My Journey To Confidence

This image bellow represents me at my most confident. When I did my recent photoshoot with Chiara Aprea I was sceptical, nervous and felt pretty uncomfortable with my lack of dress. She not only pushed me to take the risk and have fun with the camera, reminding me that I could always delete any images I didn't like.

I was able to see myself in a way I hadn't previously when I saw the final images. I felt sexy, chic and most important...CONFIDENT!

Hair and MUA and photography by Aprea Chiara

Styling by Chiara and myself.

Please do not copy or edit any images without permission from model and photographer.

Many of you know how I feel about confidence and how important I think it is to have some. Looking back I honestly think that my passion for confidence stems from the fact that until quite recently I really lacked in that area. Those who know me personally may argue with that fact because I'm outspoken, I find it easy to talk to people and I make friends easily. Having said all of that I like many women (not just plus size women) would hide in my clothes and do my utmost to blend into the background and not been seen. 

It was a little over a year ago that I got fed up with trying to be in the background like a sheet of wallpaper and so I decided to venture out and put myself through my paces and really work hard to be bold! I scoured the internet looking for bright and edgy clothes for plus size women and decided that as I was only 25 at the time I really needed to live a little and not be so scared to be seen.

I played around with my clothes, met loads of other amazing plus size women and really started to be able to look in the mirror and not only accept what was staring back at me...I actually liked what I saw! After meeting the lovely Anita Bellamy and hearing her tales of modelling as a plus woman and her passion about confidence; I not only realised that I had made a good friend, I had met someone who saw confidence just as I did. Being at the Definition Of Size Art Exhibition last October led me to open my eyes even further...

I would never have been seen in an outfit like this one before, now I have more bright and bold colours in my wardrobe than I do black items!

I believe that everyone has the right to feel amazing in their own skin, look good and should be able to walk with their held high regardless of what other people think. The most important opinion you can hold is that of yourself! The one person you will have to deal with every single day of your life is you! If you are able to find an element of confidence many things in your life will change for the better. 

Since I have found an inner confidence I take more risks with my personal style, break the rules I had previously set myself and in turn I feel so much better for it! I have made some amazing friends this past year and I am still pushing myself to be even more confident within myself. I think that when your esteem is in the floor it's all too easy to abuse yourself mentally, physically and emotionally. When you take pride in yourself you will want to better yourself in as many ways as possible and I believe that your luck will start to change. A positive outlook can only improve things, it has for me!

We need to build each other up and try to find the beauty in all of us. It might be the way you speak, the way you treat a person, the twinkle in your eye or your smile.

Beauty is everywhere it's not that hard to look for it either! Just make the best of what you have and let it shine!

No matter what you do try and do it with a smile!

What confidence is to those of us involved with Plus Confidence:

CONFIDENCE

                                                  C- How CAPTIVATING we are 

                                                  O- How OUTSTANDING we are 

                                                  N- How NORMAL we are

                                                  F- How FABULOUS we are

                                                  I- How INSPIRATIONAL we are

                                                  D- How DIVINE we are

                                                  E- How EMPATHETIC we are

                                                  N- How NICE we are 

                                                  C- How CALM we are

                                                  E- How EDUCATED

If you would like to get involed with Plus confidence check us out here

For more information on the Definition Of Size Exhibition click here

Beat It And Go Wild!

It's no secret that I'm a huge Michael Jackson fan and a big part of my fanship to Michael is included in my wardrobe! Now that the sun has started to shine in London I am using the opportunity to bring out some of my MJ t-shirts and incorporate them into my summer style with a little flair. In a recent post of mine I decided to wear a tee in a more dressy way, this time I thought I would put a casual spin on things. 

I thought I would wear a modern tee with a vintage look and pair it with a bright and fun skater skirt. The "Beat It" style t-shirt which is currently available from our online store King Of Shop is one that I think works with many different looks. Available in UK sizes 6-20 and at the current sale price of just £14! The world famous image used on record sleeves and vintage t-shirts all over the world has made a comeback and it's one that all the ladies seem to enjoy wearing, especially me!

With the cute folded sleeves and red diamanté adornments this one that was most definitely going to be worn by me this season. I like to colour coordinate as many things as possible and so I thought I would wear my scarlet red lipstick and pair it with this red pleather skirt from Primark both items are in size 20. 

It seems that music t-shirts are available this summer and I can only assume that with all the fun festivals happening over the next few weeks that many people will be wearing their chosen act...

As I have mentioned in the past I used to just wear mine with a simple pair of jeans for comfort and ease but I really want to show that you can have fun when styling t-shirts. For this one I could have gone a totally different way and used the teal colours in the t-shirt to help me complete the look. Pastels are huge at the moment so maybe a turquoise clutch or nail polish would look cool. Teal or Turqouise leggings or jeans would have been a cool way to go also. I guess my love of vintage styles had me reaching for the red pinup colours with this one lol. 

At King Of Shop we have decided to showcase that the King Of Pop can and should be worn with serious style and flair in our Respect Your Monarch campaign. Fans and friends alike are all taking pics wearing MJ in fun and fashion forward ways and you'll be seeing more posts like this from me in the near future. 

If any of you are wearing music tees this season I'd love to see who your chosen picks are and how you've made them work with your style. Feel free to drop me an email or a message so I can see what you've come up with!

Lip Service! A Pink Clove Review

Summer brings many fun and adventures times for everyone. Festival fun, long days, short nights and holiday romances. Dressing for the season is always fun and in keeping with the time old traditions of summertime it's no surprise to me that a massive trend at the moment is fabrics covered in lips and kisses. Many different companies are showering their items in kisses this year and I really wanted to get in on the action! 

Pink Clove recently ran a Facebook competition inviting their followers to like and share a picture that they had put up on their page. The potential prize to be won was this gorgeous Lip Print Button Front Swing Vest. I, like many others wrote a comment and posted the picture up on my page and thought nothing of it. When I got announced as the lucky winner of this top it of course was not what I was expecting at all! I instantly thought about what I might wear this one with and that it should be perfect for the warm British summer. 

I requested this one in a size 24 as I wasn't sure if the buttons on the front were just a design detail or if I would need to accommodate for extra boob room. As any woman knows there is nothing worse than having a really nice top or shirt which gapes where the buttons are! For those of you who may be considering this one for a purchase, the front is just a design detail and the top doesn't open at the front. 

The loose fit was just what I wanted especially as London can get unbearably sticky and uncomfortable in the sunshine. A light and airy fabric, makes for a really comfortable wear and I can also confirm that the colour does not fade after a wash or two. I decided to pair the top with a simple pair of black leggings; although a pair in a bright and bold colour would look really cool or you could pair it with some jeans. 

I really like using accessories and other adornments to bring a look together. I thought it might be fun to wear a lip print hair scarf to cover my often difficult hair and to add a little something extra to the look. The Raffia clutch from Simplybe and a pair of pink and white metallic drop earrings, and a simple pair of white ballerina pumps from Primark finish off the look.

If any of you have this top I'd love to see how you styled it up so feel free to send me a picture or a message.

This summer is set to be a fun one and I hope you all have lots of fun and have a many kisses yourself! :)

Liberate Your Style Challenge - A Fashion World Review

Recently I was contacted by Fashion world offering me the chance to put together a fun and fresh summer look from their current collection by Joe Browns. When I think summer style; I like clothes that are cute, bright and comfortable to wear that can work for me during daytime and evening events.

No matter who you are just the thought of Summer makes you smile. In my case I tend to venture outdoors when the sun shines for a large variety of activities such as long walks, Pimms in the park, beach holidays, fun adventures or just chilled days out with friends.

When I took a look through the Joe Browns Collection I really wanted to pick a cute sun dress of some kind and when I saw the sweet style of the Collins Avenue Dress I knew this was something I could wear comfortably and play around with. The pinky/purple tones in a floral/leaf print really suit the season well. I wanted to try a couple of different looks with this dress and I found that by accessorising it I could make it look pretty different.

In keeping with the colour scheme I thought it would be nice to drape a pink shawl over my shoulders. I personally feel more comfortable and at ease when my upper arms are covered (we all have those areas we're not 100% happy with) and as some of the evenings this time of the year still hold a slight chill in the air,  I thought this would be a nice way to cover up and stay warm of an evening.

Sometimes it’s fun to play around with more dressy, girly accessories and I actually like the look that was achieved in the end. I often don’t go overly girly in my style unless I'm dressing in vintage attire, so I use the summer months as an excuse to bring out the softer side of my personality and I like to express this in my sense of dress.

Some girls like to play around with cute daisy dukes and denims during the summer. It got me to thinking, how would a city girl like myself bring in a little bit of country into her style? I like being able to make sweet and feminine dresses more casual in their style. I decided to ditch the shawl and pair the Collins Avenue Dress with a cropped sleeveless denim jacket from Forever 21 (several seasons ago size 2xl) to achieve the look. The idea was to bring another dimension to a classic cut and print of dress and have a little fun with it.

Overall the dress fits really nicely and just skims over my frame. There are absolutely no tight spots anywhere and an added bonus is the fact that the dress comes complete with pockets. A nice addition if you don’t want to carry anything other than your phone, keys and wallet. There’s a really cute ribbon detail at the back also. The folding neck line is really sweet and enhances the general style of the dress which could lend itself to vintage styles, boho chic, cowgirl and country looks. 

As you can see by my photos I wore this dress with black leggings. In all honesty the length for this one is fine to wear as a single item; in my case I prefer the additional coverage because my sizeable behind could make the light fabric hitch up a little at the back and I wouldn't want to showcase my undergarments to anyone lol.

As I said I wanted to find a way to bring a little bit of a country edge to the look and initially I was thinking to wear a pair of knee high brown boots but when I saw the Joe Studded Boot In E Fit. I really like the tan colour and gold studded detail. These boots are so comfortable and I thought they really complimented the colours in the dress. 

In my usual tradition I colour coordinated my outfit with my more playful accessories. In attempt to cover my bad hair day I pulled out a pink bandanna, I love bandannas as an accessory and feel that they can bring a totally new dimension to an outfit. They compliment 50s vintage styles, hiphop styles and have been known to work with many other fashion trends. To complete the look I opted for lilac drop hoop earrings and deep pink lipstick.

For more clothes in the Joe Browns Collection click here!

A Simple Summer Sensation

Don't you just love it when you are rummaging through your wardrobe looking for something perfect to wear on a boiling hot summers day and you find something that will be just right? I had that exact moment last week! It must have been around 25 degrees which for London is really hot! With very little breeze in the hot and humid capital city and a full day at work I was desperate for something light, airy and most off all, comfortable!

At last year's Definition Of Size Art Exhibition I was lucky enough to meet the lovely Angela at IslandBlue. She told me about the company and their growing collection. It was refreshing to hear about a new brand that are starting to make moves all over Europe with their bold styles and interesting colour patterns. I was lucky to be a recipient of one of these dresses to which I have only worn twice. 

The interesting thing about this dress is that it's actually in their autumn in winter collection of last year. The wrap detail and light fabric for me made this is perfect summer piece. Admittedly I have this dress a size too big but that's actually what I really like about it. In a size 24 (which is a very generous 24) I find the dress the perfect piece for a hot, sticky and otherwise uncomfortable day in London. This is one that will definitely be coming with me when I go away later this year! The burnt orange colours and creamy stripes will look amazing in a hot and sunny country. 

A modest length for the skirt and mid length sleeves makes this one a very easy to wear piece in need of very little enhancements and/or accessories. I may even see how this one fares when we do reach autumn and winter. Some knee high brown boots and leggings might make this one look totally different. If you were to tie the belt the opposite direction to how I have in these pictures and have it tightly knotted across the back it would slightly cinch you in and illuminate the curvature in the waist.

 I think that with the burgundy colours in the dress it can most definitely been worn across seasons but it may be a chilly piece, some thick tights or leggings would be needed to cut the winter chill out of the air. As you can see I wore this one with a simple and small bag and see-through ballerina pumps from Primark. My often worn head scarf and hoop earrings were an added feature also.

Jackson Action - My Take On Billie Jean Chic

When it comes to casual clothing items many people struggle with adding a little style and finesse into their look. It's no secret how much of a Michael Jackson fan I am and I thought that with all the t-shirts I have I need to switch things up a little. My aim was to see what I can do to make some of my tees more feminine and fashion forward.

I pulled out one of my favourites and decided to work with the colours there. Lucky for me black, white and grey were my choices. All MJ fans like to incorporate signature things from his look into their style especially when wearing something with his name or face on. I decided to play around with a style I like to call Billie Jean Chic. I would usually do the easy thing and wear an MJ t-shirt with a pair of jeans so I thought, let me go the other way and pick out a skirt. From Primark, this size 20 tube skirt was my choice. The horizontal stripes in black and white really compliment the t-shirt design and despite my belly being on show I still love the look and feel confident wearing it! I played around with the t-shirt tucking it into the skirt, tying a knot to make it more fitted in it's style and letting it hang over the skirt. In the end I decided I prefer the tee either tucked in or draped over the skirt and knotted. As this is a men's t-shirt in XL I wanted a more tailored fit for my more dressy style. We have recently got this t-shirt in stock over at King Of Shop so if you like it you can pick it up in sizes S-XL. 

Billie Jean as one of Michael's most famous songs sees the king of pop wearing the world famous black sequin jacket. Mine is the gorgeous Veronette Cardigan from Igigi, US Size 22/24. The Jacket comes complete with a sash belt which you can use to close the jacket and fasten it shut, I thought I would wear mine true to MJ's style and leave it loose. XL tights from Primark and a pair or suede high heeled shoes I was more than ready to hit the town in this number! 

I like to showcase the fact that I'm an MJ fan and if I can do that with a little style and fun then I most certainly will! I'm sure you'll see me playing around with some of my other t-shirts soon and you can give me your feedback lol. 

No MJ style look would be complete without mirrored aviators! When I saw this pair I had to do a double take as they are really similar to a pair he wore when I saw him in London for the 2006 World Music Awards. He wore the most amazing pair of diamond framed shades. Mine are of course an imitation but for £3 in Primark you simply can't go wrong! 

Many of us have the odd outfit influenced by a celebrity and for me Michael was the one person who's style I found to be a fun and playful challenge. His look was most definitely his own and as he was not afraid of sequins, glitz and glam I thought it might be fun to add a twist to his look and see if I could adapt it to suit my own. 

I know I'm 2 days late but this month's magnificent 7th challenge was to replicate the style of a celebrity and as Michael's Billie Jean style was created for the stage I thought it best to adapt the look. Check out some of the posts for the others bloggers in the challenge and see what celeb styles they tried out:

Kaye, Becky, Nicola, Gail, Mary, Kathryn, Steph, Charley, Rebecca, 

Leah, Lindsey, Vicky, Nikki, Christina, Leah, Nancy, Beverly, 

Gillian, Katt, Sarah, Hannah, Hollie, Kitty, Emma,

Michelle, Abi, Sarah, Charlie, Sally, Lucie, Natalie

Collectif Dolores Doll Summer Bouquet Review

I have officially fallen in love with the most gorgeous dress, the Dolores Doll Summer Bouquet!

It's no secret how much I love vintage swing dresses. The style is classic, sexy and amazingly fun to wear! When I picked up a Dolores Doll dress last year I absolutely loved the fit, length and cut of the dress. The Summer Bouquet dress was one I really wanted to get my hands on last year but it was often out of stock in my size. The original print of the dress comes in a gorgeous yellow and green floral design. I will be honest when I ordered the dress I expected to get the original print delivered to me in one of those hot pink Collectif packages. So when I pulled out this gorgeous pink and navy print I was even happier than expected, the colours are really nice and I love how they sit against my skin tone. 

The beautiful Georgina Horne from Fuller Figure Fuller Bust modelling the Summer Bouquet dress.

Image Courtesy Of Collectif

 I like for my dresses to cling to all the right spots and hang loose on all the other parts. When I select a dress to wear, comfort is usually my first port of call and then I consider what might work for the given weather or what might best suit the events taking place that day. As I have been creating quite a collection of dresses from Collectif I knew that this one would fit perfectly, and accompany many other items in my wardrobe.

To be totally honest with you every single person I have seen wear these dresses looks amazing in them and I'm not surprised that every time I have wanted one I have had to act fast to grab my size! Luckily for me when I picked this one up a couple of weeks ago the dress was on sale and I got it for almost half of the price, so I guess you could say I was pleasantly surprised twice over!

The stretch fabric is very generous and most women have to downsize in this style by 1 sometimes 2 dress sizes. I wear this style in a size 20 and I tend to pair mine with a petticoat. Available in sizes 6-22 this style is open to many ladies out there. 98% cotton and 2% elastane, the fabric feels great on and is washing machine friendly, never have the colours on any of my Collectif dresses ran or faded so for me I find these an amazing investment. 

I think for me I enjoy the Dolores Doll style so much because the cut suits women of all shapes and sizes. I have found in the past that buying a dress that leaves enough boob room can be a challenge. This style of dress not only is very roomy in that area, I actually don't mind having a heavy cleavage on show when I wear this cut of dress. I feel incredibly womanly when I wear my vintage dresses and I look forward to picking up even more Dolores Doll dresses in the future.

I am pictured here wearing my white petticoat from Vivien Of Holloway. I actually prefer wearing petticoats when I wear my vintage dresses. I like the way that the fabric drapes over the underskirt and showcases the print that little bit more. I decided to wear a simple black bolero with this one and bring out my black platform heels to match. As this dress is all about the followers I thought it would be wrong for me not to wear any in my hair so my trusty white hair roses from Black rose were a must!

Check out my previous post about the Dolores Doll In Polka Dot print here:

For more reviews and styles in this cut check out the reviews by Curvy Wordy and Fuller Figure Fuller Bust.