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!

Stripe It Lucky! - A Zelie For She Review

I have been meaning to write about this dress for ages, but with the weather all over the place I never really found the right time to wear it. Zelie For She is a brand I have kept a firm eye on for quite some time now. I love the various different collections that have come from the brand and I have to say the fresh and edgy approach is more than welcome. The independent brand focuses on creating fun and sexy clothes for us plus size women and one of the things I love the most is that they are not afraid to break the rules!

As the brand is based in Los Angeles I hadn't had the chance to try something from them and by chance I happened to enter an Instagram competition that they held a few months ago and I was gifted a gift card to purchase an item with. This Strike Out Dress immediately caught my eye as I thought it would make for a great urban street look. Also the model in the stock images looked amazing wearing it and I new I had to get my hands on one!

We plus size women have heard for years that we are to avoid bright colours, horizontal stripes and a plethora of other dos and do not dos when it comes to our state of dress. I LOVE the fact that this t-shirt dress is top to bottom horizontal stripes! I'm wearing this one in a 3xl. What I love about this dress besides the pattern and combintion of stone tones and thick splashes of red is the fit! Not often do I buy something that is meant to look oversized and have it look that way! Usually my boobs and bum make the dress cling a little tighter and it ends up looking semi-bodycon. The v-neck cut hangs in a really nice place and allows the dress to showcase the shape of your bust whilst still being modest. I'm 5 feet 5 inches tall and this dress stops just below the knee. I wore this one bare legged but it would look great with some skin coloured or opaque tights. I love that the sleeves cut across my hands. I have always liked long sleeves and the way that they look on me. This also adds to the oversized style of the dress. This dress is perfect for this time of year as the fabric is light and airy and extremely spacious. This has that feeling of your favourite t-shirt that you have washed loads of times, making it feel really soft against the skin.

I wanted to add this dress into a biker look. I of course opted for my biker jacket from Yours Clothing, as this dress is light this would add a nice amount of coverage towards the end of the day when the breeze starts to set in. Worn with some lace up biker boots and I had the overall look I was after. To finish off I wore a metallic necklace and my hoop earrings. I wanted to use silver adornments to work with the grey in the dress and to set off the red I of course pulled out my red bandana and red lipstick. 

I love having choices when it comes to my sense of style and I really love switching things up from classic and vintage to modern and on trend to a combination of things. Fashion is meant to be a place to experiment and express ourselves so I love having fun with my look. I enjoy breaking the rules that have been set by society and showing everyone that we can rock what we have and in the trends you have vetoed for us. 

Unfortunately this dress is no longer available but check out Zelie For She to see what amazing new styles they have available. They ship worldwide and I can honestly say you will love whatever you buy! I can't wait to rock this look to a club or something!

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

Spring Time Fun With Zizzi And Yours

Finally after months of wet and cold weather we are starting to see some much wanted sunshine. With the change in the seasons we are starting to see people showing a little more skin and wearing the clothes that look great among the blossoming flowers and sunny days. I'm currently in a very casual mood these days and it's only now that I'm wanting to dress up a little more. Last weekend we had some really nice weather and a lot of people were out and about in t-shirts, shorts, skirts and the other items we associate with summer.

I decided that I would follow suit but still keep in mind the elements of spring and then when those clouds are around there can be a slight chill in the air. At the moment I'm really into dark and stone coloured tones with a splash of colour somewhere. For this look I wanted to keep it simple, fun and casual. This striped knit pencil skirt from Zizzi is really comfortable and warm to wear. I love the length and the print makes this one that can be worn across any season. The ruffled detail in the hem adds a little extra flair to the overall look and helps the skirt to cling to your frame without hitching. This one is currently available at Navabi. 

One of the great things about living where I live is having a close friend and fellow blogger within walking distance. Hanna and I take each other's outfit pictures all the time and she let me borrow her slogan t-shirt from Zizzi. This one came out last year, what I love about it is the message on it. 'There is no wrong way to be a woman', this quote from the gorgeous and stunning Denise Bidot really speaks to me, and I'm sure other women out there will feel the same. We are constantly being told what to look like, what we should say about certain things, what we should think etc. sometimes it feels like we women have been set an impossible set of standards to which we are supposed to follow. The sad thing is that we have become our own worst critics and more often than not we forget that there is no rule book about how to be a woman, we just are women in every sense. 

I like my t-shirts to be a little form fitting so that they don't look tent-like against my frame. I tied a small knot in the bottom corner with the help of Hanna and the look I was after was quickly achieved. Check out how Hanna styled it previously here. I wanted to wear some wedge shoes and so these platform wedge sandals from Yours Clothing were a must. The silver heel embellishment really works against the silver in the clothes and on top of everything else, these are so comfortable! My long length cardigan has been a god send lately. I love how such a simple basic item can work with so many different styles of outfit!

For accessories I only wanted a few so my hoop earrings and black bandana were my only additions to the outfit. Sometimes you just want to get up and go, no muss no fuss. I often dress for comfort with a little added style. Even when wearing simple styles I still like to feel somewhat put together for a little extra confidence. I find that when I look a certain way it can affect my mood. 

If like me you want to dress for the change in the season but want to feel prepared for that sudden chill that can hit the air then there are some fun things you can do. Wear the style of item you want but maybe select a thicker fabric, layer up with a cardigan or a jacket, something you can remove if you feel warm that can still tie into the look when the evening approaches. Have fun and play with your look!

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

It's All Yours! A Yours Clothing Review

Hey everyone, today's post is a little different to my usual outfit reviews. Hanna and I were contacted by Yours Clothing and was offered the chance to do a collaborative post. Blogging can be quite a solitary thing to do and when I first started out I was doing pretty much everything on my own, my mum was taking my outfit pictures and I didn't know that many bloggers closely. Hanna and I had met a couple of times, but it was at an event that we realised that we are neighbours! We have since been taking each other's outfit pictures and have become really close friends. I have to say it's so much fun having a close friend and fellow blogger just around the corner. She was a huge inspiration to me before we met so getting to know her so well over the past year has been a lot of fun and such a pleasure, I love this girl! 

When it comes to style our weekly photo sessions have become a lot of fun and we usually finish up over a coffee and loads of laughs. It's always fortunate when a good friend of yours is around the corner, you never know when you might wanna have a quick natter and as we are really similar in dress size we've been able to borrow the odd item of clothing from each other here and there. For me I've never had the luxury before, seeing as I'm the only plus size girl out of my old friends. 

We quicky became familiar with each others sense of style, angles and poses and she is one of the few people I 100% trust when it comes to my style. Some of you may have seen some previous posts I have written where I have worn outfits she has styled on me. This time around we were posing together with the help of Hanna's tripod and I really love how the pics came out. When it came to selecting our outfits I wanted something that would show off my personal style. My aim was to select something a little different that would also compliment Hanna's chosen outfit. We both ended up with acid wash jeans and sandals but my look is a little more dressy in it's overall style.

As some of you know I have a thing for Monochrome outfits and that's exactly what I was going for here. Even though we're now in the spring, there are some really great options out there for people who maybe want to keep things simple and add a splash of colour. In my case I wanted to add a little sassiness whilst keeping the shaded colours as the main focus. I selected the black and white sleeveless top with aysemtric hem, size 22-24. I have to say the cut and fit of this top is amazing and provides loads of room for boobs and your stomach area. 

The dark grey acid wash super stretch skinny jeans were a must for me. In truth I had never tried a pair of acid wash jeans before and these were great for my first pair. I'm wearing these in a 26 but a 24 would have been fine also. I always like to wear my jeans slightly too big so that I have plenty of room for my extra lumps and bumps. I find that if you wear jeans a little larger they are more flattering to your shape. 

Even though the sun is starting to shine brightly at the moment I still like that additional coverage to combat the chill that hangs in the air. I developed a love of longline cardigans a while ago. This black knitted cardigan with ladder stitch and fringing is so nice to wear. Despite the style it is really warm and adds a little to a style of clothing that would otherwise be very simple. Even though I have reams of confidence I, like many other women have those areas that I am not exactly in love with! The 3 quarter length sleeves cover the tops of my arms nicely which for me has ALWAYS been my problem area. I'm wearing this one in a size 22-24. 

I like my footwear to be simple and stylish and these gladiator sling back sandals caught my eye as soon as I saw them. Unfortunately the fit of them wasn't great on me and my feet kept sliding in them. The good news is after Hanna and I finished taking these pictures we of course tried on each other's outfits and we ended up swapping sandals. For more detail on Hanna's chosen outfit, be sure to head over to her blog for links. 

When it came to my choice of accessories I wanted to bring a little of my music taste into the mix. I'm sure those of you who read my blog from time to time will be aware that I am a huge Michael Jackson fan! It's not often that I can incorporate elements on his style into my own but when I get the chance I take it! I have had my white Fedora hat since I was 21! I don't wear it often as there's not many outfits I can include it with. I wanted that "Smooth Criminal" edge so in keeping with my usual style I added a black and white bandana underneath. Top this off with my MJ pendant and signature hoop earrings and my look was complete. 

You know what I always say, have fun with your look play around and wear what makes you feel amazing! I had a lot of fun putting this look together and working on this post with Hanna and I hope we get the chance to collaborate this way again in the future. It's always fun playing dress up with your friends and for me this was most definitely one of those times!

If you like these outfits and want to see what else is available from the new collection by Yours Clothing check out the website. Also Hanna has an amazing discount code which takes £10 off all orders starting from £20 with code BLOGGER21 (unfortunately this excludes all sale items and only works for newly registered email addresses). 

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

Wrap It Up Differently!

When it comes to clothing there are many ways to make an item work for you. I am pretty frugal when it comes to fashion I don't like to overspend and like quality at a fair price. Having said all of that I will spend a little more for something I fall totally in love with or perhaps require for a special occasion. I have mentioned several times on the blog that I try to purchase items that can work with other items in my wardrobe. I find that you can create several outfits this way.

I purchased this blue wrap dress from Pink Clove right at the beginning of last year and it has fast become a favourite of mine. I have made no secret about the fact that my favourite colour is blue and so any chance I get to pick something up in any shade of the colour I do it! Electric blue and royal blue I find really look nice against my skin tone and the colour of this dress is a key reason I can't get enough of it! I'm wearing this in a size 22 and I really love that this can be worn in so many ways. It looks great with tights or bare legged. I also like that pretty much any form of footwear compliments it. 

I decided that I would create a whole new outfit with items currently in my wardrobe. This dress was the only colourful item I wanted to wear. I decided to pair this with my pleather fronted leggings from Miss Guided in size 24. Not only are these super comfortable but they are also really warm on cold days which is great for this time of year seeing as we still have some cold days. 

I like comfort when I dress and I much prefer nice long cardigans than thick coats so I thought that this long length cardigan would be great for coverage seeing as the dress only has three quarter length sleeves. As you can see from these pictures it had been raining in London when I wore this outfit so the chill was still very much in the air. This one is from Yours Clothing and I'm wearing a size 26/28. I love oversized cardigans, they're really comfortable and work with pretty much anything. 

Even though I love getting dolled up like most women sometimes I like to take my look down a notch and so I wanted a more casual feel to this look so I decided to wear my legroom chain boots. These are so comfortable and I can literally walk in them for hours, seeing that I was out and about I wanted practical footwear. These are from Fashion World and are currently reduced in price so if you are looking for a good pair of boots take a look at the website and see what else they have in the collection.

Something I ALWAYS do which you may have noticed is colour coordinate. I'm not sure if it's just me or part of my Caribbean heritage coming in (they take coordination to a whole other level and match everything down to the perfect shade and I mean the whole outfit!) but it's something I like to do to pull a look together. With this in mind I thought my gold plated cinch belt would compliment the chain detail in the boots and provide a little added glam to the look. With 99% of my outfits I like to wear hoop earrings. This is an accessory I have worn since I was a teenager and to be honest I love it just as much as I did back then. My twisted gold hoops were a must with this look. In keeping with this look my blue floral statement necklace was my final addition and I was set.

If I were wearing this outfit to a club or something I would ditch the cardi and the boots and put the outfit with some heels to take the style from casual to dressy. There are so many ways that you can play around with your look and style. As I always say you never know what you can put together until you give it a try. Take a look in your wardrobe and try on a bunch on stuff, you may surprised with what you find! If like me you are a frugal person and you really wanna get your monies worth it's a pretty fun experiment and can be an amazing way to hold on to some of your cash! 

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

360° Denim Dream! A Fashion World Review

When it comes to clothes there are some items that we ALL have in our closets, undergarments, t-shirts, sweats and a great pair of jeans! I am a huge lover of jeans and have been since the day I got my first bootcut pair as a teenager. I will be honest though even though I love wearing denim styled trousers, trying to find a pair that looks good, feels good and looks like a key part of the outfit rather than just a boring pair of jeans is not easy! 

It's known that we women all come in varying shapes, sizes and ages. I'm not exactly in love with the idea of referring to myself as a shape but we women often have to think about what shape we are close to when buying clothes. I would say that I am in-between an hour glass and a pear shaped figure. On top of this I am a plus size woman which means I have to account for a couple of additional lumps and bumps when trying to look good. In my case I'm 5 feet and 5 inches tall, and I tend to buy jeans with a 31 inch leg. The size changes depending on the brand I am buying from and often the colour of the jeans can come into play here. Not long ago I discovered that black dye in clothes can cause an item to fit a little smaller than with lighter colours. 

I was recently contacted by Fashion World and was offered the chance to try out a pair of jeans from their new 360° Fit Jeans collection. Always on the hunt for a good pair of jeans I of course accepted and was sent a pair of the Slim Fit Long Jeans in size 26 Indigo colour.  Previously with Jeans from the JD Williams brands I have had to go for a size 28. I tend to wear a size 24/26 in trousers and jeans but theirs usually come up a little smaller than with some other brands. I thought I would try a 26, seeing that I have recently lost a little weight and I wanted these to have a fitted look. 

I have to say I was really impressed with these jeans. They fit me like a glove with plenty of room in the behind and across the stomach. I really like the length of them and feel that they would look amazing with heels, wedges, boots or flats as the hem stops just below my ankle. For me an added bonus with these jeans is how soft they feel against the skin. Often jeans can feel stiff, rigid and a little rough sometimes. 70% cotton, 24% polyester, 4% viscose and 2% elastane fabric these jeans are really comfortable to wear. Really smooth to the touch, and they have that softness that you get when you have washed your favourite pair of jeans a few times and the fibres soften. When sitting in these they also have that little bit of added stretch you hope for, especially if you have just eaten or something. 

I like to keep things casual a lot of the time and with this outfit I thought I would go for cold colours. The jeans being a deep shade of indigo made me want to add hints of grey to the rest of the outfit. I Pulled out an old grey blazer from New Look Inspire size 22. I wanted a smart casual look so with this I went for a black #celfie t-shirt from Yours Clothing size 26/28 I love loose fitting t-shirts that compliment a series of outfits and this one is simple but fun. Usually I like for my tees to be a size lower but every now and again a larger size is the preference if I want additional boob room. 

You all know that I like to match my accessories to my overall look and so this tote bag from the new W.O.W (Wardrobe Of Wonders) collection from Zizzi was a must! In keeping with the black my Hotter boots were my chosen footwear and my black beret was my hat of choice. Silver hoop earrings, my heart charm bracelet and floral statement necklace were my jewellery choices. 

I'm believer that keeping things simple doesn't have to mean being boring. When it comes to basic looks I like to add a few personal touches of my sense of style. For me when I feel a little more put together I walk with a little more confidence. No one likes that feeling of having to rush and not quite feeling as though you look your best. I find that sticking to the colours of my clothes makes selecting additional items and accessories easier.

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