I bought stuff and you might like it

I've tried loads of stuff recently, but I've had no time to take pictures of the stuff I didn't keep (most of it - mainly from Asos & Crazy Clearance!) but I've grouped together the stuff I kept and have finally got round to taking some pics!

 First up are is this sweater from Forever 21+ and some totally excellent trousers from George!

 The less said about my F21 order the better. Happily the only piece I liked was only £5.99! It's nice and the 3XL just fits me.

 I love these trousers - mega comfy. Size 24 soft fabric with stretch. They seem to have sold out of the 22 & 24 online, but I reckon they will have some returns because in real life they're quite an acid yellow and the stock photos are a tad misleading - obviously it doesn't faze me 'cause I love in-your-face colours!

I like these a lot.... can you tell?! If they sold these in black I would by 10 pairs!

 The other thing I got from George are these wondrous plazzo pants. George seems to sell out of it's bigger sizes within days, but again, look out for returns as I'm sure these will be too long / too wide for some peoples liking!

 I was so excited by these, because the legs are pleated at the top, then open up below the hip to make the legs MEGA wide. I'm so in love! I think I will unpick them a bit so they open up a bit higher to stop me looking so square in them, but otherwise they're so good for my upcoming holiday, and then summer (hoping we get a warm one!)

The fabric is soft with no stretch. These size 24 are ace for me. I have always loved plazzo pants - even when nobody else did. I love how bohemian they are (and how comfy!). Would totally wear these with a blazer too and they'd be AWESOME!

 More holiday trousers. This boohoo pair were exactly what I was looking for - proper loose non-jersey joggers!

 This is the size 24 and they're joyously loose and thin and perfect for beach fun! I tried another similar pair from boohoo in the same size and they were tiny! These are great though, good length too.

 They're very static, but I don't care because the cut allows them to stick to my legs without looking too odd (I'm sure they'll cling less once I've shaved my yetti legs ready for swimming!

 I hate shrugs with a burning passion, but capes I'm down with! I had my eye on this at Christmas but didn't want to cough up £18 for it. When I saw it for £8 I was like YEP! Into the basket.

 This size 24 is big and shiny and super stretch and all silky on the inside. I'll certainly chuck this on with a dress when the weather warms up a bit!

I looked silver online, but it's actually gold / bronze, which is way way better in my opinion!

 While I was browsing Boohoo I noticed this wrap and I couldn't resist it for only £10!

 Me being me I went for the gaudiest colour available (partly because I have a more subtle blue toned wrap already!) but they have some more subtle versions online!

Me, by the pool, when the evening gets a bit chilly, in a jumpsuit and this wrap to keep me warm? Yes please!

And last but not least, I got this wicked Cossack hat from boohoo too. I've wanted a cossack for EVER, but alas they always seem to be black, and with my hair that would look totally shit. Needless to say that when I found this red version in the sale for £6 I snapped it right up and kept my fingers crossed that it would fit my ladies size L head! Yey it did! It's snug but not uncomfortable. On the site this looks really red, but in reality it's more purple - sort of burgundy / ox blood colour. Still excellent!

Very new

I ordered a massive batch of stuff from Very this week, and I kept a few bits that I thought you might like to see!

First up, some holiday stuff - The beach kaftan & jumpsuit were both tiny, most of the swimsuits I tried were too short in the body for me but fine in terms of width, but I kept 2, both of which I really like......

 I got this in a size 22 and it's spot on. It's got generous space in the boob department. The block colour doesn't give me anything to hide behind in terms of my lumpy bits, but I think I look super cute in this so I don't care about such things - this also comes in a ditsy-print (which I tried in a 20, but was going a bit see-through across my bum as it was a bit too small for me!) if you want more disguise!

I've never really had a proper, full on sexy swimming costume before, but this one (which I have in a 44DD cup) is proper padded and looks more like a lounging-by-the-pool cossie than a 'lets do laps' swimsuit!

 This dress has quite bad reviews, but I assume that's because lots of people don't know what scuba is, or that it's clingy, tight and firm. I got this in a size 24 and it's exactly the size I was expecting - which is often NOT the case with dresses I've tried from very, which are occasionally massive, but more often tiny! This is not a midi, it sort of has a dipped hem and the black piping is only on the hem, not on the neck of sleeves as the picture shows, but it's a cool and unusual dress with lots of stretch that only cost £11. I liked it even though I didn't think I would!

I like this because its really comfy, the pattern is cool and the cut is unusual. £32 isn't bad for this dress, but if you like floral prints then you can get the floral version on sale here for only £14! For me though, this print is what drew me to the dress in the first place, so I'm cool to pay more for it. I got a size 24. The 22 would have been fine, but I like how comfortable I feel in this, and I don't think it needs to be bodycon to look cool!

ACTUAL high street shopping!

I like shopping online because I can do it at any time of night or day, but as a fat woman it is VERY exciting to actually be able to go shopping in real-life shops like size -18 gals. Up until recently I could only visit either Evans - which is pretty much always a depressing experience and was no less so today as all the Cut for Evans stuff was a weird fit on me and I hated the fabrics and their bras seem to use a completely different measurement system to anywhere else in the world - or New look, which results in crashing disappointment more and more these days.......

..... this is whole Inspire section in the newly refurbished (and really rather massive) New Look on Oxford Street. The coat looked nice, but otherwise I was not excited by much of it. I tried some jeans, and a few dresses from the sale and I found the whole experience so depressing that I couldn't even be bothered to take pictures. The fabrics were crap, the sizing was all over the place and everything was too short. I bought some shoes which are lovely for £9 each, the leather pair were the last pair in store and aren't online sadly, but the other pair are wide fit and ace - I could get them in my normal size 7 with space for big socks, woohoo!

So anyway, knowing from other bloggers that Simply Be have much better reductions in their in-store sale than they do online, I nipped across the road and tried some stuff on. Can I just say at this point that I wear a size 22 or 24 from Simply Be generally so I don't always pay much attention to the larger sizes, but one of my favorite bloggers Leah has sworn off Simply Be because they have started to cap their trendy ranges at a size 26. I'm not at all down with plus size companies doing this, and it is not okay to suddenly decide that size 28+ women don't want to wear fashion-forward clothes. I was really annoyed when the lady in the Oxford Street Simply Be branch told me that they only stock 2 pairs of boots with their widest calf size, and neither of them were real leather, and NONE of them were on display so I had to specially request them. What the actual fuck? I can go to Evans for faux leather boots that don't comfortably fit my legs, what I want from a company that specialises in sizes that you can't normally get on the high street IS THE SIZES YOU CAN'T NORMALLY GET ON THE HIGH STREET! Anyway, to sum up my rant, I've been blown away by the strides Simply Be have made in the last few years, but I want them to realise (quickly) that they have got to remember who their loyal customers are and show some love to the size 26+ ladies! Okay rant over, I'm just saying, it's women who wear 26 and bigger that are the most in need of stylish fashion, because they are the ones with the least choice!

Now then.... changing room pics.

 I totally expected to buy this dress, but then I tried it and I was like.... meh! I like the super stretchy fabric, I love the pattern, I love the colours, but it's too short. The crop top overlay only just covers my boobs and it's a couple of inches above my ankles.

 This is a size 24, which is okay, quite fitted but very comfy. If this had been longer with proportions similar to the version on the model online (who is certainly much taller than me) then I'd have bought it for sure!

 Oh I really liked this Kelly Brook Dress. Sadly it just wasn't quite the right fit on me. This is the size 24 and It just wasn't fitted enough on my waist so it didn't sit right. I totally would have sized down if it weren't for the fact that my (massive) upper arms were tightly squeezed into the sleeves, so I knew the 22 would be too tight on the arms, and therefore also across my bust and back. If you have smaller arms then go for your normal size or size down for a good fitted look!

 The fabric has stretch but is firm and thick. This will look delicious on busty ladies (as it does on Kelly herself!)

 Another Kelly Brook piece, also size 24. as you can see I'm a bit exposed! My boyfriend like me in this when he saw the photos (!) but in all seriousness I couldn't wear it out could I?! I Would consider sewing it up, but the trimming is PU so I'm not sure how well that would work?! Maybe getting a 26 (which would be looser) would allow me to pin up the bust?!

 I did love this though - It's just about long enough in the body for me (which is unusual!) and it's also the perfect length for my legs, covering my ankles. The fabric has stretch, and although the fabric is textured on the outside, it's super smooth on the inside. The more I look at it the more I want it! Maybe I'll go back soon and try the 26 to see if it works (and i would wear it to work!).

 I KNEW I could never actually wear this jumpsuit (because my thighs touch down to the knees and would destroy all the sequins and beads between the thighs if I walked in it!) but i had to try it anyway! This is a size 26 but feels more like a 24.

 It's non-stretch thick chiffon-like fabric on the outside and is fully lined. The beading was already falling off but it was only about £25 down from £70 so I wouldn't care too much about that!

The thing I found most hilarious is that the pattern gives my vagina a smiley face, which I found endlessly amusing! It's kind of genius, but I can't pull it off!

In the end I bought the Kelly Brook midi dress which I tried on my first visit to the store (here). I wouldn't have paid £75 for it, but I was totally happy to pay £30! I'm sure you'll see me in it soon - I might wear it on my birthday as it gives me room for all the dim sum I plan to eat on said day!

Flirty 30's

 Ann Harvey dress number two! Again - a much shorter version than what you'll see on the website, but this time round the item is described as a 'tunic top' so I should have suspected that it wouldn't actually be knee-length!

Sorry about the not-so-auto-focused self timer pics! So the tunic. I love this print, and the length gave me a good excuse to wear my old knee-high socks (bought years ago from Ann Summers FYI - because I know I'll be asked about them!). I may be nearly 33 years old, but that won't stop me dressing like an extra from Clueless!

 The fabric is slinky and stretchy and very comfy. This is a size 22 and it's a perfect fit.

 The best thing about this tunic is the little pleat at the small of the back that gives more room for a big booty - and therefore a lovely shape! I wore this to the cinema tonight and was nice and comfy.

I think I'll get lots of wear out of this - I'm certain to wear it with trousers, but as I said, I like the print so I think this will be one to tuck into skirts too! As with the dress I posted yesterday, this tunic is in the sale and it's only £10.50! This is a great dress for anyone who likes mini's or is shorter than me, and a great top for tall gals (or anyone who likes to cover their bum but still wear something shapely!). Get it here! 

Thanks very much to Ann Harvey for sending me these pieces to review!

Dressing for Christmas - The black edition

Christmas is in full swing for me now. Thinking about outfits and menus mainly, but right now I'm in a Christmas dress space. Last year I was all about velvet. This year I seem to be all about black, with embroidery or sequins! Having said that I want special dresses for many occasions - works Christmas party, faux Christmas with my boyfriend, Christmas eve and Christmas day. Oh and boxing day..... then there's new years of course! OBVIOUSLY I have some frocks I can wear for the not-such-a-big-deal days, but I'd like a couple of new things for the big events, particularly the works do!

 Oh sweet lord! This is a perfect dress. I love love love it. Wish it wasn't £120!

This Lovedrobe dress was on my list last year in it's previous incarnation. I still think it's awesome!

If your less in to massive shoulders and general 80's stylings than me, then this Koko dress is a more low-key version of the Lovedrobe one, but is still lovely!

I would so rock up to the works Christmas party in this super OTT dress! What a stunner!

In terms of a dress that's classic, classy and would look amazing on pretty much anyone, I think this one takes the prize. I'd add some coloured shoes - red / green / gold / glittery... something super festive!

I think it's always good to have a simple option...  not everyone likes to get as massively over dressed as I do after all! I think this has super cute little details, like the cross over cap cleaves and small embellishment. Subtle, but still a great LBD!

From simple to totally over the top! This is really quite a corking dress. Very expensive, but extremely beautiful.

I'm looking at this as the more affordable version of the dress above! I do know that this dress is depicting flowers and foliage, but this colour combo makes me think of snowflakes and ice crystals. Love it!

You know how I like to dress in clothes that make me look like I'm in fancy dress / period costume? ModCloth like that too! This dress is awesome!

 Another lovely maxi. I'm loving the shoulders on this, and I think the gathered waist would make it super flattering.

I would SO wear this dress on a red carpet! I think at £399, becoming a famous actress would be the only way I could afford it too!

Velvet, sequins, asymmetric, structured shoulders AND patterned. Carmakoma really knocked it out of the park with this dress!

This M&S plus dress is so cute. It's too short, drop-waisted and boxy, yet somehow it works and I really love it!

Getting animal print on a festive prom dress is no mean feat, so nice work Joe browns!

 I've always fancied these Igigi dresses, in both this length and the maxi version. They are so super feminine!

Last but definitely not least, we have some serious Art Deco action. I've seen this dress in so many variations (none of which go above a size 16) and now we finally have it up to a size 26.... well, it's lovedrobe so 24 might be more accurate!. Christmassy and fancy dress-like all at once. LUSH!

This Lipstick Boutique dress is just delicious. This is on my list of dresses to try if my planed party outfits don't work out! I often don't get on with sequins but I find myself them over and over again!

 Oh. My. God. I am actually dying over this Igigi dress! It is beyond special! I would feel like a Hollywood goddess in this! I would also not be able to pay my rent, but I think it would actually be worth it.....