Nude not rude

Why is it so hard for fat women to find decent tights, huh? They seem like a wardrobe staple?! I've also never understood why even standard retailers don't make nude tights in the range of deniers they do for black tights. Maybe I'm the only woman who doesn't like sheer tights? Who knows.... either way I was getting desperate to find some nude tights for the wedding I'm going to (in 4 days... who knows what the weather will be like?!) so I bite the bullet and ordered some from the big tights company. Frankly I found paying £15 for a pair of tights really depressing (I can get leggings for £3 for fecks sake!) but needs must, so I ordered 3 pairs of nude-ish tights and here is how I got on....

The least said about the Venice Lady 20 denier tights the better. Thank goodness I got the sample pair for £1... the only size available was the 20-22, and I couldn't get these on past the knees. Thankfully I sized up in the other tights I ordered.

 These are the New York Lady 40 denier tights in mink. I got these in a 28-32, and thank goodness I did, because these were tough to get on! The problem seems to be that these tights are a decent enough size from the groin up, but if you have thighs as large as mine these are just not as generous as they should be! I should be swamped by tights that would fit a size 32, but instead they're pretty tight everywhere but my waist.

 

The look and colour is okay, but I'm not keen on the fabric. I find it itchy and I suspect my thighs will still chafe. A bit gutted for £12.95!

 This is the pair I like - New York Lady 70 denier tights in Mink. Also size 28-32, these are notably bigger than the 40 denier. A tad bigger on the thighs (and therefore more comfortable) but WAY bigger on the waist.

The fabric of these is a bit rough, but the thickness makes them more comfy, and they feel less itchy. These are certainly the best of the bunch in my opinion, and should be for £14.95!

Over all I'd say that if you have a big belly but smaller legs, then these tights from the big tights company will be excellent for you, but if you have mega thighs like me you will need to get the biggest size and hope that the fabric is nice. The other bummer is that the 'mink' colour will be too dark for many ladies with pale skin, and sadly they don't offer any of the high denier pairs in the paler 'natural' colour. I've read many rave reviews of the big tights company but I'm not really convinced myself. I think If I'm going to spend loads of money trying to get good tights in the future I will try we love colours from the U.S, as they have such an impressive range of colours in opaque plus size tights.... the shipping is pricey but the tights are cheaper, so I think it will be worth a try. Many bloggers swear by them after all!

 £114.06 paypal earnings - £31.85 (OUCH!)= £82.21 to spend or save!

I like 'em fat like that

Song of the day today, to put a smile on my fellow fatties faces!

Louis Jordan - I like 'em fat like that

Let the cats all criticize, 

Joke about my baby's size; 

She's reet with me 

Because you see: 

I like 'em fat like that. 

When she bounces down the street, 

She's a whole heap o' honey, and ain't she sweet? 

Feels so fine 

To know she's mine: 

I like 'em fat like that. 

You have all those lean chicks, 

Tender and tall, 

But when it comes to mean kicks, 

My big fat mama is the best of all. 

After I'm through workin', 

I reach and grab my hat, 

Hurry home, 

Don't want her to be alone: 

I like 'em fat like that!

Wardrobe Fortnight!

Argh I've been BUSY recently! I've spent far less time relaxing than I'd like, and have therefore not had time to do my wardrobe weekly. I figured that the long bank holiday weekend gave me the perfect excuse to combine the last two weeks to do a fortnightly look back at what I've been wearing. I forgot to take pictures on Saturday, but I basically wore a my little pony jumper with jeans and boots to go and see my best mate, and on bank holiday Monday I stayed in bed so long that I felt confused for the entire evening, so jogging bottoms and a jumper with big fluffy socks was all I could muster! I did manage to wash myself though, so that was a bonus.

Monday

 These shoes are so darn comfy. A wide footed girls dream!

Dress 20 - Asos curve

Leggings 22 - Very (south high waisted / tall)

Shoes - Primark

Tuesday

 I've had this dress hanging in my wardrobe for a while, it was an impulse buy which I'm not really sure about and I thought I'd take it out for a test run.

 I do think it's lovely, but I don't think it's me. Considering I need to downsize my wardrobe I think I'm going to sell this. It's the same colour pallet as another of my Scholz dresses so I'm not too sad to wave goodbye to it!

Dress 22 - Anna Scholz black label (email me if you want to buy it, I'll be listing it for £35)

Cardi & leggings 20 - Primark

Earrings - H&M

Shoes - Dorothy Perkins

 Primark do such good nail varnish, these two glow in the dark!

Wednesday

 Today was a bun and shirt kind of day. Another pair of comfy and lovely Primark shoes. I particularly like these with trousers so I'm happy that I got the blue pair too!

Not sure I was colourful enough....

Shirt 24 - George

Jeggings 22 - Dorothy Perkins

Shoes - Primark

Ring - Forever 21

Thursday

 I fancied wearing my green shoes, so what better than a green dress to match?!

Dress 2XL - H&M+

Leggings 22 - Very

Shoes - United Nude

Friday

 We had a birthday party to go to on Friday, and as it was in Kingston I took the opportunity to visit Taking Shape, so I'm standing in the changing rooms before my trying on session... the least said about the party the better, it was 'bandeoke' and I heard many a beautiful song slayed.... don't even ask what my boyfriend did to Bill Withers!

Dress 24 - Matalan Rogers and Rogers

Leggings 20 - Primark

Shoes - Primark

Sunday

 Dress 24 - Asos Curve

Leggings 20 - Primark

Boots - Asos

Another day, another birthday party. I almost forgot to take a picture of this, and sadly this is when I got home... I looked much more impressive at the start of the night! The party theme was 'around the world', so I wore a kimono dress. I was one of the few people who bothered, so thank god I didn't go full on geisha! It was raining buckets so I just wore boots.... fuck it! I guess it says a lot about me and the way I dress that nobody realised I'd dressed up for the theme until I told them how lame they were for wearing jeans and t-shirts!

Tuesday

Tired, so wore weekend clothes to work!

 Sour puss face - My own
Jumper 20 - Primark
Trousers 22 - Dorothy Perkins
Boots - Asos

Thursday

 I had a bit of a health scare on Tuesday (you don't wanna know) which sent me to the doctors and my issues are down to the fact that I have been so heavy for so long. It scared the shit out of me and cemented in my mind that I have got to start taking my health seriously and loose a bit of weight.... since I hit 30 my life has gone uphill, but my health and body have taken a nose dive. Some people are perfectly fit and healthy at my size, but apparently I'm not, so something must be done. This is not my 'I wanna be thin' post, what I'm saying is that if I don't loose some weight there are bits of my body that are going to be irreparably damaged. I'm happy with the way I look, but that's not going to be much solace to me when I end up in a wheelchair is it? No. It is very unlikely that I will ever be out of the 'plus size' bracket, or light enough for my GP to be happy with my BMI, but I need to be a bit lighter because it's beginning to cause me mobility problems. I want to be fit enough to go for brisk walks with my long-legged boyfriend without getting out of breath you know?. That's my first goal! This photo marks the start of my (slightly) more healthy attitude to life. I'm not giving up chocolate (fuck that!) but more walking, more exercise, more fruit and veg, less meat, fewer fizzy drinks and smaller portions. That last one is really important.... I'm used to massive Viking-man sized portions because I'm a greedy bitch and I have such a passion for food that I am not willing to eat lettuce all day, but I can have smaller portions..... it's actually as easy as using a smaller plate! You'll see some of my healthier recipes here and maybe my zumba & swimming outfits (that's if I can actually learn to swim lengths!), but this blog is not going to become a weight-loss one, they bore me!. Time to admit defeat. By the way, there is genuinely a part of my brain that was like 'but you can't loose weight, what about all your beautiful dresses?'. Thankfully my lust for life is rebutting with 'THEY'RE JUST CLOTHES YOU KNOB HEAD!'

 Dress 24 - Matalan
Leggings 22 - Very
Boots - Asos

Friday

That was a bit heavy (hehe) wasn't it?! On to other things now....

 You may have noticed that I've been wearing these boots everyday. They are comfy enough, but it's mainly because I packed most of my boots away, but the rain has confused me so I just keep putting on the same thing!

 Jumper 20, leggings 20 & Parrot earrings - Primark
Skirt 22 - vintage via ebay
Boots - Asos

If like me you love bright pink lipstick (of the cerise nature) but look like a clown in the intense matte paint-like versions, or those with a strong purple tone then may I recommend this vivid little number; Max Factor colour elixir in 'Vibrant Pink'. It's much brighter in real life than this picture suggests. I love the red version ('designer blossom') too, but the pink is definitely more intense. The website makes them look metallic but they're not (Try Barry M lip Lacquer crayons for glitter - they're AMAZING!) and the colour elixir crayons are just brilliant for lip-liner-phobic ladies like me!

Kingston Takes Shape

 Taking shape very kindly offered me a styling session at my local store (I say local, it's in Kingston which is zone 6, but until central London gets one it's my closest option!) and as I was going to be nearby on Good Friday I arranged a session and turned up ready to try on some clothes IN REAL LIFE! The joy of try before you buy! I was greeted by Liz Heath who runs the Leicester Taking Shape store.... she had been given the rather tricky task of styling me, and was lovely and (thank goodness) happy to listen to my views on the clothes and didn't take offence when I didn't like things. She really was delightful, and it was a super fun experience for me!

Kingston is a small store but it's very nice, and tucked away at the back is my area; the Eplisse section! Taking shape have a slightly older clientele and so a lot of their pieces aren't my style, but I often love the dresses from the Eplisse range. This was my opportunity to try on some of the items I've been looking at online!

 I knew I'd like this 'Carnival Rose' dress, but when I tried it on I loved it!. It is a firm fabric with a hint of stretch (cotton & elastane) so it skims all the right bits and nips in at all the right bits too. I'm wearing the size 22 and the fit is perfect (no need to size up in taking shape, from my experience they're pretty reliable if not generous!). The black and white floral pattern is perfect and it's below the knee, so it's perfect for bare legs!

 The 'Chinoiserie' dress is one that I've had in my wish list for a while. It's so pretty! The fabric is super soft and stretchy and the colours are lovely. I think I tried size medium because they were sold out in the bigger sizes, so as you can see it doesn't quite fall right, and it's a bit small on my bust....

 .... I think if the bigger sizes had been available this would have come home with me! If you want a comfortable and lady-like dress then this is the one for you!

 If you want a sexy dress then try their super popular 'Rose Etching' Dress. This is a slinky number, made from a very strokable super stretchy fabric. I'm wearing the 22 here (with bulgy leggings and the wrong bra!) and the fit is great.

 The dress is knee length on me, and has a built in stretch lining. It's extremely comfortable for a fitted dress. I really like this one, and my boyfriend liked it too (always a good sign!)

 So those were the dresses I chose to try on, now it's time for the dresses that Liz selected for me! I wouldn't of picked this 'In Bloom' dress from looking at it on the hanger, but actually, it's rather lovely when it's on! I think I like it even more now I look at the pictures. The bias cut on this full dress with heavy stretch fabric is generous. I don't know why but I can't get this page to load properly on the taking shape website, so I'm not sure if this dress comes in 22 / 24 or medium / large etc. I do know that I had to size down though, so maybe bear that in mind!

 This dress falls below the knee and is very full at the bottom. I think this shape would be excellent at balancing out a large busted lady with a smaller lower body!

 I had looked at this 'Hibiscus' maxi dress on the website but I wasn't sure about the beaded neckline. I don't mind it so much in real life, but sadly it's too short for me. I found it difficult to get the empire line below my boobs (even though it's stretchy fabric) and it was a few inches too short over all. No good for me, but great news for you shorter ladies! This dress is cute and comfy, and when worn the beads just look like a chunky necklace! I'm not sure what sizes I tried the maxi dresses on in, I'm sorry lovely readers, I was a bit excited so I didn't check! I'd guess Large or extra large, but check the measurements provided on the website!

 I had the same issue again with the 'Starburst' maxi dress. Too short for me. I really like this one though... Liz made a good choice here with the colours and pattern. I would have snipped the thread holding it together on the bust (for a lower cut look!) but otherwise I would definitely wear this one if it came in 'long'! Again, this is nice and stretchy!

 I also tried on a pair of their wide foot sandals. They look like wedges but they're actually quite flat.

 As you can see my square feet fitted them without a problem!

Liz surprised me by giving me £100 to spend in the store which was so generous! Taking shape had a 20% off deal over Easter, so I managed to get 2 beautiful dresses but only spent about £7! I am such a lucky girl! Guess which ones I chose......

 Of course I chose this one! It's slinky and lovely! I opened up the cross over top so it is now nice and low-cut. I don't know what my cameras problem is but some of these are annoyingly fuzzy.... never mind, you get the picture right?! P's, this is without any shaping undies, just knickers and a decent bra!

 And the 2nd dress?!

 Of course I had to have this one, I felt like this one suited me best, and I felt wonderfully girly and pretty in it, so it had to come home with me!

 

Big thanks to taking shape for their generosity and to the lovely Liz who totally accepted and supported my (stubborn) sense of my own style and was super lovely to me the whole session. The chance to actually visit a shop that sells my size has become so rare that I forget how nice it is. It's so exciting to think that the high street may be opening up to plus size women at last!

Bags and shoes

I took a trip to Primark for two reasons. 1) those black flats I got are so damn cute and comfy that I had to get the electric blue version & 2) I needed a clutch bag for the wedding I'm going to in a couple of weeks.... I wanted a white one, but didn't want to spend loads of money.

 Oh boy did they come through for me!

 This is such a cute clutch. It's a good size, has a wrist loop and metal bars down each end. It'll go with pretty much anything and will fit a pair of flat shoes for the party!

 Did I mention that this was only £6?! Bargain!

 I had to have these. I will wear them until they either fall apart or get too smelly to keep! £8.... the most attractive and comfy wide fit shoes I've ever found (and I've had some mega expensive ones!).

 I simply had to have this little bag. It's coming with me on holiday.It's the perfect size for my camera, holiday money, suntan lotion & sunglasses. I think it will also be quite tricky for a pick pocket to get into without me noticing!

 Delicious pastel candy colours! £6.

I also got these for my boyfriend. He either loses or utterly destroys all sunglasses, so even spending £5 on a pair is a waste of money. £1.50, that's the limit! 

Oh by the way, I made £154 on ebay with my last sale (although thanks to a few annoying non-paying buyers I've actually received £120), so I'm well aware that I'm about to go over my £100 per month spending limit, but it's okay, I'm funding it through paypal!

£15.56-£21.50 = -£5.94!
£120 paypal earnings - £5.94 = £114.06 to spend or save!