My Bargain of the Week!

I’m on a very tight budget as a single parent to my ever-growing, and ever-eating toddler, so it’s rare I ever buy things for myself these days, which is why I adore sales!

During a lunch break, I popped into Sainsbury’s with a colleague, and noticed they still had some remnants from their January sales. I avoided the sales this year, because I cannot be doing with big crowds and a screaming toddler, so this was a lovely surprise!

There was only half a clothes rail of sale items left, which is why my bargain was so easy to spot. It’s one of them items where you can’t tell from looking at it on the hanger whether it will suit you or not, but I spotted it had inbuilt tummy control, so headed straight to the changing rooms!

After much squeezing, tuggy and gasps, I managed to get it on (and then realised it’s a size lower than I currently am!) and was very pleased with the results.

The dress is from the Gok Wan ‘Gok for Tu’ range, and I love how there is ruffling around the stomach to make

it less obvious (but yes I know it is still evidently there!) and there are even tiny shoulder pads which help balance out my body shape.

I’m still nowhere near confident enough to wear a short dress with my chunky thighs on show, but I think it will look gorgeous with some black leggings.

So how much of a bargain did I get I hear you ask… It was reduced from £35 to £10.50, which I think is pretty impressive!

Have you found a great bargain recently? If so, contact me and let me know!

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British Plus Size Fashion Weekend Is Nearly Here!

Last year, the very first British Plus Size Fashion Weekend (BPLFW) was such a huge success that it’s now become a yearly event! 

This year it’s sponsored by Evans, and will feature UK and international plus size designers, plus size models strutting their stuff on four catwalk shows (including bridal wear and swimwear) and an impressive VIP gift lounge.

There will also be a marketplace of great clothes you can buy, and the products will be laid out in departments, categorised by women’s body shapes (pear, apple, hourglass and inverted triangle), and experts will be on hand to help you find clothes that best suit your body type.

Designers being featured at the event, which is being held on 15th Feb in London, include: Simply Be, Dearcurves, Yours, Dea, O’Phee’s, Dynasty, Jane Watson and Syreeta Badu.

The event, which was the biggest UK plus size fashion event ever, was designed by writer of ‘Trapped in a Skinny World‘, Remi Ray, and Evolve Magazine‘s Rianne Ward, because they wanted to  ‘‘ENHANCE, EDUCATE, EMPOWER and SUPPORT the UK plus-size industry by connecting the dots between the retailers, designers and consumers”.

I didn’t manage to attend last year’s, but am going to try my hardest to go this year, as it looks fabulous!

To get your hands on some tickets for the plus size fashion event of the year, click here.

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My Ideal Plus Size Swimsuit!

Did anyone else see Gemma Collins on ITV’s Splash! a couple of weeks ago?

Gemma Collins stunned on Splash! in her own-design swimsuit

The reason this stuck in my mind, was because I LOVED her swimsuit. It’s the only one I’ve ever seen that covers all the areas I feel so self conscious about whenever I have to wear one! It’s long sleeved, wraps around the stomach to create a more flattering waistline, and covers the top of the thighs.

It covers all areas!

If I was lucky enough to get my hands on one of these, I would feel much more confident to stroll along the beach, or walk past hot men by the pool on holiday, rather than wrapping a sarong or towel around my body out of pure embarrassment! 

I know it’s all in the mind, so I should just walk around in a tiny bikini with pride, but after giving birth to my gigantic son, my stomach is a completely different, less flattering shape, and I’ve still not adjusted mentally to this!

I’m not the only girl to appreciate the sequinned-number, designed by Gemma; After she completed her dive on Splash! she already had 2000 emails from women enquiring about it! Thankfully, Gemma confirmed on her Boutique‘s Twitter that we will be able to buy it soon: “I will be bringing out swimwear this year – watch this space,” and I imagine there will be a range of equally amazing designs she will add to the range!

Black Swimdress

Magisculpt Swimdress

To be notified when the range comes out, call @gemCBoutique on 01278500272 and log your email address with them.

Since seeing the swimsuit, I’ve tried to search for similar designs online, but I’ve found it difficult to find anything remotely like it!  (If you know of any similar designs, please get in touch!)

I did, however, come across some other cute designs that would also flatter the curvier shape on Simply Be‘s website, including this black swimdress which has a great skirt that would certainly flatter my stomach area! They also have a gorgeous Magisculpt swimdress which I’ve just noticed is in their sale, so this will also be added to my wishlist!

Now I just need to work on finding a reason to wear a swimsuit like this!

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Why I’m Writing This Blog

Resting my ‘flipper’ feet in 1984

From the day I was born, people noticed my big feet. The nurses on the labour ward nicknamed me ‘flipper’ and my mum had to cut the feet off my babygrows to allow them to fit. It was obvious from day one that my foot size was going to cause me problems!

Me (right) next to my slightly younger cousin Steve.

As well as these flippers, I was blessed (or at times felt cursed) by my father’s height. At 5’11, I was the tallest in my school year throughout primary school, which led to a lot of boys bullying me (small man syndrome), and for most of secondary school I still stuck out from the crowd. Even with my cousins (see left), you can clearly see I was the tallest, but my cousin, Steve (to my left) is only a few months younger than me!

To add to my height, I also had weight, a LOT of weight. I’ve been a chubster all of my life, because I love food, and hate exercise! My weight throughout school was big, so I really did stick out like a sore thumb. Due to being tall, chunky and big footed (not to mention one of the very few mixed parentage children in the city), I was extremely shy, awkward and an easy target for the bullies.

As I’ve gotten older, my weight has yo yo’d and since having my son nearly two years ago, it hasn’t improved, but I’ve not let it stop me from living my life.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel particularly attractive at my current weight, which is why I am so scared to head back into the dating world, but I will not allow people to make me feel bad for my lifestyle choices any longer. 

Due to my big feet, tall frame and curves, I’ve never been interested in fashion, because I’ve always assumed I will never be able to find anything that will flatter, fit or be affordable.
This is now going to change.

I’ve set up this blog to learn about fashion for my frame, to find places I can buy clothes and shoes in my size at reasonable prices, and to help other women out there get access to these too. I want to finally enjoy dressing my body, and to stop wearing men’s trainers!

Footwear is the hardest thing for me to find, because most shops only cater for women up to a UK size 9. I am a size 10, and currently only have three shops I’m aware of in my local area that sell my size: Brantano, Barratts and Evans.

Unfortunately, I’ve noticed the size 10 shoe shelves in these shops have decreased so much over the last few years, that I’m left with little choice, and they’ve also become incredibly expensive! I’ve found some online shops that sell this size footwear, but they tend to again be quite expensive, and postage is also highly priced!

I have a very low budget, due to being a working single parent (with no help from his father I might add!) with a mortgage, childcare costs and a child that wants to eat me out of house and home. 

Therefore, I’m on the hunt to find great products at low prices! As I find companies that offer this, I will add their websites to my links page. If you know of any companies that sell great plus size / tall clothing, or have womens footwear up to at least a UK size 10, please get in touch on the contact form below, so I can feature them on this blog!

Enjoy!

Claire

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