I first had the idea for POPLIN while working as a freelance writer in India, and wanting chic yet comfortable clothes to work from home in. I still find stylish spaces that bridge the gap between private and working functions, really inspiring. This is Lee Radziwiłł at her desk in Paris. 

Marilyn Style

I have just come across a really hilarious interview with POPLIN muse, Marilyn Monroe, which includes this typically kooky 1950s advice on diet and lifestyle. 

“BREAKFAST. I’ve been told that my eating habits are absolutely bizarre, but I don’t think so. Before I take my morning shower, I start warming a cup of milk on the hot plate I keep in my hotel room. When it’s hot, I break two raw eggs into the milk, whip them up with a fork, and drink them while I’m dressing. I supplement this with a multi-vitamin pill, and I doubt if any doctor could recommend a more nourishing breakfast for a working girl in a hurry.

DINNER. My dinners at home are startlingly simple. Every night I stop at the market near my hotel and pick up a steak, lamb chops or some liver, which I broil in the electric oven in my room. I usually eat four or five raw carrots with my meat, and that is all. I must be part rabbit; I never get bored with raw carrots.

P.S. It’s a good thing, I suppose, that I eat simply during the day, for in recent months I have developed the habit of stopping off at Wil Wright’s ice cream parlor for a hot fudge sundae on my way home from my evening drama classes. I’m sure that I couldn’t allow myself this indulgence were it not that my normal diet is composed almost totally of protein foods.”

Our Marilyn Silk PJs are inspired by the quintessential Hollywood starlet's feline glamour: black leopard jacquard silk with a leopard print trim. Classic but slightly outrageous, like their namesake... 

Limited Editions AVAILABLE NOW at Ave 32

Wendy House

Just back from a trip to Italy, shooting SS13, in the incredibly soft Umbrian light. More on that soon... We were feeling inspired by Wendy Bevan and this beautiful shoot in particular.  

Italy Calling

Tomorrow morning, painfully early, a little POPLIN dream team are Italy-bound for our latest shoot. It's been an incredibly busy few weeks of preparation, complicated logistics and hair-tearing challenges to field.

 I think I'll be pinching myself once I join this beautiful scene...

Reading in Your Pyjamas

POPLIN is a big advocate of reading in your pyjamas! Phoebe is one of our best-read customers: when she's not posting beautiful things here she's working for her PhD in English at Cambridge, and much more importantly, is full of excellent reading recommendations. We got her to share a summer reading list for you... 

Phoebe wears POPLIN Mitford Nightshirt 

Available Here  

1. John Steinbeck, Sweet Thursday (1954) 

The sequel to Cannery Row, which is equally good, Sweet Thursday takes place on a street lined with sardine fisheries in Monterey. It is set in the Depression, but it isn't at all depressing. The story brings together a group of bums, a brothel keeper, a hard up girl called Suzy and a marine biologist called Doc. Among other things, it's a tender little love story. Aspirations, independence and the wildness of the big pacific coast breathe through the pages. As Wikipedia reminds me, Steinbeck says "Sweet Thursday" is the day between Lousy Wednesday and Waiting Friday and that's what the book feels like: an interlude, a brief song of contentment and resilience. 

2. Eugene Delacroix, Journal of Delacroix

Delacroix was one of the greatest French painters of the Romantic period and his journal fuses his own hopes and sorrows with his meditations on all manner of issues and his opinions of various artists and musicians of his day (Chopin was a close friend, as was Georges Sand). His writing is extremely fresh: there is no pretension, and although he despairs of his 'inability' to express himself (what a joke!) he writes with such sincerity. I love to dip into this book when I have just woken up and be transported to the studios and riverside apartments of 19th century Paris: you can practically smell the Seine in the air.

3. J.D Salinger, Nine Stories (1953)

I think I have recommended this book to practically everybody who has ever had the questionable pleasure of conversing with me. These are stories where you ask yourself, 'How did he just do that?' and end up wanting to read them all over again immediately to find out. "Uncle Wiggily in Conneticut" is the one that really gets under my skin. 

4. Guy de Maupassant, Bel Ami (1885)

Try to forget what you've heard or seen of the R-Patz movie (I haven't seen it but by all accounts it's pretty poor). Set in Paris, this is the story of Georges Duroy, a social climber who uses the intelligent society women around him as stepping stones. Sometimes they are complicit, other times just pawns in his game. It's a captivating read, and it has some of the most incisive portraits of vanity and the foibles of the human psyche that I've ever come across. 

And... Tips for happy reading:
-  I like to read in bed, but I find I can rarely hold out very long before falling asleep. The best ingredients for a good read are a bath, a crisp nightshirt and a comfy sofa. 


- I am a great believer in the morning read too: I get more out of a book if I read it (sitting in the sunshine if we're lucky) over breakfast with a big cup of coffee than at any other time. 


- It's a luxury that we should all afford ourselves more: get up that tiny bit earlier and pick up a book: scrap the run or the trip to the gym and escape to a world of words. 

Pillow Talk with Rosie Fortescue

POPLIN snuggled up for some pillow talk with girl about town Rosie Fortescue... 

We got to know your great sense of style on MIC and you have now launched your own fashion blog, At Fashion Forte, clearly you're a girl who's serious about her clothes. If you could have anyone's wardrobe, whose would you choose? 

Without a doubt Olivia Palermo's. She always looks absolutely perfect! Miranda Kerr is also my kind of girl at the moment, due to her leather trousers obsession- quite like mine actually!

What's on your wishlist from POPLIN? 

I have just got the gold and black stripe Marlene pyjama set which is beautiful. The natural, breathable silk means it's ideal to wear in bed in almost any weather!

POPLIN Marlene Shorts Set 

Available Here

We're all about the beauty sleep at POPLIN... Are you an owl or a lark? Late sleeper? Early riser?... 

At the moment I've got into the habit of staying up late working when I've been out all day, however I do like the odd early night. The one thing I am good at too is early rises!

Dream collector? Or morning amnesiac?

 I've been dreaming quite a lot recently (from what I can remember!). Most of them have been nightmares which isn't ideal, but at least with my Poplin pyjamas I have a comfortable sleep!

In five years time you'd like to be...? 

Working for myself still and hopefully have developed my blog At Fashion Forte into a brand.

Pet hate? People who are late.

Guilty pleasure?  Peanut butter ice cream.

What's you best quality? I am very thorough with most things in life, from always being on time, to being tidy!

Your secret vice? Buying jewellery.

Favourite thing to... 

- Cook in your pyjamas? English breakfast

- Read in your pyjamas? Vogue

- Listen to in your pyjamas? Adele

With the Olympics around the corner, London is set to have lots and lots of visitors. As a local girl, can you share a few secret addresses?

 Bluebird on the Kings Road is an absolute must for brunch. I suggest eggs benedict and chips, followed by going to the Shop at Bluebird. It stocks lots of my favourite designers and is a beautiful shop to browse and to buy interesting fashion magazines in.

- Best hotel bed you've ever slept in? Costes in Paris

- Dream destination? New York

- Top travel essentials you always pack

 My Poplin pyjamas, my camera for blogging, raybans and my iPad.

Pillow Talk: Penelope Chilvers

Penny "tickled pink" in her POPLIN Iris Classic PJs

Penelope Chilvers is a great British brand. The eponymous designer first conquered the riding boot, transforming it into a fashion staple that only improves with age, going on to add more treasures each season. Today the brand offers a wonderful selection of shoes and accessories. I got a pair of her dandy slippers for Christmas this year and know stylish women of all ages who swear by her classics with a twist. 

What else is on your wish list from POPLIN? 
I love the Marlene Short Pyjamas, they remind me of my favourite childhood sweet- the humble humbug. I also think they'd look rather dapper with a pair of our black velvet monogrammed Dandy's. 


Are you an owl or a lark? Late sleeper? Early riser?... 
Definitely an early riser. Living by the motto 'the early bird catches the worm', I work better in the mornings, finding clarity with a new dawn. I prefer to be in my POPLIN pyjamas with a mug of cocoa by 10pm. 


If you weren't a shoe designer you would be...? 
A designer of something else and a horse rider in my spare time. I recently joined the El Rocio pilgrimage- a procession to the Hermitage of El Rocio in the countryside of Andalusia, Spain in honour of the Virgin of El Rocio. Pilgrims wear traditional dress and travel on horseback, foot or by cart. The women look stunning riding side saddle in their Spanish boots and voluminous flamenco skirts. It's such a romantic vision. 


Pet hate? 
Air conditioning- I like fresh air, even in tropical heat. 


Guilty pleasure? 
Tirelessly collecting bits of fabric and hoarding them in a cupboard, just in case... 


What's your best quality? 
My ability to find inspiration from the most unusual things, people and places. An idea for a new collection can spring from the most extraordinary or ordinary thing I've seen and develop into something visually exciting that's both wearable and unique. 

Favourite thing to... 
Cook in your pyjamas? 
I prefer to be served breakfast in bed, rather than cook it myself! 


Read in your pyjamas? 
I love to read anthropological travel books, just before bed is the perfect time. Then I dream about exploring far away places... 


Listen to in your pyjamas? 
TED lectures from my laptop. 


We're really enjoying reading about your travels on your "Private Adventure" blog. So... 
Best hotel bed you've ever slept in? 
One of my favourites is Riad el-Fenn in Marrakech. 
[See POPLIN's visual diary from Marrakech, here and here.]

POPLIN Bardot Classic Pyjamas 

Top 3 suitcase essentials? 
- If I'm travelling to sunnier climes, my leather flat espadrilles are the first thing I pack- I have them in so many different colours! 
- A pair of cotton POPLIN pyjamas, and if I'm a guest I don't mind going down to breakfast in these. 
- And a notebook or my blackberry to document the exciting things I'll inevitably see. 


What's inspiring you for your next collection? Give us a sneak preview.
I've used woven wool fabrics to make winter espadrilles, boots and a rucksack for that "go anywhere, do anything" vagabond traveller vibe. The mix of textures in the wool, worked leathers and woven hemp work beautifully. 

Breakfast in Bed

Shop POPLIN Pyjamas and Loungewear here

Morocco: A Visual Diary #2

Azure skies, ancient olive trees and orange groves under the Atlas Mountains.
Pools of rose petals and butter-soft Moroccan slippers to wear with a love-worn POPLIN nightshirt.  

Celebrate!

Celebrate! To brighten grey days, and because the beautiful POPLIN Marlene Shorts Set (pictured above) is now IN STOCK! 

www.poplin.co.uk

Breakfast in Bed

Poplin Pyjamas 

A Writer's Uniform

Poplin Pyjamas

Bibliophila

POPLIN girls are bookworms (or at least I am!) We're planning a special section dedicated to pyjama-wearing bookworms on the POPLIN Blog, but this should keep you going for now...

Poplin Pyjamas

Behind the Scenes: Poplin Campaign Shoot

Get a sneak peek at the action behind the scenes at the POPLIN campaign shoot. The soundtrack is from Birdy's a-mazing-cannot-stop-listening-to-this album!

Our POPLIN dream team was...
Photographer- Agnes Lloyd Platt
Assistant- Sophie Green

Models- Anouska Beckwith and Charlotte Wellesley

Styling- Me (Lucy Archibald) and Maggy Schultz with assistance from Hannah Weiland

Hair and Make-up- Olivia Newman Young

And the film was captured by Tom Reid- the lone male on the shoot!

We shot all day, stopping for a very anti-fashion long, delicious lunch AND teatime.

You'll be hearing more from these guys on the blog soon. For now, we'll leave you to work out who's who...