After a lazy day by the pool, which we all needed for a bit of R&R, we headed out to dinner. The restaurant is situated in the village where we are staying, and it is on the side of a hill overlooking the Med. Just a beautiful location with great views and amazing food. The mezze never stopped arriving!
Dress – Zara (on sale – similar here) // Shoes – Avarcas Pons
Dress – Riviera dress AllSaints (all sale items now and extra 20% off here!) // Shoes – TopShopIf you’ve been reading for a while you’ll already know how much we all love it here in Northern Cyprus. We were here in 2013 and my husband and I came here for our honeymoon in 1998. It’s a place that is very special for him as he lived here as a child with his family in Famagusta in the early 70’s. In fact he was evacuated when the Turks invaded in 1974. The North-South divide still elicits much controversy, and Turkey and Greece are still trying to negotiate a some kind of settlement. Often it is the Greek Cypriot story that gets the most press and sympathy, but the Turkish Cypriots suffered greatly too, and I would love to see the island reunited one day, in some form or other.
For now, however, we consider ourselves fortunate that entry into the Northern territory is more relaxed, and we get the opportunity to enjoy the history, culture and food that it has to offer.
So food! Yes the food here is amazing – if of course you avoid the Anglophile restaurants in Kyrenia serving fish and chips…Last night we returned to one of our serendipitous finds from 2013 – the Besparmak Buffavento restaurant. It is nestled in the mountains at the foot of the road that takes you to Buffavento Castle – a climb we are planning to endure tomorrow morning!
For dinner I wore my new J.Crew shorts and the H&M blouse (similar here) I bought in Manchester. I love this outfit – I felt completely appropriate for the evening. J.Crew, of course, currently have a massive sale on for the 4th July weekend – use LONGWEEKEND to get 30% off the shorts and up to 40-60% off lots of other items too!
Sandals – Ancient Greek Sandals (similar here) // Shorts – J.Crew // Blouse – H&MThe boys made an effort too.
Fortunately the restaurant had not changed a bit and we had an amazing evening.
Poppy wanted to share a little with you all too:
Hi! I am so happy to be here – I remember it from the last time. The weather is great and very hot! The house we are staying in is big and I have my own room, and there is a big swimming pool for us all to play in. Last night we went to a restaurant that I remember from our last visit, and I had an Adana kebab with mezze. I love the food here. I wore my new romper from Zara (now on sale here) which is perfect for vacations.
Finally here is one of me stealing my Mom’s aviators. She wouldn’t let me keep them though…My top is old from H&M and the shorts are from Zara (also on sale here).
I’m so excited that I am starting blogging! I’ve now been in the UK for 5 days – the weather has not been great but is slowly improving.
The other day we went for a long walk. Hugh and I were not very prepared for the colder, damper climate. I wore a Zara jumpsuit which I bought with my Mom in New York. I love this jumpsuit as it makes me feel summery. I love the pattern and colors on it. It’s now available in the sale at just $29.99!
Yesterday we went to Blackpool in search of the sun, and we found it! Once again I wore a Zara jumpsuit. I love jumpsuits because they are versatile, and they feel summery even when you need long trousers. The only problem is it takes longer to go to the restroom! This jumpsuit is now on sale at $25.99!
Today I was planning on going to Manchester with my Mom. However, I changed my mind and decided to stay home and play with my cousin, Alice. It was a beautiful day and I decided to wear a summer dress from Zara. I love wearing this dress with or without the belt. I am wearing Avarcas Pons sandals which fit lovely and don’t fall off my feet. They have no seams or stitching so don’t rub my feet.
We had a wonderful day yesterday spending time with my sister’s family. She has 2 young boys who Poppy and Hugh love playing with. The weather behaved for us too in the end, and we had a lovely summer’s afternoon.
Today we walked round a local reservoir – The Wayoh – with my brother and his family. His daughter, Alice, is a hoot – non stop chatter and she smothers us in kisses and hugs – she’s my kinda girl! Of course the 3 of us Americans were completely unprepared – no waterproofs and no walking shoes – but we survived!
Jeans – J.Crew // Top – AllSaints // Sneakers – Nike // Body Warmer – Mum’s // Scarf – Primark (old)We’re off on another magical adventure tomorrow, and then I’ll be shopping in Manchester on Tuesday – hooray! We’re meeting up with some of my lovely UK blogging friends and I can’t wait to see them. I also can’t wait to get into TopShop to try these beauties on!
The Nadia in tan or black – personally I am loving the tan – very good tribute to the Chloés and I love the heel detail.
And the Kaiser – comes in tan, black and silver. Again I love the tan. These are my favorite lace/tie flats that I have seen. I love the fact there is no lacing over the foot – very simple and elegant. Almost like a Vince Nina with ties!
Finally a little announcement. Many of you will have noticed that Poppy (the blog is named after her), my 9 year old daughter has a keen interest in fashion too. Well we decided it is time that she contributes to the blog given how many of you have daughter’s of a similar age. So watch out this week for a new page appearing on the menu above. Poppy will be posting a favorite outfit of the week along with a little explanation of why she loves it. I sense a blogging coup if I’m not careful 😉
Dress – Zara (now on sale)I wasn’t planning on making any purchases in the sales especially with heading on vacation this week. Well major fail – I have, as always, been tempted. You won’t be surprised that all my purchases are footwear. Shoes maketh the outfit!
Firstly check out MatchesFashion.com. They have Golden Goose marked down to £156.00 – SO much cheaper than the US and they will ship to the US DDP. I have ordered these that will hopefully be waiting at my Mum and Dad’s on my arrival!
I received my Vince Ninas in indigo (also available in nude) the other day – they are totally gorgeous as expected and they are now marked down further to $151 at Saks.
I’ve also found the snake print version on sale at Revolve Clothing! Most other stores still have these marked full price at $350!
Finally one not to be missed – Rag & Bone have an extra 25% off sale prices – ends today so be quick! Just use HURRAH25 at checkout for Newbury boots less than $200! Crazy!
The tan Newbury are marked at $370 but when you put them in the cart they are showing $265 – lots of sizes left! Then just apply your HURRAH25 to get them less than $200!
I have the leopard print boot – they were a Christmas present from my husband. Now marked down to $300 with an extra 25% off using HURRAH25!
So do you have as much will power as me? 😉
And finally my outfit today – thank goodness for AC – it’s in the 90s!
Culottes – Zara // Peep toe boots – Nine West (on sale here) // T-shirt – J.Crew (in sale plus an extra 50% off with GOSHOPPING)Yes it’s that time of year again! It sure rolls around quickly once the children have finished school! Next week I take them back to England to see my family – always fun for the children to catch up with their cousins. I just hope the weather cooperates so they can play outside. It will also help with the challenge of packing for 2 climates, as after England, we are off to Istanbul and N.Cyprus – not known for their unpredictable weather – it will be predictably scorcchio.
Right now Poppy has a pile of clothes the same size as my pile – not bad going for a 9 year old. I think we may have to adapt from ‘what I want to take’ to ‘what I need to take’ – especially as I will be lugging luggage around by myself until my husband joins us!
Before I share my recent outfits I wanted to let you know that the Vince Nina shoes at Saks have been further reduced to $151 – a steal for a fabulous pair of flats! My indigo pair arrives tomorrow and I called them this morning to apply the new price instead of returning and reordering – always worth checking first as most stores will price match within 10 days of an order being placed.
So here’s what I’ve been wearing this week before a quick change into pool gear in the afternoons!
Jeans – J.Crew // Shoes – Nine West (old) // Shirt – J.Crew (on sale plus an extra 30% off with SHOPSALE) // Bag – Alexander Wang Rocco (similar here discounted on TheOutnet.com and here in the UK)
Shoes – Nine West (old) // Jeans – J.Crew (in sale PLUS an extra 60% off with SHOPSALE code) // Top – Zara // Bag – Alexander Wang Rocco (similar here on sale)
Shorts – J.Crew // T-shirt – ASOS // Sneakers – Adidas (old) // Sunglasses – Warby ParkerLast night my husband and I went out for dinner. The first time, in probably 7 years (when I was last pregnant), that we have been out together without drinking. This not drinking lark really isn’t that difficult, and heading into my third week of sober living I feel a wonderful sense of calm and wellbeing.
Our favorite restaurant recently closed so we headed across town to the Floataway Cafe – another great restaurant with good hearty food. I finished my meal off with the best sticky toffee pudding ever! Thankfully I wore trousers with an elasticated waist – that’s planning for you.
Trousers – Mango // Top – Zara // Shoes – Marks and Spencer (currently with 20% off)Finally here is an outfit I forgot about from Monday – nothing special – just comfortable for the office.
Shoes – Marks and Spencer (old) // Jeans – J.Crew (30% off with SHOPNOW) // T-shirt – Splendid // Cardigan – Gap (old)I’ve just had the most brilliant 48 hours! One night in NYC with my incredible 9 year old. She is a natural traveler! It was so much fun to spend time together – just the two of us. She is a joy to be with and didn’t ever complain even though we walked miles, sometimes in the cold rain! Yes the weather sucked on Tuesday afternoon – we were completely caught off guard by the constant rain. Thankfully the sun made an appearance on Wednesday morning!
We left bright and early on Tuesday – but that didn’t stop our flippin’ flight being delayed due to the NYC weather!
On me – Sneakers – Golden Goose (similar here) // Jeans – J.Crew (30% off with SHOPNOW) // Top – AllSaints (now on sale) // Bag – McQ by Alexander McQueen // Scarf – H&M (old)We stayed at the City Rooms + NYC hotel at Lafayette and Canal. I highly recommend it – cheap as chips for NYC, clean, VERY basic, hardwoods, comfy beds, clean bathrooms and easy access to Canal St. subway to get Uptown. As soon as we arrived we headed out for lunch to Jack’s Wife Freda – just the best restaurant in SoHo as far as I am concerned – I love it there and they are totally child friendly. Poppy just loved people watching.
After lunch we wandered around SoHo in the rain – unfortunately for Poppy very few of the stores there had a children’s section but she still managed to find a Swatch that she loved, swearing that she would much rather have that than clothes. Mom you’re a sucker.
The following day, after breakfast at Jack’s Wife Freda again, we headed Uptown to 5th Avenue – where of course Zara had a kids section – and oh how quickly we forgot about the watch. We totally blew the budget in Zara 😉 I must say thank you to the lovely Maya at Jack’s Wife Freda. I follow them on Instagram and I had mentioned Poppy’s excitement about eating there. As we were eating breakfast I tagged a few photos of Poppy. Having seen we were there Maya called the restaurant and asked them to take extra special care of us – so sweet. Poppy really enjoyed her watermelon juice on the house.
After yet more shopping we were pretty exhausted – we walked miles – and we’re not used to that in Atlanta!
We picked our bags up and headed back to La Guardia ready to sleep all the way home. We had just the best time and I am already talking up NYU for Poppy 😉 She is a natural in the City and can charm anyone – she had the store assistants and flight attendants eating out of the palm of her hand.
Far more fun than any birthday party we could have thrown – well at least for me anyway! 😉
Wasn’t it just yesterday I was saying I rarely go to the Marks and Spencer site? I must be telling fibs because my order from a few days ago arrived! My jeans that I ordered with 20% off, plus 2 pairs of knickers to qualify for free shipping! It’s all a con – the shipping was probably less than the knickers but I still couldn’t bring myself to pay for shipping!
The jeans are amazing! As everyone has mentioned they fit big! I originally ordered a UK 12 and then in a fit of panic, after reading some reviews, I cancelled the order and reordered a UK 10. I thought I must be mad! Me in a 10? Well I may have lost a few lbs already without the wine, as they fit PERFECTLY! The denim is lovely and stretchy and super soft. I LOVE them.
The styling online is horrendous.
So here is my interpretation:
Shoes – Zara // Jeans – Marks and Spencer // Top – J.Crew (old)The jeans are currently £7 off – reduced to £28 with all sizes in stock. Size down a size!
I swear I am getting more and more ruthless with what I order. I haven’t ordered anything recently while bored watching the t.v. – a good sign I think! Whether it is not being bored or not spending I’m pleased! Lighter evenings help – the children are staying up later, everyone is happy and cheerful and I am reading more – all of which is helping my spending habits!
I am also getting far more discerning about what I want to wear – I ask myself more than ‘do I like it?’. I now ask ‘will I enjoy wearing it multiple times?’, ‘will I be bored of it next year?’, ‘does it fit with my style or do I like it because it looks great on someone else?’.
I asked myself all these questions before I ordered this jumpsuit – and it passed the screening criteria. I totally love it – and I smiled as soon as I put it on. I’m wearing a Fr 40. It is 100% cotton and incredibly lightweight so perfect city wear in the summer. It will be coming to NYC with me in June.
Jumpsuit – Étoile Isabel Marant TheOutnet.com // Sandals – TopShopYou may remember this photo of it I shared on Pinterest that first alerted me to it…
The other day I wore a jumpsuit from Zara from last year. The perfect example of buying something for the sake of it! I bought it in NYC last June and though I love it, it has sat in my closet with the label on for almost a year!
Jumpsuit – Zara (old) // Shoes – Nine West (old)Finally here’s my outfit from yesterday – I spent all morning running around from vets and Drs appointments!
Sneakers – Golden Goose // Jeans – Zara (old) // Top – J.CrewSo come on ‘fess up – how many items do you have sitting in your closet with labels still on them!?
Poppy's Style 