Outfit August: Be seen in green and why I wear crop tops

Hiya pickles!

I've got a right lust for everything green at the moment, so here's an outfit I put together to go to the cinema to watch Star Trek Beyond. I liked the film - especially Jaylah (she's brilliant and I adored her makeup!) but it lacked a little something for me. I'm not sure what. Maybe it was a bit heavy on effects and slightly lacking in storyline. Did you see it? If so, what did you think of it?

Sprinkle of Glitter denim dungaree dress

Hiya lovelies! Before I went on holiday earlier in the month I bought this dungaree dress from Simply Be. It's from the Sprinkle of Glitter range and is currently just £20 (at time of writing).

Simply Be Sprinkle of glitter polka dot dress

Hello lovelies, in this post I'm going to talk about the Simply Be Sprinkle of Glitter polka dot dress which I bought a few weeks ago. Since I've bought it it's gone down in price to £21 so I'd jump on that if you like the look of it. It has pom poms AND pockets!

Tartan Terror OOTD

Hello sweet peas,

I bought this dress from Simply Be recently. It was in the sale and I had a further 20% off code. I decided to take photos and then make up my mind as it didn't immediately wow me. I'm having a bad hair day in the photos, by the way.

It's a bit shorter than I'd usually like. What do you think? Should it stay or go?

You might've noticed I've done sitting down photos a couple of times recently. I'm not interested in only showing 'flattering' shots. The way I look sitting down is how a lot of women look sitting down. I'm all for normalising bodies. We see a lot of 'average' bodies in the media, and I think as plus size fashion bloggers the opportunity is there to do a bit of light activism by showing what we look like in all kinds of poses.

Simply Be tartan dress
Leggings from twin-pack Very (one full length, one cropped).
So Fabulous bow ballerinas, Very

The dress is a thin overlay over a black lining. You can see the fineness of the fabric on the arms. It'll be perfect under a thick cocoon-y cardi for winter with some cosy boots.

Both the shoes and the dress in this post were bought with deals. If I get a heads up about discount codes etc would you like me to post about them? And should I keep the dress? It has pockets. :)

Thanks for reading.
Leah xoxo

Plus North Simply Be & Yours Clothing catwalk shows

Hello lovelies!

Time for some more photos from Plus North. I only caught two shows, so here they are. First up the Yours Clothing catwalk show. I've put links to the bloggers/models I have links for underneath the photos.

Outfit August 27th - duster coat

Hello honey buns,

I've had this duster jacket by Simply Be for a couple of months but only took it for a spin a couple of days ago as I was unsure how to style it. Then the weather took a turn and it was now or never!

Calling this a duster jacket is a bit of a misnomer. It's thin and light (it's not lined) and has barely any more substance than a kimono. Had I bought it at full price I would've been peeved, as I believe it was £50 originally. My only other bugbear with it is the pockets, which are on the seam and basically mean you're virtually getting to grips with your butt-ocks (Forrest Gump voice) to put your hands in them. However I love the length and the full length sleeves which can be rolled up. It's a great way to cover up without boiling when it is warm as it's lovely and airy. Call me an eternal optimist but I'm hoping this cold snap might bog off so I can get some more use out of this jacket.

Cue silly gif, just because.

Jacket, Simply Be
Dress, old Yours Clothing
Leggings, Very
Belt, from a New Look dress
Boots, old Tesco
Hair flower, eBay

We went to a flower festival at a local (ish) church the day these photos were taken and I will share more photos later on in the week. Most of the displays were based around books and the creativity was amazing.


Thanks for reading!
Leah xoxo

Pink it was love at first sight - outfit post

Greetings fellow earth dwellers.

Pink is high on my lust list at the moment, which is odd as I don't really see myself as a girlie girl. However, I do find bright colours therapeutic and there's something about hot pink which just makes me happy.

I seem to have this weird smug face going on in a lot of my photos at the moment, as the photo below illustrates. When I was younger I had chronic bitchface when my face was at rest, and now its resting point appears to be somewhere between smugness and sucking on a lemon, gah. Looking at photos of myself every couple of days is really weird at the moment. Even when you're on the body love train sometimes the constant self-reflection is hard.

I bought this vest from Simply Be a month or so ago. It was £12, which is pretty good for a long line vest, especially one with a funky print. I bought the shoes from the Very sale recently for a steal. Their wide fit shoes are quite good and I have 2 other pairs I bought a couple of years ago which I like a lot.

Vest, Simply Be
Skirt, old Yours Clothing
Shoes, Very.co.uk
Hair flower, Off With Her Head millinery
Necklace, Extreme Largeness.

Pssst! If you find most necklaces too small around your neck I have a hack coming up on Thursday so stay tuned, as they say.

I'll be taking a close up of my hair flower of the month from OWHH soon. It's got a strawberry on it. Very Wimbledon, dahhling!

Thanks for reading!

Bonus points if you know which the title of this post is from. :)

Lippy chick with Simply Be

Hello earth dwellers!

I've got my mojo back. When I posted Monday's outfit post I was menstrual and down on myself, but I've given myself a quick kick in the uterus and am back to feeling fierce.

I have a body, it's a certain shape and it's not the same shape it was a few years ago. I'm going to embrace it, because it's a part of me. I'm done being down on myself because of the changes illness brings. Lots of people are fat, lots of people have illnesses which change the topography of their bodies, and it's about time I sucked it up and got on with loving myself. I'm done with not loving my double belly. It's new to me (having 2 bellies) but to not love myself or make apologies for this new body of mine sends the wrong message to other people who have bodies similar to mine. I WILL wear tight clothing, I WILL post 'unflattering' side on photos and I WILL love myself and every hill and valley that makes up my body. Bodies change with age and illness, and sometimes it's tough and it's work but we can get past it, we can LOVE our new bodies. Nothing has to change but our ATTITUDE to our bodies.

I've had this skirt for about a month, but I kinda lost my outfit mojo and was waiting for it to come back. I wanted to wear the skirt, not have the skirt wear ME. I love the skirt and am glad I bought it. It's a thick stretchy material which offers gentle support and feels really nice on - like a big hug. It's a kind of dark grey colour rather than black, but I don't mind at all as the print is so fun.

Skirt, Simply Be
Top, old Very
Shoes, Primark
Hair flower, old New Look

Here's to more body positive days ahead. Have you ever had a bit of a wibble over your body? Still having one? Here, have a hug.

Thanks for reading!

Oh P.S. I'm using foundation on my legs to cover up the worst of my shin blotches and am feeling much happier about that, too!

OMCZ #33 - Soaking up the sun

Hey there,

Becca chose the theme this time and said:

It's getting warmer in the UK and it's nearly time for the Summer Fun Days to start. Whether it be your local village fun day, a school fayre or a party at a friend's house, I want to see your outfits for those days out soaking up the sun.

I bought this dress last week when Fashion World and Simply Be had a 50% off sale. It was my last hurrah before my self-imposed spending ban. I loved the dress when I saw it on Mookie at the Curvissa event a couple of months ago and the spicy orange colour is very summery.

I'm an E cup so I got the dress in E-GG fit. There's a lot of spare room in the bust so maybe the bust size down (up to a DD) would've been better but as long as I remember to rearrange my dress as I bend over hopefully I won't flash anyone. :)

I need to check in front of a mirror for uneven leggings. :D

The dress is really soft and has the added bonus of pockets. It rides up a bit over my bum so I have to pull it down every now and then but such is life with a bubble butt. :) It's a quality fabric without being too heavy so it should get a lot of throughout summer - it's the perfect mix of smart and comfortable which would work for quite a lot of informal gatherings. I'd sooner be slightly too formal than slightly too casual.

Dress, Simply Be
Leggings, Very
Shoes, old Evans
Necklace, Sister Vintage
Bag, old Everything 5 Pounds

What's your go to summer day outfit?

Thanks for reading!

Simply Be denim babydoll dress

Howdy!

You know when you see a dress and it's instant love? That. I'd seen this dress on a few different bloggers and fell in love with it. When I came across a Simply Be online voucher code (there's always one lurking around in the depths of the internet) I decided to buy it.

It's proper denim, not chambray, and is a medium weight fabric. I'd say it's not as heavyweight as denim for jeans, but it's still a quality material. And it has pockets. Can you hear the angels sing?!

It's so so so comfortable. I wore it on Sunday when we went to my aunt's caravan in Essex. It was a 2 hour 45 minute journey there and back on a really hot day and I was cool and breezy all day. I'd advise sizing down if you like a tighter dress fit and staying true to size if you like a little swing. I got a 28 as I'd heard it was oversized and there's plenty of room for me in it. It's a good length front and back. I wish they made this dress in allll the colours of denim. It's whooshed straight to the top of my fave dress list.

Oh, about the glasses on/glasses off thing on my blog recently - my eyelashes are driving me batshit. They're so long they rub on my glasses all day leaving greasy little marks. They refuse to curl so I can't even get them out of the way using an eyelash curler. I've given up wearing mascara on my top lashes at all as it only makes it worse, so sometimes I take my glasses off to stop me having to clean them every. five. minutes. I'm seriously considering giving them a hair cut.

Dress, Simply Be
Leggings, Very
Necklace, Primark
Bracelet, Sister Vintage
Shoes, Just For 5 Pounds

If you want a really effortlessly easy dress you can wash and wear time and time again, and accessorise in a million ways, this will do it for you.

Simply Be Liz McClarnon kaftan

Hello lovelies,

My name is Leah and I'm addicted to kaftans. I have it baaad.

This kaftan by Simply Be (purchased by me) is a nice thick material with an aztec pattern to it.

I sized up as I wanted a baggy fit. The waist tie means you can still have a little definition in your waist, or wear it loose and flowing. It's very versatile - it works equally well with jeans as it would over a swimsuit on holiday. Tear up the rule book - if you like something, wear it how you see fit. If you love the pattern on nightwear and want to wear it as a dress, do it. Rules are made to be broken!

I'm wearing it with my full bum jeans from Fashion World. I'm a strange one - I avoid jeans all winter and start to wear them again in summer. I associate jeans in winter with sore skin - the heavy fabric and cold air can lead to my parched, Fibromyalgia-affected legs chapping.

To make this kaftan absolutely perfect for me I'd have liked a lower neckline by a few inches and perhaps another 6 inches on the length. I'm still on the look out for an almost knee length kaftan which I can wear over leggings and a vest on a hot day without worrying about my bum taking people's eyes out.

Kaftan, Simply Be
Vest, old Evans
Jeans*, Fashion World (previously gifted - post here.)
Shoes, old Evans
Necklace, Superdrug

The necklace from Superdrug was only £5 and I love the simple open diamond design. It's a shame they don't sell their jewellery online, but if you're in the UK do have a peek in store as it's all reasonably priced. I love long necklaces - mid length ones get swallowed up by my boobs!

Do you wear anything differently than its original purpose?

Dotty for coral OOTD

Howdy!

I'm trying to rotate the items in my wardrobe and cupboards to stop me wearing the same old familiar things. This dress hasn't seen an outing since last autumn if I recall correctly, so it's well overdue another wear.

I bought it from Simply Be last year and it's one of my favourites because of the large polka dots and the colour. More large polka dot prints please plus size brands! :) I'd buy one in every colour.

Dress, last year's Simply Be
Leggings, Very (It's a twin pack with a long & cropped pair of leggings.)
Shoes, old Evans
Clutch, old Tesco
Necklace, old Primark
Ring, old Debenhams
Bracelets, gift

I've said it before but polka dots have definitely taken over from leopard print as my favourite print. I think this is called getting older!

What's your favourite print?

Thanks for reading!

Simply Be pink onesie

Hello Easter muffins!

I've finally bought my first onesie. Now I too know the joys of shirking off a onesie in a cold bathroom when I need a wee. :)

I bought two onesies from Simply Be - this one and a zebra print one. They sent me two the same. Woe is me! Aside from that, how did I get on with the onesie?

Well, I sized up two sizes to a 32/34 and if I bend over or stand up very straight I end up with the camel toe from hell. I'm 5ft 5 and a half, so if you're a 6 footer you're going to look like a 5 year old bursting out of a babygro unless you size up eleventy two times. At least there are generously wide cuffs at the ankles so I can hitch the legs up so I can bend over without cutting myself in half. Other than the height issue it's lovely and warm and I can fit my mobile in the top pocket.

Not bad for £14.

Have you got a onesie?

Onesie, Simply Be £14
Slippers, birthday present

Also available in zebra print. Allegedly. 

Denim a l'orange OOTD

Hiya pickles!

This might be the cheesiest outfit title I've ever used. :)

My hubs is off work with a terrible throat infection, and he's been taking photos for me (so I don't have to go out alone with a tripod) even though he feels like death warmed up. It's only fair he's my snapper in exchange for living with his dying swan act for the last few days. (Side note - what is it with men refusing help?! Everything I've suggested which will make him better he's refused to do....what an ickle martyr!)

It was so lovely to take my shoes off and walk on the soft, springy grass! Ah, it's SO good to be outside.

Dress, Simply Be via Mookie
Shirt, Burtons (20 years ago!)
Handbag, Banned via eBay

Hubby bought me the bag for my fancy dress outfit for my birthday, but it's normal enough to use every day. Within a couple of weeks of having it one of the front magnetic clasps had popped off, which I'm not too chuffed about, but it has been stuffed to the brim of and lugged about to London and Birmingham in the short time I've had it so it could be worse.

How are you loving this sunshine, UK peeps? I hope it's sunny where you are!

Simply Be PU midi skirt

Hello lovelies!

I have an actual post with clothes on my body today, whoo hoo. Apologies for all the wordy posts, but I've found myself suddenly pole axed with fatigue after my fun weekend in Brum. Anyway, on with the show!

This skirt by Simply Be was purchased by my own fair hand when it was down from £40 to £28. It had gone down to £20 in a brief 50% sale they did, but they didn't have my size when it was half price. Truth be told they didn't have it in my size when it went down to £28 either. I'm squeezing into a 26 here but I probably could've used a 28 to accommodate my never-will-be-child bearing hips. Man, what a waste of all that hip. ;) I'm a tight arse who refuses to pay £40 for a dress if I can help it, let alone a skirt, so I wouldn't have bought this at full price, no matter how lovely it is.

I'd seen the skirt on the beautiful Callie and wanted it, but it was seeing it on Gemma that gave me the confidence to buy it, as her body type is a bit more like mine.

Yes, it has pockets, although to be fair you need to have the hands of a pipsqueak as they're tiny.

Forgot to smile, too busy thinking about tiny pockets

The dress is supposed to be kind of A-line, but where my hips are so dang big it kinda bunches up just below the waist, but I can live with it. The smallest part of me is right under my boobaloos, so hitching it up a couple of inches higher will probably avoid the puffy pockets look. It's a comfortable skirt with a little bit of give to it, not at all restrictive like some PU things can be, and it doesn't make you sweat like you're wearing a bin bag in a sauna, either. Always a bonus!

I'm wearing my New Look sale boots which I meant to return ages ago, but forgot. They're not wide fit and I'm wearing them in. The reason I was going to send them back is there's no zip. I was hoping for a zip at the back to ease getting them on and off but no such luck. I should've read the description better, but I was in full on 'WAAAAAAAAAHHHH, SALE!' mode. At the moment the buckles aren't done up, but they're so snug on my fat trotters they stay on fine anyway, and the tongue is thickly padded so that helps too. The only heels you're ever going to see me in comfortably for more than 2 minutes are chunky buggers like these.

PU kick out midi skirt - Simply Be
Sheer cover up - old Simply Be
Eagle necklace, Primark
Ring, old New Look
Top, old Sainsburys
Bracelet, eBay
Boots, New Look

Happy Friday! Do you like PU/pleather? Hubby came home when I was taking these photos and gave me the seal of approval, even though he normally chides me for spending money. I know when I'm onto a winner when he likes what I buy. :)

Thanks for reading.

Short Tall and Inbetween - One Dress*

Hello lovelies.

Happy Friday! I've been dying to show you this daisy print doll dress since I was sent it because I'm a little bit in love with it. OK, a lot in love. The dress is by Simply Be and it fits me like a glove.

You may remember I did another 'Short Tall and Inbetween' post with 4 lovely ladies in January. It was an idea Kathryn came up with and Simply Be have kindly agreed to send us all another dress to show how it looks on a variety of sizes. It's a genius idea!

It has an on trend exposed zip at the back and a dipped hem, which for me is heaven as my bubble butt normally leaves me short of material to cover it fully. As you can see the length is good - at the front it comes just above my knee (I'm 5ft 5 and a half) and at the back it's a couple of inches longer, even taking the butt shelf into account. It really nips me in at the waist due to the cut and makes my boobs look fab whilst skimming over my tummy. My husband says 'It gives you a lovely shape!' so I'm happy with that. There's plenty of room in the skirt to twirl about in. That never gets old for me. Simply Be also do this dress in a bird print, which is also divine. I think they should make this dress in ALL the patterns. It's a winner.

I know daisy print was massive in the 90s but I was a tomboy then so I'm getting to re-live the grunge era from a more feminine perspective.

You can see the dipped hem here

Close up of fabric & necklace

The dress is 100% viscose and unusually (in my experience) for Simply Be, true to size. I normally have to size up in Simply Be fitted items but I'm wearing a 28 here and it feels made to measure.

Dress c/o Simply Be*
Bag (just seen in back view photo) Primark
Necklace and bracelet, Sister Vintage
Earrings, birthday gift from my lovely friend Elaine
Leggings, Pink Clove
Shoes, Rocket Dog

Please check out the other lovely ladies:

Kathryn
Sera
Em
Megan

I can't wait to see how they've styled theirs.

Are you feeling the second coming of 90s style? I am, now I just need to get some dungarees. I used to live in them back in the day.

Thanks for reading!

Outside My Comfort Zone 29 Pastels OOTD

Hiya lovelies!

This fortnight's challenge is pastels, chosen by Hollie, who said:  

Pastels are here for Spring & Summer but I'd love some inspiration from you lovely ladies. I want to see you flourish in fondant colours. Pinks, Mints, Sky Blues... the list goes on. I don't want to hide away this Summer so this will be good practise!

I don't have a lot of pastels. In fact (off the top of my head) my 'collection' as it stands is: 3 vest tops, one bracelet and a hair flower. Pastels don't really suit me until I have a bit of a tan, which is why I've avoided them I guess - there ain't a lot of sun in these parts! :) I'm loving the trend for pastels this year though (especially all the pink) and need more colour in my life. The vest is more mint green in real life but appears a tad darker here.

I'm hoping I haven't worn this exact outfit before, or at least I'd have been unfortunate to wear it twice as the skirt and the vest are both a couple of sizes too big. Before I started blogging I always used to drown myself in sizes-too-big clothes as I thought they minimised (they really don't) and sometimes it's a habit I refer back to without thinking. My waist and boobs have vanished in this outfit, so it's not my favourite outfit, but hopefully you'll forgive me. ;) I have no lipstick on as my tea was on the side going cold - the blog always comes first.

Hair flower, Primark
Necklace, old Superdrug
Ring, Debenhams
Cardigan, Just For 5 Pounds
Vest, Simply Be from 3 pack
Skirt, old Yours Clothing
Shoes, old Evans

How do you feel about pastels? Are they up your alley or a bit too 'My Little Pony' for you?

Thanks for reading.

Fatshion Feb Day 17 - Puss in boots

Hiya.

Anyone still here after my outburst last night? *ducks*

I'm wearing a lovely Angel Ribbons top I bought from Simply Be in the sale and some knee high boots from Evans which hubby bought me for Christmas a few years ago.  The colour of the top is buttermilk and it looks a tad more yellow-creamy in the flesh, like the cream on full fat milk. It's a nice heavyweight tunic with lining, an elasticated waist and lovely pintuck details on the shoulders. I love the floaty sleeves.

Tunic, Simply Be

Belt, ASOS Curve 

Leggings, Very

Boots, Evans (old.)

The shoulder detail on the tunic is lovely. 

I hope you had a good weekend? 

The highlight of our weekend was when hubby made a snuggle den above the bed. It was very cosy.

Thanks for reading.

Fatshion Feb Day 6 - Be seen in green OOTD

Hello pickles!

I have a lovely jade green top on here from Asda, which I snapped up right after Christmas. I was shopping with my mum and step dad with Christmas money burning a hole in my pocket when I came across this bobby dazzler with its daisy burnout pattern. (See photo at the end with a close up of the pattern.) Oops, forgot to include the close up!

I found myself going round Asda clutching at everything green and constantly saying 'Green is going to be SO big next year!' I think my mum thought I was demented, and it illustrated how much of my time is taken up with fashion!

I'm wearing:
Top, Asda
Necklace, Sister Vintage (out of business it seems)
Jade bracelet, gift from my mumma
Belt, ASOS Curve
Skirt & shoes Simple Be - old

The top I'm wearing is a 24 and a very big 24 at that. When I picked it up and held it aloft my step dad said 'If that don't fit ya, girl.....' then trailed off as I gave him side eyes. Hahaha. I should hasten to add being called 'girl' at my age was welcome, so I'll let him off. ;)

Sister Vintage do a lot of really cheap jewellery so they're well worth checking out. They get new jewellery in all the time. I bought two necklaces about a week ago and they've already gone, so if you see something you like, get in there.

The belt from ASOS is almost corset-like - it's hard to manoeuvre in. Because the curve from the small of my back to my hips is so steep (it's like a black ski run, hahaha) it's impossible to get such a wide belt to fit me correctly - it doesn't quite sit right under my boobs or lower down towards my hips. It looks grand but if you have a big bubble bum like me it might make for an uncomfortable wear. It looks great but I'm always pleased to take it off, so maybe it's better for flatter tum/bum girls.

I'm almost menstrual, which is why I have a ghostly pallor about me. I used about a kilo of blush to try to make me look alive but it's not quite worked. Every month like clockwork a couple of days before I look like all the blood has been leached out of me. Maybe it's time to crack out the black and do something gothic to make the most of my just-drained-by-a-vampire pallor.

Thanks for reading.