My End of Year Post

I am currently on holiday with my friends for the week of New Year but have scheduled this post to be my end of year post.   Be warned, it is a very wordy post, but a very happy one.

One day, when I am old and grey and I look back over the years, one of the most successful and memorable will be 2013.  2013 has been absolutely amazing. I have come so very far in such a relatively short space of time and have accomplished more in that time than I ever thought that I could.

I started off the year much the same as many years previous. Without direction, unhappy, under confident and searching, but for what I didn’t know. By chance one day I saw a retweet on Twitter linking to a blog and something in the cosmos told me to click on it. It took me to TheRamblings of Mrs Bebe.

My mind got a little bit blown that day.

My journey has been well documented on this blog but I wanted to write down some highlights to remind me of just how fantastic this year has been.  I will be adding to this list right up to New Year's Eve, who knows what will happen between now and then?

-          I have embraced colour and pattern into my wardrobe.

-          I don’t walk down the street anymore worrying about what others think I look like.
-          I have modelled for Plus North (the best moment, ever).
-          I have got changed in a room full of people.
-          I got over a broken heart I didn’t know I had.
-          I have joined a dating site.
-          I have worked with numerous brands and been given a lot of opportunities.
-          I have a wardrobe full of beautiful clothes.
-          I now write a monthly guest post on a fashion site.
-          I feel confident in myself.
-      I received a thank you email from someone who had read my blog and had started to gain
       more confidence as a result.
-          I’ve met some incredible people in the blogging community.
-          I’m not as shy, I feel much more self assured.
-          I’m not afraid to stand up to insult, either to myself or to others.
-          I’ve travelled to London on my own for an event.  Something I would never have had the
       courage to do before. -          My blog is going better than I ever thought it could.
-          I’ve gained more courage of conviction in the way I speak about things I am passionate about.

-     The word fat no longer scares me and is no longer an insult.  It is a part of whom I am.  It has no power over me now 

     

When I read back through all of those incredible things my eyes well up.  There are probably more than I haven’t remembered to put on the list because I have been changing so quickly and so many wonderful things have happened that time has passed in a blur.

I can honestly say that I am happier now than I can ever remember being.  Roll on 2014 and what may happen then.

Happy New Year everyone!

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!!!!

 

BonMarche Lace Print Dress

Today on the blog I have for you an outfit that I wore to work yesterday. 

Bonmarche kindly allowed me to chose something from their New in range and I immediately spotted the Lace Print Dress by David Emanuel.  I was immediately drawn to the beautiful lace pattern on the jersey fabric and thought it would be an ideal dress for work.

It would also work well for going out for a meal in the evening but you know me, I am never knowingly under dress for anything!

I wore the dress yesterday at work with my trusty black cardigan from South  at +Very.co.uk together with my new red shoes from +Evans  and a gorgeous statement necklace that I bought on sale from +Dorothy Perkins 

If you decide to buy this dress I would advise to size down as I bought my usual size and it was a little roomier than I would normally wear.  At work with a cardigan though it worked just fine and I was comfortable all day.

*The dress was gifted to me by BonMarche.  All opinions are my own.

The Little Black Dress

Hello all, hope you are having a great Sunday.

I was going through my wardrobe today and I came across a black body con dress that I bought a few weeks ago.  Bodycon isn't something that I would normally wear but when the dress arrived, a little voice in my head whispered "Keep it!".  As I always listen to the voices in my head (well most of the time) I decided to keep it.

Now up to press I have only been wearing this dress for work, covered up with a cardigan, opaque dress and generally not emphasizing the fact that it was body con.  Today I thought I would try a different look, something a little more evening and with a bit more sass.  

Hope you like it!

Dress from SimplyBe

Necklace from Primark

Bracelet - gift

Shoes from Ebay

The PS Community

I have seen a lot of talk recently regarding the plus size blogging community and how it seems to becoming more brand/clothing focussed rather than promoting body positivity and confidence.

I have read a few differing opinions on this subject, particularly after reading Gail’s thoughts on GailyGumDrops

The way that I see it is that everyone runs their own blog their own way.  It is a very personal thing, having a blog and you can have a myriad of reasons for running it.  My blog started because I loved to write, wanted somewhere I could vent my thoughts and this theme has carried on.  I do the plus size fashion alongside the thought and opinion pieces.  I never wanted it to be just one thing.

When it comes to being plus size and doing the fashion thing, I have written some pieces on body positivity and confidence but in the majority, the posts are me wearing pretty dresses.  I have worked with some brands which has been massively exciting for me, but if I never worked with another brand again, I would still be posting photographs.

Before starting fashion blogging I had no confidence, no body positivity and felt unworthy.  What inspired me to blog, like Gail, were pictures of other plus size women, wearing fantastic fashion and looking bloody brilliant.  It was their confidence in wearing those clothes that inspired me to grow and become who I am now. 

For me, a picture is worth a thousand words and those pictures of confident, fashionably, happy women did more than a dozen articles telling me how to be confident.

But that’s just me.  That’s my own journey and every person’s journey is personal to them.  Some are inspired by pictures, others by words, others by both.  There are some blogs that have pieces on body confidence that I have read over and over again, we all have own angles and our own stories. 

The plus size community is a diverse place, as it should be, and long may it continue.

The Little Black Skirt

Like everyone else I have been watching the new +Pink Clove UK clothing site with interest.  They are producing fast fashion at really affordable prices and there are some really nice pieces on there.   I have the tartan dress and the blue wrap dress (so far haha).

I have been wanting to branch out from my little dress world into skirts lately but haven’t been able to find the right one that screamed “me”.  Then I saw this little number priced at £10.00 and immediately went to checkout.

I love the side split in the skirt which gives a little bit of sass to what is just a plain black midi skirt.  That’s what I little in my outfits, somewhere that has to be a little bit of sassiness to spice things up.

I have styled it with a black and white leopard print cardigan from +Next  and some red t bar shoes that I got in the sale from +Evans.  I also have on a pearl bracelet I picked up from a charity shop and a jet black necklace, I can't remember where I got this. 

I'm planning on this outfit for tomorrow, which will be today by the time you read this.  I'm thinking hair down, what do you think?

Today's OOTD

You that thing where you promise yourself  "I will not buy any dresses this month" and of course, it never happens?  Well here is my purchase this month that I swore I wouldn't buy.  But it's a skater dress with horses on it, what's a girl to do??

Dress - So Fabulous Ponte Skater Dress £32.00 from +Very.co.uk 

Leggings - +Very.co.uk 

Ankle Boots from +Simply Be

Strutting Like a Peacock

Knowing that a parcel is waiting for you when you get home from work is always an exciting prospect.  Even more so today because it knew what it contained, the beautiful peacock dress designed by the fabulous Em of The Boombands Blog for +Simply Be 

I have wanted this dress since it came out yet for some reason it has never made it to check out.  I have watched many different bloggers wear the dress, all looking gorgeous, yet still, no purchase.  Then a couple of days ago I saw it worn by lovely Leah of Just Me Leah and I was instantly sold.  I bought it 30 seconds later, sat on the bus, cursing at my slow connection.

Luckily I also saw that Leah had noted on her blog that the dress was available on the Crazy Clearance website for £23.50, a bargain considering the dress is at the full price of £45.00 on the main site.

I absolutely adore this dress.  So much so in fact that I had to take photographs of it right then and there so hence you will also see no shoes, windswept hair and a face with less make up on it than it had this morning!

I don't know why I waited so long to buy this dress, but now it's here, I feel amazing in it.  Perhaps a contender for my work Christmas party??  

Spooky coincidence, just seen that the brilliant Nikki from Natty Nikki has just reviewed this dress today too.  She looks a million dollars in it so I urge you to check her out! 

Lazy Day OOTD

Last night I went to my best friend’s for a long awaited catch up.  A few drinks and a late night meant that today was definately labelled as a lazy day which needs comfortable clothing.

I went with a jumper from the Ava Collection from Marisota which was kindly gifted to me at the recent launch I attended together with some leggings and ankle boots.

Everyone needs a little sparkle sometimes!

Tired face

Sequin Stripe Jumper £33.50 from +Marisota  *

High Waisted Leggings from South at +Very.co.uk  - 2 pack for £14.00

Someone decided that she wanted to get in on the action!

How have you spent your weekend?

* Denotes a gifted item

Perfect Tweedy Coat Review

I was recently asked by +Simply Be if I wanted to have a look through their current Winter coats and chose one for review. 

I always tend to chose coats that are either practical but plain or stylish but conservative so this time I wanted to chose something that was both warm and stylish; but also just a little bit special.  I also had an eye out for something that would work either day or evening and could be used during the week at work or to dress up a weekend outfit.  Yes, I wanted a lot!!

After much searching through the various styles, colours and shapes, I decided upon the Joe Brown Perfect Purple Tweedy Coat 

I have taken photographs of the coat wearing a black bodycon dress that I wore to work this week and also in a pair of leggings and a tunic dress that I would normally wear at the weekend.  The Purple Tweedy Coat is definately a coat that can be used on all occasions, except perhaps a muddy field, by why would you want to do that to something so pretty?

At £110.00 it is on the higher side of what would be my budget for a Winter coat, but it ticks every single box for me and works doubly well for work or play. 

The coat has a luxurious feel with attention to detail in the coordinated lining and the detailing on the buttons.  It is warm and the neckline can be worn higher or lower depending on how cold it is.  One thing it is missing is pockets however that may have detracted from the lines of the coat.

One thing to mention, the buttons on the coat, mine at least, were quite loose and on the second of time of wearing, one fell off, never to be seen again.  Thankfully there is a spare button and I have restitched them all so they are all now secure.

I feel like a million dollars in this coat, I really do.  I have never been a real lover of coats before this year as they always seem to be teamed with the word "serviceable" which I hate.  This coat is stylish, comfortable and absolutely fabulous.

What will you be wearing this Winter?

 *This coat was gifted to me however all my opinions are my own

Beaucoo

Whether you are browsing through a shop, or checking out the latest styles online; how many times have you said to yourself "If only I could see clothes on someone the same size as me!"  I'm betting hundreds, if not thousands of times.  I know that I have.

When you are a plus size woman in particular, 99% of the time the model you see wearing the dress that you want is not your size. The way it looks on her will not be the way that it looks on you. What I have done in the past is order a large selection of clothing and hope that one or more items look the way I want it to. That is obviously not ideal, particularly if you are on a budget.

However, no matter what size you are, even if you did see a model wearing your exact size, you are not guaranteed that it will look the same on you either. Two people can have the same dress size, but look completely different in it due to their difference in shape.  A larger bottom, a smaller waist; large breasts; tall or short; all can make a vast different in how clothes look on you. so you never really know until you try something on.

Until now. It turns out, there is another way.

 
I recently discovered a site called Beaucoo. 

Beaucoo enables users to upload their photographs via their Android or Iphone apps of what they are wearing that day. Now how it that different to any number of fashion blogs out there? Well, the difference is that when you join Beaucoo alongside creating your profile, you also enter your measurements and your height. These are stored confidentially and are not visible to other users.

Hit the “Fit Match” button and hey presto, pictures of women with your measurements are shown to you, wearing whatever they have posted on to the site. Along with the photographs are the size they are wearing, wear they got it from and along, how it fits.

What I particularly love is that because the photographs are uploaded by regular people, the outfits have also been styled in their own way so you can also get inspiration of how to wear your garment.

Beaucoo is an amazing site which not only lets users share their pictures for the benefit of others, but also promotes body positivity across all the social networks, just search for the hashtag #BoPo. Check out this Video to see what their message is.

Beaucoo offer a number of buttons to enable you to spread the word on your blog or website and also have a blog themselves which covers a variety of subjects including body positivity, plus size and petite fashion as well as celebrity style and DIY fashion which offers many tips, trick and ideas to help you out.

Like me, I think that you'll find Beaucoo becoming the indispensable wardrobe aid you can't live without!


* Sponsored Post

OMCZ 16 - Your Choice

Welcome to OMCZ 16 - this time there is no theme, just our choice of what is outside of our personal comfort zone.

What I decided to wear was the dress that everyone has been talking about, the +Pink Clove UK tartan dress.  Now this dress is out of my usual comfort zone as red check is something I have never thought would suit me and indeed when I saw the trends emerging for Autumn Winter, I swore I wouldn't buy any tartan at all.

Yet here I am today, wearing a tartan skater dress and loving it.  How times change.  I wore this dress to the the +Marisota blogger event last week and it was comfortable to wear all evening and I didn't need to do any adjusting half way through the night which you can find with some dresses.

The lighting isn't great in these pictures I am afraid, I was having a bit of an argument with the flash which seemed to insist on highlighting where I didn't want it to.

With the dress I am wearing an Alice in Wonderland quote necklace which I got from Etsy and wedge ankle boots which are from +Simply Be and I am totally in love with them.