Barratts Wellie Review

I was recently contacted by the Lovely Keiron who asked if I would be willing to review a pair of their wellies on the blog, and as my other pair are a little big and my mum has been coveting them I decided to give them a try.

Barretts actually have a pretty large selection of wellies but not many are wide fit, but the perfect pair for me were right there so all was good in the world of Mhairi.

I love a bit of colour in my life so when I saw these fabulous boots in this fabulous berry pink colour I knew they were for me!

Wide Fit Wellington Boot

I decided to give them a thorough test by taking them on a walk with our dog toby, who is completely bonkers and tries to steal the lead so he can walk himself, the weather was turning pretty bad so we grabbed some pictures outside before we set off.

The one and only photo toby behaved in  :) 

It starts with the dancing on his hind legs, and the spining round, he is very careful not to bash you.

Then he grabs the lead and tries to get away!

He also gets it as close to your hand without touching you to try to take it off you.

So as you can see with this mad pup wellies are a must as I am normally being taken for the walk instead of the other way around.

The wellies themselves are a fantastic fit, in the pictures they are on over my jeans and a big pair of knee length socks and there is still some room for me, so might invest in some fleece lining socks for them for extra warmth in the winter.

They could do with slightly thicker tread on the bottom but other than that they are great and come with my  recommendation, and at £15.00 they are a great price.

Go take a look at the Barratts website and see everything they have to offer.

Fatshion Faceoff - Simply Be Dress

The wonderful Hanna recently arranged with the fabulous Simply Be for us all to be sent the same dress and challenged us to wear it our way, this is so exciting as although we all wear a similar item each week, we never get to try the same thing.

This is a fantastic way for our readers to see how the dress looks on a variety of body shapes, heights, and different skin tones and hair colours too.

The dress we received was this one

Cut out Back Skater Dress £55

Now I utterly love how this has been styled in the photos, but at christmas I have lots of family gatherings to attend that involve driving back and forth and this dress is perfect it is comfortable beautiful, and most of all I love the little details like the cutout back.

I have therefore styled it with comfort and practicality in mind for the crazy holiday season ahead!

The back detail.

So pretty, I adore the colours.

I love the cap sleeves and and in a 20 the dress is spot on over my boobs, but could have easily sized down for the waist and hips, but my boobs take priority!

The material is beautiful and thick and I love that it has the little sleeves I didn't feel the need to add a cardigan to this at all and would happily wear it as it is.

I added my belt just to dress it up a little but even though it is a tiny bit big through the waist I can were it without the belt and it still looks lovely, and just a simple pair of flats for all the rushing about.

Planning has already commenced to dress it up for a night out too, so watch this space for an OOTD post in the near future!

I just want to take the time to say thank you to Simply Be for sending us all the dress, and also for making some of the most fabulous plus clothing on the market.

Now head on over to the other ladies and see how they have worn theirs!

Dani: DIY Fatshion http://www.diyfatshion.com

Hanna: The Wardrobe Challenge http://thewardrobechallenge.co.uk/

Mouna: Brussels Fatshion http://www.brusselsfatshion.com

Olivia: Wait Until The Sunset http://www.waituntilthesunset.com

Simply be can be found at these sites 

USA: http://www.simplybe.com

UK: http://www.simplybe.co.uk/shop

Europe: http://www.simplybe-euro.com/shop/

Mhairi

xxx

Perfect Party Dress - Simply Be

Simply Be as you know are one of my favourite brands, and when the lovely Jessica contacted me recently to ask me if I would choose a dress to be my Perfect Party Dress and review it for them.

There are so many stunning dresses on the site at the moment, and it was a tough choice but when I saw this dress, I knew it would be perfect!

I feel like a scarlet Marilyn Monroe in the this dress, it is so classic yet sexy and the pleating works beautifully!

I decided I wanted to add a little sparkle so teamed it with my sequin Matalan cardigan.

My red shoes are a little darker than the dress and I cant decide if they work or not, but if they don't, its a good excuse for some new shoes.

I fell confident, comfortable and sexy in this dress, my husband loves it, he cant wait to take me out to christmas events in it.

I ordered the dress in my usual size 20 and it is spot on, I sometimes need to size up in cross overs for my boobs, but its working fairly well in this size the 22 would have been huge under my arms.

Please also ignore my hair, it wouldn't play ball my curls turned into frizz, I would have lovely smooth curls at a party!

So have you found your perfect Part Dress? I highly recommend a visit to Simply Be 

Mhairi

xxx

Christmas Gift Guide - Vintage Gems Jewellery

Well can you believe christmas is nearly here again, four short weeks away!

I thought I would put together another gift guide this year of items I love and that I have my eye on for family and friends, I have a few reviews coming up as well to show some of the items off.

Today kicking off my gift guide is a review of the fabulous Vintage Gems Jewellery.

I have already featured one of her necklaces on here before that I purchased earlier this year and I was so happy to realise the set she sent out to me matches my original necklace.

The original necklace I purchased.

I have been sent a ring, earrings and a set of hair grips by the lovely Gemma, and I am in love with them, the quality is lovely and well made, the grips are good and strong, which is important for me and my crazy hair!

Gemma actually has this whole set on offer at the moment, including the necklace for £25 its an amazing gift idea you can see the set HERE

Gemma has some beautiful items and sells them from both her website Vintage Gems Jewellery and her Facebook page

Gemma also makes some of the most amazing up cycled cuffs rings and necklaces plus much more.

Image Source

Image Source

Take a look and fall in love like I have.

Thank you again to Gemma for sending the pieces out, they are totally stunning.

Mhairi

xxx

Disclaimer: The items that have been gifted were free of charge for review, but all views are my own.

Jacamo - Mens Suit Review

After hearing about my bridging the generations review for Simply Be the wonderful Sarah from the Jacamo team offered to send out a suit for my husband and my Dad.

My husband Marc has featured on the blog once before for Jacamo, in a menswear review which can be found HERE, but as we discovered finding a suit for a man who is 6'2" with a 50" chest on the high street is nearly impossible, a few places offer them but never have them in stock, or carry a jacket but no matching trousers, which really isn't that helpful, so after talking with Sarah, she suggested picking from the Jacamo and Freddie Flintoff ranges to see if something would be suitable.

Jacamo do a fantastically priced 3 piece suits as a set but Marc being the awkward man I married doesnt fit in them as his waist doest match the size linked to the jacket, so he took a look at the Freddie Flintoff range and loved the 3 piece suit that was on offer, He decided to go with the navy as he isn't a fan of Grey and black suits can be a bit dark on him as he is blonde.

Here is a little picture of Freddie in the suit.

Flintoff By Jacamo Suit - Trousers - Waistcoat - Jacket

Jacket and Trousers are available in Short, Regular and Long lengths.

For Marc we went for the Long length in the trousers and Jacket, He has a long body and arms and the jacket was perfect, but the trousers were a tiny bit long on him, but he didn't mind, its another awkward part of him, his legs are not that long for such a tall man they are around 32" so a 31" length in trousers is always a touch too short and the long a little too long, but its nothing a tailor cant fix if he decides to in the future.

Here are some pictures of Marc looking Handsome in his fancy suit.

The suit is made from a gorgeous heavy polyester wool, but it isn't restrictive or stiff, it sits beautifully and any creases from travelling dropped out easily with a little steam from the iron.

Marc said, it feels great, and the cost for the full suit of £210 is more than worth it, he felt good all day, its a fantastic suit, that he fully recommends. 

My dad is kind of Marcs opposite he is shorter than Marc and only has a 42" chest, the Jacamo three piece suit in a 42"chest comes with a 36" waist trouser which is spot on for my dad so he decided to give the Black suit a try.

Jacamo 3 Piece Suit

The cost of this suit is lower than the Flintoff range at £125 but don't let that put you off, the quality is amazing, again it is a lovely heavy weight material, that has an almost stripped effect up close in the weave of the treads, it is a polyester/viscose blend.

My dad suffers from hypersensitivity of his skin and materials which are scratchy can really affect him, but he said this felt brilliant all day, it is smooth and comfortable against the skin.

Dad went for the short length as his inside leg is small, we were a little worried about the jacket not having enough length in the arms for him, but it turned out to be spot on.

Very Handsome!

Very cheerful and happy all day!

Dad was so impressed when we took the suit out, he actually said wow, He asked me to say, he was very impressed with the Suit and would certainly be heading back to Jacamo for a look at what else they have to offer.

My two handsome men, both looking very happy and relaxed.

We also decided to buy there shirts from the Jacamo website as Marc needs extra length in the body and sleeves, we found a fantastic offer, of 3 for 2 on them and it vas brilliant as it allowed us to mix and match the sizes so Marc got two and dad the other, so happy all round. 

Make sure you take a look at the Jacamo website, they have waist sizes from 34" and above and loads of length options, and a brilliant range of mens shoes in large sizes.

Mhairi, Marc and Dad (Ron)

xxx

Disclaimer: These items were gifted to me, but all opinions are my own and my husbands and my dads.

Simply Be Review - Clothing the Generations

Whilst speaking with Simply Be about there upcoming campaigns the very kindly offered to send myself and my mum something to review each, as part of my posts on plus size retailers who cater to multiple generations of women and do it well.

Simply Be for me are one of the best retailers currently out there who do this well, as I discussed in the previous post HERE, most shops are aimed at a particular customer but with plus size retailers we do not often have the luxury of choice and have to find what we can, and although things are getting better it can still sometimes be a frustration.

But I find simply be offer such a wide variety of options that there really is something for everyone, young old, conservative, wild, funky, you name it you can probably find something and this is a breath of fresh air for most of us.

we decided to order a jacket/ coat each that suited our personalities and styles.

First up my mum, she went for a coat and took it on its first outing to the wedding we attended last week, below is her choice.

Colour block Coat

The colour is stunning, my mum always looks lovely in strong colours! she loved the little PU strips between the blue and black too, when it arrived she fell in love with it.

Mums model pose :) 

She has asked me to tell you that this coat is the snuggliest and most lovely coat, she loves it, it feels amazing and it being machine washable is a huge bonus.

It gets a huge mum thumbs up!

My choice was a jacket, I have been wanting something dressy that I can wear with jeans or dresses on a night out, as soon as I saw the Changes by Together Tailored Jacket I knew I was in love!

Changes by Together Tailored Jacket

I love the sequin embroidery and the classic style of the jacket, it looks gorgeous with jeans and as you can see equally lovely with my dress at the wedding last week.

I am going to find a tailor to take it in a t the side just a little for me as to fit my bust I get left with a bit of space at the waist but it isn't enough to make a huge difference, just for my comfort!

The detail on the jacket is just beautiful, its is totally gorgeous, and while the £99.50 price is quite high the beauty of this jacket means I would pay it and it has so many uses I fell it is worth it.

Simply be have some amazing options at the moment and me and mum can each find so many items that we love.

Thank you to the wonderful Jessica and team. 

Go take a look HERE for yourself!

Mhairi and Mum

xxx

Disclaimer: These items were gifted to me, but all opinions are my own.

Fatshion Faceoff - Band/Move/Slogan T-shirt

Well another week is here, time is really flying this year, 2012 is nearly done!

This weeks Fatshion Faceoff post is really going to show just how geeky I am which is worrying :) I don't tend to wear slogan or band T-shirts, but I do have a number of film T-shirts, but they are all comic or 80's related. 

Tonight I am showing off my favourite, which tends to be my go to top for comfort and around the house, but after putting together this outfit, I may have to get it out more!

My outfit is a homage to my teenager 90's grunge faze, worryingly I still feel comfortable like this, my inner teen is always trying to escape.

I am afraid I have had to use my rubbish phone camera for this weeks pictures, as I cant find my battery charger.

I am wearing it with my hi-lo hem skirt and knee boots but it isn't easy to tell in these pictures.

I am a huge marvel fan and love all the films and cartoons, and I love wolverine and X-men in particular, my blog name has origins from an x-men character, maybe some of my geekier readers can figure it out.

So do you rock a band/movie/slogan T-shirt?

Remember to go check out the other fabulous ladies this week!

Dani: DIY Fatshion http://www.diyfatshion.com

Hanna: The Wardrobe Challenge http://thewardrobechallenge.co.uk/

Mouna: Brussels Fatshion http://www.brusselsfatshion.com

Olivia: Wait Until The Sunset http://www.waituntilthesunset.com

Mhairi

xxx

IGIGI Review - Valentina and Natasha

So this is the first in a series of reviews from me and my mum.

I have found that in straight sizes many shops cater for only a targeted age group, for example my mum would be unlikely to go into Top shop or somewhere similar and want to buy something even if she was not plus sized, but as plus sized clothing is so much harder to source I wanted to see how they are catering for different generations and if they are able to do it well.

The wedding I attended last week was a good opportunity for me to investigate this as we would both be on the hunt for the perfect outfit for the day, and whilst talking with my lovely friends at IGIGI they offered to send us both a dress to try as they want to offer all women beautiful and sophisticated clothing.

My choice was the Valentina and mums was the Natasha, both looked gorgeous on the website.

IGIGI Valentina Dress

IGIGI Natasha Dress

When they arrived we were not disappointed the Valentina is amazing in person, the print is so vivid and beautiful, its like fire and the hints of blue and pink are stunning and make accessorising lots of fun!, the skirt feels so silky and soft its hard not to touch it.

The Natasha has stunning shades of blue and green and the chiffon feels beautiful to the touch as well, the empire waist looked lovely on mum and the cross over has excellent coverage but as my mum has quite an ample bust she pinned it to hide the central gore of her bra but in a plunge bra this would not be an issue at all.

A close up of the pattern, this is the closest representation of the colours and how they look in real life, and you can see the blues and pinks.

Bit over exposed but I really love how the dress sits!

I honestly feel completely and utterly amazing in this dress, it just falls beautifully and I have had so many compliments on it, as you can just see I teamed it with a pair of blue heels that matched the blue in the dress perfectly, the neckline is quite revealing but can easily be pinned to make it more conservative if you have a large chest like me.The materials used in this dress are just lovely the skirt is charmeuse silk and the top part is a poly/ elastane mix, both feel fantastic!

This dress costs $170 and I have to say it is more than worth the price!

My lovely mum looking gorgeous and happy, she isn't one to wear dresses that often but asked me to say that she is so in love with this dress that she may be a convert :) The colours in the skirt worked beautifully on her.

I loved how much fun she had having her picture taken, she normally runs a mile but she obviously felt great and was having a fab time, the one thing we both loved about the Natasha dress was how versatile it is, she dressed it up with her heels and gorgeous little hat, but it could just as easily be used as a day dress with a pair of ballet flats and a cardi over the top.

At $122 mum said it is more than worth the price and will be keeping an eye on IGIGI for all her future parties and events.

There are a couple of things happening with IGIGI at the moment that I think are worth mentioning, first is their Curve Connection campaign which shows everyday women wearing their clothing and gives you a chance to see them on a variety of shapes and sizes.

Curve Connection

You can find me HERE

The also have Free ground shipping in the US so for my american readers, could be a good time to order.

Also from Thursday 22nd 12noonPST until Tuesday 27th 12noon PST there is a huge thanksgiving sale happening with up to 70% off with

Code: "GIVETHANKS12"
Link: http://www.igigi.com/cyber-sale (only during dates stated)

Also between the 1st December and the 31st December you will receive a free gift of a scarf with all purchases over $150, there will be a choice of colours to pick at checkout. 

I honestly love IGIGI and would not hesitate to oder from them in the future, I currently have my eye on one or two dresses.

but I love these two, because they are great for daytime and work.

Anna Sweater Dress $118

Salma Dress $102

I really need them both in my wardrobe!

For the upcoming party season, make sure you take a look at the New Golden Age of Couture Collection it is amazing and perfect for the party season ahead!

Anastasia Gown in Ruby

Brea Earrings in Garnet

Margarita Gown in Crimson

Can you tell I am having a bit of red love at the moment!

Take a look at the IGIGI site and I am sure you will fall in love as much as I have.

Mhairi

xxx

Disclaimer: These items were gifted to me, but all opinions are my own.