Change room post - the endless search for a good winter coat!

Selfridges has gone all Christmassy, and being a Festive loony it has made me enjoy high street shopping much more than I normally do. I decided to go down to New look to try some of their Inspire winter coats.

My very coat arrived yesterday and I was pretty sure that I didn't like it, which is why I braved Oxford street to try some others and compare.

Most of my summer coats are size 22, but in winter coats I always get size 24, as they are often to tight across my chest. 70% of the time they are also way too tight for my arms which I can't abide. This is a size 24 from the Very 'so fabulous' collection. Too tight on & under the boobs so fit was a bit odd on me.

I love the fabric, and the arms and spacious and it's really warm so I did consider keeping it but was put off by the pockets....

.... they were almost on my back! so far round the side I could only just get my hands in, and so they would be useless (no good for me as I use my pockets!) and it also means that they stick out and ruin the shape of the jacket. I've sent it back feeling a bit gutted.

In New Look I tried this rather nice padded jacket. Quite liked it - it was very comfortable. On sale on the website I believe, but not in store.

I love a good hood. Sadly this is to casual for what I'm looking for so I left it.

The less said about this coat the better. It reminded me of coats I had to wear when I was 17 and always ended up having to get them from Evans (back in the day when they were seriously unfashionable). It is fucking awful. I nearly came out in hives looking at myself in this.

Not sure about this one. It's kind of cute, but not on me. Quite tight on the bust, but arms were comfy, and I quite like the length.

Again, Loving the hood. For my body though, this jacket flares in the wrong place. It's too fitted on the bust to be a proper swing coat so it's got a slight maternity feel to it. I like a swing coat to flare from the armpits really, so I wasn't feeling this.

Well, New look Inspire was a bit of a flop but tonight I'm going to Evans to test out some of their coats. I haven't bought anything from Evans in years, and I kind of hate the fit of their clothes (ruby rocks / Beth ditto collection excluded), but the website has so many lovely coats that I thought it would be silly not to try them just because of my Evans prejudice! I'll post the results tomorrow.

Super lovely Very wishlist

There are so many good 'So Fabulous' things on the Very site at the moment. I always used to be put off by Very because they only ever have special offers / voucher codes on their site for 'credit orders', and I don't like to use credit. Seriously slippery slope for a shopaholic like me! I've got over it though, and I've got a few nice bits & bobs from Very now, but I'm particularly liking their winter offerings. I'm going to the Anna Scholz sample sale next week and I'm liable to come out of it much poorer (hopefully!) so I'm looking but not buying at the moment. Lots of wishlists on the way! I think most items in the 'So Fabulous' collection go from a size 16 up to a size 32. That is a PROPER plus size range!

Coats first - I've been eyeing up a coat on ASOS but as it's £90 so I might need to find a cheaper alternative!

Military Coat £45

I'm looking for something a bit thicker really but still think it's cute!

Navahoe Coat £55

Love this coat. Whenever I see people wearing anything similar I always feel jealous. Won't go with any of my clothes though, so I don't think I can justify getting it.

Quilted mac £45

Really tempted by this coat - I need a black one after all. It's just so shiny!

Intarsia Jumper £29

I've never spent more than £20 on a jumper, but I'm sorely tempted by this one.

High shine jeans £29

I wonder if these will be like the too small forever 21 jeans I liked? Will probably try them at some point, I really like the ankle zips.

Pansy print trousers £29

I like the colours in these. Look like a good fit too.

Printed cigarette trousers £17

I love the feather print on these trousers, and they also look really comfy which is never a bad thing!

Thats all folks, I'm sure i'll end up ordering some of this stuff soon because I have no will power!

Forever 21 jeans - The good, the bad and the ugly!

The jeans I ordered from Forever 21+ arrived today. Not a huge success sadly! Before I go any further, I should say that I never wear short tops, and normally cover my big old belly but in order to give a decent review and show you guys how the jeans look I've stepped out of my comfort zone and worn a top that doesn't reach my second belly! All of these jeans are US size 20 / UK 24. I'll get right on with it...

First up the medium weight coated skinny jeans £22.75. Firstly these seem much lighter than the other 'lightweight' coated jeans, but who knows how they work that kind of thing out!

 Jesus these were tight. I'm not entirely surprised as coated jeans are pretty rigid. Could just about do them up but they were uncomfortable (clearly!). All my jeans are from Dorothy Perkins, and they're all a size 22. According to forever 21+, the US size 20 is a UK size 24. I'm happy to admit that sometimes in jeans and trousers I need a UK 24, normally because of my thighs, but they do tent to be a bit loose everywhere else. In forever 21+ land I guess I'd need a UK26, but as they only go up to a 24 I don't have the option to size up. Not too bothered about these as I didn't like them much anyway. Still annoying - it reminds me of H&M+, I'm lucky to get into a 26 trouser there which is friggin' ridiculous, and doesn't leave real size 26 ladies with any options at all - not much of a plus size range in my book!

They don't look as leathery in real life as they look on the site either!

 The next pair I tried were the light weight coated coloured skinny jeans £22.75. Gratuitous pant shot coming up!

 I'm really pissed about these! They really look like leather, and I really wanted them to fit! Same size as the other coated jeans, but couldn't get them over my arse let alone zip them up. Big hairy bollocks!

Could have been great. If your a size 20, get some and wear them for me!

Now the metalic paisley skinny jeans £22.75. Much greener than on the site.

 These fit much better - they're tight (as skinny jeans should be), and they're quite thin fabric so are pretty comfortable.

I sat at my computer for a minute in these and they started to loosen up a bit - good news because they were folding up a bit on the back as you can see in the pic above. I'm not keeping them though, because I just don't know what I'd wear them with. I'd have to buy loads of plain / gold or black jumpers, and I don't really like them enough to warrant that- mainly because they flatten the bottom of my bum which makes me a bit sad!

Last up are the fab denim jeggings £9.75. Straight out of the parcel and instantly I noticed that the colour isn't anywhere near as nice as in the picture.

 These are really comfy. Don't look like much in my camera with my flash, but they're just what I've been looking for. Round bum the way I like it!

I particularly like that they are small round the ankles. Some clothes manufacturers make jeggings / skinny jeans and size the ankles up in proportion to the waist, which leaves you with straight leg trousers (or wide leg in the worst of my experiences, naming no names... M&S!).

I'm keeping them. This is probably how I'll wear them this winter - I love to tuck jeans into my boots which is why I like tight ankles on them. Sorry for my white Bra!

I'll finish with a snap I took a few weeks ago of me in some of my Dorothy Perkins Jeans - great fit, size 22. Lovely!. Forever 21+, please fix-up look sharp (woo!).

Bit of a Meh ASOS review

I thought I'd order some of the nice things from the sale that I've wanted for a while. Didn't go too well! This doesn't put me off ASOS at all because I love their Curve range, It just didn't have much luck with this particular order.....

 I really did have trouble getting a picture of this dress, so this is without the feathers attached I'm afraid. It's the peplum dress with feathers & its in the sale for £22.50 so I thought I might aswell try it. Not keen. The dress (size 22) isn't very comfortable and I'm not sure why. I think it just doesn't sit on me quite right, and the sleeves are the worst length for me -I don't go sleeveless so I like short sleeves so I can wear a cardi, or long sleeves.

 For me personally, the feathers are too far round the sides - I guess the size of the feather section is the same on all the dresses, so by the time you reach a size 22 there is a massive space between the two sides, so too much belly flopping around for my liking. There are some lovely things about this dress though....

.... the feather sections are detachable so you can wash it, which is very practical. It's also a nice length - just reaching my knees, and the fabric is soft and stretchy, a bit like ponte. All in all though it's not for me, so back it goes.

 The second thing I tried was this black jersey jumpsuit (on sale for £12.50). The first thing I thought when I took this out of the bag was 'what horrid material! It is kind of rough jersey, almost reminded me of the old cheap fruit of the loom t-shirts from my youth. But it's currently £12.50 so I could live with it. I wanted it mainly to go with my floral fringed jacket (also from ASOS) which I got a while back. I love it but can;t find anything really goes with it. The 22 of this felt way too big, this size 20 felt better, but still strangely baggy around the bum area! I was tempted to keep this anyway to wear in summer with my lovely jacket, until I looked at the pictures and realised that the top section is see-through!

Also the pockets stick out in a really strange way (on both sizes) and I couldn't get them to stay down. Shame, this could have been a great little summer outfit.

 Ah man this tropical print jumpsuit is cool! The 22 in this was too tight for me (it has no stretch at all) so this is the size 24. Its tight on my thighs and then a bit balloon-like under my belly, but I still love it...

..... bit tight on my big ass, and makes my top half look bigger than my bottom half, but I would wear a jacket with it. Ignoring the fact that it's tricky to get on and off (zip at the back) and would be a right pain during the day, I still like it, but I did the sitting down test and knew I couldn't keep it. It gets so tight under my bust and across my thighs when I sit down - I'd be lucky if the seams held, and I'd also be incredibly uncomfortable. Ah well..... better luck next time eh?!

On the plus side my tattoo print pencil dress from Queen of Holloway arrived today, and it's lush, so I'm not feeling too disappointed!

OOTD - I dream of Genie!

Just a quick post! Today there are two things on my agenda - chores and Strictly come dancing! Chores first, so I'm wearing my comfy harem jumpsuit from forever 21+. I got it at the end of summer (along with 2 others) and it's great for kicking around it. I never thought I'd be a jumpsuit person, but they are an ideal way for a lazy person to dress! I have big thighs which rub together so I always have to wear something under dresses even if it's boiling hot. I wore lots of funky trousers this summer, but I found it hard to match cool tops with them because most things I own are covered in patterns, apart from a couple of jumpers!. Jumpsuits let me just chuck something on, so they're handy when it's hot, or when you just want to lounge around! Don't care if it's flattering or not, it just makes me happy! Snakeskin shoes are from Primark.

 

I've also snapped a few pics during my week at work, to give an idea of how I dress normally. There is no doubt in my mind that I will often choose outfits to blog about that are new / particularly glamorous or flattering, but obviously I don't dress up everyday. My work is based half the time in an office and half the time in a studio, so Sometimes I wear really smart clothes and other times I wear jeans - depends which day of the week it is!
This week I wore the following ...

Monday - My new simply be shoes print skater dress with black leggings, a cardi and some black pixi boots from Primark. I didn't take a pic becuase the dress appearded in my big post about Simply be. The girls at work loved that dress.

Tuesday - I wore my pink tile print Anna Scholz dress, which I did a huge post about.

Wednesday -

Shitty pictures coming up, taken by my shitty camera - Does give a better idea of how dark my hair is now though, because the flash on my nikon really catches the red underneath the brown! This was the morning after my night out, and I was on my feet all day so it's jeans from Dorothy Perkins, a really old top from Primark, grey cardi from Primark (I think nearly all my cardigans are from there nowadays!) and what I think of as my 'autumn' Nike hi-tops.

Thursday -

Ohhhhh I love this dress so much! It's a Ruby Rocks dress that I got from ebay - it was a simply be sample, and they ended up using the same fabric (black jersey with flamenco dancers on it) for a wrap style sleeveless dress rather than producing this one - you can see the lovely Mrs BeBe wearing the version they went with in her post here. If I hadn't bought this I would certainly have got the other version because I love the print and cut. This dress is basically the same as the lotus print one from Evans first Ruby Rocks collection (which I also have - no surprises there!) which Rachel blogged about recently here. It has the same shoulder details and skater style, but with a deep v neck, which I love! I think I have about 8 Ruby Rocks dresses, and I love them very much. As Rachel said in her post, you can often get Ruby Rocks stuff on Ebay for tiny prices. The cardi is really old - from new look I think, but the toffee coloured Chelsea boots are from Primark and I got them a couple of weeks ago for £15. They go with everything so I recommend them!

Friday-

This dress is from New look inspire. It's the same cut as the swallow print pocket dress (which I also have) that all the plus size bloggers went mad for earlier in the year. These are always turning up on ebay too, but new look have a similar thing for sale at the moment here. This style of dress is ace because it goes well with any type of shoes / boots / trainers, and is very comfy. I wear my swallow print one if I'm feeling bloated because it hides my belly but still looks nice! I wore my wellies on Friday thank goodness. My legs are way too big for most wellies, so I found some lovely cheap lace printed ones in Primark a while back and just cut the tops off. worked a treat!

Thats all folks - off to put the washing on!

Forever 21 - Winter is coming!

I wear trousers much more in the winter, I can't bear to wear jeans when it's warm, particularly because I'm a tube user and it gets so hot! I loved the printed trouser trend this summer, and have some great lightweight cotton ones, but can't wear them when it's cold or I'd freeze. I've just chucked some of my jeans and jeggings out because they were falling to bits so I've been looking for some more. I've also been looking for plus size disco pants, like the ones they sell at American Apparel - I thought Forever 21+ might be a good bet so I've been browsing the site. They are smashing it with the jeans at the moment! I've ordered some to try, and if I can get into them (knowing forever 21 and their insane sizing they could be far too big or way to small - fingers crossed they will be just right!) I'll do a post reviewing them. I've ordered their biggest size (US20 - UK size 24.... apparently!) as sometimes a 22 in denim is too tight on my thighs / bum. Not sure what the shape will be like but they are all stretchy so I'm feeling positive! Here are some of the lush jeans they have at the moment....

 I love this type of jean - I already have some exactly like this from Dorothy Perkins, but they reminded me a tiny bit of the stiletto jeans from Torrid that all the American plus size bloggers are raving about, and as torrid aren't available in the UK (and these are only £19.75) I thought I'd post them!.

 They have these coloured skinnies in 12 colours and they're only £19.75. I reckon they're super stretchy as they have spandex in them!

 Hard to see in the full length pics but these have a faint lace print. Again £19.75

 'Lustrous Leopard' jeans £22.75. They also have regular leopard print jeans for under £20 in either red or blue.

 I like the leather trouser look, but I really don't want to wear actual leather on my legs all day (plus it's well expensive) nor do I want super shiny PU trousers, so these might be just the ticket! They sell pretty much the same trouser in medium weight and light weight for £19.75, and they have other colours too - I've ordered both types in black because I didn't know which would be a better fit!

 Black jeans with gold paisley print? Errrr yes please! In the bag for £22.75.

 These are actually leggings but I think they're cool - kind of look floral at first glance, but are actually 'crackled metallic'. £12.75, also come in gold.

Ah jeggings sweet jeggings! Thought I'd try them as I was ordering other stuff, and I just threw out my much loved (and worn through) H&M jeggings that I got about 3 years ago! They're only £9.75 and also come in black.

Forever 21 deliver free for baskets over £50 at the moment, and they do free returns, so I thought I'd go nuts and order lots!

In general I find forever 21+ to be very odd - their dresses tend to fit me but are often very short, their tops rarely fit me but my best t-shirts are from there. I love their jumpsuits, but I've had major issues with some of their other garments. Having said all this I've tried jeans before (in the Westfield Stratford store) and they were very soft, stretchy and nice so I thought it would be worth trying some of these out. Do any of you guys shop at forever 21+? What do you think about their clothing?