Category Archives: evans

In The Dressing Rooms of Derby!

A Plus Size Shoppers Paradise!Any of you who read my blog will know that I have just recently moved to Derby from London, a big concern when moving here was what the plus size shopping scene was like. I was so happy to find out that it is actually much better than London especially for someone who likes going into stores to try things on.

The main plus size stores that are in Derby town centre are:
Simply Be
Yours Clothing
Evans
New Look Inspire
Bon Marche
The last couple of weeks I have been enjoying visiting the stores, shopping and trying things on. It has been a big part of getting to know my area.
Last week I went into Simply be and tried on a few pieces that caught my eye, I have a couple of dressing room pictures, not great quality but will give you an idea of what they look like on. I bought a couple of the things I tried on and will probably write about them at a later time.

 

Joe Browns Tea Dress (Can’t find it on the website even though its still in store)

Simply be Kaftan

Twit Twoo Retro Tunic

I love the Derby Simply Be store, the staff are super helpful and he dressing rooms are really spacious and I don’t feel at all rushed if I take a whole load of items in with me.
I bought the Joe browns floral tea dress and the kaftan and I love them both for the summer.

Yesterday Debz at WannabePrincess Came to visit me and we went into town for a spot of shopping and one of the places I really wanted to pop back into was Yours Clothing, They have an amazing range of Kimonos (a little bit kimono obsessed at the minute). I had my eye on one on the website and i wanted to see what it looked like on. I have a couple of jersey kimonos already so I wanted to have a look at the sheer Georgette ones. I tried on two in Yours and took pics of a couple others as they have quite a few.

A variation of prints of a beautiful long tasseled kimono

Floral Printed Sheer Georgette

Longline Floral Print Sheer Kimono

Multi Tropical Print Longline kimono

I originally went in to try these and see what they look like on but i ended up buying the black longline floral kimono as once i had tried it on i couldn’t leave without it. I will definitely blog about it separately because I am totally in love and can see myself wearing it all the time.
The staff in the Yours Clothing store are so lovely, we were greeted by the store manager and had some lovely conversations with staff members, my clothes that I selected were waiting for me in a dressing room so I didn’t have to carry them around the store while I was browsing and staff are on hand to go and exchange sizes if you need it. It was a really really nice shopping experience.

I am really enjoying the shopping experience in Derby on a whole, all the plus size stores I mentioned are located in and around the Westfields Centre so we didn’t have to travel far between stores which is always a plus in my book.

Is your local town centre a plus size shopping paradise??

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.

Set the birds free!!!

“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!”
I had plans to go out to club Indulge last night and I hadn’t really thought about what I was going to wear so when I remembered that the Shop Your Stash post was due today I used that as an opportunity to find an outfit in some of the older items in my wardrobe.
I went for a ex Evans jersey shirt with bird print and a pair of old Evans jeans.
This handbag is one I picked up in Primark about a year or so ago and bought it with the shirt in mind. (the bags second ever outing) The shoes however are new, picked up last week in Primark.
I actually really like this outfit and thanks to the #shopyourstash challenge some old gems got to see a night out lol.
Kisses xx

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

Giving me Butterflies.

Heeellllllooooooo 🙂
So I went into the Evans flagship store in marble arch and to be honest I wasn’t sure what I was looking for and in the end I picked up a couple of dresses the first one being this… the Evans Navy Crinkle Midi dress It does not look like a dress that I would normally pick up as I am not a fan of butterfly print, I do feel though that this dress has enough going on, print wise, that you almost don’t notice the butterflies. I wanted a couple of dresses in colours that I don’t already have and that are nice fabrics for the summer (this dress is cotton)
This dress is available in both Midi and Maxi lengths. I have a couple of maxi dresses for this summer so I opted for the midi, (looks like I will be getting the old cankles out)
I’m not sure how I feel about the dress without the jacket as I feel like it whispers ‘Grandma’ but again I love the colours, the print and the fabric so I will be getting a lot of wear out of this dress.
I really like the colours in this dress and picked it up with my denim jacket in mind, due to all the different shades of blue in this dress I knew it would be lovely with any shade of denim.
I picked up these really cute shoes in Primark this week and I absolutely love them, so much so in fact I plan on going back to get the pair they have in electric blue (and any other colour I can find)
They are wide fit and are so comfortable and I just love the wide strap and buckle.
This week I will show you guys the second dress I picked up too… Its super cute!
Thanks for reading 🙂

Scarlett & Jo Tea Dress- My outfit.

Scarlett & Jo Black Retro Button Front Floral Bouquet Midi Dress
bought from Evans.
As soon as I saw this dress I knew I had to have it.
I love the length of this dress, I love that I can wear it without leggings.
I really want to try the Scarlett and Jo Power fit dresses but this style of dress is much more my speed.
I wore this dress with tan Brogues from Clarks and my tan Zara bag.
I really love the bouquet print on the dress, it feels very authentic vintagy lol
I much prefer the button up style of these dresses over the wrap but that’s just my personal preference.
I look miserable but I’m not, honest! lol
   I really like the fit of the dress and the fabric, Its so comfy its unreal.
Which is your favourite of the four styles they put out?

Cutesey cutesy pony day feat. My little ‘My little pony’ Jumper

Cutesey cutesy pony day…
The whole reason I started this blog was to say a massive F U to clothing sizes.
In this outfit of the Day I have on a my little pony jumper that I picked up in Primark, this jumper is a UK size 20 and I am not!
The jumper is tighter than perhaps the designers had imagined it should be but I really like it and don’t feel uncomfortable in it at all.
I wore this out fit to the Plus London Plus size market evening last month
I wore my Bete Noire Unicorn necklace with it which I think looked really cute together.
Sticking to the theme I have on Airborne Unicorn lipstick from lime crime.
I’m wearing a waffle skater skirt that I got in the Pink Clove sale for only a fiver.
I have on my Camden boots from new look and a pair of tights.
Please guys… tell me about any places you have found where you can completely disregard the size labels, I’m very interested to know.
I love turning oversized items in to Lucia sized items! <3
Once again… thanks for reading x

OneOneThree Fashion Show and my OOTN

OneOneThree Fashion Show and my OOTN
Recently I have been going to as many fashion events as I can, so when I heard about the oneonethree fashion show that was taking place on Monday I made sure I got tickets. I was already aware of the brand and have a few pieces from their current collection so I was excited to see what they had coming next.
As you are all aware I tend not to pay too much attention to clothing sizes and generally wear whatever I like, oneonethree pieces go up to a size 26 in most of their items and I wear a size 30/32 but the items of theirs that I do have fit very well.
Group shot of the models in the collection. 
Unfortunately I was unable to get very many pictures of the collection due to lighting etc.. but I’m sure there will be pictures of the collection available through social media.
The collection was very punk rock inspired (well at least it appeared that way to me) I liked the edginess of the collection and am really looking forward to seeing how people style some of the individual pieces. I feel the collection leaves a lot of room for interpretation which can be excellent for appealing to a wider demographic.
I saw a lot of leather and tartan on the catwalk and felt like I fit right in with my red and black ASOS curve midi skirt and new look leatherette jacket.
My crop top is a piece I got from H&M last year and is a UK size 16 (u cant wear that! lol)
The top is advertised and sold as over size which means that it fits me perfectly as a ‘my size’ crop top.
I love this top that reads ‘Find me backstage’ which is really appropriate as I am a makeup artist by trade and am usually found backstage at events like this.
Me in the venue
I am wearing my simply be extra wide calf fitting boots as it was absolutely freezing that evening.
 
This is a picture of me with my younger sister, who I took along with me to the show. I kept the makeup simple with winged liner and a classic red lip, MAC’s RiRi Woo  
Thought I would throw in my Instagram filtered pic as I really like it, this was taken while waiting for the doors to open for the show.
The show took place at the Metalworks in Angel, Islington.
There was a piece in the collection that I absolutely loved, Its a multicoloured (what almost looks like stained glass) jersey maxi dress. Unfortunately I don’t have a pic of it but I will definitely blog about it when its up on the site.
Thank you all for reading once again xxx

OOTN – Rent review by a fatshion blogger.

Last night I went to see Rent on stage at the Hackney Empire in My home town of London.  I have been a massive (pun intended) fan of rent for a while now, I have the dvd of the Broadway play and the dvd movie. When I heard from a friend that Rent in concert was showing in London for 3 nights I nearly had a fit so we booked tickets for the next night. Every which way I have seen Rent my favourite character has always been ‘Angel’, A beautiful transvestite who I think just seems like so much fun and is funny as all hell. I love musicals but don’t really get to see shows as much as I would like. Rent was one that I HAD TO SEE! The songs in this show are fantastic and there is not a single one that I don’t like which is not something I never say even with regular albums there are usually a couple of dud tracks…not in Rent (I had to sing along to all the songs really quietly lol) one of my favorite songs is “I’ll cover you” a duet between characters Angel and Collins, it’s the loveliest this ever so obviously I was crying like a baby during the whole song, mostly because I knew what was coming.

Seeing this play was one of the best experiences in my personal theatre history. As soon as it finished I vowed that I am going to see it again. 12 hours later I already have plans to see Rent again for my birthday in July in Derby, unfortunately I believe it will be a different cast. 

The voices in this production were absolutely sensational I was particularly impressed with Kerry Ellis playing ‘Mimi’ and Rory Taylor playing ‘Roger’, I have to say that Roger had never stood out vocally for me in the Broadway production or in the movie so I was very very pleasantly surprised to hear Rory Taylor’s voice last night. 

Of course ‘Angel’ being my favourite character I was hoping to be wowed by his vocals… and boy was I. Angel did not disappoint at all which had me smiley like a damn Cheshire cat. After the play finished and I had dried my eyes I headed out to my bus stop with my friend and sister, my sister spotted Ian Stroughair (Angel Dumott Schunard) pop out for a fag…so what did I do??? Took off running through traffic of course!!!! Well worth it it turns out as I got to have a picture with actor Ian Stroughair (below) 

It was definitely a night to remember and will not be my last outing to see Rent. 

oh yeah!!! Just remembered I’m a fashion blogger and not a theatre critic haha.
gonna keep this really short and simple… I wore my glove print skirt that l picked up in the evans sale just after xmas. I wore it with a roll neck t-shirt from new look inspire and a brand new pair of knee high boots from Simply Be that have larger calf widths. I will talk more about the boots in a separate post as they are the first pair I have been able to find to fit my massive calves. Then chucked on my Evans gold studded biker jacket cos its freezing in London at the moment. 

Ms Curvaceous UK

Ms Curvaceous UK 2013

On Sunday I attended Ms Curvaceous UK at the Camden Centre in Kings Cross.

This event was unlike any of the other fashion/bloggers events that I have been to recently, as soon as I walked in I was greeted with the smell of West Indian food and immediately thought of my childhood, I straight away bumped into some familiar faces which pleased me no end

Syreeta Badu fashion designer, Gemma Cruickshank fashion designer, Hollie Pretty Big Butterfies, and Debz Wannabe Princess
I wasn’t sure what to wear to the event so I ended up keeping the outfit really simple and focusing on the makeup. I wore an Evans skater dress, leggings and a pair of flat brown ankle boots again from Evans

The jacket/cape is from Topshop… and will feature in a future UCantWearThat Blog Post!

I enjoyed the whole night, the fashion, food and entertainment were all fantastic.

There were performances by Bashy, James Anderson, Che Lingo and Afro Beats artist Ezi Emela (who I really really enjoyed)

Ezi Emela – My favourite performance of the night

There were 18 beautiful finalists competing for the title of Ms Curvaceous and it was lovely to see them all walking the runway in some amazing fashions from Syreeta Badu, Dea London.

Above are my personal faves from the Syreeta Badu Collection.

I was happy (as I always am) to see plus size women being celebrated, I would however have liked to see some even more curvy women in this competition , which I think has less to do with the event organisers and more to do with what the industry describe as plus size… but that’s a separate issue.

The finalists
The winner of Ms Curvaceous UK 2013
All in all I have a really enjoyable evening and am really looking forward to attending again next year, I’m going to be on the lookout for similar event… if anyone knows of any please let me know.
Thanks for reading xxxx