Fashion | How to Wear a Culottes Jumpsuit

Cardigan: New Look, Culottes Jumpsuit: Gap, Crab Bag: Zara (last Season), Lace Up Flats: New Look (Last year)

The first culotte jumpsuit I saw this year was actually in Anthropologie by a brand called, Saturday/Sunday. Its a brand that I love anyway (my jersey jacket is from there) and this jumpsuit was in the prettiest powder pink. I looked at that and knew instantly that this is the kind of look I want for this Spring and Summer.

Its quite an odd one in terms of style. Ideally you need to be willing to wear heels depending on where the end of the trouser portion ends. In the case of this pair with the wide flare it works far better with a heel but failing that a flat with an up the ankle tie works just as well.

You have to be able to balance your outfit and thats really the key difference between an outfit that works and one that doesn’t. For me I actually have a longer torso than my legs so high rise jeans (although a shining beacon to my stomach – which is never good) paired with a shame tuck is far more flattering than a low rise pair and a longer T-shirt.

In the case of culottes you are balancing out the shorter, wider bottom portion of your outfit and often the best bet is to make the top half as streamlined as possible. This particular pair are great because they tie up in the middle but you can always add a chunky belt to pull that part of the outfit in.

For me however, I need a little of that draped fabric on top, mainly because I’m also big busted so for me I’m just balancing out either end of my body so culottes on me don’t even really need the balancing act!

Still, that being said I have to still keep the bulky layers to a minimum to avoid looking too chunky overall. This soft, lightweight cardi is ideal, although out of stock now, something similar is always a must have for your wardrobe and its so wearable! Now if only we could cure bobbling, we’d be laughing!

 

Fashion | What to wear on a rainy Spring day…

The one thing I particularly hate dressing for whether it is Autumn, Winter, Spring or Summer is rain. Whether its cold outside (slightly easier) or hot (nightmare) being able to layer successfully, keep dry and look alright when you get to your destination can be a complete nightmare.

Now, honestly I spend more time researching this on blogs and Pinterest to say that I have found the ultimate solution, but I have at least found this one, Jeggings, a linen tunic (although whose to say I won’t wear it as a dress) a denim shirt and for more layers flat trainers/or waterproof boots and a lightweight jacket (I love either the khaki mac or a bomber jacket.) As when we took these photos it wasn’t raining (although it was supposed to) I also added this plush faux fur scarf from Zara last year, it adds quite a bit of bulk to my frame but I love it for feeling snuggled without getting too hot either.

All in all this outfit has been ideal recently as the weather gets warmer and we approach spring I think this might just be the way to go, light, airy layers all of which dry off quick!

Fashion | The pink velvet midi skirt

Firstly one photo? Yes… one photo. When we took this photo it was just before it chucked down with rain and it was also freezing… I don’t believe my face does justice to how cold it was!

On the other side I’ve also been really struggling with blog photos of late. As we continue on our gym journey I’m really feeling and seeing a discrepancy between my body and how i feel inside, thats most likely a post for another day, but it does explain the lack of photos on this post.

I have been in love with midi skirts for a while now and while I have a gingham one for the summer months, when I saw this pink velvet number on sale in Anthropologie I knew it would be a worthwhile wardrobe investment for evening wear and the colder, winter months.

Although I wouldn’t say it photographs perfectly, in real life it is quite lovely! (Also I probably wouldn’t suggest the crazy thick jumper I’m pairing with it either – unless like me you were freezing, even under sherling!) For a night out a pair it with a thinner black top and blazer, this would streamline the look or for something more relaxed a simple white t shirt can never be forgotten! If I remember correctly I also got this on uber sale, reduced from £98.00 to only £29.99… bargain or what?

Fashion | Big Sleeves & even bigger jeans

Unfortunately only the shirt of this outfit are available (although the jeans are from New Look and only cost, £7!) (the faux fur was from Zara before Christmas, the jacket was onsale from Anthropologie and the shoes are from, Barefoot Tess).

Really this faux fur waistcoat takes pride of place in this outfit. I waited it out on the latest Anthro sale (£30 from £95! Bargain!) I love how cosy it is and I also love its lack of sleeves! That lack of sleeves means I can wear these fantastic wide sleeved shirts which are all over the place at the moment!

Now this shirt is quite short in the body but it actually flatters me really well! (Although perhaps a little see-through.) I’m in love with white shirts in Spring and Summer so this has been a great kick start into the warmer seasons! Now onto these jeans, I bought these a little larger for comfort but actually they have wayyyyyy too much fabric on the crotch. Why are jeans so hard to find in a great, overall fit? A fellow blogger worked with Dorothy Perkins the other day on jeans and I couldn’t help but wonder, should I try out the classic bailey jean again? There is also a great instagram blogger I follow who’s been wearing thrifted paige jeans which look incredible and it makes me wonder, should I spend more on jeans? Are these high in elastic jeans actually good on fit or not?

Oh denim thoughts do they ever end? While I mull it over however, I would suggest that you all purchase a white t shirt with wide sleeves, great with skirts and of course jeans, fitted or oversized.

Fashion | Winter Layers and dark denim

Pink Sunglasses: Tatler, Black batwing T shirt: Zara, Velore Kimono: Zara, Multi Knit Sweater Cardigan: George, ASDA, Brown Belt: Fat Face, Black Jeans: New Look.

Unlike most bloggers you might read, there is not one piece of this outfit you can buy off the high street right now. From free sunglasses from a monthly magazine to on sale denim from New Look 2015 its all about reusing those past seasons to make something new.

In terms of this look I have been thinking a lot about how to use the colder days to play with layers. Once it gets a little warmer I’m not such a fan of lots of layers, I get hot quickly and I like the freedom of running around unencumbered. So while its freezing (not necessarily so much right now) I’m making the most of it.

In terms of this particular outfit I wanted to play with proportion on the top. I love this jacket but I also know its perhaps a little too boxy for my figure. Trying to see how I could balance it out better I have layered my favourite black, velvet kimono from Zara underneath to elongate my figure where the jacket it cuts it.

One thing I have fallen in love with, within this outfit is the high waist denim and tacked in T shirts, this particular black one is quite voluminous so I tucked it in quite closely I love being able to look skinner than I am. Being an apple shape it is on occasion difficult to wear high waisted jeans because there is nothing worse than having a a giant arrow to the part of yourself you don’t want people to pay attention to and yet, somehow black denim hides an array of sins.

I wouldn’t say I’m a hundred percent sold on the jacket portion of the outfit, but I like the way the jeans and kimono out weigh its heaviness.

Fashion | The Valentines day dress and the dress not suitable for summer…

That dress though girl….

We all know I’ve let myself go a little as of late. I’ve let good dressing, and a great pair of heels fall to the wayside in search of comfort, minimalism and a more simplistic me but guys, that’s not me at all.

This Valentine’s Day me and Josh pulled out our A game for once. He’s taking me away for the weekend and I’m returning the love in way of outfits.

Yeah, you heard me. There’s nothing quite like a good outfit to say, I love you and thank you … I know I’m beautiful. 

So why isn’t this dress for summer? Well heres the thing, I bought this dress for summertime, a classic breton stripe and funky sleeves? I had all the plans to wear this in Rome this September, a simple bag and sandals, I was so sure this was my dream summer dress. The only problem? Its winter weight, in scuba material in fact. So of course instead of packing it up in prep for summer, I’ve pulled it out to wear right now for a valentines get away! And yes, I am wearing it bare legged with christmas penguin socks. Who said seasonal socks can only be worn at Christmas?

Health and Fitness | Gym Attire and shopping plus size

Suedette Hat: Zara Men, Blue Nike pullover (old), Purple Adidas top (I couldn’t find this online?), Workout tights: Next, Trainers (old) New Balance

Yesterday I discussed the awkwardness of walking into a gym feeling bigger than your comfortable with. As I found out, people of all shapes and sizes attend the gym so really its not something to be worried about at all. Going shopping for bigger clothes to work out in however? Near to impossible… offline that is.

Its not something I suppose you think of, struggling to find larger sizes but as we headed into TK Maxx to do you know what I found? XL accounted for being a size 14!!! In womenswear, to say I was horrified was an understatement! In the mens section however, there were all types of different sizes and their Large was a real large unlike the female sides which were truly lacking.

Thankfully the sports stores do think women over  size 14 exist but only to the size 18 in general. Shopping was almost like bra shopping for bigger chests, upsetting and disappointing. Honestly, the whole thing made me wish for a better shopping experience. I’ve been mulling one over for a while now and I would just like stores to be better accommodating to sizes and shapes outside of the mannequins, imagine feeling welcome no matter the size on the hanger, to find clothes made for you instead of putting yourself into a pattern.

Where I can suggest however, is sadly, online, Next have recently launched their own sports range for women, I love Adidas for good sizing, great quality product and affordable price tags and for something fun, mix it up with other store brands like Zara and New Look who offer fun athleisure wear.

Fashion | How to make an outfit more flattering…

How to make an outfit more flattering? Its simple, its in those pesky details!

I have recently decided that I do know how to dress, I’m just not entirely sure that I know how to dress my body sometimes. An outfit can work great in principal or even on hangers but sometimes on our own bodies? Not so much.

What I’ve been desperately trying to learn is how to A, not buy unflattering things (It should be easy, why is it sometimes its just not?) and B, make something unflattering, flattering. You might be surprised to learn that actually it can be done and sometimes, easily!

Whats unflattering on me, is the current trend for oversized knitted sweaters, If I’m being real, really I should stick with a v neck, fitted sweater or thinner cardigans that nip my waist in, they are far more flattering on me and simple and yet… there is something so appealing about being wrapped in a thick, sweater. I bought this particular one in the H&M sale a couple of years ago and its perfect for cold, winter days! So how do I make it more attractive? Its as simple as the following three steps…

1. Alter the proportions

The shametuck is my first dressing, Bae. I feel like for my body I need to not have too many solid lines so by half tucking my sweater or t shirt it adds a little bit of flow and also does something similar to the next step…..

2. Distraction …

You know forever ago when we focused on distraction? Or better said, bringing attention to the parts we love and distracting everyone from the parts we don’t. Now I don’t hate my chunkier parts but fashion is a killer on anyone over a size 10. Pulling up my sleeves seems ridiculously simple but it draws away attention from my bust and also highlights where my waist pulls in.

The final step for this outfit?

3.  Make the shape that best suits your figure

Not only do I adore this faux fur stole from Zara last season but its the perfect finale to making my jumper go from frumpy to flattering. I find that having the v neck created by the scarf breaks up the wider parts of me and continues with the line from the shame tuck pulling all the elements together.

I am also finding that adding textures and different weights of fabrics also help in making an outfit more flattering when it might not be normally. It breaks up solid lines and diverts attention. Technically I should wear the heavier fabrics on my bottom half (your smaller parts can take more fabric) and wear the thinner, less complex ones – maybe with a detracting print on the top, but sometimes you need to wear something unflattering because you want to be warm, covered up and comfy, dressing rules be damned.

Fashion | How to compose an outfit and work with wide sleeves.

(very unlike myself, the moody photo. It gives all of us the laughs 🙂 )

Working with different lengths of clothing can make an outfit work better instantly. Clothing like art is all about composition and with the lovely wide sleeve having made a come back, now is the perfect time to work on your outfit composition.

When I was a teenager the style was for short tops and low rise jeans, looking at TV shows like Gilmore Girls at the time you can see how this made our silhouettes so boxy and because I grew up with that being the ‘look’ I sometimes forget the rules to dressing better and how to make an outfit more flattering.

Even if you are tall like me, making a slimline silhoutte works both for making yourself taller and slimmer. To create that line, you have some choices, in this case, the long, sleeveless blazer elongates my body making a cohesive line, even though its actually broken up between my skirt and my top. Furthermore the reason everyone should have a wide sleeve top in their closet is because it helps creating more flow. It reaches further down our arms (great for those shorter in the body also) and the wide sleeve gives more movement to the outfit which in turn adds to that length. no sharp cut off points!

To keep that length as well, this faux fur stole from Zara adds the perfect distraction as to where my skirt and top meet as the shape of it leads the eye down and over that cut in my middle.

If like me however, you need to at least give the illusion of a waist, belt outside of the jacket, or the longest part of your outfit, then either side of that line is the same keeping the overall length you are trying to create.

Fashion Stories | The Missing Silk Scarves

September 2012 marked the month where a small, perfect pink bag appeared in my lap. Said bag was from Vivienne Westwood, I kid you not. My Mum and Dad had bought me something beautiful, unique and fabulous, one of Vivienne’s simple handkerchiefs’ in one of her iconic designs.

This handkerchief quite literally became my right hand handkerchief for a year.  Taking its position on my right crutch I travelled with this handkerchief (even with its sticker still on wherever I went). It learnt the quick limp through the dodgy areas in poplar, Deptford and homerton, London, it came to physio, heavens towards the end it came to a now defunct club in Maidstone, where it caught the eye of the lady hand stamping us to come in.

“I love your scarf!” of course you would, its Westwood.

All in all we had a fantastic run, a year together, but it should have been a lifetime.

 

Moving to Kent later in the year I packed my prized possession into a blue box. A box I haven’t been able to get rid of since, just in case the scarf is still hiding in the corner but as you now know the scarf went missing. Between Hertfordshire and Kent, a Kent flat to another it disappeared.

I thought honestly, my luck couldn’t get any worse, I lost one scarf, I couldn’t lose a second right? Well that just proves me a fool.

~~~

Fast forward to October 2016 and myself and Josh got married, we went to Berlin the day after. Stalked the streets, tagged onto tours and trawled the city of all of its museums. My outfit on repeat was a button up cord skirt, a black lightweight sweater from Zara and a neck scarf.

Vintage, pulled from Beyond Retro in Brick lane, Summer 2012, I’d never felt the need to wear it before. I had always failed to work out a way to wear it when it was slightly too short. In Berlin however, I realised I could wear it many ways. Tied around my neck like a cowgirl, around my wrist, the belt loops in my skirt, I swear it made it back on the plane…

Now I’m not so sure.

Much like the beloved Vivienne Westwood, it seems the silk scarf doesn’t want to stay friends with me for long. I’m becoming a prolific scarf loser. Worst still when they disappear they seem to do so silently, slipping away in the night like a temporary lover. Am I going to spend my life leaving my favourite scarves all over the globe?

I pray to anyone listening that the Vivienne and the vintage number have found their ways into nice loving homes, not chucked out as trash. Maybe Vivienne is now tied to some other girl’s crutch or handbag, the vintage, some stylish ladies neck, or maybe they have made entirely new lives….

In terms of me searching for them both, I haven’t stopped. I keep that blue box in the hopes that it might just offer my scarf back up four years later. I check bags randomly as I have a flash of genius, maybe I left it here…. The sadness is I never have, we moved house again and Vivienne never re surfaced, she was gone. Now I do the same on the vintage, waiting for its eventual return where I might slap myself on the forehead good naturedly, well of course! Here you are!

Fashion | Its still cool to wear a dress over trousers. Promise.

I distinctly remember being 14 and wanting to learn to make my own clothes. Puberty had made me keenly aware that I was not quite like the others. I wasn’t small, petite or willowy like my friends, instead I had already hit 5′ 10′ and my body had filled out so that I didn’t just look plain odd. Big feet, wide shoulders but still no hips (heavens sometimes I think I’m still waiting.) and I wanted to look as cool as my peers, but the stores were not so accommodating, not just in sizing or anything like that but in being more inventive.

In fact to go on a limb I feel as though its only been recently with places like Zara that we are finally seeing exciting, and alternative pieces on the Highstreet. Back when I was fourteen however, I wanted to make something actually outdated for the time. The skirt over trousers look.

I got this idea because I watched an awful lot of Mary Kate and Ashley films and shows, I realise 14 is a little old but once I like something I tend to do a lot of re watching so my fashion style tips were still coming from these out of date sources. In terms of making my own clothes, I never got very far. I hated all the textiles teachers (believe me you would have done too) and honestly I’m an idea’s girl and at the time I just didn’t have the patience.

What I’m trying to tell you all is this, although a certain form or style is outdated it doesn’t mean that you can’t keep wearing it. That’s its not in a sense, wearable. Its the most interesting part of fashion in how the same ideas and styles resurface but they can do so in such different ways. After all current fashion takes after the 90’s for example but it doesn’t feel the same, because its been tweaked and the overall look and form has changed.

Its why a dress over jeans or trousers can still work. It works because its not quite the same, the shapes have altered enough to offer us that and this is where this outfit came from. The simplicity of a dress over trousers.

What i like most about this is wearing a shirt dress open like this almost feels like a cool, long jacket and especially whilst its cold, its always good to find yourself a good amount of layers to wrap up in!

Fashion Thoughts | The worst first day back at work outfit ever.

Monday evening, post Christmas I had planned my first day back work outfit. Comprising of  Denim ‘mum jeans’ a white t shirt, chenelle cardigan and no idea on the shoes, I figured mentally, this is the one, this is the look, perfection.

When I woke up however, I found myself pulling on tailored sweat pants, a shirt with cats on it and a striped sweater. Staring myself down In the mirror for approximately ten seconds I quickly shed my kooky mix of cats and trousers/pants that were far too casual And I once again stared into the abyss of my wardrobe and figured….

I’d do better, taking off all my clothes again And reverting to my pre planned outfit. The mum jeans without the cool, Leandra factor. I still felt like I looked ridiculous as I pulled on argyle socks and brown ankle boots but somehow I stuck with it. Perhaps this was as good as I was going to get on the first work day of the year.

It was not a good idea as it turns out. I’ve never looked so unlike myself as I did that day. Nineties jeans and an equally dated fabric? In one ensemble had I woken up in a parallel universe? None of which felt a stitch like me. Arriving into London it only got worse, cold and shivering I lost the one patch of myself and femininity – a half tucked white t shirt to prove the world I actually wasn’t bloated this day. Look at that flatish stomach! It’s almost like free lypo!

In my dreadful search for a quick, cheap fix I ended up with ribbed grey sweater with 30% off in Dorothy Perkins.

The jumper itself is not bad, in fact for slightly shorter, more petite girls I’d pair it up with leggings and knee high/over the knee boots. I’ve now already determined its future come spring is to be worn as a coat over a chiffon, pleated skirt, it’s two side slits revealing the pleats and what I hope will be the prettiest ever floral design you ever did see.

Layering myself into this new sweater, I caught myself in Victoria stations bathroom and had a small smile for myself, this sweater isn’t half bad for a £15 emergency buy, maybe this won’t be so bad…. Well, perhaps it wasn’t but having lived through the late nineties and two-thousands I felt a little backward, like an awkward flash back, the eighties jeans, the early two thousands crew neck, the chenelle which was iconic to my childhood? The argyle socks people I feel like I’d had a personality crash am I me? Or am I someone else?

I was back to work again, and whereas a few days ago where sitting on my bed I’d had an epiphany about the next campaign, what I learnt my first day back was different, my eyes won’t de puff unless I wake up past seven am, I can’t get dressed before six and learning to meditate on the trains is going to take a lot of work.

Another lesson learned? Always pack an extra jumper, the odd £15 adds up fast and never trust Jess to work out how to get dressed in the first day back.