Plus Size Style and Fashion Blog
Are you laughing? Because I know I am! A few weeks back I went and ticked off a place I’ve wanted to see for a while off the list. I’m constantly trying to find interesting and free places to experience in London, and The Horniman Museum has been top of the list for a while. And why not throw some plus size 60s style in there too, right?
Hey friends! Hope we’re all doing well? I’ve managed to wind myself up these last few days and have developed the most almighty eye twitch. The joys of a stress person who accidentally is off their meds, right? But luckily I managed to drag The Boyfriend® out into town one day this week to have a bit of a date! And this Day Date Style is brought to you by Lindy Bop!
This item was gifted in return for a review and images. Opinions are my own, I’m not paid to say anything in particular. Some links may be affiliate links, it just means I might get a few quid if you buy through my links. You can read more in my disclaimer.
So this happens to be a day late because frankly I spent the weekend asleep and forgot to do it. Oooops. But today we’ve got a special version of the weekly outfit roundup — because it’s all about the Vendula London Charms! I was challenged to wear the same bag with every outfit this week, with one difference, that each outfit had a different charm set!
Now, you may be wondering what Vendula London Charm is? Well, it’s pretty simple, actually. The whole idea is a plain bag that you can add separate charm sets and mix and match together to create your own sort of style!
Welcome to Saturday, I hope all’s well with you guys? It’s been so long since I put together a style post that I’ve sort of forgotten how to write one. Yay! But I’m back to glorify obesity by asking the question, ‘Can A Plus Size Wear a Fitted Skirt?’ The answer is pretty obvious — yes!
Hope you all had a good weekend? We’re a day late with this post because, well, life happened a bit. But it also included meeting new people AND socialising, so that’s a win for me! So let’s get on with the weekly roundup, right? Pin up style abound!
Turban; Alice Brown’s Cupboard
Necklace; Animal Hair
Top; Primark
Skirt; Handmade
They call September the “Back To Life” part of the year, and honestly it’s a hard one. I’ve been moments away from a breakdown for a few days at this point, which sucked.
Dress; Handmade
Bolero; Collectif
Second day of gingham? Yes please! I’m honestly considering making this dress in every colour gingham known to man.
Dress; Handmade
Cardigan; Banned
Bag; Vendula London
Third gingham in a row! But after a few days of crying and feeling like hell, I dyed my hair and felt like a new woman. Fickle, I know, but that freshly-dyed-hair confidence it something else! Look how goddamn happy I am!
Dress; Lady V London
Cardigan; Collectif
Bag; Vendula London
Looking good and feeling good! This was the day after I did some modelling for Bow and Crossbones, and I’ve clearly got some of my mojo back. Doing my hair is a lot of effort these days, so it’s nice when re-setting it goes so beautifully. Annoyingly it’s better hair than I had on the shoot — typical.
Dress; eShakti
Cardigan; Collectif
Someone’s feeling their oats! A typical pin up pose for some typical pin up style. I love this dress so bloody much, it’s possibly my favourite dress I’ve ever had. Actually, I’d say this is one of my most worn outfits since 2014. This baby got me laid so many times in my single days, haha!
Hope we’re all doing well! Mercury is in retrograde and things are a bit weird, don’t you think? I’m not a massive believer of those such things, but hey — any excuse to blame something else, right? Anyhow, today I’m switching things up with some plus size alternative style!
Now, I’m not suddenly turning all alternative on you guys, don’t worry. I love my vintage and pin up style a lot, and it’s not a style I’ll grow out of any time soon. But I’m also a massive emo kid inside that loves heavy rock music, getting drunk in fields at pop punk festivals and spending her birthday at post-punk gigs. And sometimes I just want to show that side of me off!
What I will say is that plus size vintage/retro/pin up style has it’s privileges, it really does. As much as being plus size can allow, honestly. Because at least if you’re in the UK18-UK26 bracket, it’s fairly easy to find vintage styled clothes that fit. If that’s not a style you go for — lord, it’s a difficult one. Recently I’ve been to a few gigs and festivals in which I’ve been my emo self outside as well as in. And my basic outfit really is just a band shirt and a midi tube skirt, since that’s all I can really find that fits.
I recently spent an entire day trying to find a denim skirt, or a dungaree dress on the high street. Fairly easy, right? There’s an array of these in fashion right now, so surely I’d find something on the high street that would work? Wrong. Oh. So. Wrong. In my years of wearing vintage-styled clothing, I’d completely forgotten how horrendous shopping as a fat woman was. I’d forgotten the pain of trying every item in every size, just to be disappointed when it doesn’t go up past your knees. And I’d forgotten how frustrating, flustering and frankly gross, trying on clothes is. My plus sized friends wearing non-vintage styles — my heart goes out to you, my friend.
So I never found a denim skirt or a dungaree dress. Even in a plus-sized-specific store — I’m looking at you, Yours Clothing — the cuts were just awful. Where the fuck are the waists? I know some bodies aren’t as hourglassed as mine, but when the waists are clearly bigger than the hips, who on earth are you catering for? Having to size up for my hips whilst having fistfuls of fabric at the waist is just not the one.
So here I am in my trusty midi tube skirt — I have a few, but all of them are from Boohoo Plus, since you can’t beat the price, sizing and quality really. Wearing an Alexisonfire t-shirt that was a birthday present from myself at their show last month. And of course, my trusty Alice Brown’s Cupboard turban. I wear this thing constantly and I LOVE IT. Makes me feel fancy even if I haven’t bothered doing anything with my hair that day.
Tell me your go-to brands and style in the comments!
Top; Alexisonfire
Turban; C/O Alice Browns Cupboard (Disclaimer)
Skirt; Boohoo Plus
Boots / Belt; Old Primark
Bag; Vendula London
I’ve been straight up crap with blogging recently — I’m working more hours since I got a promotion, and it’s really hard getting the balance right! But never mind the doom and gloom, the sun’s been making an appearance recently, and I’m enjoying wearing shorter sleeves and not freezing! So it’s a perfect time to show off my new Banned Cardigan, right?
FYI, since we’re being more transparent on Instagram lately, I thought I’d extend this to the blog. The cardigan featured in this post was gifted, and some of the links throughout are affiliate links. However, everything I mention is my own thoughts and feelings. You can read more about this on my Disclaimer page.
I mentioned I’m a bit unbalanced, right? Well this was supposed to be a full outfit review. I received a gorgeous dress and cardigan to show off this week. However you may notice that I’m not wearing that particular dress in these photos. In fact, I’m actually wearing an old handmade dress I rediscovered recently.
So where’s the dress? Well, I went away to my boyfriend’s place for the weekend — and managed to momentarily lose it. Turns out I’d left it at work, so I thought I’d style the cardigan up without it, and I’ll show you the dress soon!
The Banned Cardigan I’m wearing is the re-imagining of their popular Meow Dress and Snow Bird Shirt. I’m never usually attracted to prints with animals in, but I really couldn’t resist this one. Plus, having bracelet-length sleeves means it’s perfect for the winter-spring transition!
I have a Banned Cardigan already, which I posted in a style post here, and I loved the quality. I’m a big fan of embroidered knitwear as it is, and I’m particular about how they feel. Thankfully this one is just as soft and luscious on!
I chose a 2XL in the Cat Cardigan, which is a size up from the Cosmetic cardigan I have. The fit is good around the bust, but I do find that Banned really cater for bigger arms! Great for girls with bigger arms, of course — but for me, I really wish it was just a touch tighter in the arms and the shoulders. It has this lovely princess-esque detailing on the sleeve, which is a style that really works with my shoulders well, though!
Then of course, there’s a playful little kitty on the front. I’ve worn this a lot since it arrived, and people always comment on it. I have a great collection of embroidered cardigans, but I really feel this one stands out in its simplicity. Also, it’s cute as fuck. The cat silhouette going into the scalloped edging is perfect!
Of course, it’s not a Melody outfit without a Vendula bag, right? This is the mini satchel bag from the new Post Box collection — such a sweet little bag that really helps the red in my outfit pop, right?
The Cat Banned Cardigan comes in four colours in sizes XS – 4XL, which you can buy directly from Banned’s website. I’d recommend going by bust sizes more than anything else, and if you’re smaller-busted to go down a size for a tight fit.
Cardigan; C/O Banned Apparel
Dress; Handmade
Bangles; Splendette
Bag; Vendula London
It’s Saturday and that means STYLE time! I missed out last week because I’ve not been in the best place — but I’m diving back in. And it’s been a while since I properly featured a Vendula London bag, right? I will be showing you my favourites from the new season as soon as we have all the styles in, of course. But for now I wanted to show you my new favourite bag — the Vendula London backpack in the Post Office design!
When I mentioned my Winter Cottage backpack a few months back, I didn’t really take the time to talk about how amazing this bag is, did I? We started bringing out the Vendula London backpack styles last season, and I feel like I’m going to end up with so many of these bags, as they’re so useful!
This bag isn’t just a backpack though. Oh no, Vendula London never go by halves when it comes to their styles! It’s actually a bag that you can use four ways, thanks to the adjustable straps.
So today I wanted to show off the different ways you can wear this bag! The Post Office design is my current favourite for this season, it’s a great colour that’ll take you throughout the year, and there’s such adorable features on it. A beagle posting a letter? Genius!
The over-the-shoulder way is actually the way I most frequently wear this style, as I can adjust the strap to sit anywhere I’d like under my arm. If I’m feeling protective, the handle goes quite short to keep it close to me, and it means I can wear it comfortably even with a coat on.
One thing that really attracted me to Vendula London to begin with is that the majority of their bags come with crossbody straps. It’s something that my customers love, too — since it means when you get too tired of lugging a bag around, simply extend the strap and it’s easier to carry.
The addition of the handle at the top of the Vendula London backpack is great, because it also means you can use the bag as a handheld grab bag when you want to be fancier.
And of course, you have the two adjustable straps in order to use the bag as a backpack! It’s a really light bag, even when it’s full of my crap, so you barely notice you’re wearing it. That is, of course, until someone stops you in the street to ask where your bag is from. And this will happen!
I’ve used this bag a few times now, plus I’ve had my Winter Cottage version for a while, and it’s quickly taken over the grab bag style as my favourite. The versatility makes it so useful, and there’s no compromise on style!
The Shopfront Backpack style comes in a few different designs (and more to come!), head over to their site and let me know your favourite one!
Jumper; Old Collectif
Pinafore Skirt; Handmade
Bangles; Splendette
Earrings; Bow and Crossbones
Bag; Vendula London (Disclaimer)
Sorry for the lateness on this post, guys! I’ve been lucky enough to be busy with a lot of different things with work and socialising that it’s been a little bit harder to get posts done as quickly as before! But that aside, how are you guys? How’s things going? Anyone else going for a ‘Sparks Joy’ sort of life?
So unless you’ve been living under a rock for a while now, you’ve probably heard of Marie Kondo and the “sparks joy” art of tidying she does. A few years back she wrote a book about tidying, and more recently has invaded Netflix with her show. Now, I’m not against stuff at all – I’m the messiest near-hoarder you’ll meet! But I’m completely into having my stuff organised and not on the floor where I can’t find it…
In my KonMari cleaning phase I’m going through, I’m really trying to fall back in love with some old clothes I have. I’m going through my wardrobe slowly at the moment, since I’ve got less than 6 months until I’ll be moving into a new place. And when moving into a new home, I think it’s important to only take what you love. Now back in the day, I did a spring cleaning your wardrobe post, which incidentally has some overlap with the KonMari method.
I’m very lucky that brands sponsor a lot of my clothing and accessories, I’m very aware. But it has given me a bit of a chip on my shoulder about only posting outfits with new items other people can buy. Which then means there’s things in my wardrobe that don’t get the love they deserve from me.
So I’m making a pledge to myself to wear every item of clothing in my wardrobe. No matter how old or new it may be, I’ll be wearing it. And if it doesn’t “spark joy” or give me a good feeling, it will be donated, given away or sold. I’ve already sorted out bags of stuff ready to go since they don’t fit, and I’m sure more will follow. At the very least, I’ll be able to curate a great wardrobe full of things I love wearing.
And so I took one of my favourite dresses out for a walk in Gunnersbury Park the other week! This is actually a Lindy Bop dress from late 2015, and one that up until this year was in heavy rotation. The print is amazing, of course, but I honestly think it’s the only Audrey style that has ever truly suited me. There’s actually a few sizes left in this style! And I can’t recommend it more!
Keeping the boozy theme I have my well-loved The Crown Box Bag from Vendula London. And of course — the greatest cardigan Collectif ever brought out! I can’t believe this cardigan is already five years old, honestly. The quality of these cardigans in particular was above and beyond anything else Collectif has done!
I fancied being a bit more colourful, too! I think I’ve been in a bit of a colour rut and only ever want to wear black, so adding these We Love Color tights were a must!
Cardigan; Old Collectif
Dress; Lindy Bop
Bangles; Splendette
Tights; We Love Colors
Shoes; Melissa
It’s now 2019, and we’re well into being bombarded with the usual bullshit. I don’t know about you, but I get bored of seeing adverts for gyms and diet groups every January. And the phrase “New Year, New Me” just makes me roll my eyes. Although the start of a new year is often a good push to start new and better habits, the expectation is always tough. So before I get into some plus size style today, I want to take a second to say some things;
Everything that you are right now is great. You don’t need to lose weight. You don’t need to be organised. And you certainly don’t need to be rising to expectations that anyone other than you choose. Resolutions are bullshit, as we are all so often forced to set unobtainable goals. The last few years I’ve opted out of “Resolutions” in order to not set myself up for failure. I hope you guys will, too!
I’ve set no goals for my year. I have things that will be happening in 2019, of course. In the summer I’ll be moving in with my boyfriend, and I’ll possibly work on a different career path. Hell, I’m brushing up on my Japanese, too. But none of this I’m sticking under the “resolutions” tab, because I’m not going to pressure myself into constantly feeling like I’m not achieving enough.
I took a bit of a break from social media as well as blogging over the Christmas/New Year break, which this ties in with. As everyone was telling the world the great things they want to do with their year, I wanted to distance myself enough to not compare myself to others. I mentioned in an Instagram post about how the end of year always makes me feel like I’m not doing enough to be more like my peers. And that little break really helped me out with feeling better about who I am and what I’m doing.
Okay, okay, there’s one thing I want to do more these days. I’ve found myself in a bit of a rut with my everyday style, so on my days off I’m trying to dress up a bit more. And since my boyfriend got a shiny new camera for Christmas, I also want to document more everyday outfits. Instead of just showing off sponsored items, you know.
So in that spirit, I dressed up my favourite everyday skirt with a new-to-me cardigan for Sunday lunch. Sadly, Earl Haig Hall which featured in an old blog post closed this past Sunday, so we said farewell with a roast dinner and some pints.
In my last post I mentioned Rubylea turbans, and this time I’m showing off my custom-made Carmen turban. I’m going to say right off the bat that this turban is a lifesaver at the moment! Recently, I’ve been fading my hair colour out to get a refresh and root lift, and my poor hair is going blonde in places! So I’ve been spending a lot of time hiding it in hats and turbans.
What I love about this particular turban is how the Carmen has so much volume. It’s amazing that something so simple can make such a statement! Even though my hair is unset and faded to peach, I still look super fancy.
My Carmen turban was lovingly custom made by Rubylea to compliment my hair, as this style usually cascades over the right side of the face, rather than the left. At first I wasn’t sure it would make a difference, but believe me when I say it does! Having it on the opposite side of your hair parting means it leaves way for lovely side swoops like this one. Although it also works amazingly if you go for a 60s-style fringe set close to your face.
If you part your hair to left like me, simply send her a message to get your custom turban! They’re SO worth it. I’m constantly wearing mine, and you’ll probably see more of it before winter is through!
I feel like this has been a ranty sort of start to the year, but at the same time – I think as I get closer to 30, I’ve lost a lot of the fucks I used to have to give. The only thing I can say that comes close to resolutions for me is that I just want to work hard, play hard, and fight for my happiness over others more this year. I’m kicking arse and taking names at the moment!
Turban; C/O Rubylea Shop
Cardigan; Old Banned Apparel
Skirt; Handmade
Bag; Old Vendula London
