SimplyBe Store Visit

I recently had the opportunity to attend the +Simply Be store in Manchester for a styling session whilst I was spending the weekend there.

I was massively excited as I have been shopping with SimplyBe for some time now and couldn’t wait to roam around the store and try on lots of pretty dresses.

Upon entering the store I was immediately greeted firstly by the lovely Becky and then Steph who was to be my stylist. I do have to make a special mention to them both as they made me feel completely at ease and welcome and I had a great time with them.

I was chatting with Steph about her role within the store and her passion for styling woman and making them feel good about themselves was fantastic. You could really tell that she loved her job and I could have happily spent all day there talking about plus size fashion and body confidence.

Now on the clothes!

With every dress I tried on, I used the magic mirror that SimplyBe have in their stores which enables you to photograph yourself in the mirror and then send the pictures to either your email or upload on to Facebook.

I think I must have been a bit overexcited when typing my email address on to the screen as unfortunately only two images came through to me which ironically were also the dresses that I chose to bring home with me!

PU Pink Biker Jacket

Bird Printed Doll Dress

I was hoping that I wouldn't love the pink biker jacket.  I really was.  I knew I couldn't afford it at the moment but tried it on anyway because I couldn't not.  I love how well it goes with the bird print doll dress (coming soon on the blog in a separate post).  The jacket is now at the top of my ever growing wishlist!!

Tile Print Tea Dress

I spied the tile print dress and immediately thought that it would be perfect for the office.  The fabric flows nicely, is cool to wear and nips in at the waist to add a little va va voom!  Again, I will post about this dress properly in a separate post.

I am gutted that the other dresses didn't transfer to my email but I will show you the ones I tried on anyhow.

Daisy Printed Doll Dress

This is the daisy print version of the bird print dress above.  I loved them both but for my specific colouring, the bird print dress worked better for me.

 There is no reason for this jacket to be here again in the post other than the fact that I can stare at it and swoon.  I have it bad! haha

Joe Brown Rambling Rose Dress

I took this dress into the changing room as a kind of a wild card.  Pink dresses and added ruching below the waist generally doesn't look good on me, but I really liked it.  The only personal thing for me was that it was a little bit too short to wear without leggings and I HATE wearing leggings.  That is just me though, the dress is gorgeous to wear and had a flattering shape.

I am already planning when I can next get to the Arndale in Manchester and I urge you to go.  The girls there are so friendly and helpful, it is nice to see an engaged staff when you walk into a store who are interested in the fashion they are selling.

Bravo SimplyBe!!

Joe Browns Vintage Flower Dress

Today I have to show you another purchase that I made this week.

I have had my eye on this dress for a while now as I love the Joe Brown dresses and the vintage look of this dress had me sold.  After spying a cheeky discount code for +Simply Be I decided to thrown caution to the winds and give it a whirl.

Joe Browns Vintage Flower Dress

The patterning on this dress is beautiful and very 50s esq.  I found that the length was just right on me, just a little past the knee.  The sizing is a little generous, it works on me but I would suggest that anyone with smaller breasts than I size down one.

There is one thing about this dress that I wasn't too impressed with.  The material is so thin that you can see through it.  To be honest I did debate about keeping the dress because of the quality of the material, but as I wear a black slip under all my dresses anyway and I loved it so much, I decided to keep.

Below is a picture of the material up against the morning light.  Now of course it doesn't show as that see through when it is next to your skin, but it is certainly something to consider.

I wore this dress to work today (yes I do get dressed up to go to an office, I know) and I wore it with some gold seasons from Hush Puppies and a costume pearl necklace which I found in a charity shop.

If you are a slip girl like myself, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the dress to you, but for £40.00 it is something to ponder on.

A Fine Romance

When it comes to clothing I have spent the last year really getting a feel for what I love to wear.  I have tried many colours, prints and styles but have always stayed with dresses as they just give me that extra smile when I am wearing one.

I am loving some of the new collections that are around for Spring but when I saw the Springtime Romance collection from Scarlett & Jo I gave a little squeal.  I would wear this entire collection and would dance around whilst doing so.  I have never seen a collection of dresses that have been designed as though they somehow had me personally in mind.

A little bit vintage, feminine, floral prints, flattering shapes which will work with my body, I literally want all of them, but here are some of my absolute favourites.

Black Retro Wrap Front Daisy Print Midi Dress

Floral Print Prom Dress

Spot Prom Dress

Retro Button Front Floral Floral Bouquet Midi Dress

Which dresses have caught your eye?





Christmas Party Dresses

I am in a Christmas party dress quandary and I have no clue which way to go.  I guess that it is a nice position to be in, actually having two dresses to decide between so I can’t complain!

I have been toing and froing between these two dresses for weeks now and still no decision has been made, so what I decided to do was create a blog post and hopefully make my decision from there.  All comments would be greatly appreciated!

The event by the way for a bit of background information is dinner and dancing at a lovely country hotel/restaurant.

The first dress I have in mind is the beautiful peacock print dress as designed by the lovely Em for +Simply Be . 

 

 

I also have some gorgeous black glittery shoes to go with it.  I haven’t actually worn this dress yet so am itching for the right place to wear it.  Question is though, do I want to be so far in my comfort zone or do I want to wear something brighter to celebrate how far I have come on the colour front???

The second option therefore is the Sorrento Clothing cartoon print dress. 

 

 

 

 

I loved this dress from afar for ages but didn’t pluck up the courage to buy it until I attended Plus North.  I actually wore it on that night along with my favourite red shoes (below). 

 

 

The thing is, the dress doesn’t exactly scream Christmas now does it. 

Someone help me decide!!!!

 

Born in the USA

A few weeks ago during the weekly #psbloggers chat on Twitter on Sunday, the conversation go onto our favourite places to shop.  Many of the shops I have heard from before but I was intrigued to hear that you could also buy from the U.S.  without too much hassle.  More places to find dresses?  Yes please!

The availability of fashion in the plus size community is ever expanding but sometimes, you want to wear something that no one else has.  As it turns out, shipping over to the UK isn’t anywhere near as complicated as I first thought, with many companies working out the correct shipping and more importantly taxes out for you.

Here are a few dresses I currently have my eye on:

1 - Colour Block Dress from Roamans
2 - Faux Leather Sweater Dress - Macys
3 - Beaded Keyhole Dress - Macys
4 - Printed Drawstring Dress from Roamans

What has surprised me about the American market is the actual ease of buying there and shipping here.  As well as working out the exact shipping and taxes for you, some of the larger companies offer a discount to international customers.  Roamans for example currently gives international customers 40% off your most expensive item, with the idea I guess of getting people to buy more than one item.

There are some gorgeous dresses available and I think I will be treating myself to a bulk buy sooner rather than later!

Maternity Dresses & Weddings

Times have much changed when it comes to maternity clothes.  Just because you are pregnant doesn’t mean that you can’t still be stylish and look great.  There is a vast arrange of maternity clothing out there now, for every occasion.

My friend Jen is going to a wedding in January, exactly a month away from her due date and has been looking for the perfect dress to wear in which she will feel comfortable but elegant.  I promised her that I would have a look over some websites for her as she isn’t very tech savvy and find her a few dress possibilities (like me, she is a real dress girl who loves vibrant colours and prints).

Here are a few examples of what I have found for her:

 

One - Blossom's Maternity Dress Range

Two - House of Fraser Champagne Maternity Dress

Three - Asos Maternity Dresses

Four - New Look Maternity Dresses
 

I think that there is something in there for everyone and goes to show, just because you are pregnant, you can still still amazing, no matter what the occasion.

PR Collaboration - all opinions and choices are my own 

OMCZ 13

Today’s challenge was thought up by Rachel from A Dress is for Life and the theme is “Standing Out From The Crowd”.

For this post I decided to share with you my quest into brighter and bolder prints, charting how I became to be more adventurous.

This first dress I bought over a year ago.  I loved the shape of the dress and I am a sucker for anything coral.  Now, I say I bought the dress over a year ago, but the picture below, taken in May of this year was the first time I wore it.  Because before, I was too scared. 

I tried to wear it on numerous occasions previously, but it was so far out of my black comfort zone that I felt like I was wearing a flashing neon sign saying “Look! Fat girl!”  Now I wear it and enjoy wearing it.  Looking back, I can’t believe how scared I was, simply to wear a pretty dress that wasn’t black.

The next dress I am showing you is one that truly does stand out from the crowd.   This dress has a beautiful flower print and is quite unusual.  I wore this on a trip out to Manchester with the girls for cocktails and it definately stood out from the crowd, for the right reasons!

I was so nervous about wearing this dress, but I loved it so much that I had to wear it, even teaming it with a red cardigan for an extra pop. 

My next standing out from the crowd dress I am not showing here, but will be wearing at the after party of Plus North.  I wanted something that exuded confidence and for me, that had to be a bright red dress.  My final goal.

Check out the other lovely ladies to see what they have chosen to stand out from the crowd.

Stephanie  http://www.seeingsp0ts.blogspot.co.uk
Gail  http://www.gailygumdrops.blogspot.ie
Leah  http://www.justmeleah.blogspot.co.uk
Mary  http://www.marysbigcloset.blogspot.pt
Becky Brown http://www.doesmyblogmakemelookfat.com
Emma http://www.meetthemillards.co.uk/
Rachel  http://www.adressisforlife.com/
Natalie http://awheelbarrowfullofstyle.blogspot.co.uk/
Rachel  http://stateofmylessthanthree.blogspot.co.uk/

Rebecca http://theplussideofme.com

Nikki http://www.nattynikki.blogspot.co.uk/
Rebs http://sullen-hearts.blogspot.co.uk/
Verena http://aplussizefashionobsession.blogspot.de/
Beka bekasstuffystuff.blogspot.com
Vicky http://www.thecurvedopinion.com/

What a Girl Wants

I have recently joined Polyvore and have been playing around with creating different sets and finding items that I love and putting them together.

I was looking through the +ASOS Curve dresses and thought that I would share my favourites with you! My favourite I think is the skull print dress that I have been ogling for weeks now.

What favourites have you got your eye on at the moment?

 

 

Links Below