Hi all! I’m sitting at the house in Turkey after finally being able to access the blog via VPN! Turkey for some reason thinks I have a political agenda and won’t let me access my site here!
I’ll try posting an update of vacation outfits shortly but in the meantime you can follow all my adventures on Instagram at instagram.com/poppysstyle
Dress – ASOSIt’s July 1st 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 – MadewellFollow me on Instagram @PoppysStyle to see where we are now!
It’s all a bit crazy here! Visas are sorted, passports are found and bags are out ready to be packed! I spent bloody hours figuring out movies for the kids yesterday and making sure they were all synced on iPads for the plane. I guarantee we will get on the flight and they won’t play or will have disappeared – it always happens no matter how often I check. Anyhow hopefully they’ll be out like a light as soon as they are settled in their seats as it’s a late flight. I’ll of course be enjoying all the services offered!
Shoes – Castañer Campasina // Shorts – ASOS on sale here // Top – Mango on sale here
Dress – Mango on sale here // Shoes – CastañerIn 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 GavrielOh I also popped into Zara on Friday and bought this beautiful top. I love it – this is a large.
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!
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)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…
Now we’ve discussed before how harem trousers are a love ’em or loathe ’em item but I really do love ’em. I’ve decided it all hails back to when I met MM in 1991. He was/is a non-conformist and when I met him he had long curly hair and more jewelry than me. He always wore loud shirts with harem trousers and his red Converse hi-tops, which incidentally, he has on his feet today – not the same pair mind you. MM was fortunate that all his harem trousers were hand made in Turkey. As a PhD student in Byzantine history he was lucky enough to have regular trips to Turkey where he could indulge in Efes pilsener, Roman ruins and fine tailoring. I must dig out the photo of the first University Ball he took me to – he wore black harem trousers, a tailcoat, black shirt with white polka dots, a white bow tie and the omnipresent red converse – he’s such a wall flower…
Anyhow I am now the flag bearer in the family when it comes to harem trousers. Today I have on the Zara grey trousers (they’re labeled as khaki on the site but they are definitely grey) which are super soft and comfortable. I try to wear them with a more fitted top so I don’t look too overwhelmed. Today I have my Boden blackberry Must Have jumper layered over a black Zara t-shirt. The scarf is H&M and the boots are the Isabel Marant Dickers. So thoughts please would you, do you do harem trousers?
Here’s my outfit from yesterday – black Gap skinny jeans, a black Gap t-shirt and the AllSaints Plume cardigan from the sale back in June, all finished off with the mocha Acne Pistols. We happened to be doing some work on the IKEA Pax last night, and without the cardi and boots MM said I bore a keen resemblance to the IKEA ninja in the instructions…he can mock when he can beat my time for drawer assembly…
I also got to try on my new Boden Fairisle jumper. I’m so glad I sized up in this – this is a US 10 but fits far better than the 8 – I can’t abide tight knitwear and this now falls really well. Not my usual style but I really like it for winter and it complements my Pistols perfectly! There aren’t many left in stock after all the promotions recently, but worth stalking.
Poppy's Style 