24th & Ocean plus size skirted swimdress by Navabi - plus videos

24th & Ocean skirted plus size swimdress from Navabi laser cut skirt black white monochrome
Hiya! In this post I've got some more swimwear to show you from my holiday. I'll be reviewing the 24th & Ocean skirted plus size swimdress from Navabi. There's also a couple of video reviews at the end of the post, with much of the review in. If you're reading via email, click through to the blog post to see the videos.
24th & Ocean skirted plus size swimdress from Navabi laser cut skirt black white monochrome plus size swimwear plus size beachwear plus size holiday wear plus size cruise wear

24th & Ocean plus size skirted swimdress by Navabi - fit

I do really like this swimdress, although when it arrived it was clear there was a sizing issue. It was supposed to be a size 26/28 UK, but was more like a size 24. I got it pulled up (just about) but it flattened my boobs as it was so tight. The swimdress was comprised of the skirt layer loose and free over the top of a mesh layer, the latter which was attached to the pants part of the swimdress. I cut off the pants, freeing up the rest of the material to go where it was supposed to, and wore it over some high waisted bikini bottoms from ASOS Curve which I bought last year. Ta-da! Perfect. After it had arrived and I'd decided to do my DIY mission I saw there was a new review up on the website which warned of the sizing issue, so it's not just me. If you buy this, do size up to the next size if you can. The size I'm wearing is the biggest size they do - a supposed 26/28, but really a 24.

24th & Ocean skirted plus size swimdress from Navabi laser cut skirt black white monochrome plus size swimwear plus size beachwear plus size holiday wear plus size cruise wear

24th & Ocean plus size skirted swimdress by Navabi - comfort

It gives great bust support, and has adjustable straps to aid fit. The straps were a little thin for my liking, but they were still comfortable. Overall this swimsuit was completely comfortable once I'd chopped the pants out of it to free up some room.

24th & Ocean skirted plus size swimdress from Navabi laser cut skirt black white monochrome plus size swimwear plus size beachwear plus size holiday wear plus size cruise wear

The suit comes with very light padded cups which move around as you roll the suit on and off, which requires some patience to put back in place. As you can see from these photos, I lack that patience! I just let them do their thing. Once my fashion show was over I was getting in the water!

24th & Ocean skirted plus size swimdress from Navabi laser cut skirt black white monochrome plus size swimwear plus size beachwear plus size holiday wear plus size cruise wear
24th & Ocean skirted plus size swimdress from Navabi laser cut skirt black white monochrome plus size swimwear plus size beachwear plus size holiday wear plus size cruise wear

The ruching under the bust gives great form and the material feels weighty and luxurious. It is a premier garment at a premier price, coming in at £89.99. My favourite part of all is the laser cut hem, which is adorable. The flippy skirt is really cute too, and felt quite retro.

24th & Ocean skirted plus size swimdress from Navabi laser cut skirt black white monochrome plus size swimwear plus size beachwear plus size holiday wear plus size cruise wear





In case you've never bought anything from Navabi, their website is excellent. You can narrow down your search on the left hand side of the website by price, item, colour and so on. When you click through to an individual item, it has a thorough description of the material(s) the product is made of, and often has close up photos of the details too. This is a touch other retailers would be wise to adopt. 

Aside from the sizing issue I really like this swimdress, and as it's such good quality I know it'll last for years. I'm going on holiday again in July so I look forward to wearing it again.

24th & Ocean skirted plus size swimdress, Navabi
Flip flops, Havaiana, similar here
Bikini bottoms past season ASOS Curve similar here

Thanks for reading,
Leah xoxo

*Swimdress sent by Navabi.

My holiday swimwear from Yours Clothing

Plus-size-swimwear-from-Yours-Clothing. Black-mesh-swimsuit. Black-and-white-striped-sarong
Hiya! In this post I'm going to talk about the plus size swimwear from Yours Clothing which I wore on holiday. There's also a brief video review of the swimwear. I'm wearing a black mesh swimsuit and a stripey sarong, and I'm also using a beach bag by Yours Clothing too.

Yours Clothing black mesh swimsuit with tummy control

This swimming costume is really comfortable and looks good on but doesn't have quite enough support in the chest for me. I'm wearing a size 28 and in hindsight a size 26 would have been ample and I think this would've helped support my 'twins' more, so do be aware this swimsuit does come up large in size. If you have a Yours store near you, maybe try on your usual size and one smaller and see what you think. As we had the pool to ourselves it wasn't a problem that my boobs were unsupported, because there was no one else to see me apart from James, Mike, Mookie and Caroline, and as soon as I was in the water my boobs float anyway so no worries! Overall comfort is what I look for in a swimming costume, and this has it in spades. It has thin padded cups over the boobs which do tend to move around a bit as you put the swimsuit on, so you will need to readjust when it's on and smooth out any lines. I wish it had come with a stretchy boob shelf to support my boobs more - left to their own devices they disappear into my armpits! ;) If your boobs stay fairly in place without a bra you might not have any issues with this swimsuit, but my wide-set boobs need strict discipline!

Plus-size-swimwear-from-Yours-Clothing. Black-mesh-swimsuit. Black-and-white-striped-sarong
I have a really cute bum!
Black-mesh-swimsuit. Black-and-white-striped-sarong-by-Yours-Clothing

The mesh touches are really nice and I enjoyed being able to have my back tattoo on display. The straps are quite thin so they do roll over on themselves a bit. If they'd been a fraction wider it would've been nice, but my comfort was unaffected.

Black-mesh-swimsuit. Black-and-white-striped-sarong-by-Yours-Clothing
Plus-size-swimwear-from-Yours-Clothing plus-size-holiday-wear-plus-size-beachwear
Black-mesh-swimsuit. Black-and-white-striped-sarong-by-Yours-Clothing. Plus-size-swimwear. Plus-size-beachwear

Yours Clothing black and white striped sarong with blue border 

Black-and-white-plus-size-striped-sarong-with-blue-border-by-Yours-Clothing
Black-and-white-plus-size-striped-sarong-with-blue-border-by-Yours-Clothing. Plus-size-swimwear. Plus-size-beachwear

I'm wearing the sarong in a size 28-32 and that's very roomy too. I took another Yours sarong with me (this one) and used them like pashmina wraps on chilly evenings to keep me warm. You can do all manner of things with a sarong - even use them as tops - so I have a post planned with a few ideas of how versatile they are to own. They're a steal at £8 each. I have my eye on the purple animal print one too.

Black-and-white-plus-size-striped-sarong-with-blue-border-by-Yours-Clothing

Yours Clothing black and white striped beach bag

I took about 4 handbags on holiday with me and bought another one out there, but there was no need as I used the beach bag almost every day and night. It's big enough to throw a towel, some sunscreen, makeup, a purse and some water in so it came with me everywhere! It seems to have sold out (and I'm not sure if it'll be coming back) but you can find all their other beach bags here. I highly recommend their beach bags - they're smart enough for the beach and going out in the evening to nice restaurants. I do really cram stuff into my bags as James always dumps all his stuff into my bag too, and the knot on the inside of the bag came undone one day under the strain. The knots are tied under the lining, but it was no big deal - I stabbed a hole through the lining with my crystal nail file (I can see why airports class them as weapons!) pulled the rope through the hole and reknotted it. Job done! Perhaps in future the knots could come through the lining for ease of re-tying if they come undone, but if you don't cram your bag full to the brim it probably won't happen anyway. Why can't men carry their own crap?! For £8 this bag is a thorough bargain, and some of their beach bags are as little as £6!

Here's a video review I did of the swimsuit.
Plus-size-swimwear-from-Yours-Clothing
Yours Clothing black mesh swimsuit with tummy control
Yours Clothing black and white striped sarong with blue border
Yours Clothing black and white striped beach bag similar here here here 

Are you a one piece or a two piece person?
Thanks for reading/watching.
L xoxo
*Swimsuit, sarong and bag gifted by Yours Clothing.

Introducing Apples and Pears plus size clothing

Apples and pears plus size ladies clothing plus size holiday wear
Hiya! In this blog post I'm going to talk about Apples and Pears Clothing, a UK based plus size fashion website you may not have heard of before.

You'll sometimes see an Apples and Pears clothing stall at UK plus size fashion events. I went to Plus North in 2014 where they had a stall, and it was a chance to see their clothes up close and personal, as it's sometimes hard to tell quality from a website. I was pleasantly surprised, as I wrote briefly here in my Plus North roundup. Like many independent sellers, their ability to use models to wear the clothes is limited, but that means the prices are affordable. Of course sometimes it's hard to envisage clothes on a plus size body rather than on a hanger or a mannequin, and this is where plus size bloggers like me come in! :) Apples and Pears also do a totally free returns service so you can try on at home, and they deliver worldwide.

I was sent 3 items - a lightweight green space-dyed dress, a versatile hot pink cover up, and a lightweight kimono top. As I was in or around the pool as often as possible, most of these photos are of me wearing my Apples and Pears items over a swimsuit or swimdress.

Apples and Pears green marl jersey dress

I wore this over swimwear a couple of times before and after going in the pool. It's very low cut at the front which looks lovely with swimwear or a vest top underneath. It's a lightweight polyester/elastane mix which makes it perfect for warm weather. The green and black space dye is a great colour scheme regardless of season, and the gathering under the bust gives it form. I'm 5ft 5 and it comes just above my knees. I'm wearing a size 26/28. I look forward to wearing this again soon - it is quite thin because it's a summer dress so I would wear it over leggings. I'm wearing it over a swimdress here so you can just see the ruffles on the hem of the swimdress underneath.

Apples and Pears handmade pink butterfly kimono

The next item is my favourite out of the three and is the handmade pink butterfly kimono cover up. These are selling out fast but as they're hand made you can order if your size isn't in stock - and you can also have them made to your specific measurements (the latter will take 2 weeks). I love the contrast between the hot pink of the kimono and the lime green pom poms. I used to make pom poms as a child with my mum, so I love seeing them on clothes and accessories. I wore it out in the evening but as we left so late to go out to eat it was already getting dark. The photo below isn't the best quality because of the darkness- and as to the expression on my face, hah! I also wore it over swimwear a couple of times too. I've had lots of nice comments about it on social media. I'm wearing the size 24/26.

Isn't it lovely? And so versatile. It's equally good as a pool cover up or to keep the chill off your arms in the evening.

The last item didn't quite work on me as it was a little too tight around my boobs - the Apples and Pears leaf print black and white kaftan. It bunched up in my upper chest area (level with my armpits) as there wasn't the room to go over the fullness of my boobs. When I tried it on at home I didn't have a bra on so my boobs were lower and flatter than usual. I just didn't think that when I had a bra on and my boobs were hoisted aloft it'd be too small. Totally my fault! It's a shame because again it's a really lightweight material which is great for warmer weather, and the monochrome pattern is great. I love the bell sleeves, but I'm less keen on the hanky hem as it kind of juts out because of the width of my hips. I'm wearing a size 26-28. The only way to make it sit right was to hold the hem down, but of course that's not practical. I'll pass it along to a less booby friend.

You can see the bunching up in the upper chest here

Apples and Pears have all the things you'd expect from an independent retailer - personal service, quick postage and friendly customer service - some things which can be lost in the realm of the huge plus size clothing seller. Mookie also reviewed some items from Apples and Pears on holiday, so look out for those posts too. Have you bought anything from Apples and Pears before?

Thanks for reading!
L xoxo

Holiday outfit - leopard print and gold in Torrevieja

Leopard print skirt and sheer gold shirt plus size outfit featuring Elvi
I wore this outfit when we went to Torrevieja one evening whilst we were on holiday. It was the busiest place we went to while we were in Spain - a bustling town with a whole parade of kiosks parallel to the sea, which sold just about every kind of gift item you could imagine. Haggling is expected and I wasn't in the mood so I didn't buy anything, much to James's relief. ;)
Leopard print skirt and sheer gold shirt plus size outfit featuring Elvi plus size holiday wear plus size cruise wear plus size occasion wear
Leopard print skirt and sheer gold shirt plus size outfit featuring Elvi plus size cruise wear plus size evening wear plus size occasion wear
Only the accessories in this outfit are new - the crop top, shirt and skirt are all past season.
Leopard print skirt and sheer gold shirt plus size outfit featuring Elvi plus size occasionwear plus size evening wear glamorous
Leopard print skirt and sheer gold shirt plus size outfit featuring Elvi plus size holiday wear
These photos were taken in Torrevieja itself, by the sea. After these photos we went to a lovely restaurant opposite the sea for pizza. We were outside under a big awning with outdoor heaters, which were a bonus as it was freezing in the sea air as sundown approached.
Leopard print skirt and sheer gold shirt plus size outfit featuring Elvi plus size occasion wear plus size evening wear plus size cruise wear
Glamorous evening sandals metallic jewels
There are a lot of feral cats in Spain. There were some near our villa and a lot in Torrevieja itself. They're running towards a kind man who had brought food for them.
The feral cats of Torrevieja, Murcia, Spain on the beach
It was rather incongruous to see so many Burger King restaurants while we were away (bottom left of photo).
Torrevieja sea front, Murcia, Spain
Torrevieja sea front, Murcia, Spain
Torrevieja sea front, Murcia, Spain
Sundown over Torrevieja.
Sunset at Torrevieja, Murcia, SpainI'm wearing:

Boxy sheer gold shirt, past season Elvi
Crop top, past season ASOS Curve
Skirt, past season Primark
Beach bag, Yours Clothing - currently out of stock 
Embellished sandals, ASOS wide fit

I love this shirt from Elvi. It's metallic, has lovely gold buttons and has a boxy style which is nice and breezy for holiday wear. They don't have this top any more, but this style is one they use a lot.

Thanks for reading.
L xoxo

Lindy Bop Verona plus size swing dress

Hiya! In today's post I'm going to be talking about the gorgeous Verona plus size retro swing dress from Lindy Bop which I wore on my recent holiday to Spain.
Lindy Bop Verona plus size swing dress 50s style vintage plus size

Lindy Bop Verona plus size swing dress review

This dress is really glamorous and made me feel like a million dollars when I wore it. It has beautiful red and black lace at the bust, a nipped in waist and a box pleated skirt which flares out, creating a flattering silhouette (if flattering your shape is your cup of tea). Swing dresses are something I do like to wear occasionally, as the flared skirt makes my waist look smaller. I can understand why 1950s reproduction vintage styles are such a hit with the plus size community - the hourglass figure is very much prized even within our circles, and a little trickery via clothing is no bad thing once in a while.

There's a cut out section in the back of the dress which was in the perfect place to show off my upper back tattoo, but as the dress is very low cut I wore a vest top underneath to protect my modesty when we went out to eat. I don't have any very low cut bras, but if I had one suitable I may have been fine with that much cleavage on display - I just didn't want to display several inches of bra over the top of the dress, especially as for some reason I don't have ANY plain black bras. (Note to self - I need to remedy that!) I love the little cap sleeves. It's probably psychological, but I don't feel bare armed when wearing a cap sleeved dress or top.
Lindy Bop Verona plus size swing dress 50s style vintage plus size black and red
Red and black always make me feel quite sexy and powerful, and this Verona dress was probably my favourite evening outfit of the entire week. I wore it out to a restaurant and afterwards to a bar and had plenty of stolen glances. ;)
Lindy Bop Verona plus size swing dress 50s style vintage size 26 red and black
I have been very reticent to get my legs out ever since I've had Fibromyalgia as any bruising on my shins scars and leaves an unsightly tinge, but I always throw caution to the wind when I'm holiday and lose the worries. As it was on my first day I fell upstairs whilst carrying groceries and whacked my shin and foot against the concrete steps. That added a couple more bruises to the mix. Oops!
Lindy Bop Verona plus size swing dress 50s style vintage size 26 red lace

Wash and wear

I always try to pack so that I have enough clothes on holiday for every possible mood, and I knew the villa where we were staying had a washing machine which removed some of the anxiety of 'Have I brought enough clothes?!' (I still pack for twice as long as I'm going for!) I deliberately packed things of lightweight material which I could pop in the machine and air dry in the sun in case I had the urge to re-wear them during the week. I didn't end up re-wearing the dress out there, but I washed and dried it when we returned to England and I'm pleased to say it washed well and dried quickly, which makes it the perfect contender for further holidays.
Lindy Bop Verona plus size swing dress weddings special occasions 50s style vintage plus size evening wear
Lindy Bop Verona plus size swing dress 50s style vintage evening wear wedding guests summer functions

Fit

I'm wearing a size 26 in the dress, the maximum size Lindy Bop do. I had read a couple of reviews which said the dress is very loose around the chest, and as I have a very wide back and F cup boobs I knew if it fit me in the waist, it would be fine. Fit can very much be a matter of trial and error with Lindy Bop - I've had a size 26 which was too small in the waist/upper hip area but great in the bust, a size 24 which was just right, and now this size 26 which is perfect for me. As I was heavily in bloat with both my period and IBS bloat from hell (I had fresh white bread for breakfast daily) I would say the waistline on this dress is generous too. My advice would be where possible to order two sizes of each dress from Lindy Bop and send back whatever doesn't fit. I would say their dresses are probably best suited to those of us with ample boobs - as they're reproduction retro styles I can see why this is, as the 50s - a decade that much of repro clothing seems to be based on - wasn't known for a shortage of chesty ladies.
Lindy Bop Verona plus size swing dress 50s style vintage size 26 black and red lace special occasion plus size dress
plus size vintage dress plus size reproduction dress plus size summer dress plus size evening wear plus size wedding guest
plus size retro dress plus size swing dress plus size summer dress plus size occasionwear plus size evening wear
It was really hard to narrow down these photos as I love this dress and how I look in it so much.
plus size red and black swing dress 50s style plus size occasionwear plus size wedding guest plus size evening wear plus size glamorous
plus size evening wear plus size wedding wear plus size occasion wear red and black lace swing dress plus size
plus size summer dress plus size evening dress plus size swing dress plus size occasionwear plus size wedding guest
plus size cruise wear plus size evening wear plus size vintage red and black lace plus size glam
My verdict? A stand out dress I genuinely love, which will be on standby any time I need to knock 'em dead. It's reignited my love for Lindy Bop too. You can read my other Lindy Bop reviews here and here. I do wish they'd consider increasing their size range to a size 32 though. The success of Lady Voluptuous has proven without a doubt that the market for upper plus size retro styles is there, and then some! Their biggest sizes usually sell out first.

I'm wearing:

Lindy Bop Verona plus size swing dress* similar here (but long sleeves)
Big Tights Company lace trimmed vest top from a set of vest & knickers (full review to come)
Big Tights Company anti chafing short legged knickers (full review to come)
Simply Be block heel shoes (limited sizes, similar here)


What do you think of plus size swing dresses? Have you got anything by Lindy Bop?

L xoxo
*dress sent for review