Take It To The Maxi! - A Boohoo Plus Review

So we're deep into July which means we should be in the thick of summer! Unfortunately London has had some really random weather and we've had more chilly days than hot ones. The good news is when it is hot and the sun is beaming in London everyone finds themselves wearing their summer best and enjoying the day out and about with friends.

Recently when shopping at Boohoo I was on the hunt for a light and airy dress to wear for those hot days. You all know I love to glam up but sometimes I just like to be comfortable and casual. The thing is everyone needs to own a plain black maxi dress so when I saw the Leah Race Back Maxi I knew I had to get it! I picked this dress in a size 24 and I have to say I love wearing it! It is so light and so comfortable that it's perfect for one of those really humid days when you just want relief from the heat! I should note because of the size of my breasts when I wear this one my bra is slightly exposed at the sides. 

Like many plus size women out there my problem area with my body is my arms. I used to feel so uncomfortable with my arms exposed and would brace the hot sun with jackets and cardigans on even if the heat was Sweltering and sticky! Last year I went out totally jacket-less for the first time and it's this year that my aim is to keep pushing myself in that area. Due to the fact that I wanted to push my confidence and and have my arms bare a solution to the fact that the dress pulls a little in the chest for me was to wear a cropped, sleeveless denim jacket. I bought mine last year in Primark for a bargain! 

When the sun is beaming down on you, the last thing you want is to be laden down with accessories! I decided to only wear my signature hoop earrings and hair scarf. Finishing off with a small pop of blue with my t-bar wedges from New Look my outfit was complete.

Hanna is the lipstick queen she has pretty much every shade known to man and sat me down one day to try out all the colours and see what sort of tones look nice against my complexion. Picking out a summer bright baby pink shade, she said she thought the Nikki Minaj style tone looked cool on me. I thought it would be fun to try the shade again and so here you have it, me with supper girly pink lippy! 

Dressing comfortably doesn't have to mean losing you sense of style so have fun in other ways with your makeup and hair accessories if you want to keep things simple in the summer heat! 

Remember whatever you wear, feel fabulous in it and wear it with a smile!

Paisley Passion!

So summer is here and I have to say the weather is all over the place here in the UK. Some days the heat is unbearable and others are filled with rain and cold winds! I like to be prepared for any sort of weather and in any season so my wardrobe is always filled with clothes for any occasion. Some people box up all of the clothes that are out of season and store them in a safe place ready to bring out when the seasons switch. Anyone who has ever been to the UK will know that doing that in some cases may not be such a good idea lol.

Recently Hanna and I went to see the SS15 collection for Junarose and were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at some of the lines coming this AW15. We were lucky enough to be gifted some items and to my luck the perfect dress was there for me to try! My love of wrap dresses is no secret, I find that they flatter women of all shapes and sizes and are generally really comfortable to wear. I have been known to wear mine across all seasons styling them with boots and some warmer items such as longline cardigans. I had been waiting to wear this gorgeous paisley print number on a day when the weather was just right. The light and airy fabric makes this one perfect for a really hot day and of course can be worn as a singular item. For me I wouldn't be able to wear this dress on it's own because of the way it hangs on me. My large behind and belly doesn't allow for a full wrap towards the bottom of the garment so I decided to pair it with some old jeggings from Simplybe. I'm wearing this dress in size M which is equivalent to UK size 16/18 according to the Junarose website. 

I'll be totally honest this is one of those outfits that I didn't put much thought into but I loved the end result in how it looks. What's great about the dress is the versatility you have in wearing it. You put this one on like a robe or kimono and the ties are really long. There is a slight cut on the left handside of the garment for you to thread them through and tie as tightly or loosely as you wish. Often time with wrap dresses we women can have issue in the breast area with one of our girls trying to escape from the garment or some the fabric being too loose on one side. I was able to tie this one firmly and securely which gave me a really nice shape and housed by bust perfectly. I say this all the time, I love blue! Any chance I get to wear the colour I can and will so to have a wrap dress in blue and white paisley print is perfect for me! Unfortunately this print isn't available on the Junarose site, I think this dress may have been a sample but there is a black option available in the exact same style.

Some of you may have seen that Evans recently launched a Style Has No Size campaign.  The slogan was created to allow women of all shapes and sizes the chance to celebrate their look throughout the summer. With some great t-shirts and tote bags available they make for a really cool addition to your summer look. Recently at the Style Has No Size press event for bloggers I was gifted this fun denim tote which I thought went perfectly with this outfit. 

To finish off my look I went with my blue t-bar heels from New Look. I thought that due to the blodness of the paisley print on the dress I should keep things simple and so I pulled out my navy paisley print bandana and signature hoop earrings and I was good to go! There's always a way to make something work for you even if you're unsure. Try and put things together that you have in your closet and see what happens, you may be surprised of the outcome! 

Remember whatever you wear, feel fabulous in it and wear it with a smile!

With Flying Colours!

One thing I love, Colour! Colour to me can really impact on a persons sense of mood and it can definitely give a certain style or theme to your wardrobe! A trend that has been quite popular recently is paint! Splashed paint to be exact! It would seem that abstract swirls and patterns aren't just limited to bright canvases that sit in art galleries, we can wear them right out there on our streets! I have seen a whole host of interesting colours splashed across women's clothing everywhere and I have had my eye open for something of my own for quite some time!

Hanna and I went to a Boohoo press event at some time last year and they had loads of upcoming items with paint splattered patterns arriving in the upcoming collection (some of you may remember some of the pics I posted on my Instagram whilst at the event). Whilst having a browse on the website I came across a really fun and BOLD shift dress. The Taylor printed shift dress fits my frame like a bodycon but to be honest with you, that's one of the things I love most about it! I'm wearing this is a size 24 and I have to say I really like how it looks on. I will admit when I first took this out of the packaging and tried it on I thought 'Wow I look colourful!' Not so long ago I would have been totally pushed out my comfort zone by this prospect but I actually love how this looks.

I should note I'm not wearing any shapewear in these pictures, the bright paint print I find actually looks quite flattering against my shape. In a viscose, elastane mix the fabric feels like a soft t-shirt on. As an item that's really light to wear, this would be really comfortable in a bar or club atmosphere. The long sleeves are really comfortable with plenty of stretch and would be a really comfortable item to wear for ladies who don't like to show the tops of their arms. Due to the fact that I have a large bust and big behind this dress hitches up a little on me I wear this with leggings as the length is slightly shortened because of this.

I thought I would work with the colours of the dress and so I thought my red patent ballerina pumps from Primark would work well for comfortable footwear. I think a pair of stiletto heels would work in any of the colours featured on the dress if you wanted to slightly glam this up a little. For accessories I kept it simple wearing this Feather necklace from Topshop and my classic hoop earrings. 

Don't be afraid of colour, have fun with it and enjoy being bold! We all need to have those fun items in our wardrobes that makes us want to be colourful and vibrant. 

Remember whatever you wear, feel fabulous in it and wear it with a smile!

Pinup Picnic In The Park!

Photo Courtesy Of Pyramid Clicks

So last Saturday I attended an incredible event right here in London. The British Belles organised a picnic which was held in Hyde Park. Now I must state this was no ordinary picnic, this time there was a theme, VINTAGE! Guys and girls came dressed in true vintage fare and I have to say just being amongst so many fun and interesting people who all looked amazing was just incredible!

Katt (Fatgirlforlife), Tanya (Secret Plus Size Goddess) and Caroline (Curvy Wordy)

The girls and I met with everyone at Marble Arch and we were greeted with passers by asking us to stop and take pictures. I guess being someone who loves vintage fashion it's easy to forget that for many people it's still a rare and unseen thing. In truth, it's been quite some time since I was surrounded by so many colours and people in perfectly put together outfits!

The great thing about an event like this is how relaxed and laid back it was. I was even surprised to find out that people had travelled from all over Europe to be in attendance, and even better over £1000 was raised for Macmillan Cancer Care. There was a pretty big mix of people there of all ages including several pinup style babies!

Vintage Doll Laura and myself

What made the afternoon so nice, apart from the glorious sunshine was of course how many bright, bubbly and confident people were out dressed in their best to have a day of great conversation and picnic treats. I met so many amazing bloggers, models, fashionistas and photographers. In truth most events have a really formal and cooperate feel to them where the ultimate goal is to promote and sell products. This is one of the few I have been to where the main requirement of the day is that everyone has fun!

As you can imagine everyone spent days toying with what to wear! I myself took a mini poll with some of the other plus size bloggers on Whatsapp messenger and it was decided that I should wear my Gretal Gingham dress from Collectif. To check out my previous review of the dress click here. Hayley (Curves & Curls) too was in gingham only her dress was the Dolores Doll version. 

Overall the day was a lot of fun and we all left with a healthy glow on our skin after sitting in the sun for so long. Everyone was already talking about how much they are looking forward to another picnic next year and hopefully more events beforehand.

Caroline, October Divine and Myself

I really enjoyed the day and it was great to get to know some of the other bloggers better and form new friendships during the day. Sometimes you just need to sit in the sun with a good sandwich and a glass of pimms lol. 

Remember whatever you wear, feel fabulous in it and wear it with a smile!