Category Archives: dress

So Mushroom in this dream dress. A review

It’s been a long long time since I’ve raved about a dress, so if there has ever been a time to listen to what I say…. This is it!! 

If I was asked to think up my dream dress I would ask for a midi length to hit just below my knees, I would want sleeves, either shirt sleeves or ¾ length. I would want a material on the heavier side so it’s not blowing all over the place and so that I wouldn’t have to wear a jacket. I would ask for fun prints because obviously!
I would want a skater shape because that’s what I like the most on my body and I like the casual look. I would want pockets, again because OBVS. I would want it to be affordable because I would want at least a few and most importantly I would want it to come in a large range of sizes because there is nothing worse than finding a dress you absolutely love and then learning they don’t make it in your size. 

I have found that dream dress!!!!

Continue reading So Mushroom in this dream dress. A review

Lovedrobe… please take the plunge.

Lovedrobe kindly let me chose a dress from their website to review on my blog,  I went to the site and narrowed my search by size and at the time there was a whopping 5 dresses in my size, not only were there only five dresses but they were colour and print variations of the very same dress. I was really disappointed in what they had to offer in my size. Some people would say that I should be pleased that they had anything at all but I disagree. I decided to go ahead and pick a dress (a print of the dress) and wear and review it because the dress was something that I would actually wear,

I did consider not reviewing an item at all but I want to highlight the brand so that we can let them know that we are out there and we want clothes in a size 30/32

The dress arrived very quickly and I was pleasantly surprised by the dress itself. The dress is the Plunge neck skater dress and is actually a pretty cute dress and its nice to see it in more than one print/colour.  The dress is pretty short on me and the material made it perfect for what I planned to wear it for. The week after the dress arrived i was going to a beach themed party that my friend was throwing, I had my bikini ready but wanted something cute to throw on when the weather cooled down in the evening.

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For the purposes of this post I also took a couple of pics of how I would wear this dress out.

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The plunge is a little too plungey to be able to wear with any bra that I own and with a 46K bust I’m not able to go braless. I am however happy to have my bra on show on certain nights out so this won’t prevent me from wearing the dress in future. IMG-20150807-WA0039For me the dress is a little too short to wear bare legged so I put on plain black leggings and black shoes so the focus is on the dress. I’m not really big on lots of accessories especially when wearing a busy print.

I do really like the dress and I do really like the print and I will be wearing this dress again.

The only issue I really have is the lack of items available in my size on the website, I have checked this morning and they have 8 dresses available in my size in stock at the moment and 39 items in my size across all clothing types. I really really want to see them increasing the amount of items they have in the biggest sizes because if this dress is anything to go by I would definitely be shopping with them in the future.

 

Ann Harvey at Bon Marche

I was recently contacted and asked if I would like to review an Ann Harvey dress as they are now selling at Bon Marche. I went straight onto the website and was very pleasantly surprised to find that they have items up to a size 32. The places that stock items all the way up to 32 are always of interest to me obviously.

While looking through the dresses I decided to go for something that was a little more grown up than what I would usually go for, I always go for dresses that are around calf length so again I figured this may be a good time to try something different.

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I love the baroque print on this dress which I feels adds to the grown up/sophisticated style of the dress. The dress really is beautiful and is a wrap style with gold detailing at the waist. I normally wear quite fun and young pieces but I’m really looking forward to having an occasion to wear this dress to.

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The dress is a Polyester/Elastane mix and is not structured at all so I wore it with my usual shapewear.  Personally I would probably wear tights with this dress as I prefer my legs in tights but this dress is a great length to wear with or without. 20150304_153031Ann Harvey at Bon Marche have some really beautiful dresses and are currently having a huge 50% off sale. The dress that I have on is now half price at £22.50 (link below)

Ann Harvey Baroque Print Dress

Am I the only person that didn’t know Ann Harvey went up to a size 32??? Now I know I will definitely keep an eye on them.

Are you ready for the party season? I am!

Its the start of December and in my eyes we have officially hit party season with so many festive events coming up I have been preparing all my outfits for each event.

Two weeks ago I received a Party Survival pack from Fashion World and I when I opened it I thought all the little items were such a good idea for party handbag essentials and it made me think about what other extras us ladies might need over the party season aside from the perfect dress and shoes.

I think my idea of what is essential in a night out bag maybe very different to some of you but I will let you know what my essentials are anyway…

Items I will not leave my house without when off on a night out, besides the obvious, keys and money etc;

  • Tissues
  • Lip balm and lipstick
  • Compact Mirror
  • Spare hairband
  • Comfy flats (How big is my bag, I know right!)

The Fashion World part survival pack consists of hair pins, hair spray, emery boards, vaseline and body tape. I love how small each of the items are so you can fit all, or whichever you need, comfortably into a small party bag.

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Fashion World have also created an online Party Season Survival Guide that is full of hints and tips and suggestions for ways to get through the party season without a hitch.

An item that I have been introduced to recently is Wingz, which when I first saw them I figured they would be every plus size woman’s dream.  No more falling in love with a dress and having to bypass it because it doesn’t have sleeves. Wingz have a wide range of arm covering piece that don’t effect the overall look of your outfit aside from covering your arms.  They have different lengths and materials so you don’t have to cover your entire arm if you don’t want to.

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They have plain stretch sleeves that can be worn with everyday outfits and loads of different material, colours and patterns to suit what you are looking for. Perfect for the party season they have more dressy Wingz to complement you party dresses. w1 w2

Personally I am a fan of the lace Wingz, I love a bit of lace! lol

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*Excuse the makeupless face, I just wanted to show what the Wingz look like on me*

Half sleeve Wingz, Full sleeve Wingz

I love the lace Wingz, I love that I can cover my arms without covering up a pretty dress. I prefer the look of the long sleeve lace sleeves but the short sleeve ones are more comfortable for be because I have really large arms, I have however heard on the grapevine that they are going to being introducing a larger size (size 4) for trial in March next year which is very exciting news,

As you can see from the pics I have the short sleeved lace and the long sleeved lace Wingz, I’m thinking of getting the plain stretch Wingz so that I can wear more of my vest tops in the colder weather and just for throwing on under jumpers because I’m always cold.

These are something I wish I knew about a few years ago as I hated having my arms on display, they really are a great item to have as yo can literally wear them with anything.

I know I mentioned this a little earlier but I always carry a pair of comfortable flats in my handbag on a night out. I know some companies to small foldable shoes made specifically for carrying around with you but I always find them really uncomfortable. I have found that Primark always have sooooooo many cute little dolly shoes in these days and their wide fit section just keeps getting better and better.

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These are the Primark wide fit flats that I have most recently been chucking into my oversized clutch bags.

There must be a ton of places to pick up cute flats but for a pair that’s just for chilling in your handbag for ‘just in case’ times I think Primark is excellent for little cheapies.

Do you have any tips for me for the party season or anything a little bit different that you always keep on you just in case? I would love to hear them 🙂

*Wingz were very kindly gifted to me for review*

British Plus Size Awards feat. Estella

On Saturday night I was lucky enough to attend the British Plus Size Awards held in London because my best friend won two tickets, she was also a nominee for  best blogger WannabePrincess.

I wore a Beautiful Lady V London Dress. This is the Damask print Estella Dress Designed by the gorgeous George at Fuller Figure Fuller Bust I have this dress in three prints as I am in love with the style and think its a great dress for my shape.

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IMG-20141113-WA0002In the hotel lobby showing off this gorgeous dress.

My shoes, necklace and fluffy handbag are all from NewLook in the last two weeks and are all still available.

Overall it was a lovely evening, It was so nice to get all dressed up and have a really grown up sophisticated night, I’m more of a night out in a club type girl so this was a really nice change. We arrived to a champagne reception, which was lovely and it was so nice to see so many other bloggers in attendance. I’m usually really bad at taking pictures when I attend events so I made sure that I had my phone in hand at all times to snap a few pics.

The three course meal was really lovely, I had Pâté to start and then a beautiful beef roast dinner for main and had a citrus cheesecake for dessert.  It was so nice to see so many familiar faces in all their finery, I took a few pics with some fellow bloggers.

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Me with the stunning Kate from How Kate does Fashion and Mary of Channelling Liz

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Me with Beautiful plus size models Sarah Hadzipasic and Olivia Campbell.

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Me with the absolutely stunning and always flawless Georgina of She Might be Loved

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Me and the princess. (if you can’t tell, we love a good selfie) Saturday night was a great night for boobs and selfies lol

I think the nominees should have been given free tickets anyway if you ask me, it may have decreased the amount of ‘Unfortunately _______ was unable to attend to collect his/her award’ speeches. Aside from the lack of winners attendance it was a great evening with some really fun entertainment. I especially enjoyed the humour of presenter Matt Johnson. But I would have to say the highlight of the evening, performance wise, would definitely have to be by Ashleigh Owen. I have seen her perform before at the Hamburger Queen finals and she was amazing then too, a very well deserved standing ovation from our table.

Considering this is an event I wasn’t planning on going to I had a really nice time and got a chance to catch up a lot of people that I already know from various areas of my life, whether it be my makeup work, blogging or my general social nights out and I would definitely be up for going again should another ticket fall into my lap.

Lastly I would like to say a massive congratulations to all the winners and nominees on the night xx

 

The Stellar Estella

This is the dress my dreams are made of.

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I have been on the hunt for a vintage style dress in my size for the longest time. I have come across a few but they have always been in a jersey fabric, which is fine when it comes to fast fashion but I wanted something that was going to last me years.

When I heard on the blogger grapevine that Lady V London were releasing a vintage dress in a number of prints in a size 30/32 I was over the moon.

The Estella Dresses are available here! and were designed by the gorgeous Georgina from Fuller Figure Fuller Bust

I bought the Estella in the black and white polkadot as I knew it would be very easy to style and I could wear it practically anywhere.

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When the cupcake print Estella was released on the website I was literally screaming “Oh my God, Oh my God” Two of my favourite things combined just for me… Surely a gift from the Angels!!! I went on the site and bought the cupcake dress without a second thought… just look at it… I had to!

 

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Love how I can still look fierce in a cupcake dress lol

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The Estella dresses are 97% Cotton and 3% Elastane,  the quality is so good and I feel like they are a total investment, I plan on taking really good care of the ones I have so they will last forever.  A problem I find being my size is that it is very difficult to find good quality clothes that are a good fit, I know the bigger I am the more my body will vary from someone else who wears the same dress size. The Estella Dress feels like it was made for my body, the little bit of elastane allows the dress to hug you in just the right places but still has enough structure to fit how it is meant to.

I am really hoping to see more of these dresses coming out and I would especially like to see the dress in some solid colours.

Scarlett & Jo Staple in Shop your Stash

Welcome to the Shop Your Stash Challenge. This is all about finding a gem in what you already own and creating a blog post on it. This is to let go a little of the stress that comes with being a blogger – even if it is just once a month. Rummage through your beauty products and climb through those clothes draws. You might surprise yourself!

When looking through my items to try and find something that I could use for this post I came across an item that I bought months and months ago and absolutely love.
I picked up this Scarlet & Jo black fit and flare dress from the Evans Flagship store in Marble Arch London.
Scarlett & Jo are one of my favourite brands at the moment, I am totally obsessed with their prom dresses and the new prom skirt that was just recently released.
The fit and flare dresses are made from a really nice quality heavy polyester/elastane blend and the fit is beautiful, I bought this dress in a size 32 but I could have easily sized down to get a tighter fit around the bust.

I find this dress really easy to wear, I love how simple and comfortable it is. It can so easily be dressed up or down. On this occasion I wore it with a pair of Clarks brogues and tan belt and a tan Zara bag.
When I was leaving I couldn’t decide on a jacket to wear so I just throw on my New Look grey boyfriend blazer.
I’m not sure why i haven’t blogged about this piece before because I always seem to reach for it when I’m not sure what to wear.

I love this dress as part of casual outfits too, This picture was after a long day of travelling (straight to the Yours Clothing dressing room lol)
I find this is a great dress to wear on a comfy day with leggings and converse. Not the best picture but I just want you to see how versatile the dress is.
Scarlett & Jo have really got it right with the fit and flare dresses, they have a new one is a gorgeous paisley print that I want next.
What are you guys loving from Scarlett & Jo at the moment? In my head I always have a Scarlett & Jo wishlist.

Wild Thing I Think I love You.

I bought this leopard print Alice and You swing dress from ASOS at the end of last year and I have no idea why I haven’t mentioned it til now.

Its such a lovely dress, Its my first ever swing dress and I wasn’t too sure at first because I have massive boobs and was a little worried that it might look funny but since I am such a fan of leopard print I had to have it and now i am really glad that i got it.

I wanted to write this post so all you big busted ladies who are unsure about swing dresses can see what it looks like on someone my size..

This will be a very picture heavy post as there is not all that much to say… just have a look and see what you think.

 I might actually prefer this dress with a belt around the middle to give it a bit more shape, but I was happy wearing it like this for the evening. 

 The bag is from the Zara basic range.
 I just have on a pair of black leggings and a pair of brown ankle boots from Evans
 I wore my old Evans stud detailed biker jacket.

 Yup!!! I prefer this dress when its given some shape… Defo think I will try it with a belt next time.

 Wow… looks like I have a waist lol
On my face I stuck to browns and black to tie in with the animal print in the dress. I kept my lips neutral as the eye makeup is the focus.  

A pic of me with X Factor’s ‘Brick City’ at an Art fund raising event

I hope people actually enjoy reading my posts or at least find them a little helpful xxxx

I’ve got the Summer Blues

Feeling Blue?… me too 🙂
Since Scarlett & Jo have been being stocked at Evans I find myself going in there much more, I went into store last week and picked up two dresses, This is the second and my favourite of the two.
The Evans Blue Lace Skater Dress
My 18yo sister was with me and she actually picked out this dress and told me to try it on, I’m not really big on lace as it seems really dressy and I didn’t think it was very me. I had to admit when I tried it on in the dressing room I thought it was quite cute.
The peter pan collar adds to the cute and girly feel of the dress, I really love the colour of the dress, I don’t often wear bright colours so this is a nice summery dress in a nice safe colour and I nice colour to transition into the next season.
I kept my makeup really simple on this day, as the dress is kinda cute I didn’t want to go heavy on the makeup, I have on a Mac tinted moisturiser, eyeliner and mascara and I have used the Mac lustre drops as a cheekbone highlight. (I have filled in my brows with the mac eyebrow pencil in stud as always)
Because of the ‘somewhat statement’ collar I kept my accessories really simple with a pair of studs and small silver chain.
  Here I have the dress on with a pair of beige pointy flats from Matalan and a beige/grey tassel bag from eBay
Bailey my dog squinting in the sun
Although it was really sunny on this day it wasn’t really warm at all So I wasn’t going to wear the dress like this by itself. I really like the dress like this but for me its just too short to wear without leggings.
Below is how I wore the dress for that day. Good old leggings and converse. I’m gonna have to do a post on dressing up this dress as I think it would be lovely with a thick belt and heels and some chunky jewellery.
 
I have no idea why I look so miserable lol… maybe cos the sun went in?
Any other ideas how I could style this dress? I really wanna play around with this one.
Thanks for reading guys xxx

Gold bodycon dress – When 1 became 2!

When One became Two!
I found a way to turn a beautiful sexy dress into an entirely different and just as stunning dress without making any alterations!
I purchased this Gold sparkly bodycon dress for £18 in the new look Inspire sale a month or two ago and I think its just gorgeous. I bought it in a size 28 and it fits really nice and close.  
Below is how the dress look on.
 
As you all know I love a form fitting dress but I also love a fun and flirty full skirt so I decided to make a very sexy dress into a totally new dress for a specific night out without altering the original dress in any way.  
I put one the body con dress and put on my Polkadot Polly full circle skirt over it.
I makes it look like an entirely different dress and  love it.  
I wore this outfit with a pair of gold and black wedges that I picked up in Torrid while on holiday in the states. 
A leopard print New look Clutch. 
I love this look and I think I will be using this skirt to revamp a whole host of other dresses that I have. I don’t think bodycon dresses are appropriate for every single occasion so this is a great way to make some of my other dresses a lot more versatile.  
What do you guys think? Which way do you prefer?