My Wish List From Evans (Outfit Ideas)

Images courtesy of www.evans.co.uk

My Wish list outfit from Evans. I love these items and they are still available in store. Scarlett&Jo continue to keep pushing out gorgeous items and I think these other Evans accessories compliment this Yoke Tunic perfectly. Once you have the right hair and make up I think this makes for a classy, sexy and elegant ensemble. This is definitely one I have to pick up and soon. Although I will admit I love the Yoke Tunic in red and purple also. 

Collectif Dietrich Swing Trench Coat Reviewed

One of the things I always find a challenge when it comes to picking my outfits is not knowing what sort of coat or jacket would compliment my ensemble in the best way. I find jeans and trousers easier to work with but when it comes to wearing a dress on a day that's a little cooler. I often find myself caught short and undecided about the best way to go. The usual problems for me are trying to find something just the right length to pair with a dress, and then there is the problem with trying to have coordinating colours as well.

As a huge lover of vintage clothing and pinup styles I have recently been filling my wardrobe with flared dresses, petticoats and various accessories that fall into that old skool rockabilly style. One of my all time favourite brands when it comes to vintage styles is of course Collectif. I have to admit I am rather lucky to live just a short journey from their Camden branch, situated in the historical Stables Market. I remember first going in there and trying on several pieces, if you love vintage clothing you will honestly feel like a kid in a candy store. I was surrounded by polka dots, cherries, swallows and other vintage related adornments and prints...

As I mentioned in my last review of Collectif most of their clothes range from a size 6-22 so it really is worth looking them up as there tends to be something for pretty much everyone.

I decided to treat myself to the Dietrich Swing Trench Coat for my birthday this year. Unfortunately the coat was sold out in my size and colour in all of the stores and the website! I guess ladies everywhere felt the same way as me when they saw the piece online.

 Stock Photo Courtesy Of Collectif

I first came across this coat when I saw it on the Collectif Facebook page and another fashion blog. It just so happened that when I called the customer service team at Collectif to get some info on sizing for a dress that I had my eye on, that I asked when this coat would be back in stock. To my luck the member of staff at the company who was helping me with my enquiries was the lovely Julia Metz; Company Buyer and Assistant Manager. Julia not only gave me very detailed info on the Dolores Doll Dress (review to come very soon) and Sindy Doll Dress. After talking for a while she called me and told me that she stumbled across the Dietrich Swing Trench Coat in size 22 and that she would hold it for me if I still wanted it. I was so happy! I had been trying to find this item everywhere! And the best part; it was in the colour I wanted, powder blue.

I absolutely love this coat the fabric is light and warm, so this jacket for me is perfect to be worn in the summer and the autumn months. I don't think the material would be heavy enough to take on the cold winters that we have here in the UK but I personally would try it and would wear some heavy tights and Petticoat with my dresses for extra coverage. I love the silky soft feel of the material and the beautiful floral lining. I will be honest, if like me you have a rather big bust then you may want to go up a size as it is rather snug in that area.

This is one that I have worn in warm and cool days and have felt comfortable in it on both occasions. This dress can be worn with wiggle, pencil or swing dresses and of course separates. It's the perfect length and has enough room to sit perfectly around your skirt, giving you coverage and still showing off your great outfit choice. This one also comes with a belt to cinch you in and give you an even more defined shape should you chose to wear it closed. With the outer coat being 98% Cotton 2% Elastane and the lining 97% Polyester 3% Elastane the fit and quality for me is just perfect!

Depending on the look you want to achieve you can really play around with this coat. I have worn it in a more casual style with bodycon dress underneath (as seen in the pictures above) and I paired it with simple black tights and black platform shoes. I have also worn this a lot more dressy and paired it with my Collectif Vintage dresses and flat shoes.

The versatility in the style makes this coat a must have and what's more it's available in black and beige also! This coat is still available in all three colours so if you want to pick up one for yourself you can either get it from a local store or alternatively from the website. www.collectif.co.uk

Asos Curve Geo Print Dress Review

One of the things that is clear to me is how much we all use the internet. The interesting thing is that many of us still like to do things the old fashion way; the same can be said when it comes to clothes shopping. We like to look, feel, touch and try on the garments that we're considering adding into our wardrobe.
One of the biggest online fashion retailers out there seems to be Asos. I heard of the company through friends and had seen a few posts about their stuff on blogs and various social media outlets, but I hadn't thought to give them a try until I caught a glimpse of the Geo Print Dress.

Now it has to be said that those who know me wouldn't say this is something I would ever wear, and I just have to say in this instance they are so WRONG!
Since I have regained a new appreciation for clothes and fashion I am starting to take more risks in the way that I dress and when I saw this item on sale I just knew I had to buy it whilst it was still available or I may not ever be so daring to wear such a bold print. I just love the geometric pattern in contrasting black and white with vertical and horizontal lines. This is definitely one that would catch your eye if someone walked passed you in it!

Image Courtesy Of Asos Curve

I had seen on a few reviews that this dress was a very snug fit so I decided to call the customer service team at Asos before I made my purchase to get a more detailed account on the sizing. They told me that they had one dress left in a size 20 and no other sizes were available so I thought what the hell i'd better just get it anyway! 

I had been looking for this dress when it was sold out on the site and had tried many outlets to try and get my own. It was to my luck that when I happened to check the site one more had come back in stock. 

Now I'll be honest this dress is a very snug fit as the fabric clings to each and every curve of your frame so for me this is one that I wear with shapewear, not because the fit is uncomfortable but for that bit of added confidence. As I am a girl with a tummy I like to try my best to smooth it out a little when I wear such form fitting garments. I loved the long sleeves on this dress and I like that it doesn't allow for much cleavage as it's a piece that has such a bold print that it would be a shame to detract from the stunning design. This is one that of course can be worn with or without accessories. I decided to go for a black cinch belt and flats shoes when I wore it. I think should I decide to switch it up in future I'll add little bursts of colour such as a pair of coloured high heels, some bangles or a costume jewellery ring and maybe something in my hair. 

This is certainly not a classic bodycon dress but that's the very thing I loved about this piece. 

*Sorry about the poor camera quality in this pic*

For those of you who want to see what else is available in the Asos curve range check out their website: www.asos.com

My Introduction To Vintage Style (A Vivien Of Holloway Review)

When it comes to fashion I think there's one thing that many women do, especially us bigger girls; we fall into a fashion slump of what we feel comfortable in and what we feel looks OK on our particular shape. I'm one of those women who were always conscious of what will cover the lumps, bumps and what would be the most slimming. It's fair to say that 80% of my wardrobe is black and navy coloured and it was a single trip into a cute little boutique that changed my entire outlook on what I should be wearing! 

For years my friends had been bugging me to go out and buy a dress. Now you have to understand the very concept of putting myself in a dress was one of serious discomfort, but it was after viewing various fashion blogs, celeb magazines and beauty columns that I started to actually consider doing it. I figured I'm in my mid twenties I should be willing to dress a little more adventurously and in some brighter colours. I was looking at a wide selection of women with more curvaceous and fuller figures and it was when I saw images of people like Adele, Maryln Monroe and countless plus size models that I decided to try and look into 1940s and 1950s fashion. After a little bit of searching I came across the website www.vivienofholloway.com. The clothes were gorgeous, the images bright and inviting and when I saw that the store itself was based about 15 minutes away from my home I knew I had to give them a call! 

A little later on that day I ventured into the store and what greeted me upon my arrival was fantastic! All of the sales girls were beautifully dressed and made up and they could easily have stepped out of an old 1950s add! One of them greeted me with a smile and measured me. She instantly pulled 3 Sateen flared dresses from the rack and recommended them to me. One was a classic black polka dot dress, another a simple plain black number and the third a more casual dress laced with cherries. I was given a red petticoat to try also and cinch belt and from stepping into the changing room (with a little help zipping myself in) what I saw in the mirror shocked me! For the first time in YEARS I looked in the mirror and LOVED what was looking back at me! I felt like a million dollars in all three of the dresses and even though they were more flamboyant than anything else I had ever worn I decided to take a few snaps in them before deciding on which one to buy. It seems that the girls not only knew how to make me feel extremely comfortable but they knew my exact taste in styles and patterns too. 

I have to say these dresses are fantastic. The engineering and design gifted to the dresses is just perfect. The bodice is boned, virtually forming a built in corset and even with my 38GG bust I didn't need to wear a bra and had amazing comfort and support! The quality in the fabric is fantastic and in my opinion getting one of these dresses is definitely a form of an investment!  I love that the dresses are commonly worn for weddings and parties but are also great for more casual looks too. You can of course wear the dresses with or without a petticoat depending on what look you want to achieve. 

The petticoats are a silky chiffon material that feels really comfortable and enhances the fullness of the circle skirt. With an elasticated waist one size fits all and the look it gives the dresses is great! I personally love wearing a petticoat with my dresses even though I’m not in these pictures below. I always like to pair my dresses with Boleros when I wear them as I feel more comfortable having my arms covered. Heels or flats will work also so you can pretty much do what you want for this look. 

These pictures were taken during the summer heatwave a few weeks back so I felt a lot more comfortable in flat shoes and without a petticoat. Having said that I do love my heels!

There are so many more great items in the store such as hair flowers, broaches, shoes, jewellery and so much more! It’s worth heading down to the store or alternatively checking out their website. Since my first trip to Vivienofholloway I have purchased several vintage dresses from other outlets and I think it's safe to say i'm officially hooked on the style! 

Finding My Style

One thing I think everyone does is experiment with different looks until they find one that they really love. In my case my style seems to evolve whilst still holding many of the same elements. I will always love my boot-cut jeans and flared tunic tops, just as I will always love my huge hoop earrings. I think we all have our signature things that we will always bring into our new style.

I’m one of those girls that loves my glam and I love to play dress up (providing what I select doesn't make me look like a sausage stuffed into a casing that's too small lol). I think the key to looking good isn't necessarily what you’re wearing but how you wear it. For me confidence is key as well as knowing what looks good on your frame.

The one part of you that is always on show is your face, and it’s the first thing a person tends to look at when they meet you. I used to wear very little or no make-up and I guess that was because I couldn't be bothered to experiment with it and see what worked for me. My focus was on my hair and my nails rather than my face.

* An old pic of me totally make-up free!*

It was when I had a short stint as an Avon lady that my knowledge about make-up expanded and I started to see what would work with my skin tones and my look to make small and simple touch ups. I won’t lie I played around with many different types of make-up, and it’s only really now I have found a way of painting my face that works for me. I’m not going to pretend that I know everything as there is so much to know and the list of products out there is endless!

*A recent Selfie of me after freshly applied make up*

The funny thing is that now I tend to wear make-up nearly every day and it’s only when I've overslept or I’m just staying in that I leave the contents of my make-up bag untouched.

I like the fact that so many women out there look stunning all the time and simply don’t need to wear anything other than a touch of moisturiser. For me I guess I feel that little bit more prepared for the world with a painted face and I will be honest I feel that bit more girly too.

Having said all of that I think the best thing to put on your face is a smile. So I guess I’ll keep on smiling and playing around with various different types of face paint lol. I’ll be sure to write about some of the specific products I love and some that worked against me rather than for me and I look forward to hearing about what works for you all too.

The Power Of The Powerfit Dress! A Scarlett&Jo Dress Review

For years I was that girl who didn’t wear skirts or dresses. I was always concious of my figure and would try to cover my lumps and bumps and prevent them from being on show. My thoughts about my self image have recently changed and I have to be honest as much as I LOVE my vintage looks, a lot of my new approach to how I dress myself nowadays is down to the fantastic bodycon dress designed by Scarlett&Jo exclusively for Evans.

I first saw this dress worn by Caroline (Curvy Wordy) www.curvywordy.com and Georgina (Fuller Figure Fuller Bust) www.fullerfigurefullerbust.com and just from how fantastic they looked wearing it I knew I had to get down to my nearest store and try one on!

The first dress I invested in was the Blue Panel dress and I have to say it was love at first try! Usually I avoid anything that hugs my curves but in this instance I welcomed it!

The fabric is fantastic quality with an under-slip that beautifully skims over the curves and keeps the outer material perfectly held in place. Anyone who knows me knows i’m not adversed to showing a little cleavage and on me this dress exposes just the right amount to be tasteful yet sexy. I absolutely love the three quarter length sleeves as i’m not one for showing off my arms so much (we all have that one part we always cover up right?). I also found the length to be just perfect on my 5’5 frame.

One of the things I love about this dress is that it suits pretty much everyone! I have seen photos of girls with various different shapes sporting this dress and it has looked good on every single one of them! Also one of the best things about this dress is it’s versatility I mean I have worn this dress out when I want that chic and sexy look, but I have also worn it to work. If you want to be sexy, sassy and chic or you would rather achieve a more sophisticated and classy look this dress does it all!

Scarlett&Jo recently launched a bunch of new designs for this dress available in sizes 14-32! The minute I saw them advertised I was ready to pick up a few! As the original panel style dresses came out a few months ago I unfortunately missed out on some of the other colour ways that they had. The red was one I really wanted to pick up so this was a line I was not going to make the same mistake twice with! Check out these fantastic options:

The first dresses I picked up in the new range were the Cream Contrast and Black City dresses.

For me I like to play around with these dresses, sometimes I wear them with a cinch belt or accessories the same colour of the centre panel. You can of course wear these with heels or flats, I have even seen some girls sport the dress with a low ankle boot and yet again it looks fantastic!

Evans held a fantastic event over the weekend, the curvystreetstyle event where customers were invited to come down meet some of the Evans team and strike a pose for the camera. I thought what better time to showcase their own outfit and wear my Blue Panel Dress!

If you can’t already tell, when I like something and it works for me I stick with it! This is how I feel about these dresses I feel like a million dollars in them and I really like the way they fit against my figure. Admittedly I do wear shapewear with them to smooth myself out a little (every girl has to own a pair of Bridget Jones knickers right?) but I cannot recommend this dress more! Which in my case is why I was over the moon to come home from work today and see my latest order from Evans waiting for me! 2 more of these beauties!

Now as I missed out on the Red Panel dress earlier this year I picked up the Raspberry and the to be a little more daring I also got the Animal print.

 

*Sorry about the quality of some of these pictures, I really need to invest in a new Camera and soon!*

If you want to pick up one of these dresses be sure to check out your local Evans store or check out their website.

www.evans.co.uk

Collectif Sindy Doll Dress Review

As many of you will know when you have a particular shape what you read in magazines and hear from friends may have you gearing towards the darker items in the stores….

When I first saw this dress I was actually reading another blog post and the minute I saw it I fell in love with it! I of course went and ordered one for myself, and I have to say I was not disappointed! The colour is so bright and vibrant that you can’t help but feel that way when you slip it on. Now I know some of you may be thinking that summer is over and that bright dresses like this one might be a little much but the good news is that it is also available in a black or navy colour way.

The side zip is virtually invisible and also makes this one easy to slip on. I loved the quality of the fabric also, and I found it to be a little heavier than some of my other vintage dresses; which for me provides a little extra warmth on the cooler days. You can of course wear this one with or without a petticoat depending on what look you want to achieve. I decided to opt for my red one from www.vivienofholloway.com and went for a simple red bolero to complete the look. Also I should add that after wearing this one several times and washing it each time the colour hasn't once faded and the red doesn't even run into the white sailor style stripes.

If like me you want a bright and bold kind of dress to add to your wardrobe you’ll definitely want this dress in red! It will look great with heels or flats and the best part… It’s available in UK sizes 6 - 22! I tend to wear a size 20 but in this style I picked this up in a size 22 as the material is not as stretchy as some of the other dresses from Collectif and as I have a fairly big bust I thought it was best to go up for this style.

Stock Image Courtesy of Collectif

To see what other great items Collectif have or to pick up your own Sindy Doll Sailor Dress check out www.collectif.co.uk