Animal magic

Ahhhhhh..... so many delicious things to show you tonight, all of which are under £20. I often find cute things from George, but recently they've really been pushing the boat out.... sadly they still have lots of clothing that only goes up to a 20, but they often have choice pieces in size 22 & 24, but they often sell out quickly. I saw a couple of things that I wanted to try so I decided to put in a big order!

All of these pieces are size 24!

 I really like the colour and print of this dress, which is why I ordered it, but I already had suspicions that I would feel like it was a bit 'young' for me! It's hard to see in the pictures but the background of this is small checks, with the animal print over the top.

 Its super cute, but it's a bit short on me, and I'm not sure that this particular smock style suits me. I can think of many people this would look ace on though! It's stretchy and soft jersey, super comfy!

 This dress is not really my style (if it was bright colours I'd probably go for it though!), but I ordered it because my other Barbara Hulaniki dress was so popular with my readers and twitter followers when I bought it that I thought you guys might like to see this one! As I suspected, the shape of this dress is super flattering, it's such a good cut and would be fabulous for work. I'd like this on my sister!

Lovely knee length, soft stretch jersey.

 I just wanted to try this top because a) it's red & b) it's only £6!. Stretchy jersey, longer than I thought it would be as it looks quite short on the site. I can't find this on the site to give you a link, sorry!

 It deliberately has a boxy cut.

I'm not keeping this one because I'm not mad for the shape, but it's still cute!

 I'm glad I tried this top... I seem to have minimum loose fitting tops nowadays, and sometimes I just want a slouchy look. This is the same print as the dress but with a different colour on the background. Personally I would roll the sleeves up a bit, but this is how the top sits on it's own.

 You can see the batwing style of this. I think this top would easily fit size 26. It's more fitted at the bottom and super wide at the top, so also great for a big bust!

This is my kind of boxy! Again, this is a lovely comfy stretch jersey.

 I don't think I'll ever find a denim shirt that works on me, so it came as no surprise that this shirt was a bad fit! I think if it had stretch I would have been okay, but as it is the bust is far too tight.

On the plus side the fabric is quite soft and thin, and the sleeves are generous enough to fit my sumo wrestler arms!

 Ah-ha! The Barbara Hulaniki print from the dress, but in my kind of colour! This blouse is BIG! It would for sure fit a size 26!

 I hardly have any tops this length nowadays, but I think it's handy to have a tunic-length top around for wearing with tight trousers.... I like a big and loose top matched with skin-tight bottoms... might wear this with my wet-look joggers!

 This really has that retro biba feel to it, and I love it! Plus it has massive sleeves which ALWAYS makes me happy! It's non-stretch sheer fabric and I think it will be quite versatile...

.... with skirts for example.... workin' nine to five!

 Now we move on to the reasons I made this order in the first place.... amazing shirts! I am SO HAPPY that these fit me! They fit my arms, boobs and belly (although I will blatantly pin the bust to stop gaping when I'm flinging my arms around!). This is non-stretch lightweight fabric and falls really nicely.

Lovely cheetah print in multi colour on a black background. Love this. The only down side is that one of the buttons has already fallen off, which is a tad ridiculous before I've even worn it out, but it was cheap so I'll just sew it back on and now worry too much!

 'You went and saved the best for laaaaasssstttt'! Oh my lord I love this shirt. This is the item that spurred on my order when I saw it on the site. Oh the joy of a (almost neon) acid lemon coloured leopard print shirt in a size 24! This is the same cut and fabric as the one above, so non-stretch.

I think I'm properly in love with this one.... too cool for school!

I hope you keep this up George, I'm loving your more fashion-forward styles.... my only request is that you go up to size 24 as standard throughout your ranges that currently stop at a 20, and maybe even one day, expand your size range to include 26+?. Pretty please!

Wardrobe weekly

Monday

 I really do love this skirt, it's so easy to wear. I got the jumper a while back and had almost forgotten about it, but I bought it specifically to be worn with skirts (far too short for trousers!)

Jumper 20 & skirt 20 - Primark

Boots - Yours Clothing

Tuesday

 This vintage dress is a favourite of mine.

Dress size ? - Vintage

Leggings XL - H&M

Shoes - charity shop

Wednesday

I was off work on Wednesday and all I really did was go to the post office, in this!

Jumper 20 - Primark

Jeans US20 - Forever 21+

Boots - Dorothy Perkins

Friday

 Perfect weather for this maxi dress on Friday, cold but sunny.

Earrings - Superdrug

Dress 24 - George

Leggings 20 & glittery gold socks - Primark

Shoes boots - Asos

Saturday

 Sticking with the maxi theme (or 'looking very bohemian' according to my boyfriend!) for a nice relaxed Saturday. I have this maxi in two different patterns and I like how feminine and flowing they are. They keep bringing this style back into Primark so if you like it then keep your eyes peeled!

Top 20 & skirt 20 - both Primark

Doodles

There was a young girl called Parsnips....

..... who was never too good at fasting

She had always been fat.....

.... and was so cool with that.....

..... 'cause she'd rather be fat than starving!

This is what happens when I find an app on my phone that I'd didn't know I had!

Paper artist is fun!

In the Cut

 My love of bright colours and OTT patterns knows no bounds, so Cut for Evans excited me beyond belief! I ordered over £200 worth to try (knowing I was not allowed to keep all of it!) and left only the two dresses (both too short for me) the leggings (not a fan of those if I'm honest) and the cardigan (I love the pattern on it, but I really don't like dipped hems!). Of course if this collection goes into the sales then I might be tempted to try them all anyway in case they look nice on me! 

I ordered everything in a size 24 FYI! I also ate a massive meal before I took these pictures, which wasn't a good move, but hey, it's not like you don't know I'm fat huh?!

First up, the piece I was most excited about; the jumpsuit! Right from the off I have to admit that I'm not mad for the fabric used for the Alice Farrow pieces. It's like the stuff the Clements Ribeiro Swan trousers were made of.... the stuff that Simply Be often use for their Anna Scholz line. It's nice and stretchy, and with this much pattern it looks fine (even though it clings to every single lump and bump you have!) but it's a bit more synthetic feeling than a regular t-shirt fabric soft jersey, and so it's a bit more sweaty! I like wearing jumpsuits when it's very hot, so I was hoping that this would be a more natural feeling jersey, but anyway......

This is pretty cute huh?! I had to get my boyfriend to zip and unzip it so I'm not sure what I'd do if he wasn't here to help, but otherwise it's a pretty nice fit. The zip goes right down to the bottom but I couldn't unzip it past the waist. The body is long enough for my long torso, but not so long that I have a material-free section on my upper thigh to cause chafing! It bites my ankles as you can see, but I quite like that in a tapered leg so it's all good! Size-wise it's what I would expect from a size 24!

I'm mulling this one over, because the cynical part of brain is telling me that not many Evans shoppers would dare to wear a jumpsuit (let alone one so in-your-face!) and that I might be able to get this for much cheaper at a later date. I'm wondering how much wear I'd get out of it.....

Next up we have the shirt and trouser combo, both the same fabric as the jumpsuit. I LOVE the colours in this, The turquoise is so bright!

The trousers are quite small and tight, they almost feel like they're the wrong size rather than bieng designed to be like that, as the waistband is WAY smaller than the other size 24 pieces. They're so short... too much like leggings. Basically this is my favourite look of the batch, but I think I'd be better in a bigger trouser 'cause I'd really prefer a looser fit in these.

The shirt though is lurrrvely! I think I'm gonna keep this one, as I'd wear it with some of my skirts for sure! All of those are quite synthetic too.... I might set off sparks!

This was my 'if I don't like the jumpsuit' outfit of choice, as they pretty much have the same pattern on. The shirt is chiffon, and it's really smooth and soft and lovely, I kept stroking it! I think this is a fairly small 24 - don't get me wrong, I often find shirts this size too small, but often thats because the sleeves are too small to get it on properly. This is tight on my bust and belly, and quite tight on the arm holes as well so I'd prefer a 26. I really like this shirt, it feels lovely on!

 As much as I like the pencil skirt and shirt combo, the skirt fabric is a problem for me here. I like a pencil skirt to feel firm so this fabric is a bit too thin and stretchy for me - I'd only ever wear it with a long top.... that's fine but because they're separates it's a bit pricey, and Ideally I like to tuck tops into my skirts. If this combo goes on sale I think I'll have to have it!

I like this shirt, but I'll plump for the long sleeved shirt over this, because I don't have ANY long sleeved shirts! The skirt is a good size by the way, nice and fitted but really stretchy.

On to the two pieces by Rebecca Partington. I'd say that the sizing on these are more acurate. I like the fit of the top, but I'd like a tighter skirt because it's knitted and will be sure to stretch out a bit. I think Rebecca's patterns are more accessible to the less out-there plus size women, so I imagine they'll sell pretty well. 

The fabric is nice and thick, relatively firm, and not at all itchy!

I like these items, but not necessarily together. I'm not entirely sure how I would wear them.... I find myself wishing for sleeves! I might try the top with a few of my existing bottoms and see if it works for me! For those of you who look for comfort, these are the ones for you!

I'm generally impressed with this collection, particularly because they have completely retained the aesthetics of the two designers styles. Nice work Evans, this is the first range I've liked from you since Beth Ditto, and I'm a right fussy bitch! Get Cut for Evans here.

Wardrobe Weekly

Monday

 An old classic and rubber shoes to combat the constant drizzle.

Dress 22 - Per Una (Marks and Spencers)

Tights XL - Primark 100den

Brogues - J Maskrey & Swarovski Melissa's

Tuesday

Dress 20 - Topsy Curvy

Leggings 20 & boots - Primark

 

Wednesday

Dress 22 - Anna Scholz black label

Tights XL - Primark 100den

Shoes - Tracey Neuls

Thursday

 I felt the urge to dress in all black on Thursday, which is a rare occurrence these days..... I do tend to think of it as the fat girl uniform, but in the right circumstances it can be super chic. Simply Be very kindly invited me to their Anna Scholz soiree, and I jumped at the chance because it was at her studio and I knew I'd get to see loads of exciting things and people.

Dress 24 - Asos Curve

Necklace & leggings 20 - Primark

Boots - Yours Clothing

Chatting to the lovely Anna Scholz. I believe I told her that her clothes were 'fucking beautiful'.... that's what a few glasses of prosecco and a bit of double silk will do to my brain, I swore at my favourite designer! I stand by what I said though, the new collection is stunning frankly!

 One of the dresses I tried, isn't it lovely! Well out of my price range at £420 but if you have cash to splash then this one is already available on the site here. P's I stole the pictures above from the Anna Scholz facebook page!

 I also tried on the spectacular 70's print double silk kaftan maxi dress that Amanda is wearing here.... it's very beautiful and will be coming online soon. WANT!

The other dress I was particularly taken with was this one, worn by Gemma (who very kindly gave me permission to steal the two photos above from her blog!). I have a big list of delicious items that I want from both Simply Be & Anna Scholz black / white labels now! I couldn't try the Simply Be pieces because they didn't have my size, but my favorite pieces were...

 .... This delicious dress!

 This beautiful coat!

This (twit-twoooo!) basque. More to add to my wish list! I got to meet loads of bloggers who's blogs I read, and a few bloggers that I didn't know (who's blogs have just been added to my read-list!) Thanks to the Simply Be team for inviting me, and thanks for the macaroons!

Friday

 I made an effort to wear something valentines-appropriate, but to be honest this valentines day was a cold and wet blow-out thanks to a hungover boyfriend (the danger of free booze!). I was still quite pleased with this outfit though. I had considered selling this Lovedrobe dress, but I realised that I just didn't like the big collar, so I cut it off and now I'm loving this coral beauty!

Dress 26 - Lovedrobe

Belt - From another dress from forever 21+

Leggings 20 - Primark

Shoe-boots - Asos

 Saturday

 

Dress 22 - Asos Curve

We went out for a friends birthday on Saturday night, and to be honest it didn't go very well (it started with me twisting my ankle right at the beginning of the night, ended with me hiding in a corner from a bunch of pervy men at a strip-tease pub, and saw me smashing my beautiful white cats-eye ring while smacking a glass bottle of ketchup in a restaurant in the middle), but hey, at least I got to wear this delicious dress out for the first time! I wear this one backwards because I don't like the actual neckline....not low, not high, just an odd in-between round neck that doesn't do the dress justice. Therefore, I go low! I also had to cut my hair (which I've been putting off for ages) because having a massive knot at the back of my head was becoming my regular hairstyle, and I don't carry a brush, so chop chop! Quite like this length thankfully! I feel like I've bought tons of stuff recently, so hopefully I'll have some nice posts coming up for you soon!