Wardrobe weekly

Monday

 I had so many meeting on Monday that I decided to dress smartly. This autumnal top seem appropriate considering how mild this winter currently is (there is blossom on the trees near work... IN JANUARY?!)

 Top 24 - George

Skirt 20 - Primark

Tights XL 100 den - Primark

Shoes - New look

I was inspired by this post by Stephanie Zwicky (she ALWAYS inspires me actually, not just this post!) to try a dark lipstick, something I haven't worn since I was a teenager. I can't pull of one as purple as Stephanie is wearing because purple lipstick makes me look like a corpse, but I found a nice brown/ red toned one from MUA that went well with this top.

This is one of their £1 matte lipsticks, in 'wild berry'. It's no way near as dark as it looks in the tube, but it's ideal for me and my skin tone!

Tuesday

Tried it out at home, then wore it to work (as is my way!)

I really love this dress, which is why I got the pink version too. In my mind I will wear this one buttoned all the way up, and the pink one unbuttoned because it reminds me of American waitresses in 50's diners!

Jacket 20 - Primark

Dress 24 - Lovedrobe

Leggings 20 & boots - Primark

Wednesday

When I look through my pictures, I realise that I nearly always put this dress on when I'm tired and feel a bit rubbish.... generally having not had enough sleep the night before work, and failing to choose an outfit for the morning!

It's just so cute and easy to wear that I always feel safe and comfy in it. I also like how it looks so it saves me from a day thinking 'what the hell am I wearing?!' This is my old George graduate fashion week cardi, warm and unusual!

Cardi 24 - Geroge

Dress 20 - Asos Curve

Leggings XL - H&M

Boots - Matalan mens

On my way home I noticed a new make up store next to Oxford Circus tube, so I went in for a snoop. I could have spent a fortune but I resisted and got two things that I've been on the hunt for.... a long lasting stick eyeshadow in lavanda - an intense pastel purple, and a smoky look eyeshadow in heroic brown. I have had to accept that my skin and face is changing with age, and I now don't like the way that grey / black smoky eyes look on me. It was one of my favourite looks so I was a bit sad, but I've decided to try a warmer brown smoky eye to see if that suits me better. It's also to do with my hair being so dark again I guess. Looking forward to wearing these, have any of you ever used Kiko makup?

Thursday

This was going to be my birthday dress for Tuesday, but having decided to take a couple of days leave for my 32nd I thought I'd wear it for lunch with my best mate (and her scrumptious chubby cheeked daughter!)

I cut my fringe specially! What this dress made me realise is that I don't have any black shoes or boots that go with it this kind of thing. I wanted something pointy that looked a bit like heels from the front, but were definitely not heels, because I can't be on my feet all day in heels! I went real-life shopping after work in search of boots!

Dress 26 - Asos Curve

Leggings 20 & boots - Primark

Friday

Ooooohhh more new stuff! My search for shoe boots resulted in me getting this rather fetching shirt from H&M and these ridiculous boots from Dorothy Perkins. I don't normally go in for bondage shoes 'cause they remind me of porn stars(!) but there was something about the shape of these that called to me! I tried them with the crazy asos dress and they worked, so I was like yep, fuck it, I'm 'avin' 'em! I think they look like heels from the front, what do you think?!

I spotted this shirt in the H&M sale rack for £7, and despite this apparently being a size 12 its is a great fit on me, still oversized as it should be.... a size 12 would be utterly swamped in this!

Earrings - Superdrug

Shirt 12(!) - H&M

Jeggings 22 - Dorothy Perkins

Boots - Dorothy Perkins £30 in store btw!

So glad I got these earrings from Superdrug, they go with lots of things I own! Wearing MUA £1 matte lippy in 'scarlet siren'.

Big Love

I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I was when I received the picture above. It is my big sister looking fabulous in a brightly coloured, bodycon, Anna Scholz for Simply Be dress. Knowing that I have inspired strangers to step out of their comfort zone is a wonderful thing, but when it's my own family I could literally jump for joy! 

I wanted to share some of the outfits / bloggers that have inspired me in a big way!

I have to start with Em from Boombands because she was the person that introduced me to the fatsion blogosphere. I found her blog while searching google for reviews of the Anna Scholz black / white labels. I wanted to buy the maxi dress above, but had no idea what the sizing would be like. Em to the rescue. You'll have seen me swanning about in this maxi over summer, I'll be forever grateful for Em helping me out with my first Scholz purchase!

I don't need to tell anyone how inspiring Gabi from Gabifresh is do I... I don't think I've ever seen an outfit on her that I didn't like, and let me tell you that is a rare occurrence! I picked this rather low-key outfit because when I saw it I chastised myself for passing up this dress in the Evans sale ('twas still £40 which is why I didn't go for it), and these images are what sent me into a frenzy of trapeze dress desire! My regular readers may remember that I managed to snap up a rather tasty Primark stripped tent dress a while back, and Gabi was the inspiration for that particular obsession.

Oh Chastity, I love love love Chastity from Garnerstyle. If you want to know how to dress smartly as a plus size woman then she is your girl. Some of you may recognise this Kiyonna dress as the red version of the dress I wore to my works Christmas do Last year. I saw it on Chasity and fell in love.

Weesha from Weeshas World has very good taste. She made me buy this jumpsuit by looking awesome in it! She even gave me advice on the sizing when I commented on the post. She is the reason I tried jumpsuits. To my beautiful readers who have told me I've inspired them to try jumpsuits, this is the picture that originally inspired me!

Georgina from cupcakes clothes is the most whimsical plus size woman I've ever seen. she is like a living work of art! She makes me want to be whimsical and girly. You guys probably think that I'm girly because I love dresses, but in reality I detest traditional girlyness. Georgina is like the opposite of what I would normally like, but I LOVE the ways she dresses. I love the pastels, the bows and general cuteness of her look. I know that elements of her wardobe have been creeping into my wardrobe since I started reading her blog. I have a pair of cream coloured tights now, and bows for my hair!

I'm sure that everyone knows Nadia Aboulhosn... when it comes to fearless fashion she is right up there. Lots of what she wears isn't my style, but it didn't stop me spending a whole night looking through all her old blog posts! I still love seeing what she's strutting around in! Admittedly I detest the dead animal pinned to her shoulder in this outfit... I would have gone for a brooch because I don't like real fur, but the idea of the outfit it just perfect. This outfit has been responsible for my new found obsession with velvet, and I have a burning desire to find a crushed velvet dress for Christmas 2013! She looks like a goddess in this.

Vanoue from curvy and curly closet is like a ray of sunshine. I just feel so happy when I see her outfits and joyous smiley face! This particular dress blew my mind and I have been super jealous of it since the first moment I saw it! Wish list dress!

 

Jay Miranda is my go-to-girl for classy inspiration. She is to blame for my obsession with pleat-top vintage style trousers. I used to avoid this style of trouser because it accentuated my big belly, but now I want them in every colour imaginable. Okay so all I've managed so far is some black chinos but I'm still looking!

Lovely Mrs Bebe is my go-to-girl for casual looks. She has such a good sense of her own style, and does casual better than any other blogger I know. She made me NEED a decent denim jacket... something I'd completely given up on years ago.

Kellie B is so clearly a super-cool woman. She has no 'rules' about what fat girls should wear and she is original and fabulous. The biggest effect Kellie has had on me is that she has inspired me to get my massive arms out. I often see plus size bloggers complaining about their fat arms but they're always much smaller than mine. Kellie has arms like mine, and I don't look at her and think 'ergh put them away', I think 'I should get mine out!'. As confident as I am it's only in my old age that I have set my bingo wings free, and I thank Kellie for inspiring me!

 

Stephanie Zwicky is so well dressed that it's hard to pick a specific outift. I've gone for the most recent 'I WANT THAT DRESS' experience. I love this outfit, it is so light and summery. I want to pick apples in this dress. Stephanie just always looks amazing.

I've been reading Vals blog to be alive for a really long time. When I first came across her blog I looked through the archives and was like 'Oooh I have that dress' and' Cool, that's my M&S galaxy print dress!'.  I think If I could pick one persons wardrobe to raid it would be hers! She is the person who got me back into skirts. I had pretty much entirely given up on skirts until I started reading her blog!

I only came across Sarah Anne's blog Big hips red lips earlier this year, and it really tapped into my dormant rockabilly sensibilities! I don't really have one style, I like to mix it up, but sometimes I like a bit of 50's kitch and Sarah's outfits just excite me! I don't like denim shorts on me, but I like them on others, and although I don't know the ways in which this outfit has inspired me yet, I do think about it quite a lot..... I think it'll hit me when I see a ruffled shirt or something in gingham! Basically everything about this look makes me feel happy!

Audrey from big or not to big is my most recent discovery, and she has become an instant favourite. There is something of the mini-mouse about her, and I want most of her outfits for myself! What I love most about Audrey is how she assembles an outfit. She is SO GOOD at accessorising. I like to be a bit low key with my accessories and don't go for things that are too in your face, so I appreciate the perfect balance in her outfits. Above is one of the many outfits I've swooned over on her blog, and the little hat, matching lips and cute shoes just take it to the next level! I should wear hats more....

Rez is so eclectic in her styles and is so experimental that I sometimes see an outfit and think 'that is MENTAL!'. In fashion terms I consider that to be truly fabulous..... I particularly love her quirky vintage looks. How fabulous is this dress?! Always an inspiration.

 

I found it difficalt to choose my favourite outfit from Kelly of MasqueMag because I often love her clothes. I went for this one because It totally knocked me out when I saw it. It is so sexy, it made me want to dress up and be the sexiest fatty around!

 I wanted to give a special shout-out to Lauren, because her pocket rocket blog was one of the first I found & fell in love with. I chose this picture because she looks so happy in it, and the outfit is super cute (and I have that cardi please?!). I had some big rants about the state of plus size clothes on Lauren's blog, and the Swan collection rant was instrumental in the decision to start my own blog.... I'm very glad I did!

I read nearly 100 plus size fashion blogs so I don't have time to list all of you, but please know that so many of you inspire me on a daily basis!

Your nimble feet make prints in my sands
xx