Of course, I’m not really, but I did get to pretend for a lovely day with Velvet d’Amour, and am in the latest issue of her magazine Volup2. I’m so honoured to be a part of this, it’s such an amazing project. It’s less of a magazine and more of a coffee table book, chock full of editorials with a huge array of people, with different colours, abilities, sizes, genders represented. In fact you can actually order a print version, which is awesome.

I wasn’t the only blogger photographed of course, the gorgeous Chloe from Le Blog de Neiiko and Georgina from Fuller Figure Fuller Bust – the cover girl herself! We were photographed at the same time which was so much fun. Also I had the best kebab ever (I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s important ok?).

These are just some low res images I pulled – you can see the rest of the photos – and details and links of all the items worn are in the magazine itself, which, handily, I’ve embedded below to browse at your leisure, below:

I can’t recommend looking through this magazine enough (although it is NSFW, I must add!) as it really is wonderful and inspirational. Well done to everyone involved!

Hello my dears, there appears to be a few events coming up that all look to be great fun! I’m sure you know of them already, but just in case I thought I’d post about them – click the images and they’ll take you to each respective site.

I have been looking forward to Fattylympics for SO long! It’s organised by Kay, who arranged the amazing Big Bum Jumble in 2010, in fact all the profits from that have gone to help set up this event. It’s a fun, fat friendly send up of the Olympics complete with stalls, games, competitions, and its own theme tune (written and recorded by Verity from Electrelane, indie fans). It takes place on Saturday 7th July, 12pm – 5pm at Grassroots Resource Centre, West Ham, London. I’ll be stewarding, so see you there!

If you aren’t in London, then another awesome event is happening on Saturday July 7th: Plus North! Headed up by Becky and Toni, this is the northern arm of Plus London, with sponsors such as Simply Be (complete with a catwalk show!), Excite and Trapped in a Skinny World. It costs £5 for a ticket and takes place at Aspire in Leeds from 1pm – 6pm. It’s going to be great, can’t wait to read all about it.

Another London event (sorry peeps) that takes place in a couple of weeks! Katie has organised a clothing swap for sizes 14 and up on her fabulous roof terrace on Saturday May 26th, from 1:30pm. Make sure you bring at least 5 items, too!

Hope to see you at Fattylympics and the swap, and have fun at Plus North!

One of the reasons I’ve managed to keep this blog going for so long is because my geekiness with regards to fashion and clothes hasn’t waned at all. If anything, it’s gotten worse! I spend about an hour every day just browsing the new in sections of my favourite sites and checking out new ones, to see if there’s anything to shout about.

With the influx of spring and a few new brands popping up, my wishlist has gotten full to bursting. It’s unlikely I’ll ever own many of these beauties, but there’s nothing stopping me adorning my blog with them, right?

ASOS Curve (20 – 26)

Lantern skirt in floral Jaquard
Floral Peplum Dress
Premium dress with floral applique
Skater dress with floral detail

Anna Scholz (14 – 28)

Georgette blue utility button dress
Tailored pale pink anchor button dress
Tailored pink corset dress
Georgette tie-back poodle print dress

Ax Paris Curve (16 – 26)

Orange drop back strapless jewel dress
Two in one butterfly dress
Sweetheart spot lace dress
Taupe button collar dress

Excite Clothing (16 – 26)

Baby pink jeggings
Cream bird print A-line dress
Black and white striped dress
Cat print bow dress in navy and orange

Forever 21+ (1X – 3x)

Jade colourblock yoke dress
Polka dot slub tee
Hooded sheer shirt
Stardust cross top
Surplice floral dress

Misc

Yours Clothing (16 – 32) Turquoise chain print illusion dress
Monif C (US14 – US24) Whitley dress
Damn You Alexis (AUS16 – AUS26) Zig Zag dress

Phew! That’s only part one – there’s more amazing stuff by the likes of Simply Be, Very and New Look Inspire that I’m coveting. Also if you’re on pinterest, I have a board full of plus size fashion as I find it – take a look!

I haven’t really taken much stock of lingerie on the blog, mostly because measuring myself I come up as something like a 52AA which is near impossible to buy, especially as I prefer push up, padded bras to try and give myself a more proportionate overall shape. The past few months I’ve been making do with some 38B push up bras from Sainsburys, and 40A bras from the Gok Wan range at Simply Yours.

At Plus London, new larger back and cup size brand Elomi (size range 34D – 48K) had a stall and also fitted guests. I was gutted that I didn’t get a chance to be fitted on the night, so when I was invited to the Evenden group Autumn/Winter press day which included a bra fitting, I had to go and find out once and for all!

The event was held at a lounge above the Swarovski store on Great Marlborough Street, and I got to hang out with Em, Bethany, Claire and Georgina. The Evenden staff were absolutely lovely, and the atmosphere was so relaxed and friendly. Of course, all the lingerie on display was beautiful too…

They had models on hand to try on bras that anyone wanted to see on a live person. The three of them were all super sweet and helpful as well, talking about the fit of each bra. I also loved that they included models of different sizes and larger mannequins. Not all brands go to the effort of making larger customers feel included, so it’s always nice when you go somewhere that does.

The Huit range focused on a 40s, cabaret, boudior aesthetic. Their sizes range from 30A – 38DD. (Can you play “spot the blogger in the background”?)

Fauve was delicate and feminine with a jewelled colour palette. Their sizes range from 30B – 38H.

Lovely bloggers posing with their swag!

So, what was the result of my fitting? The assistant felt that my back size, 38, was actually correct (a big shock to me) and that the cup was too small. She handed me a 38D by Freya (sizes range from 28B – 40K) – Roxanne:

It wasn’t padded, but fit pretty much perfectly. It was quite odd wearing a bra that didn’t squish or push up my boobs at all, but it still gave me a great shape! The prospect of being a 38D excites me, though I do recall Lorna’s post about how shopping for her fitted size has proved difficult in other shops. But I’m definitely a 38D in Freya, and I can’t wait to shop their stunning underwear!

Finally, here’s what I wore:

Dress: Yours Clothing
Necklace: Tatty Devine
Cardigan: Torrid (gifted last year)
Spike ring: Chubby Cartwheels
Heart ring: Domino Dollhouse
Shoes: ASOS
Glasses: London Retro “Soho” (gifted last year)

I’d worn this dress before – it’s gotten a lot of wear since I bought it, actually. After the event I hung out in The Diner and then went to see Blood Red Shoes, who’ve always been a guilty pleasure of mine. They were great, but I had an altercation on the way out, which disturbed me a lot. I will probably emote on tumblr about it at some point, though.

So all in all, despite the sour note at the end I had a great day and I now am owner of a beautiful lingerie set! Thanks, Evenden group!

Sailor dress & hat: Courtesy of Joker’s Masquerade
Shoes: Primark

Now, I don’t know about you but half the time I look at fancy dress costumes I think they’re game for day wear. Especially the sailor ones! What can I say, I love a bit of kitsch. I’ve posted about my fancy dress escapades before, although they were all cobbled together myself (as was my Hamburglar outfit at Burger Queen). So when I was asked by Joker’s Masquerade if I wanted to test run one of their new plus size fancy dress costumes, I jumped at the chance!

I chose the Shipmate Cutie dress in 3X/4X – I’d seen it before and had promised myself I’d get it if I had any fancy dress parties coming up. It’s super cute – I love the detailing of the buttons, rope belt and bow. It’s a halterneck, with the sailor collar covering the top of your back. The hat is included also. It’s so, so so cute!

The only issue is that it is very tight, more than I was expecting as it is supposed to fit up to a size 26. I think it will though, because the material is very stretchy and being a halterneck gives more space. The skirt is flared too, so even though the bodice is very fitted on me my hips are concealed! It does also come up quite short, but considering this is more of a “boudoir” outfit I can understand that.

I’m really pleased that there are more plus size fancy dress options here in the UK now, and I’ll definitely be buying from Joker’s Masquerade again. Thanks guys!

Dress: Simply Be
Jacket: Very.co.uk (review here)
Belt: Evans
Rings: Domino Dollhouse
Boots: Evans
Necklace: Accessorize (from a 2011 press day)
Glasses: Courtesy of Glasses Direct

Hello my lovelies! Hope you had a good weekend. Just a quick outfit post from me featuring my new favourite dress. I’m a real weakling for skater dresses, and I’d been hankering after something minty for ages – yes, I love spring/summer’s pastels, so sue me – and this dress fit the bill perfectly.

Initially I worried whether I would wear this biker jacket much once I reviewed it, but actually it’s become one of my most worn items. I love it! Even my mum tried it on and she looks amazing in it – just wish she’d have let me take a photo!

Sequin vest: One Stop Plus (gifted for review)
Skirt: Carmakoma
Belt: Evans
Necklace: Tatty Devine
Headband: Primark
Shoes: ASOS
Ring: Chubby Cartwheels

Hey peeps! Hope you’re all very well? Okay, before I talk about today’s outfit I must point out that Carmakoma (who the skirt is by, I bought it a couple of years ago) have…

FREE.

WORLDWIDE

DELIVERY.

Like seriously, you have until May 1st to grab what you can! The thing with Carmakoma is because they are a designer and independent, their prices are higher than our fave retail places. Their clothes are so good and such great quality though that it’s like an investment. This skirt for example I bought and I intend to pass down to my grandkids!

Really, though, the star of this outfit is the vest, which was sent to my by the team at One Stop Plus. I didn’t realise but I got the biggest size (20/22) however it’s pretty stretchy so I think someone a bit bigger than me could work it, too. The material is so soft you forget you’re wearing it! I just love the mermaid green colour (it also comes in brown). The only wee issues are the sequins can get a little scratchy if you’re not wearing a cardigan, and as with all sequin embellished clothes you shed a tiny trail of glitter wherever you go. But I kinda like that.

Here’s me trying to be a cool hairy feminist although it doesn’t quite suit me, does it? Also, my armpit hair is so fine you can’t even see it! Oh well.

For reference, here’s me wearing the vest in a more daytime friendly way, with a different skirt and cardigan:

Thanks, OSP! What do you think?

Dress: courtesy of Ax Paris Curve
Tights: Simply Be
Shoes: New Look
Belt: Evans
Ring: Primark
Pins: Accessorize

Hiya peeps! Well, I had a good break from taking review items, but now I’m back to being broke for the forseeable I thought I would be cheeky and open my blog up to it again! Hope you don’t mind.

So, as you probably know, I am beyond excited that Ax Paris have launched a plus size range now. When I worked for Yours they used to get some of their stock in the plus sizes, and I would literally patrol the site and email links to the Yours buyers, like “please bring this in!” (so annoying, I know). And funnily enough, this exact dress was one I begged for, so when I was sent this by Ax Paris I felt like it was a little bit of fate. Cheesy but true!

As for the dress itself, it’s absolutely lovely. It’s a perfect length on me and feels so ladylike! The other dresses I’d tried came up quite small, so I ordered a 24 in this. However, it’s pretty roomy and I think I could have gone with my usual 22. But I can’t fault it at all, it’s really comfortable and looks fab. Actually, I did notice that the skirt lining was sewed on inside out, but seeing as it’s under the dress no one will notice so it’s fine.

All in all a lurvely dress. Thanks, Ax Paris! Keep up the excellent work!

Hellooooo! Sorry for the radio silence, I’ve had a million things I needed to do and none were blog related, alas. But I’m here now!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that the designer collaboration between Clements Ribiero (famed for producing a lot of Adele’s red carpet wear) and Evans launched online a week ago, and then in selected stores  from Monday. I always love an opportunity to try things on so I went down to Marble Arch along with Em to try things out – you can see Em’s two incredibly in depth reviews here: Part One and Part Two. What’s great is that we both have such different bodies – I guess if you were to go by Evans’ shape sheet, she’s a busty and I’m a pear. There’s also a height difference which will be important later…

Before the photos, I’ll answer some of the questions I’ve been asked most and get those out of the way.

• Do you like the range? Yes! I understand it’s not “edgy” or anything, it’s a very specific look: 1940′s tea party. But that happens to be one of my favourite looks ever, so yes I loved it. Of course there are items I wouldn’t have touched with a bargepole (Although Angela makes me regret not trying the Joan as she looks so lovely in her post!) but you find that with every shop, every range.
• Do you think the collection is worth the money? Yes, actually. I do. Yes it’d be lovely if the dresses were a tenner, but you’re paying a higher price point for the name – and the cut and tailoring was far more intricate than what you find in Evans’ main range. They are investment pieces, you know? There is a slight niggle though, which you’ll see below…
• Were the items true to size? I know Em had problems with the fit and kept having to swap sizes, however for me I found them pretty consistent with Evans’ sizing. In the fitted dresses I took a 20 and they were pretty much bang on. I’m guessing this is because I have small breasts? And in the trousers I was a 22/22-24.
• Were there any disappointments? The biggest issue for me was the length of the dresses. I’m only diddy, and when even taller women were saying in the dressing room that they would have to hem the dresses I guessed they’d be far too long. I’d have to have hacked off at least 8 inches for them to look right. However, I’d definitely do it although when it comes to the cost, having to pay more for a dress and then alter it is quite unfortunate.
• Is it better than the Beth Ditto ranges? Nah – Beth’s my homegirl, nothing could compare!

On to the photos! Blurry phone ones, I’m afraid – turns out my camera had no battery. Silly me!

Swan by Clements Ribiero x Evans “Swallow” coat, size 20

Hubba hubba. This was perfect. I love the way it’s tailored so it is like a large cocoon. It really reminded me of Jil Sander actually, which is awesome. This came home with me, although by some horrible financial twist of fate I may have to return it, alas.

Swan by Clements Ribiero x Evans “Peggy” dress, size 20

Sorry for the blurriness! This was my favourite dress from the promo shots. I loved the shape, despite it being a tea dress the shoulder pads lend an air of sauce. I would have to hem it significantly and pin the bust (I couldn’t fill it as well as Em!), but it was beautiful. It really made me look curvy, which is new!

Swan by Clements Ribiero x Evans “Betty” dress, size 20

This is the dress based on one of the design duo’s custom makes for Adele.  You can also see Nicolette looking fabulous in it. Again, it’s a beautiful shape, with a fitted waistband that really pulls you in. As well as the tailoring, it was fully lined and the fabric was a lovely broderie anglaise, 100% cotton. Because I have a smaller chest the high neckline worked like a dream. The biggest problem was again the length, it would have to be hemmed.

Swan by Clements Ribiero x Evans “21″ dress, size 22

I accidentally took a size 22 in the dressing room, and it was far too big. I tried an 18 but that was too tight and there were no 20s left, alas! This was another favourite from the promo shots – the neckline and lace inserts reminded me of the latest Erdem collection. However it didn’t suit me very well at all which made me very sad!

Swan by Clements Ribiero x Evans “Joan” dress size 20

Another dress I loved from the previews – Diana looked absolutely stunning in it – and named after Joan from Mad Men and definitely cut for a woman of her dimensions! This didn’t work on me but I maintain the dress is an absolute show stopper. Gorgeous.

Talking of not quite working…

Swan by Clements Ribiero x Evans “Diana” blouse (size 20) and pansy print crepe trousers (size 22)

Not reeeeally a good look on me, haha. I felt like a modern Andy Pandy! I will talk about the top later – the trousers were a really nice cut, I have to say. I couldn’t rock them as they’re much too long and hemming them would take away their shape, but if you’re over 5’5″ then I think these would be awesome. (Tiffany, I implore you to buy!) The fabric doesn’t give, but the back waistband is elasticated so it’s an easy fit.

Swan by Clements Ribiero x Evans matchstick print lounge pants, size 20

Lounge is definitely a keyword, here. They’re made from silky nylon with a fully elasticated waistband so they’re super comfortable. I don’t think the cut came across very well on my short legged-frame, so I’m going to link you to two beauties who were able to pull these off: Bethany and Amy. Gorgeous!

Swan by Clements Ribiero x Evans pansy print “Diana” blouse, size 20

I will admit the blouses didn’t take my fancy in the promo shots, however on I thought they were gorgeous. This pansy one especially I loved and very nearly bought! I think it’d look fab tucked into a high waisted pencil skirt, or worn loose over a black mini.

Swan by Clements Ribiero x Evans heart print “Diana” blouse, size 20

Again, no complaints about this at all, I loved it. I have to say, I almost wish these tops were longer so I could’ve worn them as tunic dresses! Typical, eh? But I would still buy if I had the money!

Swan by Clements Ribiero x Evans heart print “Betty” dress, size 20

The same cut as the black version, however in a different fabric. If you remember the Beth Ditto polka dot dress, this (and the pansy print items) are in the same material. Again I would have to hem the bottom quite a lot, and I did notice that unlike the black version there was a lot more room in the bust – even Em had some space!

Swan by Clements Ribiero x Evans “Adele” shift dress, size 20

Finally here’s Em and I in the same dress – I think we can all agree it looks far better on her than myself!

PHEW! What do you think, peeps? Have you bought anything from the range? I hope this helped. I really loved most of what I tried on, but I would recommend the Joan dresses if you have a large bust, the Betty dresses if you have a smaller bust, and that they work best on the taller amongst you.

Apparently there are at least two more collaborations in the pipeline, which is very exciting.

I feel like I don’t give nearly enough love to my fellow bloggers on here, so today I thought I’d show you some of my fave outfits I’ve seen on my reader lately:

Valerie is one of my absolute favourite bloggers, and has such a unique style. I am super jealous of her Litchenstein-esque comic skirt, but she wears it beautifully!

Tiffany from Fat Shopaholic is one of the most fearless and awesome bloggers. I just love everything she wears and this is no exception – love the Pebbles look!

Ah Naomi is such a cutie. I love this New Look Inspire dress on her. Plus, check out the rail of Swan (the Clements Ribiero collection for Evans) behind! Has anyone bought anything from the collection? I’m heading down to Marble Arch along with Em tomorrow to try it all on.

Audrey at Big or Not to Big always looks perfect. I love this outfit as it is my favourite colour combination: red, black and white. Gorgeous!

Another one of my all time favourite plus fashion bloggers, Brittany of Pockets and Bows goes for a deadly combination of neon, stripes and sequins. Always amazing!

Tracy of Chubble Bubble (and my favourite shop, Domino Dollhouse) fame parties in Betsey Johnson! So jealous, that top is too good.

Lastly I’m a huge fan of Nicole’s dressed down look. It’s really nice to see her in jeans, and her use of colour is second to none!

Whose style have you been coveting lately?