We are avidly wearing our spring/summer buys, whilst wisely wondering when autumn/winter will arrive....

[notyummy]

Use this thread instead! I mucked up the title of the other one

Good morning all! Had a superb holiday - so much so I feel quite sad to be back in UK!

I have no idea what has been going on but hope you are all well, happy and making good buys.

Marking my place!
Great haul yesterday NY. Especially loved the houlilikeys. Gosh that word looks weird, definitely spelt incorrectly!

Glad you had a lovely holiday HF. Weather is gorgeous here today so am in summer dress - think it's due to rain tomorrow though. Boo....

Hello- welcome back hf! Glad you had a good hols...

NY - love those Houlis...tried to buy but don't have in stock in my regular size!!! No fair! Oh, and my two blame their imaginary friend 'Julian' for everything! Quite amusing......

Sun shining here so hopefully Autumn is still a way off yet! Hoping, hoping....

Apparently Gap have fantastic houli fakes coming soon. Also banana republic and gap are online as of late august!!

notyummy can't remember if I said on old thread but your dh will find the course a walk in the park! Are you and dd staying put or going to shrivenham?

Sunny and nice here (marking place really)

OOOh Roary - good news about Gap online - have seen some stuff in Grazia (sad, I know!!) about their amazing trouser collection coming out and really fancied investing.

We will be staying put, as I didn't fancy moving for 10 months only - shifting house/school and giving up job - to then have to move again when he is posted at the end of the course. Of course, there is a real likelihood I will be made redundant before he finishes the course...c'est la vie! Got to wait until next April/may to find out where we will move to so I can start jobhunting. There is a real possibility he will end up in Afganistan for 6 months straight after the course so that will add to the uncertainity.

That is good news re Gap.

NY The uncertainty of Forces life is a right pest. We have had good news though - dh is off to MOD for 3 years next year - which means he will be here until 2014. Can hardly believe it.

Wow, that IS good news HF. You will be around for the Olympics - I would LOVE Dh to get a London job after staff college so we could be close to the Olympics. We are big sports fans in this family (football excepted) and have already pre-registered for Olympics tickets!

It's just nice when things go your own way for once! The other good bit is that it is a non-deployable post - amazing.

Morning,

• Great buys NY - I like the houlilikeys too - might give them a whirl in the petite size - what is the sizing like on them?
• We've registered for Olympic tickets too - I'm very excited that the mountain biking is taking place a 15 minute walk from my parents' house around the country park where we used to go biking ourselves. Hopefully we will get to see that plus I'd love to see the gymnastics, athletics and rowing. Also hoping to see some of the paralympics through work.

Welcome back hf - good news about your DH staying put

• Looking forward to gap online - is it me though or has their sizing got even bigger? I can easily fit into size 8 (US size 4) trousers from gap and I'm really (really really) not an 8 on my bottom half.

I am feeling quite envious of all your abroad holidays (travel problems not withstanding). DH is not a sun lover at all so we haven't had a 'proper' holiday for years. We're going to a cottage in Dorset which should be lovely but I am pining for a swimming pool, balcony and guaranteed sun.

MrsJ - Sizing quite 'average' I would say. I am a 10/12 (12 on bottom due to pear shape.) The 12 fitted very well, but bit baggy at waist...however this is standard for me because of my body shape.

Agree ref Gap. I have a pair of Long and Lean jeans from there that I bought in 2001. They were US size 10 and still fit me fine, with a bit of give. Now I may have toned up a bit, but I have not changed in size a huge amount over the past decade - and now the US size 8's are a bit baggy on me.

I don't think it just Gap tbh - I think there has been size creep recently and basically everything has moved a size - i.e 12 now a 10 etc. You only realise this when you try a European brand that doesn't market itself over here as much and realise the difference in their sizing!

Morning all! That is good news about Gap going online. Notyummy - I popped into Gap to see the much-feted trousers and thought the quality wasn't great. Overall I was quite disappointed although I didn't try any on you never know (I was also feeling really quite nauseous as per last few sorry for myself posts!). I love Gap sizing for that very reason MrsJuan! Size 8 bottom - yes please!!

We're also not going abroad this year. We've never been sun lovers and both my dds react hideously to the sun with prickly heat/eczema. Added to that is the challenge of finding dairy free/egg free food (for allergic dds) away from my tried and tested brands/language and frankly I'd rather stay in the UK. We love walking so both dds have been up many a mountain in the backpack/ on foot bribed with sweets!!

My Dukan Diet book arrived yesterday - still not sure if I will actually use it, but was interested and the Book People were selling it for less than a fiver! I have a feeling that after the next 3 weeks, which seem to involve me eating and drinking in different countries with a variety of people, I may have to give the 'Attack' a try. Might have a look on the website today to try and see what it says my 'true weight' is!

Hells - any top tips?? You must be easily at your 'true weight' now, no? You looked so svelte in the holiday pics.

NY I did the Dukan for 5 days before hols - lost loads! And of course have put it all on again (and the rest!) on holiday

Whelk MrsJ I really love the Isles of Scilly - such a fantastic place for a family holiday.

Ooh -NY - I've just looked at the Dukan website and apparently my 'true weight' is 8st10 which, if I started today I could reach by the 14th September - it is very tempting! I think I will wait until after the holidays too though. Do you think it is sustainable?

My true weight is 10 stone 4 apparently! I could be there by the 8th Sep. Hmm.

It seems like he has put a lot of work into it being sustainable, so perhaps?

I like the fact you can have veg and coffee, which was always my issue with Atkins - although 'New Atkins' now allows both of these!

I am wary of any special diets - but if I put more than 2/3 lbs on over the next few weeks then I may be shopping for lots of protein in early Sep - we shall see. Generally I find if I put 2 or 3lbs on whilst on holiday, then it comes off when I come home and eat/exercise as normal. That said my 'stable' weight is 5 or 6lbs more than my 'true' weight...and what woman doesn't want to lose 5lbs?? BUT I know my BMI is 21.something and my body fat is sub 24% so now I am talking myself out of it again!

I have just been on the Dukan site and am apparently exactly at my true weight 8st 10 (or a few pounds below- as I vary by a pound or two)!

I'd never heard of the 'fingers overlapping thing!' before then.

Marking.

notyummy love the fake hoolihans and the new title. I have the same problem with GAP baggy on waist but fitted on thighs, I like the Long and Lean as well.

hf welcome back :)

I am still pestering GAP mailorder on a daily basis for the GAP suede wedges, apparently they are expecting a stock next week. Easier just to ring them daily however.

Am debating these, at the moment, think I would wear under jeans lots during winter and great price

Still not sure about these, are they too bling?

Would someone please buy these and wear them for me (in the mink/grey colour they were lovely but just too high for me to wear. 3 years ago would have bought them anyway but now don't have the money to waste.

Libra- I really like the trainers, but not so keen on the boots

I have been using my sick day off work to have a look at my wardrobe for A/W. I think I need some boyfriend/loose jeans to wear with little tops/knits. Any ideas?

Libra love the trainers. Brown boots would be too clumpy for me. I had a pair of black Ash boots v similar to those M and S ones. I LOVED them. They looked great with skinny jeans, particularly black skinnies, and also with black opaques and short(ish) dresses. People used to stop me to ask me where I got them! (Dont you love when that happens? The validation!)
I am at my ideal weight according to Dukan site, 8 stone 4lb, but I know if there were a couple of pounds gone from my ass I'd be much happier!

Love the M and S boots - doesn't say how high they are though; how annoying! I can do 3 inches, but any more and I struggle (plus look HUGE as am tall already!) I have a pair of 4 inch clog style I wore last week and I did feel very high in them - DH looked askance (and up!) at me.....

Trainers not for me; mainly because of my grubbiness issues. I am sure I would ruin them in no time, and every mark would show.

They are higher than they look, I even thought hmmm maybe, as they had a thick heel but then was brought down to earth with a bump by a tantrumming 2 yr old.

I have bought both the silver and the gold tainers, for £11.50 each it would be rude not to. Understand the grubbiness aspect notyummy but think they would actually look better a little dirtier (not a huge fan of white trainer soles)

whelk sorry can't help you with jeans am strictly a GAP girl (and CoH when I have the cash)