Attack of the Primark!

Oh god, I shouldn't go to Primark! I don't find a huge amount of stuff I want there during the summer months, but when it gets cold I could spend a fortune in there!

I tried a batch of stuff that I've been looking at on my last few visits because I thought you might want to see! Everything in this post is a Primark size 20. Bear in mind that I'm a size 22/24!

 First up is this £6 super thin & soft jumper. I wore my sand coloured version of this to work today and it's so perfect for this weather - thin enough to not make me feel too hot, but warmer than t-shirts (which is what I would normally wear with my pencil skirts!). It will be ideal when the weather gets really cold and I wear my massive coats! In typical Primark style this is smaller than the identical version I have in a different colour, but they're both lush and I like the tighter fit! They come in a variety of colours and are so super stretchy and lush. You'll find them on shelves, not hanging up btw.

 Along with the soft jumpers they have this more rough & transparent kind (also £6). I'm not so keen on these because I'd have to wear a vest underneath to work, and they're a bit short for my liking. Generously sized though!

 Okay, so I love love love the Simply Be feather look cardi, but it's so damn pricey! This one is £12, and is so snugly and yummy. It comes in a variety of colours, but there was just something about this dark moss green that stole my heart!

 I couldn't get into this skirt with the pleather panels.

 They have a whole batch of these polka dot pencil skirts in a range of colours. They're super stretchy (would fit a 26/28 easily!) but as you can see they don't leave much to the imagination! £8, extremely comfortable and super cute, but I would definitely wear this with a long top to hide my belly!

 There are a few skirts like this one in different colours, with different flocked patterns on them. This grey one is lovely - stretchy but firm.... it does suck my belly in a little bit. £8, and a great work skirt in my opinion. I didn't go for this grey one in the end because I just wasn't keen on the colour on me. I don't think grey suits me in anything other than jackets and coats, but luckily there were other options available for greedy parsnips!

 I kept looking at these amazing glittery skirts... finally bit the bullet and tried one. They come in a fabulous nude colour, this blue, black and red. I can't remember if these were £8 or £10, either way, pretty bargainous!

 Again, it really shows up my mega belly, but that's because it's super dooper crazy stretchy! This would certainly fit a super plus gal, and the midi length means it would still be a great length is stretched sideways. I love how glittery this is, it made me feel christmassy!

 I would wear it with a long top though... pretty cute without my rolls hanging out huh?! I also think you could pull this up and wear it as a tube dress if you wanted. This is my other primark £6 Jumper btw!

Here is what I actually bought......

 Of COURSE I got this cardi. I had to have it, it's so freaking snugly! Now then, the hat.... I have wanted a bowler style hat for ages, but I am always very aware that they are often worn by hipsters (Shoreditch wankers as I call them!) and young girls who look much more interesting than they actually are. I saw this, and it was only £8, I tried it on and thought 'fuck it'! I can wear this hat if I damn well like, and no hipster is going to stop me! £8 for a decent felt / wool style hat is pretty impressive. The only other place I've seen such bargainous hats are on ebay from china, but they're around the same price and would be crushed by the time I got them!

 Like I said in my 'big love' post, I should wear more hats, they're a perfectly valid accessory!

 Can you sense how soft and fluffy this cardi is?! Love love love!

 Well ride me sideways if I didn't buy another hat! It's a fucking wine coloured Fedora for £8.... It would have been rude not to!

Stretchy fest! So obviously I got the red version of my sandy jumper - it's why I went to primark in the first place! I chose the red flocked skirt because I preferred the colour and print....

It's a smaller fit than the grey one so be warned! They may look like different versions of the same skirt, but each colour has different amounts of stretch! I like that this straps me in though.

Along with my awesome hats, I also got some socks for my autumn shoes (wearing these all the time at the moment because trainer socks always show!) and I thought I'd try some of their XL tights which were on sale for £1, because they are supposed to fit up to a size 24.... I'll get back to you on that! The earrings....

Christmas! I plan to give a pair to both of the girls in my office because we are festive loonies! The gingerbread men are staying with me though. 6 pairs of festive studs for £2? GET IN MY BASKET!

I got this £1.50 bun band with flowers on....

And last but not least, I got these cat eye sunnies & leopard case on sale for 50p each! Super chuffed with all my Primark goodies!

I saw some kick ass stuff today, here are some of my favourites.....

 I have a massive boner for velvet at the moment (I've got some velvet coming up in my next posts!) and I'm particularly enamoured by crushed velvet.

 More crushed velvet. So damn festive!

 LOOK at these socks! I nearly bought loads of the jewel & rose printed ones, but stopped myself because I didn't want to go over a £50 spend (my basket came to £49.50 in the end!) but I LOVE THEM!

Super cute dress.... only for those of you with a small waist though!

That's all folks, don't forget I'm having a blog sale..... I NEED to sell my old stuff as penance for buying SO MUCH NEW STUFF! xx

These boots were made for thin girls...

I find it hard to believe that I have bigger calves than all other fat women..... It has been years since I found a pair of boots that fit my legs, which I find odd considering that I generally try the boots from Evans, who go up to super plus sizes in clothing. Apparently not in boots though.

Maybe my legs are unusually big? They're just over 20 inches in circumference at their largest point. When I was younger I just wore loads of slouch boots because I could wear them without pulling them up - I had a pair of brown suede cowboy boots from Evans that I adored....

Remember these? God I loved mine... I only sold them because they were a bit too high for me, but in reality they were too small for my legs. If I could have pulled them up properly they would have looked amazing!

Anyway anyway anyway.....reminiscing aside, it's getting colder and I want some sturdy smart looking boots, but I don't want to spend £100+ on them, so it made sense to start in a shop that I can actually try them on in. Off to Evans Marble Arch! All are size 6EEE, all fit my foot well - FYI I wear a 6.5 in Ecco & clarks wide fit, and a 7 in pretty much all other shops that don't cater to wide feet!

These are the first pair I tried, real leather, good grips. £95. Lovely style, very smart but practical.

Sorry for the crap pic! These have a large elasticated section up the leg. I undid the buckles as I assumed I need the widest stretch possible....

..... nope! Now Elastic is all very well and good, but if it's as firm at the stuff on these boots then it can only give a minimal stretch. I'm a strong woman, but I couldn't do these up and you can see the strain on the leather and zip already! Basically these boots would be great for women with regular size legs who may want to wear them over jeans on occasion. I reckon you could only get an inch or two extra on the calves from this super tough elastic. Gutted!

 I sort of knew what was going to happen with the next pair & I felt bad for the lady I had sent off to get my 6EEE pair! These are faux leather and cost £65.

These are nice looking boots.

Same problem. I was nowhere near getting these done up over my (freakishly large?!) legs. I am in Evans right? The shop for big fatties like me? Don't other fat women have legs like mine? I wish they had a range of calf widths as well as a range of foot widths :(

 

The last pair I tried are not really my style, but the previous boots had put the nail in the coffin of the firm and structured boots.... I knew none of the ones I was interested in would fit me, so I decided to try and find some that would at least do up so I could show you a decent range! These are faux leather, soft legs (i.e they don't stand up of their own accord, they're floppy!) and cost £55.

Ah-ha! On the largest setting, these fit! I was really surprised by how comfortable the sole of these boots felt, I often find that (despite the prices) Evans shoes and boots are a bit lumpy and uncomfortable on the sole - I think it's because I have very short toes and my instep is in an odd position - but these have lovely padded soles.

Zipped allllll the way up! I totally recommend these boots to girls with calves as big as mine, but for my oddly shaped feet they're a bit uncomfortable. Another regular problem I have with Evans shoes is that they tend to be really tall on the foot (does that make sense?!) and my feet feel like they're slapping around in there a bit! My feet are wide and square, but not particularly deep - my instep isn't super high, so these feel loose on the foot, but rub a bit on the toes because of the way they taper. Stupid toes of mine!

I don't think Evans is going to solve my problems. Toni Recommended Simply Be, so that will be my next port of call. Sadly there aren't any Simply Be stores in London (why?!) so I can't try a batch on. I'll guess that I'm a 6EEE there too.

I was SO excited when I looked at the boots on the Simply be site, but actually, after measuring my legs and realising that I would need 'curvy plus' to fit my calves, but would probably go for 'extra curvy plus so that they would fit over my jeans, I was sad to see that there are only a handful of boots that go that wide. What I wouldn't give for a pair of the fringed ones above :(

 I wasn't at all disappointed with the size guide though - this was so informative and easy to use!

 Lets look on the bright side of life shall we?! There are 3 pairs I like that are available in the 'your a monster' size (or extra curvy plus, as Simply Be very kindly call it!), the first of which are these rather smart faux leather black boots, costing £55. These would be a good choice, and I think they would look good with everything.

 These are cool boots. Faux leather again, £59. More edgy and funky then the pair above, but in a way it makes them less smart. I really really want these boots. I would totally rock out in them! But, I'm concerned that they would dress down all of my smarter work clothes, and to be on the safe side I think it might be better to go for a more straight forward style!

I think these boots might be the ones for me! Real leather, which lets face it - on someone who walks as clumsily as me - is a much more sensible option! Not at all bad for £85. I think the riding style of boot would be more versatile with my rather versatile wardrobe! I can't really justify spending £85 right now, but I might go for it on pay day and cross my fingers that they will be the perfect fit!

I'm mulling it over and will get back to you when I decide to put my money where my mouth is!

Wardrobe weekly

Monday

 Time for coats again. Oh well, summer couldn't last forever could it?

 I just wanted to wear heels for some reason. Big mistake, even these comfy court shoes can't cope with my journey to & from work plus a whole day of running around. I just have to accept that now I live in South London (as opposed to North) I will have to be one of those people who wears comfy shoes to work and takes her heels in a bag :(

 On the upside they are fabulous aren't they? I loved this outift. I wasn't sure about this skirt when I first got it, but the trick is to wear it as if it's high waisted, and then the curves hit me in the right places!

 T-shirt 20 - Primark

Earrings - H&M

Skirt 2xl - Domino Dollhouse

leggings - Primark

Shoes - Clarks Originals

Coat 22 - New Look Inspire 
Jade domed ring - ebay

Tuesday

 People went nuts for this dress. Funny really because as much as I like it I think some of my other outfits are much more impressive, but I am a fan of the garish so what do I know?! Simply be retweeted my picture of it and I gained 14 new followers, a couple of whom went straight online and bought the dress for themselves!

Dress 24 - Simply Be via Crazy Clearance

Necklace - Hawaii via my mum's friend!

Ring - Dorothy Perkins

Leggings - H&M

Booties - Primark

 I went a bit nuts in H&M accessories section as well as superdrug on the way home. Love the Max factor colour elixir's. Also really loving the GOSH bronzer which isn't too dark and has a proper pink tone to it. I've been using it everyday.

Scary picture!

I've been using the GOSH growth serum on my eyelashes (which are sadly short, stumpy and patchy after years of eyelash curling) and brows (thinner than I'd like from accidental over plucking!) and it really seems to be working. I find it hard to remember to put it on every night though so I decided to get the growth mascara too. Not overly enamoured with the texture of it... it's a bit gloopy, but I'm super fussy about mascara because I like natural looking lashes.

Wednesday

My best mate came to work to visit me today with her tiny wee daughter, and I always like to dress up when I see her. She loves anything even slightly Art Nouveau, and I always think the pattern on this dress is very nouveau-ish. She loved it!

Dress 22 - Anna Scholz Black Label

Earrings - H&M

Leggings 20 - Primark

Shoes - Brako via TKMaxx

Thursday

Errrrr.... is this autumn? It feels more like I've been plunged straight into the bleak mid winter, except it's not cold enough to wear my big coats and wooly hats yet. I hate it when it rains all the time but is still quite mild, dressing for this weather sucks.... sweaty and damp on my journey too & from work :(

Super casual today. Couldn't really be arsed, didn't want to get out of bed!

Top 18 - Primark

Jeans 22 - Dorothy Perkins

Floral booties - Everything £5 store in butterfly walk (Camberwell Green!)

Friday

I was a tad more cheerful on Friday, because it was Friday, and I knew I was going to do a mini Primark run after work, which also meant I could have a Burger King - I hardly ever see Burger Kings any more so this was a genuinely exciting night for me (I'm not an exciting or cool person... in case you thought I was!)

Dress 24 - Clements Ribeiro Swan for Evans

Leggings XL - H&M (bought earlier in the week, they've changed them and they kept riding down, gonna have to sew up the waist... not impressed, but at least they're long enough this time!)

Shoes - Cancer research charity shop

Ring - Ziska

Saturday

We weren't supposed to go out yesterday, but a sad case of frozen pork mince obviously being off when defrosted meant we had to venture outside for sustenance......

Emergency date night requires a good outfit! I normally wear this dress for formal occasions, but I really wanted to wear it yesterday ('twas on my mind because I mentioned it in my last post!) so I did my 'dress it down' trick, which basically means wear it with boots and a long baggy cardigan! I also quite like to have a bit of sock showing, particularly if they match my ensemble... makes it look kind of wintery I think!

 We tried the Columbian restaurant Restaurante Santafereno in Brixton Village (it was full of Colombians which I took to be a good sign!). We plumped for the Bandeja Paisa which is the Columbian national dish, it came with pretty much everything on the menu so it seemed like a good way to get a flavour of the cuisine. This is what we left so you can imagine how gargantuan the meals were! Phew! It sort of felt like we were eating a crazy breakfast platter 'cause of the egg, sausage & beans but the addition of plantain and rice took it to the next level. Not to be attempted unless extremely hungry! Probably should have taken the pictures before eating a huge meal, but you know how round I am so who cares?!

Dress 22 - Marks and Spencers

Cardi 24 - New Look Inspire

Leggings 20 - Primark (these are the £3 ones I got on Friday night and I'm super impressed with them. Going back to get more so I can replace all my old shit ones!)

Boots - Primark (from last year, but they have the same boots in black this year... might have to get them 'cause these go with everything!)

Sunday

I was just housewifing on today, not much else really. Went for a simple outfit (with my slippers!)

Top - Primark

 Plazzo trousers 28 (FFS!) - H&M+

Slippers - Primark

Guys I've updated my blog shop with some amazing stuff so if you fancy shopping in my wardrobe you can check it out here!