Winter Warmers With A Twist!

It's official the weather has changed! For some the sight of clouds in the sky and the constant stream of umbrellas floating by is extremely depressing. I'll be totally honest here I am no fan of cold weather; short of having an excuse to indulge in warm hot chocolate and marshmallows it's most definitely not my thing! 

I always find that it's hard to wear clothes that are practical and fun this time of the year. In the summer we have the luxury of cute separates, bold colours and fun and fresh prints. In the autumn and winter we are showered in a sea of blacks, greys and blues. Now I have no problem with that as I have a huge selection of black, grey and blue clothes in my wardrobe. The challenge for me is wearing items that have a twist and have some character to them. I tend to go for cute dresses and simple coats, vintage inspired dressed and petticoats and of course warm sweaters. 

Myself and the lovely Hanna decided to go for a walk in the park the other day and seeing as the weather was quite warm and to our luck dry, I was able to be quite playful with my look. 

To my luck I was given this animal print sweater from Zizzi. The sample item will hopefully be in their next collection. I got this in a size M and whilst I love the shape and fit it clings a little to my tummy area. With that in mind I simply had to wear it so I thought I would be creative and wear this leather midi skirt from SimplyBe with it (size 26). Those of you who are familiar with my blog will know that I often wear skirts just under my bust line. My reason for this is the fact that my behind rises a little and if I wear some skirts at the waist line (depending on the cut) they can shift up at the back. It has come to my attention that this is an issue many women face and I simply won't allow it to cause problems for me when selecting my outfits. In some cases this has actually helped me when it comes to wearing cropped tops or pieces that sit a little snug around the belly. 

Feeling comfortable and confident in my clothes is a must for me and that can sometimes be down to the fit, sometimes down to the style of the outfit. I absolutely love animal prints when it comes to clothes and accessories and I have recently been adding more items into my closet, I'll be sure to put together some posts with these items to show you all very soon. The woollen sweater from Zizzi is really light on the skin and it fits really nicely. The black and grey print make this an item that would work with most bottoms such as jeans, high waisted trousers and of course other cuts of skirt. The colours being neutral make this one easy to pair with other separates and jackets also. 

It's always nice when you see a cute dog in the park. 

When you're used to wearing trousers or jeans on a regular basis the convenience of having pockets is a nice and familiar thing, somewhere to have your phone, wallet etc. One of the things I really like about this skirt is the pocket detail on both sides of the skirt. When you don't want to carry a bag with you or you're simply popping out for a few minutes it can be a nice relief to have something to store those smaller items. This skirt is not only a warm and adaptable item it's a practical one too. The central split in the front gives it a nice shape and a little character and I found that it made the item look more flattering on my frame. Unfortunately this is from a previous collection but there may be something similar available online and in a local Simplybe branch. 

I decided that the only accessory I would wear with this outfit would be my favoured hoop earrings. Sometimes you really don't want to have much jewellery on at all and in my case I didn't want any additions to my look so I simply painted my nails for a little colour and slipped on some comfortable plimsolls shoes. The saying can be true, less can be more sometimes. 

Have a look in your wardrobe and see what you have that you can play around with, we may be lucky enough to have a few more nice days before the scarves and gloves are required! 

Remember what ever you where, feel fabulous in it and where it with a smile!

*The Zizzi Top Was A Gifted Item.

Autumn Fun! - An FD Avenue Review

We all have those days when we want to have a fun look that's comfortable, looks cute and suits the weather. Sometimes getting a look that fits all three requirements can be a real challenge, especially when you live in London and have to endure regular random changes in the weather. I have to admit I'm not a fan of that awkward time period when the seasons are in that transitional period. It can be hard to know whether you are coming or going and the tough part is to endure all of that in the right clothes! 

I really believe that if you feel good in the what you're wearing a lot of the other stuff will just fall into place. If you feel good then the awkward and sometimes tough stuff can be that little bit easier to cope with. 

A couple of weeks ago I was rummaging through my wardrobe looking for something with a hint of colour to wear that would be warm enough in the crisp autumn air but still be fun to wear on a weekend afternoon in London. 

Currently there are a lot of fun and funky statement t-shirts on the market many of which include a cute anecdote about selfies or some other social media jargon. I think it's cool that fashion is in keeping with many of the current online statements and trends; making items fun and enjoyable to wear. 

When I saw this cute tee from Primark with a style that tips it's hat to some of the high fashion brands such as Chanel, I thought it would be a cute addition to my wardrobe. 

In truth I have had this tee for a few months now and I hadn't quite gotten around to wearing it until I received this boyfriend cardigan from FD Avenue. The mustard colour was perfect against the gold tones in the tee and is just the right shade for the autumn season whilst still having some of that summer brightness some of us wish was still here. 

I have many boyfriend cardigans in a variety of colours as they work well with many items and can be that simple burst of colour you want in an outfit. This one from FD Avenue is a comfortable and sleek item with cute pockets on either side. If you want light and simple coverage that adds that little bit of extra warmth this is a really nice option. 

I decided that other than the cardigan and tee combo I would keep everything else really simply with just black and white options. I combined these items with my black pleather skirt from Simplybe, black tights from Primark and my go to black heels. I absolutely love this skirt and it tends to go with pretty much everything I match it with, which is a bonus!

What I like about these items is that all of them can be put together with different outfits.

Versatile items always go well in my wardrobe as I'm a big fan of buying separates. I like the possibilities you get with individual items and the fact that they can work well within a number of different looks. 

I have a pretty big love for shoulder bags and satchels and when I saw this houndstooth print it just had to be mine! The classic print which is readily available pretty much everywhere and on everything at the moment, was more than welcome to work it's way into my closet. As a lover of both vintage and modern styles I find that anything with this print attached can usually work across the two styles and compliment any outfit perfectly. 

Have a play around this season with your style you never know what might just work for you!

*The Cardigan was gifted from FD Avenue.

Remember what ever you where, feel fabulous in it and where it with a smile!

High Waisted Swimming Knickers - An Elomi Review

It seems that even though the weather has changed and the coats and scarves are coming back out, we are still very much talking about swimwear. With every summer that passes fashion critics and consumers all over the world are talking about what makes suitable swim attire. I would think opinions on this matter would vary depending on who you are in conversation with. 

I have seen loads of posts and articles about one piece items, bikinis, tankinis etc all featuring a plethora of different styles and brands, celebrity collections and blogger favourites. A little over a year ago I first heard of lingerie and swimwear brand Elomi. The brand specialising in garments for a fuller figure have a series of gorgeous and simple styles and I have to say when I recently tried out their high waisted swim knickers I was beyond impressed. 

Image Courtesy Of Elomi

Many people buy swimsuits so that they can look super cute on the beach whilst catching some rays. I personally like items that are cute to look at but are practical for me. I really enjoy swimming and when I get near the sea I love take a leisurely dip and really go for it! First and foremost I want to feel comfortable and relaxed when I have a lot of skin on show. As a very busty woman I like to feel supported, lifted and secured in my swimsuit especially as water can make a garment feel heavy and loose. I also like something that is tight and firm against my stomach. 

When I first tried out these high waisted knickers I was amazed by the comfort, flexibility and support. They came just under my bra line, and held me in nicely. Some of my looser, wobbly bits were smoothed out and I really liked the overall look and appearance of the garment. I must state that I have a lot of high waisted spanx and control underwear that I like to wear with more form fitting items especially dresses. As much as I enjoy wearing these I have to say I was shocked to find that these swim knickers gave me a better overall shape and support than most of my shapewear and they actually feel amazing on, even when wet!

I was worried that I would have a little slippage in the back and stomach areas once the garment was wet which would inevitable reveal my back-fat but in truth I NEVER had this issue and felt amazing on the beach when I went away earlier this year. 

For those of you who are wanting to try a fatkini but would consider wearing a bikini top and matching swim knickers these are amazing and I cannot rate them more highly. You can pick these up via the official Elomi website or of course you can check out some other online retailers. I picked my pair up at Brastop for an amazing price so do check them out if you have a holiday coming up or you like to go to your local swimming baths. 

Remember what ever you where, feel fabulous in it and where it with a smile!