Another bad batch

Errrgggghhhh.... this is what I hate about online shopping. 11 items ordered, over £200 spent, and nearly all of it is going back. Bollocks! It's been ages since I did a big Asos Curve order, and now I remember why!

I'm sorry about these pictures, I don't know what's going on with my auto focus, but it just wasn't working. I really couldn't face doing the pictures again so I will have to live with them (as will you I'm afraid!)

 Heart broken! Love this dress, but this size 24 is too tight on my arms and bottom. I can't comfortably sit down in it so I can't keep it.

 It's non stretch, fully lined and a bit static, but so unusual and beautiful. I've ordered the size 26 to see if it works better because I felt like we should be together you know?!

 Floral dress, size 24, also very tight on my arms. Far too low cut and generally uncomfortable.

 Thin shell like fabric with a bit of stretch.

 I've kept this dress, it's comfy and cute, and I don't really have any black dresses like this, or any lace dresses for that matter.

 This is a 24. I could have got a 22 in this really, but I can't be arsed to exchange it!

 Elasticated waist, nice and comfy.

 I just don't know about this one. I was expecting stretch denim but it's more like faux denim. I'm also disappointed with the difference in colour. I like the acid wash affect on the model, but it's much darker in real life.

 I really don't understand the point in the back.... to be honest I didn't really look at the back before ordering so that's my fault not theirs! It's a good length on me though, thankfully much longer than the version on the model (aren't they always?!)

 This is a 24, but waist-wise I really would be better with a 22, considering that it's stretch fabric and the buttons gape like mad anyway (I'd sew them up like I normally do!). I don't like this enough to keep it.

 OOOOUUUUCCCCHHH IT HURTS! This size 24 dress is made for someone with no boobs, no boobs at all.

 My boobs are beyond squished, a total disaster!

 TIT CRUSHER!

 Again a size 24, but this dress reminds me too much of the scarlett and jo dresses, and I'm not a fan of the fabric used because it's designed to pull you in and be firm. I find that kind of thing uncomfortable and annoying to be honest! The ruching really draws attention to the belly, but the top section is very flattering.

 Again it's a bit ungenerous on the norks, I generally feel like I've been bandaged into this dress. Not for me, but it's pretty and I think it could look lovely on someone else!

 Nah! I took a chance on this, but it's not for me. They only had a 22 or 26, and considering my general experiences with Asos Curve I went for bigger

 Mistake! Too big. The boob pleats are way off so rather than looking loose it's obvious that I'm wearing the wrong size.

 Oddly tight on the arms. This is totally sheer with a slip underneath btw.

 I know this skirt looks okay in the picture, but I'm not keen in real life. Size 22, elasticated waist band, but I dunno, I don't like the way it falls, and it's a bit too see-through for my liking. I regret not getting the curve stripped chiffon skirt from a couple of years ago, but this isn't a good alternative for me.... maybe I'm just not happy to spend £20 on it? If Primark could just make one similar for £6 I'd ignore the slightly sheer fabric and odd hang!

 Size 22, stretch jersey, massive clown pants, already baggy on the knees so god knows how massive they would be after a few minutes sitting down! I was hoping that Asos would have improved the fabric of their peg leg trousers to make them less like pyjamas, but it's the same old same old.

 Not for me.

 As cute as these trousers are they feel too much like pyjama bottoms for me to feel comfortable wearing them out. Size 22, a nicer shape than the ones above, but even softer fabric. Almost like modal so they REALLY feel like PJ's!

 I can tell that they would also get baggy round the knees, and as I already have the asos black version that I only wear indoors ('cause they are see-through and get so baggy) I don't need another pair. 

 

 I can't tell you what this Club L top is like, because despite ordering a size 24 I couldn't get it on.... not anywhere near!

Bit of a bust really huh?!

Feel the Love(drobe)

When I reviewed my new look order the other day I visited the Lovedrobe site to find the pictures of the beautiful Maxi dress (that is now hanging in my overflowing wardrobe), I noticed they had a sale on the site so I decided to take a look. I'd normally say that was a mistake, but considering that I've spent about £360 in the sales recently and £300 of it is being returned, I'm not overly bothered about spending £50 on the Lovedrobe site! I've been getting rather bored of bodycon styles, and I realised recently that my dress wardrobe has been rather taken over by figure-hugging numbers. I don't like to always be wearing the same style, and I decided that I needed to mix it up with more girly, floaty shapes. Where better than Lovedrobe to get such things?!

 I decided to get a batch of super reduced dresses, and in a rather surprising twist, I like all of them! The colour of this dress is so utterly delicious. All of the dresses are above the knee on me, but in another rather wonderful twist they have sensible length bodies, meaning that the waist band actually reaches my waist, rather than hitting me just under the boob like most retailers at the moment! This is a 24 (I'm most definitely a 24, sometimes 26 in Lovedrobe clothing.... not really designed for big norks it seems!) and it fits nicely, but I had to sew up the top as it gaped like mad due to the stretch in the fabric. It's only £9 by the way!

The lining is stretchy and outer is sort of chiffony.... not stretch exactly, but it certainly has a bit of give to it! This is a comfy and lovely dress, I'm tempted to get it in pink too, 'cause I think this is a style that'll be easy to wear to work!

 I've looked at this dress many times, and for £9 I threw caution to the wind and ordered it. This 24 is a bit tight on my bust, but not enough to be uncomfortable. It's similar to the one above in that it is lined with a soft strech fabric and the outer is non stretch. 

It has a cute little ruffle round the waist too! This is the shortest of the batch, but it's still a decent length on me.

  I love the pattern and colours... kind of think it looks like slices of kiwi fruits and ruby oranges from far away?!

 This skater dress is pretty classic, and it's a lovely colour too. The fabric is a bit like ponte so it's stretchy all over, but still quite firm. This size 24 is just right for me!

Super comfy and has nice detailing on the top. I'm not a fan of skater dresses because they tend to be a-line from the waist and catch on my top belly, but this style with the ruched waistband works much better on my shape.

 I think this will go with so many of my pattered jackets / cardigans that I'll get lots of wear out of it... it was only £6!

 This is the one I was really excited about though. Only £11, which is insane for such a lovely dress, it was only available in 22 or 26.... I took one look at the bodice and knew I'd never fit the 22, so I went for 26 and kept my fingers crossed! 

Oh it's so very pretty! The 26 fits me fine, I think the 24 would have been okay if your wondering about the sizing, but I like having a bit of extra room to move! The colour is lovely, and so is the thick crochet style lace!

 This is the longest of the dresses, and frankly I can't wait to wear it out!

Dress 24 - Lovedrobe

Jacket 20 / leggings 20 / earrings & boots - Primark

 

 I wore this lovely green number out today with matching accessories. This is genuinely the first time I've worn this jacket out even though I've had it for months! That's the problem with being a print / pattern maniac, I've never got anything plain to wear with all my patterned jackets. Not any more!

I've been really impressed with my Lovedrobe order overall. I was a bit annoyed that their '10% off your first order' code doesn't work, and their p&p is very expensive (this order was £9.99 for next day), but they took payment, sent the order out straight away and it did indeed arrive the very next day. Plus I like all the dresses, which is rare as my lovely readers know! In fact, I'm going back now to make another sneaky order, cause now I know what their cut and sizing is like I'm more confident in ordering some of the things I removed from my basket!

New Look, bad fit!

I threw caution to the wind and ordered a TON of clothing from the sales. The first batch (below) is all from New Look inspire, the second batch is from ASOS Curve and should be arriving very soon. If the Asos stuff is as ridiculous as the stuff from New Look then my credit card may breath a sigh of relief! I can't give you links because many of the items are no longer on the site, but I feel 100% sure that there will be returns, so it's worth checking just in case!

Lets start on a positive. I'm not sure why I ordered this dress to be honest, it's not really my style, but it was so cheap that I just went for it! It's a size 24 but I would have been better with a 22 as it's stretchy velvet. I think this looks okay, but I feel like the shoulders are a bit loose and I know I'd spend the whole time pulling them up!

 It's actually a cute dress, it's above the knee but not too short, and it will look great on any of you skater dress fans! I'm sending this one back (I know it looks quite cute but I don't need it and won't wear it!) so keep an eye out for it online if you want it!

Black velvet with blue glitter dots.

 So here is the problem with this AX Paris dress; it is not made for someone of my height, it is made for someone considerably shorter! I'm sad because I can see the potential in this dress. I'm wondering if a size up would be a tad longer? Chances are it would be the same just a bit wider!

This size 24 is a bit of an uncomfortable nightmare on me.... the waist hits me right on the boob and really flattens them. It's also very short on me, hard to tell but it only just covers my bottom at the back!

 I'm not going to mince my words on this one, this Koko dress is fucking ridiculous. This is a size 26 and I can't even do it up! I'd seen this reviewed on Cupcakes clothes, and she said it was a real struggle to do it up and that the 26 was really small, but seriously, this is insane! I know I have a wide back but for fucks sake!

 Koko seem to be the only clothing company that considers my measurements to be a size 30 (seriously, one size up would still be too uncomfortable to wear!) but of course they don't go above a (so-called) size 26 so I can't get anything bigger. This dress is bullshit, and it's a damn shame because it's so very pretty, I would have kept it and loved it!

 This Inspire midi skirt (size 22) was a no-brainer. I knew I'd like it and I sort of knew it would be a good fit.

 Good length, nice fabric, comes with it's own belt! I think I'd have really liked the maxi version too!

1st keeper of the order!

 This dress (size 24) is okay, but something about it just doesn't sit right.....

 ..... it's this - the little bit of netting at the bottom of the petticoat. The dress sticks to it like a static nightmare and it utterly ruins the shape.

Can you see how the static ruins the hem? It doesn't allow the curly hem to shape itself properly because it's stuck to the lining. Shame, quite a cute dress. A bit more empire line on my low-down boobs than intended but it still works. I could have worn a 22 easily if I had smaller jugs!

What the HELL is going on with the bodice of this dress? Was it made for a 4ft woman?!

 This is a size 24 dress that has a ridiculously short body with a sort of soft internal cup.... bra size 46A I would say! Utterly AWFUL fit on me! If you have a big body with small boobs then this might be fabulous on you, but on me? URGH!

 In order to get my breasts into the bust shaping on this one I have to pull it down until it's utterly ridiculous.

 If you have big boobs, this dress is not for you unless you're cool with basically being topless!

Annoyingly the skirt on this dress is much better than the red one, it has a ruffled lining that matches the outer layer so they don't stick to each-other and you get the curly hem effect from the online pictures. This skirt on the red bodice would have been a winner!

If like me you have wondered what the 'Jumpo' clothing that turns up in Inspire occasionally is, then I have the answer for you. After failing to find any info on the brand or it's sizing I reasoned that a plus range in S-XL would probably fit me in an XL. No. Jumpo is a non-plus sized clothing range that has for some inexplicable reason been added to New Looks plus size clothing section. The picture above is a size 22-24 dress next to a Jumpo XL dress. Can you see the problem? Yeah, a 30 inch waist is the fucking problem - about the same size as one of my thighs. Fix up New Look, take this shit out of the plus section please.

 Lets end on a high shall we (phew!). I've been waiting for these lovedrobe dresses to go into the sale for AGES! Finally they're affordable! I liked both colours (pink and green) but I thought it would be safer to go for the 24 as I didn't know what the fit / fabric would be like and the green had sold out in that size, so decision made!

I wasn't sure what colour I was going to get, because the dress was called 'bright pink', but on my order the colour said 'purple', and I knew that the colour on the Lovedrobe site was quite different to the one on New Look. Bear that in mind if you order it that it's sort of in-between the two representations!

I imagine it will be the same situation with the green too.

 I love this dress, its construction and fabrics are very similar to the vintage blue maxi dress I got a few months ago (post here) so as soon as I took it out of the bag I knew I'd love it!

Size-wise I think it will depend on your back & bust size. I'm glad I got the 24 because I think the 22 would have been a bit tighter than I'd like on the bust. I could have worn a 22 on the waist and hips easily though! Stretch lining, non-stretch overlay and elasticated waist. It's beautiful. I highly recommend this one!

Parsnips out!

Blue skys and fluffy white clouds

 Totally wanted this Evans Collection dress from the first moment I laid eyes on it, but £50 for a jersey dress? Naaaahhhh.... you know I like to wait for the sales! Joyously my sister had asked what I wanted for my birthday a week or so before I saw this in the Evans sale, so for £20 I thought this would be a perfect gift to request. Gawd bless her she had it sent straight to me!

 Some (hopefully!) helpful info about this dress; This is a size 22/24. I was totally expecting this to be that horrid shiny synthetic feel jersey (i.e like the stuff Simply Be use for their Anna Scholz Range) that clings to cellulite, but no, it's much more like a t-shirt fabric with a bit of stretch. It is very matte, but looks like it has a sheen because the print is on a white fabric. the print is in the best place for me, concealing my lumpy belly nicely!

The shape is not perfect for me, but totally wearable. Basically it's tight (as you would expect for a bodycon style) on the hips and belly, but it's unusually loose on the waist and top. This will be very good for busty ladies, you could easily size down to get a more fitted look!

 This is a proper midi length on me, a couple of inches below the knee, so it's perfect for taller girls. On average height or below this will be a long midi - mid-calf length.

 I don't normally like bodycon styles with belts, but this one works really well. If you want more shape definition a big belt makes it look like a top and skirt combo.

A thin belt just gives a hint of waist shape. I like this dress very much, it's ladylike but super cool. Such an amazing print!

By the Way, I'm wearing something else my sister gave me, which is this lovely lip tint from Lush. It's matte and the colour is very bright and intense. I love it. I didn't know that lush did makeup, I might have to investigate further!

Thank you for my lovely presents J!