Just a quickie from me to say that I'm Yours Clothing's featured blogger this week and there's a mini interview with me on the site so go check it out.
They're featuring a different blogger every Friday so it's a great way to find out more about your favourite bloggers. They also have hints and tips about how to find the best clothes for your body shape too.
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!
I have a really cute bum!
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.
Yours Clothing black and white striped sarong with blue border
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.
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!
I've had this dress from Yours Clothing for a month or so and have worn it a couple of times running errands or around the house but this is the first time I've captured it on camera. It's a deep pink, more magenta than hot pink.
It's a thin comfortable jersey material which does wrinkle a lot in the wash, but here's a lazy gal tip - put it on a few hours before you go out and all the creases will drop out, hence no need to iron. I only iron for special occasions like weddings and funerals.
Sun seeker
I'm wearing
Yours Clothing plus size Pink Cap Sleeved Blouson Waist Maxi Dress With Side Pockets
Faux fur stole, past ebay
Obi belt past season ASOS Curve
Yours Clothing black denim jacket
Strappy shoes past season New Look
Sunglasses Primark in store
I'm wearing a size 24 in the denim jacket. It's generously sized, and has a fair amount of stretch. I'm wearing a size 26/28 in the dress and I'd say it's also generously sized, and as it's thin jersey it has a lot of give in it. I'm wearing shaping shorts underneath as I went for an uphill walk before taking these shots, and strangely they keep me cooler than wearing cropped leggings underneath a dress would. I tried that Body Glide anti chub rub stuff once but it felt really weird. It did stop my legs from chafing, but I'm not used to the sensation of my legs rubbing together like two little meat popsicles. ;) I'm too used to wearing leggings or comfort shorts underneath dresses. With regards to the length of the dress, I'm 5ft 5 and a half, and I hitched it up at the waist and kinda put it under my boobs to stop it being floor length. I'd say the ideal height for someone wearing this dress is about 5 ft 7 to 5ft 8, and any taller than that and you'll have an ankle grazer rather than a true maxi. You can't see it because I'm wearing a belt, but the waist is elasticated. It has short sleeves as you can see in the stock photos on the Yours website. Did I say it has pockets?! Hell yes. It also comes in grey marl, black and navy.
Once again this is a plain jersey item made more interesting with the use of accessories. These shoes were a bargain £3 from New Look a year or so ago, and add a bit of detail.
I wore this outfit for a walk around St Katharine's Dock in London and the surrounding area whilst James and I were visiting his parents. It was a rare day warm enough to go without a proper jacket, which now seems like a million years away as the spring weather has turned wintry once more.
I bought two of these vests on Yours Clothing's two for £14 offer - this terracotta one and a black one. I love this terracotta shade and it's one we'll see a lot this spring/summer. The vests have a cross back as you can see in the stock photo here which elevates it lightly from being a plain vest top. These days I look for details in my clothes and accessories - I want comfort, but I also want a little more to draw the eye. The cross back detail on the vest top and the lace up shoes add interest to an otherwise boring outfit. I'm wearing a size 30/32 in the vest as I wanted an oversized look and length in the back. It's slightly dipped at the back, long enough to cover my bum, which James says is a bad thing as he wants to look at it. Hah! It bobbled on the first wear as it's a really thin material, so do be aware. I wanted really lightweight tops for summer so I can live with a little bobbling.
I absolutely adore these lace up shoes by Primark! They needed no wearing in at all. They aren't wide fit so I'm wearing an 8 instead of my usual 7 and they fit perfectly. They also come in burgundy and I hope they'll bring out more colours. I have my eye on a couple of other pairs of similar shoes from ASOS and New Look. Those tan ones are the sex! I love lace up/ghillie shoes as they're so comfortable, they look completely sexy and they're the big thing in flats for spring and summer. If you only buy one pair of shoes this year make them lace up/ghillies to be on trend. I'm pleased terracotta is going to be big this year too, and I love it as it looks great on tanned or dark skin.
I normally like to space out new things into a few different outfits to get the most bang for my buck, but I'm actually wearing a few new things at once here, and they're all SO COMFORTABLE.
I'm wearing a hanky hem dress from Boohoo Plus, a denim jacket from Yours Clothing and some peg leg jersey trousers by ASOS Curve. This is like my dream outfit as I feel like I'm wearing my pyjamas but I feel reasonably stylish. My necklace just elevated the look out of nightwear into something more.
So, let's talk about the clothes, shall we?
I'm wearing the Yours Clothing black denim jacket in a size 24 (£29). It's the most gorgeous high stretch denim and so comfortable. I've worn it every day since I bought it. It goes with everything and I'm pretty tempted to buy it in white as well, although realistically I'll never be able to keep it white. Size down a size or two unless you want a very oversized look as fit is generous. I've been told the blue denim and white jackets aren't made of soft stretchy denim so be aware of that if you order.
I'm wearing the Boohoo Plus Moira hanky hem dress in a size 24. (£12). It's such a lovely thick fabric and generously sized as I'm a size 26/28. I also have it in black. The black one is a thinner material, so it's bigger and hangs longer. The grey is tight across my boobs and arms but I still think it looks OK. The hanky hem isn't at all noticeable - it's just dipped slightly longer at each side. If they did this dress in 10 colours I'd buy them all. It's a massive bargain! If you're up to a size 28/30 a size 24 should fit you. Smaller sizes I would advise to size down one size unless you love the oversized look. I'll be wearing these on holiday without leggings.
Lastly I'm wearing ASOS Curve peg leg jersey trousers and they're like wearing PJs! I'm wearing a size 28 but I could've managed with a size 26 (£18) as they're generous in fit, even with my very full bum, tum and hips. I can pull these right up under my boobs (WIN!) and they're the softest jersey you could imagine. They are a dream to wear. I'd say size down one size unless you're very bottom heavy.
I'm also wearing past season Primark sunnies and a past season New Look necklace. When you think about it, 3 items for £59 is amazing value.
After buying the grey drape pocket dress by Yours Clothing and falling in love with it I checked the website daily for the black one to come into stock. It arrived and it's not the same dress as the grey one, alas. The fabric is a lot thinner, so it hangs lower (hence me layering a top under it) and it's a lot more stretchy. I needn't have sized up with this dress as it's plenty big already. I can barely reach the pockets as it hangs so low on me, but in summer I can wear it bare legged as it comes below my knees. Let's have some more photos, shall we?
These photos were taken in Penhurst near Battle on Saturday, a lovely little 'burb. There's not a whole lot there, but what there is is very pretty. Once the weather warms up some more I look forward to getting out and about a lot more at weekends.
Although the dress is quite thin I still like it a lot as I'm into flowing clothes in plain colours at the moment. Just be aware that it's a bit more revealing than the grey dress due to the fabric being thinner.
I like the idea of wearing my new items in a couple of different ways in a short space of time. What I've always done in the past is post up one outfit using a new thing then not show it again for months. I always feel I have to rotate things a lot to not bore everyone. I don't know why I put these silly rules on myself! But that's not me. When I get something new I want to wear it all the time in lots of different ways. This is how I bundled up for a walk with James on a really cold day last week. Take one of this top is here.
Yours Clothing black short sleeved maxi top with large side splits
Jason Momoa necklace, Xmas present from Mookie
Snood Primark & touch screen gloves eBay
Jeggings, past Matalan
Boots, past Brantano
Jacket, past New Look
Fringed bag, Xmas present from my mum & step dad
Are you happy to see new takes on an item you've already seen?
Another thing I bought in my recent Yours Clothing order was this maxi top with long side splits. I'm really drawn to plain colours rather than patterns at the moment. I haven't got a lot of clothes on in this look, but I've also taken photos of it wearing a little more which I'll share another time. Sometimes I just want to hang out half dressed. ;)
God, I can't wait to move! The carpets are so threadbare.
The top is lovely - soft, flowing and very stretchy. I'm wearing a size 26/28. It also comes in wine, khaki and grey and I think wine is calling to me! (Hahaha, in more ways than one!) This top will look great over so many things - leggings, jeggings, jeans or tights. I would wear this outside with thick tights on, and on holiday abroad somewhere hot I think I would wear it like this bare legged. It's a bit too brrrrrr over here to flash the flesh for a lot of the year.
You know what? Every woman has a bit of cellulite, and I don't mind mine at all. It's a bit of texture, that's all. It can look better or worse depending on lighting, hydration or the amount of exercise I'm getting, but it's a normal part of being a woman. I've never had a fella see me with my kit off and say 'Oh no, I can't possibly shag you, you've got a bit of cellulite!' It has never happened, and if it had I would've laughed at them and buggered off. Don't let a bit of jiggle put you off getting your sexy on, especially with Valentines Day today. Go forth and get your shag on (even if it's with yourself - self love is the most enduring love, after all!)
I've made a decision to show more of me on this blog (even though it may mean more unwanted attention from men) because I'm on a mission to normalise bodies, and since this is the only one I've got, it's comin' at ya! I've been taking photos at 'unflattering' angles, like sitting down with my big ol' belly scrunched up bigger than my boobs, from the side with my big ol' broken nose in profile, of my double chins, and all kinds of other bits of myself that I've instinctively been hiding. Well, I haven't been hiding them as such, but not thinking to include them, which is kinda the same thing, I guess? So expect more of me, and not just pretty, flattering angles. That whole 'acceptable fatness' thing needs to die harder than Bruce Willis in a filthy white vest (swoon!)
I'm part of Trinkets Jewellery's selfie campaign, read more here. She wants women of all shapes and sizes to be a part of her website and to model her lovely necklaces. She has oodles of gorgeous jewellery and she's based in Ireland.
I wore this outfit for a walk around St Katharine's Dock in London and the surrounding area whilst James and I were visiting his parents. It was a rare day warm enough to go without a proper jacket, which now seems like a million years away as the spring weather has turned wintry once more.
Award nominated UK plus size fashion blogger. Spoonie and mental health warrior - I have bipolar, Fibromyalgia and ME. On Love Leah you'll find plus size fashion and occasional beauty and lifestyle posts. I'm a gal who's young at heart but slightly older in other places!
