you can tell it was a great night as our last guests didn’t leave till 10ish – we didn’t want it to end. We were trying to make it a surprise for Poppy but of course 8 year olds have loose lips:) She loved the red carpet, VIP sign and VIP badges!

Poppy’s dress is H&M as is most of her closet these days! I find they are great for a girl who no longer wants to wear Boden appliqué, but they are still totally appropriate for a young girl.

Mikey from VibeSquad was our amazing DJ for the evening, ironically he’s a Londoner!

I tried to go with the disco theme in my ASOS Bowie t-shirt, Mango harems and silver Ancient Greeks. Thanks to the Husband for the super unflattering photo but it makes me smile – we had amazing fun catching up:)

Today after present opening we headed to the American Girl Store to pick up Isabelle – new friend to Saige from last year. I am not buying anymore American Girl Dolls…that store is my idea of hell on earth.

(Yes – another H&M dress!)

Lunch was by choice of the birthday girl at Verde and I decided to wear glitter, at least on my feet, for the occasion.

(Poppy in another H&M dress!)

Top – Mango // Jeans – H&M boyfriend jeans // Shoes – Golden Goose (back in stock in Barneys!) // Jacket – Zara (old)

Sorry PETA and all the vegan readers – I am completely obsessed with my new cowhide from IKEA! You can catchup with my IKEA trip on Instagram – we’ve just ordered the kids their new loft beds after having their rooms painted! They are growing up too fast!

One other thing to let you all know about before the vanish immediately – the new Nike Blazers are now in stock at J.Crew! If you love a hi-top, and don’t want to pay Golden Goose prices, these are a must! They’ll be sold out in the bat of an eye, I assure you.

Last week of school here this week – wooo hooo – summer is here!!

What I’ve been wearing.

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May is the busiest month on our calendar every year. What with anniversaries, birthdays, the end of the school year, school recitals, school field trips, visitors from abroad etc…it is non stop here. I’m just coming up for air after an amazing weekend of catching up, eating and drinking with Simon – our friend from University, who now lives in Stockholm.

We had a very late night on Thursday talking and drinking good wine, and then we were off out for dinner on Friday. The kids and I hung out in front of the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday afternoon, streaming it live via SVT.se, the Swedish tv channel. This made it even more fun and Eurocentric listening to the Swedish translation:) I found it all as surreal as ever, but I loved the drama – and in the end the right diva won! For all you American readers who have no idea what I am talking about the Eurovision Song Contest is the annual competition that rocketed ABBA to fame in 1974. Here’s Conchita, this year’s winner from Austria, a drag queen with more diva in her than Celine Dion.

Before Simon arrived I had another hair cut and went even shorter – thanks to Chadd I am now sporting a magnificent undercut. I LOVE it.

Jeans – Zara TRF (old) // Shoes – Avarcas Pons // Top – Mango

On Friday morning we headed out shopping and I treated myself to a couple of NARS lip pencils – Yu and Cruella.

The color of both is so intense and bold and I feel really feminine wearing them with such short hair.

Dress – ASOS (currently on sale) // Sneakers – Adidas Samoas // Glasses – Oliver Peoples Wacks // Handbag – Marks and Spencer (on sale)

Then Friday night it was off to Abattoir again where Simon proposed to Karin a couple of years ago now!

Dress – Marks and Spencer (old – similar here) // Shoes – Nine West

Yesterday was Mother’s Day here in the US and my fabulous kids presented me with great handmade cards. This one from Poppy made me grin especially – there is no greater compliment she could have paid me than describing me as ‘odd’ and ‘risky’…

Today I’m off to watch her recital so decided to wear a dress again. I started off with the canvas Newburys.

However, with the jacket I decided the grey nubuck pair coordinated better – not much in it to be fair…

Dress – River Island // Boots – Rag and Bone Newbury boots // Jacket – Marks and Spencer

Finally – shhh it’s a secret – but we’re having a surprise disco for Poppy this weekend for her 8th birthday!! Here’s an idea I stole from Pinterest – all her friends will be VIPS!

The future’s so bright…

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I’m one of the fortunate ones who rarely misplaces sunglasses. This means I don’t need to buy them often, which in turn means I spend a little more on a good pair when I do buy them – logical no? Living here in the sunshine also means that I always buy polarized lenses – I can’t live without them for driving in the glare. I currently have the following in my collection:

Silver Ray-ban Aviators with mirrored lenses:

Classic black Ray- ban Wayfarers:

And a pair of large round Chanel sunglasses similar to these, that I have to say I rarely wear as my Ray-bans are SO comfortable!

I’ve recently started wearing more gold jewelry again – I actually think it suits my skin tone better. Obviously that means I need a pair of gold aviators. I am torn between the classic gold with green lenses (these look silver but I assure you the description says they are gold!):

OR this gorgeous tortoiseshell pair with brown lenses and gold trim:

I have to say I am tempted by the tortoiseshell as they are so unusual – what do you think? Help me decide please!

As for this week here are my outfits so far. It is scorcchio here so I wore nothing more than a bikini at the weekend – summer is here, which also means lots of new summer items are getting worn!

Today I decided to put my new harems (I sized up as the waistband is a button up with a zip and quite snug!) on thinking I was heading into the office. I quickly had to do a u-turn though to meet my painter back at the house. We are about to paint the main living areas of the house Sherwin Williams Silverpointe – a gorgeous cool grey – I cannot tell you how excited I am after almost 7 years of yellowy-cream walls!

I have to say I LOVE these Chania Birkenstocks – they are a gladiator and look fab and feel amazing!

Top – Mango // Trousers – Mango // Sandals – Birkenstock

Yesterday it was a day for casual cut-offs and sneakers.

Top – Mango // Shorts – J.Crew // Sneakers – New Balance by J.Crew (old similar here)

And Friday I wore my lovely new Ancient Greek sandals, which are like jewelry on my feet, with this gorgeous ASOS maxi dress (it is generous – this is a US 6/UK 10) – thanks to Eve for the tip off!

Dress – ASOS // Sandals – Ancient Greek

Don’t look too close – I am desperate for a pedi after running and hot yoga all last week!

I hope you all enjoyed your Monday off in the UK – we only have 2 1/2 weeks left before the summer break here!

Stocking up on the essentials.

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I hate spending money on underwear. No one sees it and these days I opt for comfort rather than style. Once in a while though I start to get embarrassed about the state of my knicker drawer. Currently it is stuffed with more knickers than any girl can wear in a year – all a different shade of grey, faded colors or fraying elastic. Oh and there’s still the odd pair of thongs in there which I think I can safely say will never be worn again. So it is time to purge and restock.

Now here is where I promise not to model my new attire if you promise not to giggle about the size of them. I did used to wear thongs ALL the time. How I ever did it I have no idea. The thought of wearing one now makes my eyes water with discomfort. They were perfect of course for tight pants when a VPL is an absolute no no. Thankfully good old M&S came to the rescue with a whole range of no-VPL underwear. Yes after 15 years in the USA I STILL buy M&S underwear.

My favorite style is their famous Brazilian cut. Sales of underwear at M&S soared by 64% the year they were introduced. They are just a little cheeky – quite literally – being a little higher cut on the butt cheeks – but a hundred zillion times more comfortable than a thong.

And as we’re stocking up they do multipacks too which are great value.

I also ordered a multipack of their ‘boy shorts‘. I love to wear these when wearing a shorter skirt or dress and want to keep my modesty intact after a couple of glasses of prosecco.

Okay – now don’t laugh – I bought some ‘big knicks’ too. Sometimes comfort really does trump (oops) style. Thankfully these do have a little bit of lace detail so they aren’t completely Nana knickers. Trust me no one will know and you will be so thankful wearing them!

Finally just to prove I can still do ‘sexy’ I ordered a couple of these lace bodies from their Limited Edition. Just gorgeous for the summer under a maxi dress. I love the cross back detail too.

So now you know what I wear underneath here are my outfit pics from the last few days!

Today I’m back in a skirt as the sun shines again. I started the day in heels. It feels so fab to have bare legs again!

Shoes – M&S // Skirt – Mango (similar here) // T-shirt – J.Crew

I later changed into flats for running errands around town. I LOVE these – they are a great Miu Miu tribute with a lovely shaped toe.

Yesterday I was in one of my favorite simple ASOS dresses. Must remember to clean my mirror when photographing black!

Sneakers – Stan Smith’s Adidas // Dress – ASOS (on sale)

Then finally from the other day when it was still damp and cool after the storms.

T-shirt – J.Crew (30% off with GOSHOP in the USA) // Jeans – Zara (old) // Shoes – Arvacas Pons // Jacket – Zara (old)

So who else out there will admit to wearing big knickers? 🙂

Shorter and darker.

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Just 2 weeks ago I went short with my hair again. After a week at the beach I still felt it was too long and too ‘inbetweeny’. Not one to mess about I went back to my wonderful stylist, Chadd, yesterday and went even shorter, and then Gina gave me a lovely dark chocolate color. I feel super sassy – it is amazing how great the ‘right’ cut can make you feel. I love the darker color too and my hair looks lovely and healthy and shiny – what’s left of it:)

Pre-cut:

Jumper – Uniqlo cashmere crewneck (old) // Trousers – Mango Bambi Harems // Shoes – M&S Limited Collection

The Mango trousers are fabulous – these are a US Small (Eur Medium – they label for the larger US woman!) and they are perfect.

Post-cut:

I adore this sleeveless blazer – perfect for throwing on to dress up an outfit. It will be worn a lot over the Spring here. It’s an unusual color choice for me but I quite like it for a change – it’s a taupe/cream color. The fabric is lovely quality too – not shiny at all.

Jacket – M&S Limited Collection // Jumper – Zara (old) // Scarf – H&M (old) // Jeans – Diesel Fayza // Boots – Sam Edelman Petty (reduced here)

It’s freezing here today so the sweaters are out – totally random weather!

Oh and I am getting my navel pierced tomorrow ready for the summer months…the mid-life crisis continues!

Bad ass dog.

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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”.

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

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.

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

Shoes – 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.

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

Jumper – 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.

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:)

ASOS dresses further reduced.

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I’ve previously shared with you my joy at discovering all the treasures that ASOS has on offer. Only yesterday was I trying to resist the temptation of visiting ASOS.com again. This week I have already ordered the oversized checked swing dress after seeing the gorgeous Frances at SchoolRunStyle.blogspot.com wearing it. She is my new style crush. She’s as adventurous as I like to be, but she looks fabulous in everything!

Thank goodness I ordered it when I did as it appears to be out of stock right now – take note – when obsessing do not procrastinate! (UPDATE: it’s back in stock here!).

Then Fiona was blogging about the joys of ASOS.com yesterday with her top picks, and I managed to resist cruising the site. ASOS.com sucks you in and then spits you out only once you have placed an order – at least in my experience.

Then darn them – today in my inbox was an email with 20% extra off dresses! I just had to sneak a peek (for you Helen) didn’t I?

This is currently sitting in my cart. It is the perfect spring/summer party dress and would be perfect for taking on vacation. There is a maternity version too of this little sequin number.

This silk front dress reminds me so much of my Ted Baker shifts but a quarter of their prices – again the perfect little Spring number.

I adore this navy dress with the embellished neckline. The color is gorgeous – I’d wear this to a wedding in an instant – it’s only $42.59 right now!

I am loving the vivid yellow in this dress – it can easily be worn with tights or bare legs. The colorblocking will provide a fabulous silhouette too.

This dress is an absolute steal at $25. So classic, simple and elegant.

The same can be said for this Mango dress too – a great little vacation number – rude not to at $22!!

Now to be fair the following dresses aren’t in the sale – they are new arrivals – but given how quickly stock can disappear on ASOS (as with the checked dress!) it is well worth continually checking the new arrivals in case something appears that you absolutely cannot live without. For me it is these dresses.

This animal print dress also comes in green, but I love the pink here.

The oriental print here is so pretty, I just love it. Again the print is very reminiscent of Ted Baker.

Finally this dress is just such a classic. Great colors, with a contemporary feel. Perfect for a garden party (ah hem I go to so many – not) or a wedding.

It’s worth noting too that currently in the US you can become a VIP member for just $19! It usually costs $39 a year and provides early access to sales, VIP only sales and free express shipping all year. I’m a VIP as of this week:)

Can you resist a bargain? Have you ever been trapped in the world of ASOS not to be seen again for hours?

Poppy's Style

My blog about fashion, family, friends and fun.

Tag Archives: Mango

We are connected!

Top – Mango Sale bought in Cadiz! // Shorts – Mango // Shoes – Sam Edelman // Flamenco Dancer – Unknown

This can’t be Bury – I’m wearing shorts!

Kristen Taekman of RHONY

The craziness is over…

Top – Mango // Jeans – H&M boyfriend jeans // Shoes – Golden Goose (back in stock in Barneys!) // Jacket – Zara (old)

What I’ve been wearing.

Dress – ASOS (currently on sale) // Sneakers – Adidas Samoas // Glasses – Oliver Peoples Wacks // Handbag – Marks and Spencer (on sale)

Dress – Marks and Spencer (old – similar here) // Shoes – Nine West

Dress – River Island // Boots – Rag and Bone Newbury boots // Jacket – Marks and Spencer

The future’s so bright…

Top – Mango // Trousers – Mango // Sandals – Birkenstock

Top – Mango // Shorts – J.Crew // Sneakers – New Balance by J.Crew (old similar here)

Dress – ASOS // Sandals – Ancient Greek

Stocking up on the essentials.

Shoes – M&S // Skirt – Mango (similar here) // T-shirt – J.Crew

Sneakers – Stan Smith’s Adidas // Dress – ASOS (on sale)

T-shirt – J.Crew (30% off with GOSHOP in the USA) // Jeans – Zara (old) // Shoes – Arvacas Pons // Jacket – Zara (old)

Shorter and darker.

Jumper – Uniqlo cashmere crewneck (old) // Trousers – Mango Bambi Harems // Shoes – M&S Limited Collection

Jacket – M&S Limited Collection // Jumper – Zara (old) // Scarf – H&M (old) // Jeans – Diesel Fayza // Boots – Sam Edelman Petty (reduced here)

Bad ass dog.

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

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

ASOS dresses further reduced.

Top – Mango Sale bought in Cadiz! // Shorts – Mango // Shoes – Sam Edelman // Flamenco Dancer – Unknown

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Top – Mango // Jeans – H&M boyfriend jeans // Shoes – Golden Goose (back in stock in Barneys!) // Jacket – Zara (old)

Related articles

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Dress – ASOS (currently on sale) // Sneakers – Adidas Samoas // Glasses – Oliver Peoples Wacks // Handbag – Marks and Spencer (on sale)

Dress – Marks and Spencer (old – similar here) // Shoes – Nine West

Dress – River Island // Boots – Rag and Bone Newbury boots // Jacket – Marks and Spencer

Related articles

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Top – Mango // Trousers – Mango // Sandals – Birkenstock

Top – Mango // Shorts – J.Crew // Sneakers – New Balance by J.Crew (old similar here)

Dress – ASOS // Sandals – Ancient Greek

Related articles

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Shoes – M&S // Skirt – Mango (similar here) // T-shirt – J.Crew

Sneakers – Stan Smith’s Adidas // Dress – ASOS (on sale)

T-shirt – J.Crew (30% off with GOSHOP in the USA) // Jeans – Zara (old) // Shoes – Arvacas Pons // Jacket – Zara (old)

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Jumper – Uniqlo cashmere crewneck (old) // Trousers – Mango Bambi Harems // Shoes – M&S Limited Collection

Jacket – M&S Limited Collection // Jumper – Zara (old) // Scarf – H&M (old) // Jeans – Diesel Fayza // Boots – Sam Edelman Petty (reduced here)

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

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

Related articles

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