Welcoming Spring And Summer With George

It's finally the time of year when things are moving fast. The clocks have changed and it's officially British summer time. I love this time of year, the days are longer, nights shorter and all of the fashion brands have launched their spring and summer looks for the season. 

A couple of weeks ago Hanna, Isha and I attended the press day for George Asda at Somerset House. I have to say I was really impressed with loads of the things that they have on offer, from gorgeous new clothing options to home wear. The girls and I were able to select some items for review and one of the ones I selected is this gorgeous Lace Back Blouse. I love clothes that have a wrap detail in the front. I find that tops and dresses that have this detail work for women of all shapes and sizes and can add a subtle and sexy hint to a more casual or sophisticated item. 

What I loved about this top is how light and airy it is. The long sleeves make this item something that is wearable on a warm day whilst providing additional coverage for the evening breeze that hits the air this time of year. I love that the colour and material make this an item that would be suited to work and days out. I'm wearing this in a size 24 as I wanted a slightly oversized look. I really like the crochey detail at the back which is a really nice feature and again, allows the top to have a light and airy feel when wearing it. 

This top is currently available in sizes 8-24 and I can honestly say it would make a nice addition to any wardrobe. I paired this with a pair of Jeans from Junarose, unfortunately this particular pair is from a previous season but be sure to check out the website as there are some great new styles available. 

Currently in London we are experiencing really changeable weather so when I put this outfit together my idea was to have something warm and comfortable and still be prepared for the weather to make a sudden switch. I thought that my Biker Jacket from Yours Clothing would be a good option. 

Those who know me well will be aware that when I put my outfits together I ALWAYS try to colour coordinate. I have a big thing about wearing colours that compliment each other and so I often select makeup or accessories based on a colour somewhere in my chosen outfit. When I have the time I go as far as to matching my nail polish to an outfit too. You know what they say, the devil is in the details! I love the ombre dip-dye look of these jeans as there are several shades of blue all rolled into one. 

When it came to accessories I was lucky to have had those pre-selected. The baby blue duffle bag I'm wearing is also from George and is currently available. I tried to find a link for this one on the site but I only came across the black version. For those of you who like the blue you may find it in selected stores. The sunglasses I have on are also part of the new collection so it's definitely worth checking out the website to see what cool accessories they currently have on offer. 

My black platform heels and large diamonte ring are from Primark and are old favourites of mine that I pull out from time to time. I thought my beret would also be a nice addition to the look and would give the outfit just the right amount of black that I wanted. Sometimes I like to keep things simple, I find that by doing this, the days when I do get dolled up are more fun.

We've reached the time of year when people are planning their summer holidays so take a look in your wardrobe and see what great items might be due a re-vamp. Of course we all like to add new bits to our closets so take a look at what's out there. I have seen some great options on sale at great prices. George have some great bits available so don't forget to take a look at the website.

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

All I Have To Say Is W.O.W! - A Zizzi Fashion Review!

What can I say except WOW! Not often do I see a clothing collection and fall in love with it at first glance! When Hanna came back from a trip home to Finland she had many fun and interesting stories to tell me but in addition to that she also had some gorgeous look books from her trip that she thought I'd like to see. Danish brand Zizzi have a collection that is fun, fresh, sexy and a little different. They call it W.O.W (Wardrobe Of Wonders). I have to say I think the name of the collection is the perfect title for such a gorgeous group of clothes and accessories. 

I first discovered Zizzi last year and I have to say they have fast become one of my favourite brands! The quality in their clothes is second to none, the style always hot and they definitely bring something different to the table style wise. When I first laid eyes on this Navy jumper and kilt set I knew I HAD to get my hands on the outfit! Keeping a close eye on the release date for the collection in anticipation, Hanna let me try on one of her outfits that she had been given by the brand to review before the release.

What I loved about this particular outfit is the way it embodies so many different style genres. I see hints of the 1950s in the shape and length of the kilt, the jumper gives off a fun and youthful vibe that would be suited to the 80s and 90s fashions. The richness in the navy and gold tones give off a regal feel that is really high fashion and the styles mixed together present something really fun and modern. This particular outfit is available in a series of colours from baby pink, baby blue, navy and black and white box grid print. I'm wearing a size L jumper and an XL skirt. I had planned to purchase this outfit on Navabi when the collection was released at the end of last month but unfortunately these items are not available on the website. Navabi is the only online outlet that sells Zizzi clothes to the UK. I had planned to get the top in an XL and the skirt in an L for a slightly better fit. 

The Jumper is a really stretchy and thick fabric that feels silky smooth to the touch. I really like the length of this one as it perfectly sits in the right place for a skirt to be worn with it. The kilt is a warm and thick material that would make this easy to wear towards the end of winter and would be a comfortable selection for the spring and summer. 

This outfit for me is really adaptable for a fun and playful look or a more casual chic feel. I really like the school uniform feel of this look. The deep navy tones and the rich gold allow for fun and playful accessories. I decided that I would wear a shiny black hair scarf to compliment the sheen in the jumper and a gold scrunchie in my hair to tie everything in. I completed this look with a simple pair of open toe nude heels and a clear perspex clutch with gold clasp.

Despite not being able to buy this outfit I was so excited to learn that I was the lucky winner of a Zizzi Instagram competition. All that was required was for entrants to post what size they would like to wear the jumper with a matching blue tube skirt and a winner would be selected at random. Like most things you never expect to be the person who wins the prize but I have to say this really made my day! I have loved this collection since first viewing the look books and I can 100% see why they called it W.O.W. 

The gorgeous Hanna has styled this outfit in another post check it out here. Check out her review of the digital print outfit here too. When Hanna, Lucie and I met up for a bloggers day of fashion and fun we just knew that Lucie would look gorgeous in the digital print outfit, she even had the perfect hair to match. Check out her review here. 

To see the entire W.O.W collection check out the official Zizzi website here. To buy selected items from the W.O.W collection check out the Navabi site who also stock other items from different Zizzi collections. 

For all Zizii updates follow their Facebook page. 

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

Mum In A Million!

So it's Mother's day here in the UK and with that we are seeing streams of lovely tributes and comments for mums all over social media today. I have to say I am a soppy chick sometimes and I'm one of those people who really enjoys seeing people express the love they have for their friends and family.

Of course today we are all celebrating mums and I would like to write a post about why I am extremely lucky to have such an amazing mother myself. Now I will just start by saying I won't post any pictures of my mum on the blog as she's not on social media at all and probably wouldn't want me posting her pic.

In my case though, I have to say I have a really great relationship with my mum. I won't lie and say it's always been a smooth one, I think all teenage girls get to a point when they clash with their mum but in my case that was only a very short period and it actually helped me to really appreciate my mum. Growing up in London, my immediate family has always been my mum and my older brother. My parents divorced when I was young and my relationship with my father died shortly after that. I grew up only really knowing one side of my family and I have to say I wasn't short on love, laughs and family excitement. Admittedly though growing up in a single parent family presents many struggles. I saw my mum work her fingers to the bone so that myself and my brother could not only have all that we needed but also most of the things that we wanted in addition to that. During my childhood my mum spent some time in the hospital after suffering from pneumonia and that was a really difficult time. My grandmother very much acted as a second mother to me and their influence together has helped to shape me into the woman I am today.

I know it sounds corny but my mum really is my best friend. I don't mean that in a happy go lucky sort of way though. I know that no matter what situation I should find myself in, whatever decision I have to make etc. my mum is the first person I need to speak to. Not only has she played the role of both mum and dad in my life she's the one person who will give me the truth in a direct, blunt manner. I'm a very "tell it like it is" sort of a person, I think this is a trait I picked up from her. I know that she has ALWAYS and will ALWAYS have the best interests of me and my brother and with that will tell us the things we may not like or may not want to hear that in turn will be the best information we could receive. 

I have to say I'm so proud of my mum, I really am. I'm not naive and unable see all that she has given up for me and my brother. She had my brother at just 25 years old and I came along a year after. I'm 27 years old now and I cannot imagine how hard it must have been to be raising 2 kids in London on her own! She of course had less personal time, money and opportunities because she would do everything with us as her priority. A couple of years ago she moved out to India for a year. I of course missed having those deep chats and fun nights chilling at home with her, but to see her taking the chance to do something for her and her alone is something I more than welcomed. Not only has she been an amazing influence to me and my brother she also took the time to be there for many of our friends growing up. Mum has an ease about her which allows people to connect with her and openly chat about things. A lot of my friends also grew up in broken homes or they just didn't have the kind of relationship with their parents that allowed them to speak about personal issues. One of my oldest friends grew up without her mother and during those difficult adolescent years as a teenager it was my mum who stepped up and helped her to deal with her first period and some of the other awkward things we girls experience. 

I have been fortunate to have a mother who supports me and my brother in our career aspirations and future goals. She's always had my back and always will and I really feel that I do have one of the best mums out there! Love you mum xxx

I was recently contacted by the lovely people at the Home Group who are running an amazing competition with Park Dean called Mum In A Million. You could win an amazing 3-4 night break for your mum. All you have to do is enter your details with a few words about why your mum is the best and you could be the lucky winner! Click here to enter!

Monochrome Mixup!

Sometimes you just feel like mixing things up a little. In my case I tend to dress according to my mood, the usual tact I take is dress in a way to compliment my mood or in an effort to change it. When it's a hot summer day I like to wear bright and fun colours that make me feel summery and ready for anything. In the winter although I dress in accordance to the weather, my mission there is to add some much needed colour to the dreary season.

Just a few days ago Hanna, Isha and I went to the George Asda press day which took place at Somerset House to see what spring and summer delights they had to offer. That morning before heading out to meet the girls, I took a look out the window and decided that I would be wearing an outfit that was head to toe black and white. When I play around with monochrome styles the look tends to be a causal one. I figured that as I was heading to a fashion press day I would put my spin on things and play around with varying patterns and prints all in black and white.

The girls and I had a fun filled afternoon and we got to see some great new lines coming from George. Fun and fresh beach looks, sophisticated and fun outfits for the evening, cute looks for summer days and some amazing items for the home. Stay tuned for some future posts from me featuring some of the current lines available. 

Working my way from top to bottom I decided to pull out a black and white bandana for my hair, those of you who know my style will know that hair scarves, bandanas and hats are very prominent in my personal style. I like to use them as a way of pulling an outfit together and more often than not they come in handy when taking care of a bad hair day! Paisley prints are something I go crazy for just as much as houndstooth and polka dots so this was an easy choice for me.

The main outfit for me was going to be some items that are from previous collections by Zizzi. What with London Fashion Week just behind us and the fashion brands all out in force promoting their High Summer ranges the slogan 'Sport VS Fashion' seemed to fit perfectly for a casual sports luxe sort of look. I'm wearing the oversized t-shirt dress in size XL. Paired with black leggings that come complete with a white panel across the legs, size XL. I couldn't go wrong with the look I wanted to achieve.

To finish off the look I of course opted for my Biker Jacket from Yours Clothing, size 24. This jacket has become one of my many go-to items as it works with a large variety of styles. My dogtooth trim shoe boots from Evans were a must as I was mixing patterns and prints. For accessories I wore my houndstooth satchel, black steel diamonte chaps bracelet and chocker. 

For me when it comes to style it's subjective. Wear the clothes that make you feel incredible and have fun with how you style them! I love experimenting with my look I find it's a really fun and changeable way of expressing myself and the great thing about it is that many other people will inspire you along the way. I see women walking down the street every day in the cutest outfits and I'm always attracted to the fine details in the outfit. I pay attention to colour combinations, accessories and makeup. 

Sometimes the simple items can be really brought to life by the small things you do in your outfit. Match your lipstick colour to something in your look maybe a colour on a top, your bag etc. Find accessories to either compliment an outfit or bring a new dimension to it.

Zizzi clothes can be found at Navabi, these items may not be available but there are some really cool looks that you can pick up, check out their link here.

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

Seduced By Medusa! A Lady Voluptuous Review

Those of you know who know my blog and are familiar with my sense of style will know that I have a deep love and affection for Vintage clothing. When I first took note of the style I was only a small child, I remember watching the old movies and seeing images of the beautiful and glamorous stars of the time. I, like a lot of people had resigned myself to the fact that I would ever be able to wear such gorgeous clothes. I had 2 reasons for this, firstly my being a plus size woman limited my options of clothing even when it came to the current trends that were available, secondly I figured that those sorts of clothes would be impossible for anyone to find outside of old second-hand vintage stores and because of how far in time we were away from the decades that these fashions were born from. 

When I first discovered plus size fashion blogs a few years ago so many of the women were sporting vintage inspired dresses! To see that this was an option really caught my interest and I took it upon myself to get myself measured and invest in a dress of my own. I'm happy to report that now in 2015 there is a plethora of options open to ladies of all sizes both on the high street and online. If you are a more alternative woman who loves the Rockabilly style then many of the dresses out there will be right up your street. If like me you go for a more classic form of the style, the choices are endless and can be adapted to suit the Rockabilly style.

As many of you will be aware one of the gorgeous bloggers I follow is the amazing Georgina Horne aka Fuller Figure Fuller Bust. She is a major lover of vintage fashion and amazing person to follow if you want to see great style and beauty tips; perfect for pinup admirers and women everywhere. Just a few weeks ago Georgina launched an amazing new vintage inspired clothing line that she created in partnership with Lady Vintage. Lady voluptuous is a range that was created with plus size women being the soul focus! Every single design is available in sizes 16-32. 

Recently Lady Voluptuous ran a competition on their Facebook page. They had put up an image of the amazing Medusa dress in 2 colours: Royal Blue and Oxblood. All the entrants had to do was simply say which colour they preferred and 2 names would be selected at random to win, one selecting the blue and the other who had selected the oxblood. When I received a tweet from the brand telling me to check my Facebook I had no idea why, in truth I had forgotten that I even commented myself. To find out that I was the winner of the Royal Blue dress seriously shocked me and totally made my day! You all know my love of blue clothes so as you can expect this dress was on my wish list of items to purchase next payday!

The fit of the dress is amazing, made in a bengaline fabric the dress has amazing stretch, moulding to all of the hot and sexy spots to a woman's physique and highlighting them really well. I should also note that this fabric doesn't seem to crease either which is a bonus! I'm wearing this in a size 22 and have loads of room in the arms, bust and behind. I really like the length of the dress as it's below the knee. Many plus women dislike their knees being exposed, in my case I don't mind but as my legs aren't perfectly toned this feature makes the dress that little bit more comfortable to wear. The neckline is just enough to provide a glimpse of cleavage whilst still being modest enough to wear anywhere. I always wear my fitted dresses with shapewear but to be honest the dress looked just as good without. 

Doesn't Georgina look amazing in this:

I decided to wear the dress with a metallic blue head scarf (once again I was having a battle with my hair), statement chocker, black heels and my heart charm bracelet. For an extra touch of glam I pulled out my pleather jacket with faux fur collar (from a previous New Look Inspire Collection). I think this dress would look amazing with electric blue heels, paired with gold or silver accessories. A cute cinch belt would be a nice addition for a little something extra. Acrylic jewellery might be a fun twist to provide a more casual touch. Available in emerald green, oxblood, leopard print and cerise there is a colour to suit all tastes and skin tones. 

Check out the amazing collection by Georgina and Lady Voluptuous and see what other amazing styles are available!

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

Clip It In! A Simple, Easy And Amazing Hair Accessory!

All Images Have Been Seen In Previous Outfit Posts

When it comes to my look the hardest thing for me to get right is my hair! I wish my hair was easier to style and to work with but in truth it has always been and continues to be a nightmare! I'll give you the short description of my hair traumas... All of my childhood I had dreadlocks, being that both my parents have them and my hair is so troublesome my mother decided to lock my hair when I was small because every time she tried to style it I would scream the entire house down! I know this sounds like most kids but seriously my hair is different to many people's. The texture of my hair is seriously coarse and tight curls, if you've ever felt a stiff afro in your lifetime you will know what I mean. Despite being of mixed ethnic background I most definitely have 100% afro Caribbean hair which almost none of the other members of my family have! My mother is of Irish and Trinidad decent and my father is Jamaican with Asian mix. My older brother has much softer hair than I do, as do my parents and extended family. When I reached about 13/14 years old I decided that I wanted to cut off my locks. I personally wanted to be able to play around and style my hair in more ways than my locks would allow, and so I started the process of slowly growing out my hair without twisting my re-growth back into my locks. Once I reached a length that I thought was suitable I chopped off the excess of my hair. 

A Clip-in/Draw String Ponytail

Now all mixed race/afro Caribbean girls will know that the level of maintenance required for hair our style is pretty high! I keep my hair straight and have used several methods to do so. I used to straighten my hair using sensitive no-lye relaxers. For those of you who aren't aware of what a hair relaxer is, it's a chemically produced paste that you spread into your hair, combing it through until eventually your hair starts to burn straight. I have a seriously sensitive scalp and so for me this is a really painful procedure which burns the scalp. Hair stylists recommend that you leave you hair dirty before doing this, they then base your scalp with a hair grease, similar texture to a petroleum jelly and this is to protect it from the relaxer. Even when doing this it can seriously burn. You leave the paste in your hair for the recommended time required for your hair type and then you wash it out. Washing out the relaxer is a timely process as you need to use a neutralising shampoo which deactivates the relaxer and stops it from burning the hair straight. Usually 8-10 washes are required. Oil and steam treatments are required to protect and seal the hair and then you are set to style it.

I have recently been hot combing my hair, this produces near-similar results without the use of chemicals. A metal comb is placed in a stove or heated on an oven and then you comb it through the hair, using a serum or heat protective grease and it burns your hair straight in the same way a GHD or electrical straightener would. The only difference between this and relaxing the hair is that it's a semi-permanent solution whereas relaxing only requires you to work on your roots when they grow out. 

After all this burning of the hair it can be seriously tough for me to style my hair. It's seriously layered only coming down to my shoulders and so scraping it back into a ponytail is fine but I tend to get a lot of stray ends lol. I often get extensions woven into my hair to add body and length but a more popular item I use is a clip in ponytail. This is my go-to hair accessory and one I use all the time. All you have to do is put your hair in a tight bun, grip the teeth into the hair right at the base and then pull the draw string to secure it in place. It takes literally 3 minutes to do and the end result is great. 

Clip-ins retail between £7-50 and they come in a variety of lengths and textures. I tend to go for straight with some slight curls or waves in colour 1B to match the tone of my natural hair. The funny thing is loads of people think it's my natural hair, which I guess is a cool thing lol. Anyway here are some pictures of me sporting a clip-in. As you can see there are many ways it can be worn. I have braided my natural hair, rolled it into a quiff or just kept it simple.

If you want a quick fix for your hair that can add that little bit of glam without the hours of styling and mountains or spray try one out for yourself! I wear mine with hats, hair scarves and on their own. They can be adapted to suit all styles from casual to super glam! Such a simple and easy item to use, one that is ALWAYS in my accessory drawer! 

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