Do you like Lovedrobe? Look here.

Do you like Lovedrobe? Look here.

When I was on holiday in Cyprus a couple of weeks ago I had brought a lot of dresses with me, but no dress made me feel nicer than this little beauty.





The dress is from Lovedrobe and can be found HERE for a bargain price of £22.

I received this dress right before I went on holiday so I had not had the chance to wear it before I came to Cyprus.



When I did wear I felt straight away that I was in love with this dress. It's made of a lightweight chiffon, but the quality of the fabric feels luxerious. The dress is fully lined apart from the top which is made of a lovely crochet which gives it a very romantic and girly feel to it. Waist is stretchy so it is super comfy and perfect for an evening meal on holiday cause you don't have to worry if you have eaten too much;)




The colour is stunning!! One of the loveliest pink colours I have ever seen and the loveliest pink colour I own. It's like a coral pink and it will be so lovely for the summer when the skin starts getting a bit tanned. The dress hits me about an inch above the knee which is a really good length for me. There is a lot of movement in this dress and that makes me just want to swish around in it the whole time. :)

I'm wearing
Dress from Lovedrobe
Sandals from Evans (last year)
Sunglasses from a street market in Spain
Bracelet from Marks and Spencer (gift)


Writing this post just make me long for warmer days when I can wear light and airy summer dresses again.

Are you a winter and summer person?

Cosmopolitan What Being Fat Woman Really Like Questions.

Cosmopolitan What Being Fat Woman Really Like Questions.

Claire from A Monkey Fashionista asked on Twitter how people felt about the questions from an article in Cosmopolitan. People started talking about doing a joint blog post to answer the questions. I thought this was a great idea as some of the questions might give me some new insight to my own thoughts as well as reading what everyone else think and mean. 

Here are my answers. 

How do you feel when other women around you complain about feeling/being fat?

To be totally honest I get bored! Before it upset me a lot more and I couldn't stand hearing about it as it made me feel like a failure. But the last few years I have started to think more positive and my self image is so much better than it used to be. I think a lot of girls feel so unhappy with their bodies and are being sucked in to the «hype» of dieting instead of focusing on accepting who you are or how you are. I don't think that losing weight will change too much cause will you ever be happy if your body image is not good. It's a big part in your head and I don't think dieting alone is the key to a happier life.


How has your body image changed since high school? College?
It's quite ironic really that my body image is so much better now than 20 years ago as back then I wasn't big at all. I was probably a size 16, but I felt huge. I felt the constant pressure to lose weight, but instead I kept comfort eating. I think part of it has to do with getting more mature. I'm 39 this year and feel very confident in myself as a person as well as I did when I was 19. But also me changing my mindset has been a great contributor to a change in my body image.

Have you tried dieting? What happened?

Tried it? About a million times. After almost dying from acute pancreatitis in 2007 I lost about 7.5 stone so I have succeeded before, but after moving to England I have piled on about 6 of those stone again. It's too much yummy food!! I know how it works and lately I have started to live healthier instead of deliberately dieting which I think is much more important in the long run. Cause it is a change of lifestyle and it will be a slower result, but also a more long term goal. For me personally I have to lose weight and get healthier due to health problems.

Do you think in your case your weight is partly or entirely genetic?

I don't know. I think it is more how we are brought up. I mean it would be easy for me to say that it is genetic that I'm fat as my mum was fat too, but I think it has just as much to do with unhealthy habbits. When I was a kid I was very skinny and had more similar body to my dad than my mum. But in my teens I started piling on weight. I ate what I wanted and no one told me that I was eating unhealthy. I did not eat anymore than anyone else, but I won't hide the fact that what I ate was exactly what I wanted, so a lot of sugar and fatty food. I won't say that it can't be genetic, because I think some people are prone to store fat in a different way than others do. Cause some people can eat whatever they want without gaining weight.



Do you consider yourself healthy? Have there been instances where people assumed you were unhealthy?

I consider myself healthier! I'm healthier than I used to be. I think the biggest difference in my healthier lifestyle now is due to my social anxiety, anxiety disorders and depression as I have isolated myself in long parts of my life. This has made it difficult for me to go out and join gyms, go for walks and do daily things that burn calories without noticing like going to shops, working etc. Instead I was comfort eating and this became a very scary circle. Battling with mental issues is something I struggle with every day, but I have found great help in CBT and also in starting modelling as this changed my view on myself and made me accept myself and my body. I'm a lot more out and about in everyday life, I work full time and I go to the gym and go for walks. I also try to be more conscious about what I eat, so I'm definitely more healthy.
Quite a few people have assumed that I'm very unhealthy and said it directly to my face. Then they get really surprised if they see my toned and strong legs I have got thanks to a lot of walking and swimming.

Are your parents both supportive of you at the weight you're at? Have they always been?

My parents are both dead so unfortunately I don't have their support anymore. But when they were alive they were a good support. My mum had been overweight herself, but after developing diabetes she lost about 8 stone. But she kept on being very supportive to me and how I felt about myself and if anyone said something bad about me she most certainly would tell them how she felt about it.
My dad who was a very fit and healthy man. He was a top athlete for most of his life and competed for Norway in his youth. He was also very supportive and said that women always looked nicer with some meat on them. But on the other hand he always tried to show me the fun of being active and eating sensibly, but he never talked about dieting or losing weight.

How do you think retailers can improve clothes for plus-size people?

I think they can for a start let us be seen in shop windows with more realistic mannequins so girls growing up can understand that there is room for a diverse society where everyone is accepted, not just the size 4 dolls that we can see in high street stores these days. I mean there is lots of people that are built bigger. Like me I don't think I will ever be able to lose so much weight that I can wear a size 4, 6 or 8. If I did that I think I would look very scrawny and anorectic. While other people look perfectly normal if they are a smaller sizes.
I also think it is about time that we should be allowed to go in a shop and chose freely whether we are a size 10 or a size 30 without media and retailers thinking that they are channeling an unhealthy body image. Cause there are many reasons for different sizes. It's not just black and white.

Do you think plus-size women are judged differently than plus-sized men are? How?

I do think that women are judged differently. I think it is easier and more accepted to judge a big woman than a man. Even for a little weight gain. I think men can put on more weight without being judged the same way as women. I don't think men has the same pressure to look good as a woman. They can be judged based on other things, while for women I think first impression in particular are based on how you look. That being said my husband who is a plus sized man have been a victim of blind violence due to this his weight which is totally dispicable and shouldn't happen under any circumstances. He is thankfully not suffering from any mental issues based on this attack.

Do you think there’s an assumption made/stereotype that exists about plus-size people? How would you respond to it?

Yes, definitely. We are lazy, greedy, eat alot, smell, we are stupid, unsuccessful, insecure, undisciplined, we only like dirty sex, we are bad workers and so on. It's totally crazy how many words that can be used to describe a fat person. I get so upset over this, but no feeling is better than being underestimated for so to hit back and prove them wrong. That is the best way of showing them and hopefully in most cases this will help them change their attitude.

Do you think there’s ever a right way or time to express concern about someone’s weight?

Yes, of course there is. If it is a risk for someone's health you should always express concern. That is why I'm trying to live healthier. I lost both my parents due to heart problems so I'm a big risk group of getting the same and I want to live so therefore I have to do something about it. But like I said further up in my post, I don't diet, I have made a change of lifestyle, or try to do it. Sometimes better than others. But as I learnt in CBT it is better to try and if you have a bad day where you eat unhealthy, don't beat yourself up over it, just eat healthy the next day.

What are the worst things people have said to you about your body?

That the only way I could get laid with him was to keep my clothes on and pull a sack over my head.

How did you respond?

I said to him «Why do you assume that I want sex with you? Cause I wouldn't touch if you were the last man standing. And this is coming from me, a fat girl»

What have people said (or do you wish they’d say) that would compliment your body or appearance?
They say I'm great at dressing. That I carry myself very gracefully, that I'm well proportioned, that I'm always so well put together and that they can tell I'm self confident.

Do you find yourself hanging out with women who are closer to your size?

Both. I have friends that are fat, friends that has been fat and friends that never have been fat. Real friends likes you for you and not for how you look. After becoming part of the plus size community I have found a lot of like minded people which have been a big value to my life. But I do value my slimmer friends just as much as well.

How has your weight affected your sex life, if at all?
I can't say it has affected my sex life much. I'm a very sexual person and I have always been very self confident in bed. Even when I struggled with my self image. It was kind of like the bed was my safe place where I always felt confident and that hasn't changed.

When you've been single, has your weight affected your dating life?

Not much really. I haven't felt like I can't find a man due to my weight. I have been in two very long relationships for most of my grown up life, but I have never seen my weight as a problem to meet someone.

Do you feel weird if the guy you’re with only dates larger women?

Yes! It would feel like he was with me just because of my body and not me as a person.

Do you feel weird if he's only dated slimmer women before you?

I don't know... My husband had never dated anyone as big as me before he met me, but he fell for me because of me, despite me being fat.

It was fun doing all these questions as they raise some important questions about how you feel about yourself. And for many overweight people I think that what goes on inside your own head can be just as much harm as other peoples words. That being said, discrimination as fat shaming shouldn't be accepted and should be made illegal on the same grounds as being a racist


xxx 

Just Another Blogging Challenge-Love is in the air

Just Another Blogging Challenge-Love is in the air



This months Just Another Blogging Challenging is about love is in the air so my photos are reflected of that.

I have never celebrated Valentines Day as I think it is silly to have one day that you celebrate love on. Both Mike and I are agreeing that people should show love all the other days as well. In my opinion this day has been adopted by the commercial industry to make more money.
It’s the little things in everyday life that really matters not if you get a guilty trip gift bought at the local supermarket ten minutes before you meet your partner.

This aside, I have a huge love for the heart shape! I have always loved it and I always draw it. Whenever I’m on the phone, I doodle hearts!

I recently bought this cute cardigan from Evans and as a reader of my blog you know my love for cardigans. I can’t get enough and I keep buying them in lovely colours and prints. 



This cardigan is in a lovely plum colour with hearts in contrasting metallic yarn. It’s so cute and goes with a lot of my dresses so I’m looking forward to getting more use of this one. It has three quarter length sleeves and a scoop neck which I love. It’s not too long as many cardigans can be. I like it when cardigans end either on your hip or right above it as it is a look I think is very flattering when you wear dresses. 



 I teamed this cardigan with an old trusted dress from Primark.
This dress cost me a fiver and is probably the best buy I have got from Primark. I have used it so much that it is soon reaching the age of retirement.

I’m also wearing my wet look leggings from Dorothy Perkins. This leggings are one of my favourite leggings as they are stretchy and I can drag them above my big tummy. I dislike leggings that I can’t drag over my tummy, same with tights. I feel totally uncomfortable if I’m wearing leggings or tights that keep sliding down the whole time.



The shoes I'm wearing is from Evans too and can be found HERE. They are super comfy and has a little heel so these shoes are perfect for work. I love the metallic colour of them as it adds a bit of edge to an outfit. They goes with most things as well so a great investment. 



Double Vision- One dress, two ways #1

Double Vision- One dress, two ways #1


The idea behind this challenge was to wear the same type of dress and style it in two different ways to get some more inspiration to change the look of a dress. It probably has been done million times before, but Vicky from The Randomness Of Twee and I we decided to make this a monthly challenge. The last Sunday every month we will chose a style of dress and style it and post each others photos and hopefully inspire some to think a bit outside the box.

This month we are wearing the same dress. This beauty.

It's one of the bargain dresses from Yours Clothing that I managed to get for the lovely price of 99p!!
I was so surprised with this dress when it came cause it was a lot nicer in real life than I thought it would be. The fabric is thick and lovely and the embellishment is stunning. A statement dress that doesn't need much extra. Love this dress and I've worn it for work already and got lots of nice comments on it. The length is perfect on me. I'm 5'6 and it reaches me to just above the knee.

As this challenge is named Double Vision-One Dress, Two Ways here is how Vicky and I styled it for a going out styling and a more casual styling.

First Vicky's Casual Style.


Leggings from Tu at Sainsburys, 
Cardigan from Asda, 
Boots from Clarks

This works so well cause the dress can do all the talking as it is so dressed up.

Here is my casual look

 
 Hat from Primark
Jacket from New Look(old)
Tights from Evans (old)
Boots from Tesco (old)

Vicky's evening look is very minimalistic as the dress again does all the talking.




Tights from Monsoon
Earrings from Primark
Shoes from Marks and Spencer
Bag from Monsoon.

Vicky looks stunning in this dress and her hair looks amazing! She has such a lovely figure and this dress suits her pefectly. For the observant reader, you might notice that Vicky has removed the embellishment on the sleeves on her dress as she thought it was a bit too much. It's a great way to make a dress more useable for your personal style.

Here is how I dressed my dress for an evening look.






Fishnet stockings from Ann Summers
Shoes from Evans (HERE)

I didn't want to wear any accessoires as the dress is so well embellished.


How would you have dressed down a dress like this?

xxx

Mixing fabrics.

Mixing fabrics.

My goal with starting this blog was to experiment more with clothes and step out of my comfort zone. That meant wearing things I normally wouldn't, mix things that I normally wouldn't mix and be more daring.

Something I like better and better doing is to mix textiles. Such as leather and wool, silk and cotton and even mixing similar textiles like double denim. Style is about expressing your personal style and break the "guidelines" that are set.

When I went to One One Three's fashion show I chose to wear a fake leather skirt with a sparkly top and a wool cardigan to make it a bit different, but still my style. I got lots of compliments for my top which is so lovely. It makes a boring outfit more exciting as it adds a bit of bling  to the outfit.


 Cardigan from New Look (old)
Top from Next (gift from my friend)
Belt from a market stall
Skirt from Ax Curve (old)
Tights from Primark
Boots from Evans (Sold out)

I really love this outfit and it made me feel really nice and comfy at the same time.

Do  you like mixing fabrics together?

xxx

One One Three Fashion Show

One One Three Fashion Show

Despite being interested in fashion my entire life I had never been to a fashion show before Monday.
I had been invited by the lovely people at One One Three and I was so excited. I had to take a couple of hours off at work as I had to come from Guildford for the night. My lovely husband drove me up and it took us 2.5 painful hours. I was supposed to meet up with the lovely blogger babes before the event, but came to the pub literally as they were about to go. I gave them all a hug and said Hello and off we went to the venue. 

Outside the venue we were met by more bloggers which was fun. I had met some of them before, and there were some I had been dying to meet for quite some time. We had to wait for a while before we were let in, but in the mean time everyone just stood around and gossiped and shared fashion advice.

Well in in the venue we sat down and waited for it to begin. It started coming a lot of people and before we knew it the venue was quite full. We used the opportunity to take photos of each other and we tried to chat, but everyone was in a disco mood because of the loud music so we couldn’t really hear anything, we just hugged and smiled instead! 


Michaela and Sally

Sally, me, Mayah and Felicity Hayward in the stripey dress. She looked gorgous.

Mayah and me


The show started and it was so much fun.


It was a lot of great attitude on the beautiful plus sized models faces and the clothes were very curve hugging and edgy. This brand is not the place to go for sugar sweet dresses and preppy look. This collection oozed of grunge, rock, punk, street style and alternative fashion, yet still bang on trend. White dresses, leather, tartan and studs it was an eclectic mix which appealed to me a lot and I can't wait till it I can shop some of these looks as it made me very inspired.











My favourite item of the whole collection was this kick ass leather jacket with spikes. I have always wanted a jacket like this. I loved how it was paired with the tartan print as well. 







The designers themselves. Thank you so much for inviting me.








The show was over so quickly which was a bit of a shame as I thought it would be longer, but it was so much fun to take part and it was so funny that the gorgeous plus size model Felicity Hayward was sitting right in front of me. 

After the fashion show some of us bloggers went out to a pub and that was a blast! I laughed so much that the next day my abs were hurting!!! I'll let the photos tell the story from the end of a fantastic fun evening. 

Mayah, me and Sally

Mayah, Michaela and Sally

The gorgous Sam and me


Me and my wifey we are so extremely sexy. :)


Debz, me, Sam and Michaela


Debz, Lucia, me, Sam, Michaela and Gemma

Debz, Sam, Michaela and Mayah

Gemma, Lucua, me endulging in boobies(you loved it didn't you Mayah?? ), Sam, Mayah, Michaela, Lamarra and Debz

And again.

Ooh!! :) We loved it wifey..