OOTD ROAR... oh and some Simply Be reviewing!

 Leopard print again!

 

 I'm so happy that it's warm enough to wear all my lightweight cotton printed trousers!

 

Sadly I've never found a peplum top with sleeves that suits me so I always wear a cardi, but sometimes I just tie it up to make everything a bit more curvy!

 

New hair dye has come out nicely thank goodness! Swapped from Schwarzkof Live Salon 'Chocolate Brown' to 'Honey Brown' from the same collection. I recommend the salon colours if you have white hairs 'cause they have good coverage. Also leaves hair surprisingly glossy!

 

 I had little buns today as you can see in the outfit shots. I often wear buns to work when I'm going out in the evening, because when I take them out my hair is a bit wild & wavy, but doesn't require any effort (or even a brush!).

 

 Cardi - Dorothy Perkins

Top - ASOS Curve

Trousers - Dorothy Perkins

Shoes - Crocs

Arrow Necklace - Forever 21

I never got the chance to write the review of my simply be order, but here goes...

 

Remember I got the lovely Anna Scholz / Simply Be dress in size 22? Well sadly when I put it on to wear for the first time the seams fell to bits! The fabric is very stretchy and it has no zips so you have to put it on over your head.... sadly the thread in the seams is very weak, so pulling it over my boobs was obviously too much for them to handle!

 I sent back the 22 and ordered the 24. Face like a smacked arse eh?! It's just too big. Not so bad from the front....

 

..... but I really don't like it from the side. the bodice is okay but the skirt is just too big. And here ended my dream of ever owning this lovely dress. We clearly were not meant to be an item :(

 

Also in my order was the galaxy print maxi dress. I know, I know, you've seen it a million times on a million bloggers, but I resisted it for ages (despite having a bit of a galaxy obsession!) and when it was reduced to 30-odd quid and I had 20% off on top I thought fuck it! I won't be able to out-style Val from Blog to be Alive because she had holographic high-heels on and looked bloody amazing, but I'll wear it this weekend and show you how I style it up anyway!

 

For some reason I thought this was going to be a sort of shiny fabric so I sized up to a 24. It's actually a thin but firm jersey, but good job I got the 24 because the 22 would have been way too tight on my bust - this ones a bit tight to be honest, but it'll stretch out soon enough!

 

I've been looking at this dress since it first came out and really wanted someone to review it so I could get an honest opinion... nobody ever did, so when they reduced it to £20 (£16 for me with the discount code!) I thought I'd go for it.

It's pretty much the same dress as the shoe & handbag print one I'm selling on my blog shop, but the fabric is a bit more sturdy and I'm more comfortable with the colour / print! Good trade off I think! Size 22 and it's a prefect fit.

The last things I ordered were the Gok polka dot body shapers (I got this one and the coral coloured one) which I'm head-over-heels in love with. I am certainly going to try and wear them as outerwear because they're so cool! The band is quite tight (as any form of optional strapless items tend to be!) but my normal bra size is the perfect fit. The body is really stretchy and only gives very lightweight shaping which is perfect for me (I don't like to feel too restricted!).

I'm out and about this weekend so I'll be back with (WARM WEATHER!) weekend outfits ASAP!

Bank hollibobs

 

 I had a lovely weekend... went shopping and for tasty food on Bank holiday Monday (rhubarb and custard cupcakes drool drool!) then went to see Star trek in to darkness with the boyf.

 

I wore a bird print dress that I got recently from ebay.

This is ex-marks and spencers stock (size 22) and it's a lovely dress! Possibly not for those who are not comfortable showing their belly mind you as it's designed to be almost pinup style in shape so it clings to lumps!

 

 It's quite tight around the knees which is really nice as normally I find that fitted dresses are ruined by loose hems. It has a blue base with orangey / red birds. I saw a few of these on ebay so keep an eye out if you like it!

It has a really nice bodice with some nice detailing. It's feels like reproduction vintage really. It's a thick firm fabric with a bit of stretch.

Dress - Marks and spencers via ebay

Leggings - Primark

Shoes - New look

Sunglasses (top picture) - Primark

Rhubarb and custard sweet - from the top of a Ms cupcake cake... you can't have it, it's mine and not it's in my belly!

 

I'm wearing a yes to carrots lip tint in 'ready red' which is a really good orangy red - a colour I always find hard to come by... seemed to match quite well! Bit of natural light in some of these pictures for a change!

I'll probably wear this outfit again to work on Wednesday so that i don't have to use my brain in the morning!

 Today I haven't left the house so I'm keeping it minimal. No make up (or hair conditioner, which explains the state of my hair!) as I need to dye it later. Having to change colour again as Schwartzkopf seem to have completely discontinued my chocolate brown :(

Everything in this outfit is from Primark funnily enough!

I've never known a girl like you before

 

 Occasionally I get the urge to dress all sexy. This is what happened today!

I often turn to my collection of Anna Scholz dresses when I want to look a bit sexy (in a grown-up way!). The fabric is always so slinky and I love a bit of ruching! I recently said (on twitter) that I'd do a post with this dress in after I posted a snapshot of the last time I wore it. 

It's got such an amazing pattern on it, which includes actual leopard faces!

 I have a lightweight bodyshaper on under this, but it just smooths my belly out a bit, it's the shape of the dress that does most of the work! Annas most recent collaboration with Simply be includes a few ruched dresses, and I think if you're looking for something super sexy you should try them out!

Dress - Anna Scholz White label (no longer available, sorry!)

Shoes - Marks and spencers (no longer available, sorry!)

Of course a bit of velvet red lippy always helps with the 'sexy' look!

My friend photographed me in this dress when I first got it, and I entered Anna's amazing blog competition to win £100 (to use on her website). Happily I won and the prize money paid for the lush maxi I was wearing the other day, as well as a delicious scarab print dress that you'll get to see this summer! I realise looking at this that I don't miss my red hair any more, I love being a real brunette again!

I know the black label dress I'm wearing today isn't for sale anymore, but I have to say that style-wise the Anna Scholz / Simply Be leopard print ruched dress is the most similar style available, and you can get these on ebay for a snip. It doesn't have the asymmetric neckline but the cut is pretty much the same as her designer line. I love mine, it makes me feel super sexy. Mine is a size 22, but it's quite generous so go for your normal size or a size down!

Right, I'm off to get up to some mischief! xx

Friday ootd, preppy goes military

I have been wanting to wear this vintage Evans dress on the blog for so long (I feel odd referring to things from the early 90's as vintage, but that's cause I'm old!), and I've been waiting for it to be warm enough to wear this little jacket. Today I gave up waiting and just wore it with a coat over the top!

This is a fitted midi length shirt dress form back-in-the-day Evans. Classic!

The blazer is an old Primark one. Nice and stretchy. It may sound odd but I really wanted a tiny blazer. I often find blazers in my size to be too big and boxy (particularly if I wear them undone!), so i wanted something undersized because I think they look good with midi / maxi dresses! They actually have some nice stretch blazers in Primark at the moment. Nearly bough a nude one when I went to get some leggings yesterday (currently wearing!) but got a hold of myself before spending more money than I'd intended!

I guess I think of this as a military style dress because of all the buttons and the pockets. Not sure anyone else would describe it as military but it's the closest I get okay?!

If I was wearing this at home (not going into work) I'd wear heels, but until the summer holidays when my journey is easier I cannot cope with heels - I could wear comfy shoes and then change at work but I really really can't be bothered with that kind of thing!

I forget this morning to take pictures with the blazer done up, so I took some at work.

SPREAD 'EM PUNK!

Jacket - Primark (old)

Dress - Vintage Evans

Legging - primark

Shoes - New look

I love my new shoes boots, I missed out on them in the online New Look sale as they didn't have my size, but when i went to collect my order in-store I found them... last pair, proper size 7, real suede, £12! Happy Parsnip!

 Old Dior earrings which I totally love. I have quite a few pairs of Dior earrings from my designer-love years. One side has keys on, the other has a star with a piercing & I still love them after all these years!

Lips and a yoke

I ordered the Swan by Clements Ribeiro shirt dress as soon as it came online. In all honestly I didn't like anything else from the collection - the prints are great, but the cuts are just not for me. As with the last 2 Swan collections I think everything is too boxy. I just don't understand how clothing (apparently) specifically designed for fat women has ended up being tight and clingy on the belly / bum / hips. It may be a cut that works for girls who are a sort of upside-down triangle shape, but on me it's an absolute disaster! Sadly my experience with this particular collaboration's dresses have always been bad, but when I saw this shirt dress I thought aha! Finally C&R have tried a different shape! I had to give it a go....

In all honesty the first thing I thought when I took it out of the bag was 'wow, that is very flimsy for £45!'. The fabric is sooo thin - I would say that it would be amazing when it gets hot but it's synthetic so not really. I like the feel to the touch, but I definitely would have liked something this thin to be made from cotton, or if synthetic then something a little bit more sturdy. Nevermind. I went for a size 24 in this, as there was no way on earth I'd get a 22 done up over my baps!

Cut-wise the top half is lovely - bit of gaping in the centre of the bust but I always get that and I'll just pin it. I LOVE the length of the arms, and they fit quite well considering I have sumo wrestler arms! The bottom half isn't quite so good because we're vearing back into the old swan problem - it's a much less generous cut on the belly & hips. On a positive note the neck is a good size so I don't feel choked with it done up!

 As you can see this is actually quite short on me. I'm not mad for the elastic on the back because it rucks up under my back fat (yumyum!) and I feel like I'll have to wear shaping undies with it to make it sit properly. All in all I like this dress enough to keep it - and in a cynical way I know if I wear it and then decide it's not comfortable it will be very easy to sell!. I'll certainly be wearing it with leggings, but for me the best thing about it is the print and the ombre background. It's really cute, so I'll work around the bits I'm not so keen on. This one has sold out (not surprisingly!) but they still have a few of the heart print version available here.

When I ordered this I also sneakily ordered a dress from the Evans sale..............

 LOVE! I seriously cannot believe how much I love this Yoke dress - I have 2 vintage Evans dresses but not a single modern Evans own-brand dress. This is an anomaly! I knew I'd like it the moment I saw it.

 This is a size 22-24, and is way longer than it looks on the website. I think I probably could have fitted the smaller size too, I'd say it's pretty flexible. The main body of the dress is soft stretchy jersey fabric, the shoulders and section on the hem are chiffon. The waist is elasticated and had a tie belt.

Yes yes yes. I would have loved it as a midi dress, but I think the maxi length is better because EVERYONE looks good in a maxi dress! I highly recommend this one ladies, I think I'll get a lot of wear out of it! It's £30 in the sale but I there are a few discount codes floating around. Get it here xx

New look sale changing room review

 

 Lets get straight to it! Crap pix I'm afraid. The Oxford Circus new look changing rooms are dreadful (as are the staff I'm sad to say - they seem much happier and more helpful in the marble Arch store for some reason!) the lighting is shite and it's like the tropics in there! Anyway anyway anyway....first up in my sale haul is this boucle jacket. I'm wearing the size 24 and it's pretty well fitted, okay on the arms and looks quite grown up - kind of in the style of old school Chanel Couture but only costs £11!. I just didn't know what I'd wear it with so I didn't keep it! They also have a biker jacket in this fabric.

 

This is a super cute skirt with a bird print and elasticated waist - I'm wearing a size 22 and it's a great size, but I couldn't keep it because it was really short at the back - I have this problem with skater skirts, my bum is so big they look like a back to front dip-hem! Recommended to ladies with smaller bottoms than me! Sorry sold out online, but they had loads in store!

 

 These cuffed trousers are a size 24 and are actually too big for me. They're very comfy and have a bit of stretch so go for your normal size I'd say. Personally I think this colour looks rubbish on me so I'm not to sad that they were too big!

 

 I was really excited to try this AX paris dress, but it's way too short for me. What you can't tell (thanks to my flash) here or on the site is that the shoulders are slightly padded so the shape is really nice. I feel sure I'd put my finger through the intricate cutouts and tear it to shreds within moments though! This is a size 24 and it's pretty tight as you can see. Oh well... hey ho!

   

 Keeping this biker jacket! Size 24.

  

 Faux leather so it might make me super sweaty, but I like it so I keep it!

 

 Oddly this is still full price in the shops, I think it cost me about £14 online!

 

 Pack of 2 leggings (one black one navy) size 22... lovely! Sorry sold out online!

 

 I always wanted to try this top (since before Christmas when I put it up on my blog!) but my god it's rubbish in real life. This is the size 26 and it's tight across my bust - ridiculous! Sorry sold out online!

 

 This waterfall jacket (size 22) might have been nice, I don't know because I couldn't get it over my arms! Sorry sold out online but the black version is here.

 

 Size 24 trousers, lightweight, no stretch, peg leg.... could have been good, but were SO TIGHT on my calves that I couldn't bend my knees! I just can't find a decent pair of smart black trousers for love-nor-money! Sorry sold out online but loads in store!

 

Size 24 peplum top... disaster, arms were way too small. Shame, if they had good sized arms I could have sized down to a 22 and it probably would have been a cute top. Sorry sold out online!

   

Thats it folks. I tried to find the cartoon skirt so I could tell Val how long it is, but they don't have it in store. I did however spy the dress above, a new brightly coloured (much shorter) version of the sold out pop art dress, get it here!. xx