Some things just aren't meant to be. I thought this dress was interesting, and the colours are very 'me', but when it arrived it just didn't really work. The last of the 3 Taking Shape dresses I was sent to review is a mix of cotton & silk and is quirky and bright, like the last one I reviewed. The first problem with this one was that I couldn't get it on properly because it was too small for my arms - this in itself is not an unusual occurrence because my arms are mahooosive, but even with no stretch I was hoping that the size 22 would be okay. Sadly not. I thought about what I should do for quite some time, and because I liked the colours of the dress so much (particularly the sleeves) I decided to undo the sleeves at the seams and re-try it. I got into it when the sleeves were undone, but then I faced problem number two - the sash was too high (well, or my boobs are too low?!) and just looked silly. I sort of preferred it undone, although it was a bit oversized under the bust. I therefore decided to cut off the sash belt and sew it into the arms, making them wide enough to fit my bingo wings!
Can I just apologise at this point for the terrible photos.... I don't know if my BF had the shakes on Saturday or what (wasn't my camera 'cause the test shots I took of the garden were crisp and perfect!) but the photos are blurry and crap, and I'm looking a little miffed at his inability to use a 100% automatic point-and-shoot camera in most of them!
I don't think this dress suits me very well, but I still like it for some reason. You can probably tell that the colours and fabrics are lovely, although I was obviously freezing in just this wispy silk number!
I liked the dress better with flats for some reason, and I think if I wear it to work I might try it with some brogues (I really will look like an Art Teacher then won't I?!).
You will be okay with this dress is you are a bit less bulky than me - I have a wide back and enormous upper arms so a dress like this, with fitted silk sleeves was always going to pose a challenge!
Effort was made with the makeup today (not that clear in the pics sadly!) using two new products... LOreal Super liner blackbuster eyeliner pen (not impressed, think it's harder to use that my regular superliner!) and MUA £1 matt red lipstick in 'Scarlet Siren' (love it, total bargain!).
I grabbed a belt on the way downstairs to show you the dress with a more fitted look - I wouldn't really choose to wear this red belt with this dress in real life, but I am yet to find a good emerald green or purple/blue belt that would match properly... I hope you get the gist though?! Maybe a thinner belt would work better... I'll try it when I wear it for real!
If you want to try the Midnight Garden dress yourself then you can get it here, and joyously it's now on sale!
I just want to say thank you to Taking shape for sending me some really interesting pieces to review, more choice when it comes to plus size clothing is a very very good thing indeed! I'll finish up with some of my picks from the website......
First choice is the Midnight Garden Shirt - I think this may have worked better for me than the dress.... I so love the jade green silk!
Next up is this beautiful City Fling skirt which I'm sure wasn't on the site when I chose my items to review, 'cause I would 'av 'ad it!. The colour, the pattern, the fishtail.... this with the shirt above, sigh!
While I'm on the subject of skirts, I have sort of fallen in love with this Typo skirt. If you ignore the dreadful outfit in this photo (sorry Taking Shape but seriously, this styling is ALL WRONG!) then this is a super cool skirt.... Imagine it with black tights, court shoes and an off the shoulder jumper or tee. Too cool!
I chose to try some of the more unusual pieces from the Taking Shape site, but they also have more sensible clothing that looks pretty well suited to a fuller figure - this flipside dress is a flattering shape, a lovely colour, has a beautiful print and the best length sleeves!
Last but not least is this totally fabulous coat - the Jigsaw coat makes me happy.... the colour and pattern are both delicious and I very much appreciate the sharp edges. It's so hard to find interesting coats in plus sizes, I think this one is a winner!
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