La Redoute Castaluna dotted plus size tulle skirt

Hello lovelies! In this post I'll be talking about this lovely Castaluna dotted plus size tulle skirt from La Redoute which I bought recently. I saw it on Chloe and fell in love with it. It took foooooorever to come (literally a month) but it was worth the wait.

These photos were taken at gorgeous Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, and I'll be writing aseparate post about our visit with lots of photos of the stunning scenery. 

Right, let's talk about fit and so on, shall we?

La Redoute Castaluna dotted plus size tulle skirt - fit and comfort

I bought the skirt in a size 26 as I thought it had an elasticated waist. It doesn't exactly - there's a slight bit of give to it but not a lot as it has ribbon sewn on all the way round. Anyhow, the fit in the waist was a little snug but not to a point where it was uncomfortable, and there's plenty of room over my hips. It seems to be cut slightly longer on the back of the skirt - at least enough so my big bum shelf doesn't make the skirt look several inches shorter on the back like some skirts do. The fabric is light and floaty. There's an under layer to protect your modesty and a couple of layers of see through polka dot tulle over the top. The waistband is very stiff and did roll over quite a few times so the bow in the middle was no longer visible, but it's no biggie - it only bothered me because I had my 'Wah, everything must be perfect!' fashionista head on. Other than that it's a really comfortable skirt with a little swish to it, a little movement in the breeze, which is always nice on a hot day.

La Redoute Castaluna dotted plus size tulle skirt price and service

The skirt is £55 but I got 25% off as they had a voucher code at the time. It is an expensive item no doubt, but I love polka dots and looked after carefully it should last years. On to the service from La Redoute. When I ordered the skirt at no point did they tell me it was out of stock. After about 2 weeks when I hadn't received it I was wondering if it'd been nicked from the doorstep. I went onto my account on the website and it said stock was expected in the next couple of weeks and I'd be informed when it was on the way. I did get a text when it was ready to collect, at least. I'd arranged to pick it up from a local newsagents, albeit one off the beaten track, and that was the best choice given for miles - none of the popular local shop pick up points were listed. I'm glad I looked it up on Google maps street view first as the newsagents doesn't have a sign outside or anything to identify it (it's a bit of a multi-purpose offering and looks like a greengrocers from the outside) and on a street with two newsagents who needs the faff? But finally after a month I had my skirt. La Redoute is a part of the Daxon company and all the stock comes from France and in its own sweet time. Would I order from La Redoute again? Probably not to be honest. If they'd told me I'd have to wait a month for it I probably wouldn't have bought it. I wanted it in time for my holiday and got it after I got back. In case you're not put off by a month wait, it also comes in grey. It's available in sizes 14-28.

Here I am standing outside the folly in the castle grounds. Here's a post about it from Instagram where I explained what follies are. Some of them have been repurposed to actually have a use in modern times - such as being converted to family homes - but initially most were made by rich buggers for no other reason than to amuse themselves.

This is the #folly at Herstmonceux castle. In case you aren't au fait with the habits of rich British eccentrics, a folly is something people with too much money had built for no other purpose than to amuse themselves. They were decorative and mostly useless. Perhaps the small penis symbol of the time? There are dozens of them in Britain and I do find them quite fascinating. Inside this one there's nothing but wood paneling, but you can walk through to a gorgeous little courtyard garden behind it. Although it's two storeys at the front, from behind the second storey is a sun terrace with steps up from the garden. It was really hot on Saturday so we sat a few minutes in the shade of the folly in the garden to escape from the heat. #herstmonceuxcastle #castle #history #architecture #eastsussex

A photo posted by Leah ✨🌙⭐ (@justmeleah.co.uk) on May 30, 2016 at 2:46am PDT

I love how our mild winter has had such a glorious effect on nature - I don't think I've ever seen a summer so lush. Greenery is shooting up by the day and it's wonderful to watch. I took my shoes off and walked barefoot through the verdant forest in the vast grounds of the castle, as well as by the folly. It was beautiful. It's so important to connect directly with nature - do walk barefoot through soft grass, especially in the mornings when the dew is so refreshing. Paddle in the sea. Get some mud on you. Did you know gardeners may live longer than non-gardeners? There's anecdotal evidence that gardeners may live longer than non-gardeners. At some base level a literal connection to the earth does us the world of good. Embrace your inner hippie!

Just look at this gorgeous rhododendron bush! What a beaut.

Do look out for the post coming up with more about Herstmonceux gardens and the woodland, especially if you're local and want to visit. We didn't go inside the castle as there were no tours on the day we visited - which explained why it was so empty. We had the place virtually to ourselves and it was idyllic.

I'm wearing:
Necklace, Jewel Street  
New Look Curves black floral print bomber jacket similar here
Big Tights Company All Woman lace edged vest
La Redoute Castaluna dotted plus size tulle skirt
Flats, past season Primark

Thanks for reading,
Leah xoxo