Hello Everybody, if you are anything like me you'll be pretty much inside 24/7 at the moment due to the grim weather and left over festive austerity. I cant remember what the outside smells like, or how it feels to be around living things that aren't equally as miserable cats. All of this is basically me justifying why I am wearing no shoes in these pictures. Sorry. You're just lucky I've brushed my hair...
I've not invested in my wardrobe too much new of late, mainly because of the hibernation but that hasn't stopped me from online window shopping which is where I saw this fabulous Simply Be frock. I've got to be honest, I was initially unsure about parting with my cold hard cash, basically because i didn't think it would cover my arse but COVER MY ARSE IT DOES. In fact, it's a really good tall girl length - Mini but not obscene.
A few people have commented on their sleeve dislike of this dress which i think is crackers because these sleeves are quite frankly the bomb. I'm also a big fan of the A Line shape which sits just under the bust on me (unlike on the model online, I must have long boobs), it gives a great shape without feeling too clingy and gives a fab 60s shape. I really seem to going back to my Plus Size retro roots at the moment don't I?
Have a fab weekend everyone - I'm going to the countryside to freeze my arse off!
I'll be back next week with shoes on. I may even be outside. HURRAH!
I just wanted to call in and wish you a wonderful day of hearts and cheap chocolate, as well as slipping in a couple of pictures of my one true love; Clothes.
To show myself how much I love me on this magical day, I got dressed up all nice in my new vintage dress and let my Mum take pictures of me whilst i pranced about in the garden, because nothing says self love like a touch of frostbite and a chest infection...
I couldn't speak higher of No 87 in Hull - It's a Dove House Hospice shop which is curated so beautifully that I've never left empty handed. This particular visit brought two new/old dresses into my life and I could have quite happily left with more, especially as this one only set me back £10. The other wonderful thing about this shop is that it adjoins the original charity shop, meaning that nothing goes to waste - None of that overpriced second hand as vintage nonsense.
On this Valentines day, I would like leave you with the reminder that the most important person to love today is yourself.
Today I'm going to tell you about my Valentines day. For the past seven years my husband and I have done exactly the same thing on the annual day of romance. It has become a tradition if you will, symbolic of our love for each other. I am never disappointed, I once even managed to read a paper whilst we were doing it.
So as the big day approaches and magazines tell us what we should wear to impress our dearly beloved, I will always be confident in my choice of: Whatever doesn't show up the ketchup.
Saying this, I do sometimes wonder what it would be like to be the kind of couple who do full blown romance, you know; Helicopter flights, oysters, champagne and rose petals on the bed. Basically, V Day Kim and Kanye style. That's where FarFetch.com come in.
FarFetch bring together over 300 high end boutiques and showcase over 1000 designers. I must confess, I spent a good few hours on the site whilst I was putting this look together. It would have been difficult not to.
So here it is, my fancy "what if" Valentines outfit. The D&G dress makes me feel weak - It's utterly perfect. Grungy black lace with a hint of my favourite shade of green, teamed with the vibrant red shoes and earrings and the stunning Lanvin clutch (it IS the international day of hearts on everything after all) and all topped of with the power coat of a lifetime.
This outfit is all about the glamour and I'm a bit sad that I'll never get to wear it all. Unless I win on the Premium Bonds... So if, like me, your budget doesn't quite stretch to Balmain, why not wear your heart where we can see it with this slightly more payday friendly Aurelie Bidermann heart ring.
Jeans - Saint Laurent / FarFetch Peacoat - Rick Owens / FarFetch Polo Shirt - Ralph Lauren / FarFetch Desert Boots - Opening Ceremony / FarFetch
There is just as much choice for the discerning gent - This is exactly the kind of shizzle my Husband wears and he looks damn good in it.
I just want to mention sizing. Everything above is available in my size - 16 in dress and 9 shoe, and many items are available up to an XXXL which the website states is a size 20 (Mostly Carolina Herrera and Diane Von Furstenberg) FarFetch is definitely worth a look for the incredible bags alone, but unless you're a smaller plus, clothing choice is limited.
For this year at least I'll be helicopter and designer dress free, which isn't a problem with me at all - If I ever end up anywhere other than Morrisons Caff, we all know love is dead...
I'm not going to waste internet space writing about where I've been of late for the following reasons: 1. It's boring, 2. We need to save space on the internet for pictures of pandas in the snow and Javier Bardem with his shirt off. So lets get straight into it;
Before Christmas Evans got in touch and asked if I'd be interested in reviewing an outfit for them. I decided that as it was a gift I'd go for something completely different from usual - Hence the Black Cape Chiffon Dress*.
If you don't love a cape you're basically a baddie. Capes make everything more exciting - Can you remember fastening the top button of your coat and running around the playground shouting "dinner dinner dinner dinner, dinner dinner dinner dinner BATMAAAN"? Well I can and this is almost exactly the same only slightly more acceptable at the age of 31.
I really like where this dress sits on me - the length is the perfect "short" on me, I really like how it fits (I'm in a 16 which is very true to size) and I really like that it's not like anything else I own - Not one of my existing dresses has a cape which I've never previously been disappointed by. Now I am.
I have the dress dressed down here with leather ankle boots because I was going to a birthday party and needed to be not only *comfortable* but also a bit swishy so that i could swish about and be one of life's winners. Saying this, I can imagine it with chunky heeled sandals for a city break when the weather bucks its ideas up.
This dress is currently in the sale and if you're a kooky kitten like me there's also a stunning embellished version which is really tickling all my vintage senses,
I'm not just popping in for a sporadic blog here, unless something out of my control happens (Alien abduction / I finally contract salmonella from my husband who is 95% chicken nugget) I thoroughly intend to post regularly from hereon in. I have some corking outfits from Live Unlimited, Navabi and Biba to name a few so, frankly, it would be rude not to.
Em x
* Denotes gifted items but please be aware that I always state my own opinion.
Trigger warning: This post mentions previous issues around food, diet and body image. It also has a plethora of positive parts and it has a VERY happy ending and this is what I want you to take away with you. However, there are also elements which may be where you're at now, or bring up tough memories so please take care of yourself above all else and remember that you are entirely not alone, not at all, there are people (myself included) ready to listen to you should you want, need or think you could do with it.
I've had a few weeks away from the
blog, partly for a break after all the excitement of the #AllYours campaign but
partly because I HAVE A NEW JOB. You know what new job means...?
GatheredShift Dress*:
Manon Baptiste from Navabi
Shoes: Old (SimilarHERE)
Chain: Old (SimilarHERE)
In the past I've generally gone for
Next and Primark for my work wardrobe because it's cheap and cheerful, of late it's lacked
individuality and I've started to tire of that black sweaty generic workwear
material. I'm trying to bring a bit of my own personality into my workwear. This dress does just that; The draping, cap sleeves and cowl neck make it elegant yet wearable and the forest green colour further takes it away from your standard drab office get up.
Something I will say, I wish that this
dress was a bit longer. The Navabi Collection dress that I have is just that
bit longer and it makes a real difference when it comes to feeling put together
- I feel like if this sat below the knee with a pencil shape, we'd be in the realms
of dress perfection. Saying that, when I wear this with my full length wool coat, it looks like I'm wearing nothing else under it which is pretty cool and gets me a lot of attention...
There's a strong chance that my
wardrobe will consist of workwear and pyjamas for at least the next 12 years so
this will be the beginning of a Plus size workwear feature, if you can
recommend anywhere, in particular for taller bizness women, please drop me a
comment!
Em x
*The dress in this post was bought in part with a voucher gifted to me from the lovely guys at Navabi. I chose the dress and opinions are all my own.
You may know what I am about to tell you, in which case you will be bored STIFF of seeing pictures of his BUT I AM GOING TO TELL YOU ANYWAY AS THIS IS MY WAVE AND I AM RIDING IT UNTIL I EITHER FALL OFF OR SOMEONE KICKS ME OFF.
Let me start by showing you the following:
Yes, that is me going "pow", it is also me sitting on a chair in my birthday suit like the floozie that I am. But WHY I hear you say! Well I've been bloody lucky, that's why. I decided early this year to enter the Yours Clothing #YoursNeedsMe competition as part of my "Just say yes" vibe. The competition was to become the face of the Yours Clothing A/W campaign and feature on their TV advert. I am going to level with you here - I DID NOT THINK I STOOD A CHANCE. Genuinely. To cut a long story short; following photos, videos, a hilarious casting which I hope nobody will ever see, wracked nerves, a lot of disbelief and extreme smacking of my gob, I became one of the chosen four. And that is when life as I knew it changed. The phonecall I received the day after the casting went as follows: Producer: "Emma?" Me: *squeak* Producer: "The director really liked you" Me: *squeak* Producer: "Can you come to Palma in two weeks?" Me: *Is dead on the floor has died from shock but is also saying "yes please are you sure I think you have the wrong number I touched my nose with my foot in the casting how can you want me I'm old and I fall over all the time and oh my gosh yes please please don't change your mind how much did my Husband pay you...."*
The advert shoot was utterly mind blowing For a start, along with the four professional models, we were flown out to Palma (The one in Spain) (Is there another one?) Put in a beautiful hotel, taken for delicious meals and then put to work...The shoot day was awesome, the work that Yours, Chief Productions and TBWA put in was enough to make me shattered just thinking about it. We were collected at 6am and taken to the set, from the moment we arrived it was a flurry of hair, makeup, styling, muffins (you can put a girl in nice clothes but you cant make her a model...) and then I was up. I did some dancing, some wiggling about and a sh*t tonne of sweating (in my defence, I was wearing a parka and a woolly hat in 40 degree heat)
The director was a star, he knew exactly how to get the best out of me...and how to get me to take my clothes off (I'm a sucker for a pretty face). Which takes us to that shot. A lot of people have asked if I'm actually naked. I'm not telling you. All I'm saying is that the chair had to be burnt after filming...
A couple of months later the girls were back together in a moderately less sticky climate to put together an A/W lookbook and shoot the photos which you may have seen in every window of every Yours Clothing store in the country...(HUMBLE AREN'T I?!)
The Yours clothing team are amazing. Genuinely. Being around them is like being with friends, they looked after us, supported us and spoilt us rotten (SO better than friends really...I might see if I can keep them...) We got to try on the A/W15 Heritage range, which is SO far up my street - There is not an item I didn't want (Except the parka which I've fallen out with for trying to kill me in the 40 degree Palma heat)
My favourite shot from the day with Tia, love this girl <3 All clothes are available at www.Yoursclothing.co.uk
I honestly have not tired of friends messaging me pictures of shop windows in all reaches of the UK - This is a once in a lifetime experience, I am not a model, this will not happen for me again so I am going to enjoy every single second of it (Including opening the Meadowhall store which I will tell you more about very soon!)
For me, in order to invest in a brand, I need to know that it has integrity and that it truly cares for its customers. So many brands are happy to make money from plus size women, they'll use plus size bloggers in their campaigns and pay lip service to diversity but when it comes to the crunch, the models they fall back on are a size 14-16 (at the most...). Now don't get me wrong, I'm a size 16, and I love seeing women of my size online - Simply, It makes it easier to see how clothes are going to look on me.
BUT, I am in the majority, I am represented everywhere.
Comments on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are testament to the fact that women want representing, and not just in terms of size diversity. Plus size women of colour have gone all this time with minimal representation in the world of fashion at any size (Steph from A Nerd About Town speaks about this HERE). It is something that many of us take for granted. And it ain't right.
The models used for the ad and the women who won the competition range from a size 14 - 26. They are Yours clothing customers, they come from different backgrounds, have different lives, look different; women of colour, tall women, short women, glamorous women, talented women and well...me...
I honestly could not be prouder to be a part of this. By no means am I saying "Look, Yours have fixed it all we can forget about under representation now" but they are becoming known for using a diverse range of models, (for example Tess Holliday and the utterly breathtakingly stunning Olivia Campbell). They are making a change and I sincerely hope that other brands will stand up and take notice.
The experience was incredible but I can honestly say that these three women made it everything it was; Linzi, Tia and Poppy are three of the most beautiful, dynamic and unique women I have had the pleasure to meet. Every minute with them has been like spending time with old friends, I guarantee to you here and now that this will not be the last you see of them so keep your eyes peeled (and just remember I called it!)
I hope that you love the campaign and advert as much as we loved being part of it. Your feedback and support so far has made me weepy on many an occasion and further proves me what a kick ass awesome group of readers this blog has.
Finally, I urge you: When an opportunity arises - Take it.
