Pretty Pretty Petticoat

I'm sure you have seen my previous post about the lovely package Taking Shape sent for me recently and today i have the last piece to review. I was sent this lovely tulle petticoat now i already own a white petticoat that i got to go with a dress but I've only worn it twice as i have more things that black goes with.

I was excited to see how the petticoat would look and if i would be able to wear it as a skirt, its great under fit and flare dresses and below the knee on me so perfect for you taller ladies! I did really want to wear it as a skirt but on its own it was a little see through and thin, of course it was going to be as its meant to be worn under clothes, but you know me always got to break the rules.

So i decided to wear it over my existing white petticoat and i love the result. Lots of fullness in the skirt and you can't see my knickers so bonus!
I wore this with a spotty vest top from tesco and my Beth Ditto belt to cover the top of the petticoat, i really love how this looked and i plan to wear this as a skirt as well as under dresses to add fullness.

I think the petticoat as as skirt would be perfect for a night out or a party to make your outfit a bit extra special. I got this skirt in a size 22 and it fits with room as the waist is elasticated i think at full stretch it could easily fit a 24 maybe a 26 depending on your shape.

Caught mid twirl

The top of the petticoat is made from a silky material so your dress will sit nicely over the petticoat and not bunch up. The bottom of the skirt has a double layer of tulle to give volume and with my other petticoat underneath too it was perfect!

I'm so thankful to Taking Shape for giving me the chance to review these items for them i have been really pleased with everything they sent, the fit and quality is amazing, these are pieces that will last you seasons and still look as good as they did the day you first tried them on.  If you haven't checked out the website what are you waiting for heard over there !

XOXO

Lovely Luna

The next piece I'm reviewing from Taking Shape is the Luna Petti Dress, now this dress is designed to be worn under  dresses as a slip and to add some volume at the bottom ( i just thought it looked cute and didn't realise this till i read the description!) . But as you all know I don't like to wear everything as originally intended so I am going to be wearing this as a dress on it's own.

You could wear this as a slip it's very comfortable and the silky material means it wouldn't bunch your dresses up or you could wear it as a dress like me and break all the rules !

Again i was sent this in a XL which is an equivalent to a 22 and the fit is great however for a more fitted style you might want to size down, the material is very stretchy so i think i could fit well beyond the size 26 it goes to.

I like the dress just loose but i decided to style it up with a belt, now I'm not a huge belt fan to be honest but i think this dress does benefit from a belt if you intend to wear it a dress like me rather than a slip.

Some of you eagle eyed people might have spotted this belt and recognised it as the Beth Ditto belt from the Evans range several years ago. I love the sparkles and cameos on the belt and i thought it went perfectly with the dress.

I love the frilly mesh hemline and think if your wearing it as a sip it could add some nice volume to the dress your wearing over it, or if your wearing it like me it just adds a bit of fun to the dress. As much as i like a little black dress i do like it to have a little something extra just to make it stand out a little and this dress does that for me.

I really love this dress and i think it goes to show that if you like something then wear it don't worry about what it was initially intended to be worn as and let your style shine through. I really love everything that i was sent from Taking Shape and the website has so much to offer from little black dresses to coats and basics and much much more! They also have a twitter so if you have any questions or thoughts I'm sure they would love to hear from you, there a friendly bunch so say hi! 

XOXO

Model Behaviour

A few months ago the most exciting email popped up in my inbox. I think i might have done a little squeak of excitement and maybe a bit of a happy dance too! The email was from the lovely Charlotte from Simply Be asking if i wanted to be involved in a photo shoot along with a few other bloggers.

It didn't take me long to reply with a big fat yes! I honestly never thought anything like this could ever happen to me when i stated my blog 18 months ago. I couldn't wait to find out which other bloggers were going to be involved in the shoot so when Charlotte emailed to say that i would be joining Betty, Rosie, Allie and Nancy on the shoot i was super excited. I already knew Betty, Rosie and Nancy so i was happy to have some familiar faces around me and meet new ones too. 

Over the next few weeks i got more and more excited about the shoot, it was hard to keep it a secret as i was bursting with excitement but i managed to keep it to myself, so I'm sure i could now be trusted with national secrets right?!

Charlotte was so lovely throughout the whole process and made sure we were all organised and had everything that we needed for the day. The night before the shoot i met with Nancy in the hotel and we had a few drinks and a lovely chat, it was the first time i had spoken to Nancy apart from the few moments at Plus North when i told her how beautiful she looked, but it was like we had known each other for years. Later on we were joined by Rosie and before we knew it it was time to get some sleep.

The next morning we got up super early and headed over to Thornton Manor which was so beautiful it was like something from a postcard. I was up first for hair and make up, which was done by the lovely Paula. Paula did a fabulous job on my hair and make up and i really loved what she did, Paula was really nice to talk to as well and we shared our love of cats while she was adding rollers to my hair.

After hair and make up i got into my outfit which i really loved i don't think the Simply Be team could have picked a more perfect dress for me. They did a great job of picking out outfits that were perfect for each of us and everyone looked amazing. I was first up to have my photos done and as i was walking down the stairs i started to get nervous, what if i did my crazy smile or even worse bitch face?! I didn't need to worry the photographer Evan Danks was great and put me at ease straight away. Here are a few shots of me from the day.

Once i had finished it gave me chance to relax and chat to the others while they had hair and make up done. Everyone looked amazing as I'm sure you will agree! The hair and make up from Sam and Paula was fabulous and everyone wore something that reflected them. One by one Rosie,Nancy,Allie and Betty went down to have their shoots, then it was time for the group shots.We all had a giggle in between and during some of the shots and i really had such a great time with the girls and the whole team involved. 

I wish i could do it everyday, it was something that i can never forget and for that i am very thankful to Simply Be. Check out the Simply Be website and Facebook page and blog for more pictures, where you can see everyone in their individual shots.

I want to say again a massive thank you to everyone involved and for Simply Be for giving me the opportunity to be involved in such a fun and amazing day! 

XOXO

Cut Out Cutie

As I mentioned in Mondays post I got some pieces sent from the lovelies at Taking Shape, I reviewed the lovely Portland coat on Monday which I loved, today's piece is the cut out tunic.

This tunic is my favourite piece I really love it!

The tunic is made from a stretch material and is designed to be non fitted although if you wanted that look you could just size down. I was sent the XL which is the equivalent to a 22 and it has a looser fit, to be honest I think I could have got the L and it would still have fit with room, the tunic is very generously cut. What I really love about this tunic is the cut out on the bottom I think it's really cute and adds some sass to what other wise might just be a basic black tunic.

Now you could wear the tunic with some bright skinny jeans or colourful legging to really make the cut out detail shine or you could add some short shorts like me. i thought id show you both looks so here i am with an without the leggings.

When I first put this on I thought what a cute dress and that's how I intended to wear it but the cut out detail meant there was a chance I'd be flashing some bum so I added shorts underneath which I think work perfectly.

I'll definitely be rocking this tunic with shorts for the summer and night out on the town. While the weather is a bit chillier I'm thinking that colourful leggings are the way to go.

Not sure where this pose came from but hey i like it !

Back view

I adore this tunic and I think it's one of those pieces that could be dressed up or down depending on how you accessories it. Another great thing about Taking Shape is that they have free next day delivery if you order before 4pm how amazing is that?! I know how may of you myself included hate to have to pay for shipping.

Have you had chance to check out Taking Shape yet, do you have your eye on anything?

XOXO

Taking Shape

I came home last week to a lovely package from Taking Shape full of amazing pieces, so I'm going to show you them over the next week or so.

For those of you who haven't heard of Taking Shape they are an Australian based brand who are just starting out here in the UK. They are currently opening stores around the country and have a UK website. 

Before I was contacted by them I hadn't heard of the brand but I'm glad they got in touch as they have so much to offer and it's always good to see a new plus size brand,well new to the UK as it's been running for 28 years so they have plenty of experience! I was sent a few items to review but rather than cram them all into one post I wanted to split them up so you can see everything at it's best.

First up is this gorgeous red Portland coat.

I really love this coat, it going to be perfect for the cold and snowy winter. It's quite a heavy coat when you pick it up but not so much when your wearing it. It has a hood so no wet and running hair for me! And it has press studs as well as the toggle fastening.

The hood isn't this high but my bun is making it look huge!

This coat is really warm and it will be my go to on super cold days as it's just like being back under the duvet!

I was sent this coat in a 22 and I have to say the fit is spot on, I can fasten the coat up without any gapes or pulling which usually happens to me. Its even got a cute check lining so its super soft inside too.

This is a really lovely coat and you can tell it has been made well too so it will last you several winters. 

Check out the Taking Shape website  there is plenty of different styles on there so have a good browse through I'm sure you will find something you like. And if you like to go in store to do your shopping check out the store locator to see if there is one near you. 

XOXO

Fat Mermaid

I'm sure many of you saw the quick picture I posted to twitter when this dress came but I think it deserves a post. Now I haven't worn this dress yet but I know a lot of you were interested in the fit etc so I thought a post on how to become a fat mermaid was needed :)

Step 1: Go to Simply Be and add the Ax Paris sequin dress to your basket.

Step 2 : Complete order 

Step 3 : Sit by the letterbox until it arrives 

Step 4: Put the dress on. You are now a hot fat mermaid go lure others with your charms and sparkles!

Now that's out of the way lets talk about this dress I mean WOW!! I fell hard for this dress I'm completely in love.

It is fully lined with a stretchy body con style lining so the dress does allow for movement. I ordered the 24 which is perfect, I would suggest ordering a size up if you can as I think that will give the best fit.

The sequins are all over the dress in greens and blacks so they really look amazing when you move and the light hits them.

There is an exposed zip to the back so you can get the dress on and off, I wouldn't have been able to pull it over my head like I do with most dresses.

This dress comes just below my knee and I'm 5 4" so if your taller than me it will probably be a above the knee dress.
If I've managed this there now should be a video where you can see the beautiful colours of the dress when you move.

As soon as this dress came and I tried it on I fell in love, the fit is great but the sequins and all the colours of the dress really make it for me. I honestly felt like a mermaid ! 

XOXO

Peplum Love

Just a quick ootd today. Now I know peplums are a bit marmite aren't they but I love them! A few weeks ago when we went shopping to Doncaster I picked up this peplum top in the New Look sale.It was only £4 so a total bargain and I wore it to work last week with my Dorothy Perkins leopard print skirt.

The top is a 24 and maybe a little big but for £4 I'm not complaining. It's made from a jersey material so you don't need to size up. The skirt is a 20 from Dorothy Perkins and now it's been worn a few times it's lost some of it's tightness so I would advise to size down in the skirt so it keeps the body con style.

I think the peplum with the pencil skirt goes really well and I'll definitely be rocking this top with shorts too.

I'm well and truly a peplum girl how about you?

XOXO