Blue Passion - A Lane Bryant Review

*This Dress Is A Gifted Item

So here we are again. It's the time of year when everyone begins to get into the festive spirit. Halloween pumpkins have made their way into stores all over the place and, we are starting to see Christmas decorations adorn our streets. With all of the decorations and party favours being splashed all over the place, the event invitations are coming out and the need for fun and sassy evening wear is apparent. With many quick and fast changes happen this season, imagine my surprise when I was offered the chance to review an amazing dress from Lane Bryant. 

The asymmetric seamed bodice dress is everything I look for in a simple but striking dress. The simple block colour, decorative pleats and V shaped neckline really add to this piece. Available from the Blue Streak collection which was previously featured on their seasonal Fast Lane section of the website, this one immediately caught my eye. As you know I have a deep affection for Cobalt clothing as I really like how it looks against my complexion and, it just so happens to be one of my favourite shades of blue! 

This midi length dress with asymmetric hem line is one that would really suit a lot of body shapes. Stopping just below the knees this makes for a really elegant piece that can be dressed both up or down. I really like how this one moulds across my bust, allowing for a hint of cleavage. The thick straps make this one easy to wear with pretty much any bra and if you decide to wear shapewear with this dress, the length allows you to have a wider choice of options. I'm wearing this dress in a size 22 and I should note that I am wearing shapewear in these images.

If I were to wear this for a more casual look I would wear wedged heels, blue acrylic jewellery and a denim jacket. Here I thought, how would I want to style this for a night out? I decided to wear my Michelle Heels from Hotter. These have fast become my go-to heels as the pyramid technology used in the production of the shoes allows for extra support and comfort to the balls of your feet. Imagine having soft padded built in gel cushions as the soles of your heels! I cannot recommend these more as they work with so many styles. I have worn these with vintage style dresses, casual looks and of course more elegant styles. In addition to the shoes I thought it would be a little different to wear a beret with a twist. As you can tell I'm really into my hats at the moment and I thought my blue sequin beret bought many years ago from Primark would look pretty cool, especially seeing as it's the exact same shade as the dress. My signature hoop earrings, and statement necklace from Happiness Boutique were my only jewellery worn. I kept my makeup to it's usual style and wore a soft pink lipstick. 

With a dress like this I didn't want to do anything to take away from it's detail. I love how it fits and the colour is really rich and soft. As we're experiencing a bit of a chill in the London air I pulled on my biker jacket from Yours Clothing, which is currently on sale. Working with my black heels I felt that this just pulled the look together.

Lane Bryant have been the leading American plus size brand for many years now and their recent campaigns have really had many talking! I'm No Angel saw the brand challenge the Victoria Secret model of how beauty and sex appeal is in regards to women's bodies and did loads to encourage the body positivity movement we are currently experiencing in the plus size industry. We saw a diverse group of  beautiful and confident women wearing gorgeous lingerie from the brand and each making positive statements about themselves in their campaign commercial. Most recently the Plus Is Equal campaign went viral and we saw some of the leading plus size models take the runway in style! Being that I'm a woman who loves to see women feel good in their skin and shine with confidence I love that the brand is showing that sexy, feminine and flattering clothing is something all women deserve to wear and, that they will do what they can to help in that area. 

You know what I always say, have fun with your style. Wear what makes you feel confident and amazing and play around with your style. We all have various elements to our personality and we can showcase that in our sense of style!

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

Leather And Lace - A Junarose Review

*This Dress Was A Gifted Item

Sometimes you see an item of clothing that you just have to have! It's your ultimate style, great colour and detail and something you know you can style up or down. Recently I was given the opportunity to check out the latest collections from Junarose with Hanna and we were both given the chance to leaf through some samples and take a few bits. 

 I had previously bought into the lies about white being a colour big girls should avoid because it makes us look larger. I'm also the sort of person who would happen to eat something containing tomatoes and end up wearing half of it down my front lol. Over the years I have changed my mind set about white clothes and now I own tones of them! I chose this gorgeous white lace dress because I instantly liked it after seeing it. I'm wearing this in a size M and I absolutely love it! The fit is just perfect for me, moulding against my bust and behind to enhance my curves and stopping just above the knee. 

If anyone is considering purchasing this one I should note that the lace is a really soft stretch lace that is really comfortable to wear. Unlike some lace items I have worn in the past this one doesn't cling or pinch anywhere, especially the arms. As you all know my arms a little on the chunkier side and I have had issues with some tops and jackets in the past because of this and have had to up-size from time to time for more comfort. 

I chose to wear this one with leggings. As I have a fairly sizeable behind the dress hitches up just a little too much for me to wear this as a singular item but that of course would be different from woman to woman. One thing I love about this dress is the lining, a really soft material I believe to be Toulouse. I really like that you can wear this dress with pretty much any bra you like without having the straps on show. 

I have worn this dress a few times now and each time has been different. You can really dress this one up with some pearl jewellery, heels and a really sweet jacket. I thought it would be cool to put it with black leggings, leather boots and top it off with my biker jacket. You all know I love my beret hats as they are so comfortable and can also be added to really casual or dressy looks. This one is a really old one from Simply Be but the colour was just perfect to work alongside the dress and an easy option for me to just slip on. Hot pink lipstick and some silvery jewellery and I was ready and set to go!

I love how some items can be right up your street but have a little bit of a twist. If you like this lace dress you'll be pleased to know it's currently available on the Junarose website along with some other lace items that are amazing! I have seen some of the upcoming collection and I have to say you're in for a treat ladies, stay tuned to see what's coming!

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

Esmeralda In Blue - A GCGMe Review

*This Dress Is A Gifted Item

One thing I love is being able to channel the style of another woman, be it a friend, celebrity or even a fictional character. In this dress I feel a little bit like a Disney princess, not your overly glammed up Disney princess, in this case I was channelling Hunch Back Of Notre-Dame's Esmeralda!

 I was recently contacted by Australian fashion company GCGMe. I had never heard of the brand before but was thrilled to have been asked to review something for them once I had checked out their plus size maxi dress selection. What I really liked about the brand from browsing their website was the variety of options for women who like to embrace colour and something a little more glamorous. I really liked their maxi dress options and had my eye on several! I eventually opted for the Macy dress and I am really happy with my choice!

The first draw for me when it came to the shape and style of this dress was the off the shoulder detail. I think all women have those areas that look beautiful on everyone, one in particular is the decolletage. Showing a hint of skin is really sexy yet subtle and for dresses of this shape, extremely comfortable to wear. I haven't seen that many tops or dresses with an off the shoulder neckline that have really grabbed me and this dress ticked all the boxes for me. Firstly I love maxi dresses that just sweep the floor. There's something really elegant about a dress that sweeps over your heels. This dress had a really nice length against my 5'5 frame. I should note that in these pictures I was wearing flat ankle boots. 

Available in sizes S-4X this is one that works for pretty much every shape and size of woman and really flatters when worn. This dress comes in 8 colours so you have your choice of options. In my case I had to pick the cobalt blue version in size 3X. I really like the length of the sleeves as they cover the biceps really comfortably with an elasticated cuff to hold the shape. There is also a detached waist tie which can be worn to cinch you in at the waist. I chose to go without mine for these pictures because I liked the way the dress hung on me without the tie. The binding at the waist moulded my bust really nicely and was in a really good place for women of all bust sizes.

At the moment I am wearing my hair loose a lot of the time and as it's currently styled with slight waves. When I first tried this dress on in front of the mirror it gave me the feel of an exotic gypsy. I instantly thought about the Disney character Esmeralda and how she was dressed in the movie. Large hoop earrings, hair scarves and simple shoes. These are all features of my day to day style so it was easy for me to figure out how I was going to style this one. 

Play around with your style, sometimes when you take inspiration from someone or somewhere different to the norm the results can be interesting and fun. You may end up with a slightly different spring in your step and a new style you can rock from time to time!

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