Clothing at Tescos - Plus Size Panel

Whilst at plus north we had a fantastic talk by Kim from Tesco who told us that they have taken on a new buyer for the Plus size range, and asked us to contact them if we were interested in taking part in the plus size panel.

I have been lucky enough to be involved this time and have been sent a selection of images to show my readers of the A/W range which will be coming into stores and online from this week onwards and have been asked to get some feedback from you to let them know what the reaction to the new stock is.

This is my favourite overall look from the images sent over, it appeals to my relaxed, laid back nature.

Coat - £30

Top - £14

Jeans - £14

They have some gorgeous coloured denim in the range, and I like the above shrug as it is simple and fairly easy to integrate into my wardrobe.

Stud Jacket - £16

Jeans - £14

This tunic is a bit bland for me, but it is a nice looking item and will appeal to other women.

Tunic - £14

Jeans - £14

Again I am loving the coloured denim, and the beautiful colours in the top.

Jacket - £22

Top - £12

Jeans - £14

This top is more to my taste, but I wish it had a little more shape!

Tunic - £14

Jeans - £14

I want to love this dress but the image makes me hate it.

Ponte Lace Dress - £18

I hope not to offend Tesco with my thoughts on the images and clothing as I love Clothing at Tesco as a general rule and some of the items are really nice but they are still missing something for me, I am plus size and I love shape and nipped in waists as much now as I did at a much smaller size than I am now, I love a comfy T-shirt at times too, but not all the time.

The range is more fashion forward than it has been in the past, but I still want more I want what I saw from the straight range but in the plus sizes, I want the glitz and glam, heritage looks, please :) 

The Ponte Lace Dress for me, could be perfect but again the choice of model used is really putting me off, I don't deny she is utterly stunning and in the straight size range would be a welcome change, but on the last image the dress is easily 2/3 sizes too big for her, she is not the target size for  the True range which still makes no sense to me in an advertising campaign!

There are plenty of women from a size 16 to a 26 who work as models who would fill this dress in the way it should be worn and make it look amazing, even if they had pinned the dress to make it look its best would have helped.

I have tried to answer the questions below in my post but please take the time to read them and give me your thoughts in the comments section, Tesco do want our feedback and this is a rare thing, so lets do what we can to keep this kind of communication going and maybe we can see even more positive steps forward in the future.

 What do you think of the range in general, and which looks/items are your favourite.

Do you and your reader feel inspired by these pieces - would they encourage you to look at Clothing at Tesco online or in store?

Do you think this collection is more fashionable and trendy than previous Clothing at Tesco ranges or other Plus Size collections

Tescos have the True Range which comes in sizes 16-28 and also now Ann Harvey which stock a size 16-32 go take a look, and keep an eye out for the new items coming in.

Mhairi

xxx

Coat Review - Ann Harvey Cape

When Ann Harvey asked me which coats I wanted to review, I knew I wanted to try the beautiful double breasted cape that had been featured in Grazia.


The coats arrived and after finding the Red Funnel Neck coat such a good fit, I was so excited to get the cape on, but disaster struck, I am tiny only 5'1" and although I might be fat, I have narrow shoulders and a short waist, the cape swamped me, it was down to my knees and I couldn't even get my arms out of the sleeves, they even sent me another one in there smallest size but I still had the same problems.


Thinking I would have to send it back, I had a brainstorm (yes it hurt), I didn't want to miss out this coat in the review as even though it was wrong on me, it is a stunning coat, the material is beautiful, the quality excellent, and just because I am short doesn't mean all my readers are, so I spoke to Ann Harvey and the said I could pass the coat to my friend for her to wear and review for me.


I had the perfect friend in mind, she is tall plus, and gorgeous, and I knew she could rock the hell out of a cape, this fabulous friend is Helen!


To give you a little background on Helen she is crazy busy all the time, she is mum to Rowan who is 5 Wife to Daniel and she works as a Special needs Teaching assistant, she also used to be a girls brigade leader and beavers I believe and still is as far as I know, so as you can imagine her week is incredibly hectic. 


We had planned to set out the format of the review in the same way as the other two coats but between Helens crazy life, and loosing all her pics on her USB stick and my crazy life of step son breaking his arm and recovery we haven't been able to get together for such a long time, so I am going to give you it all in one go here and now. 

I loved the idea of sweeping about town looking all sophisticated in my beautiful cape but alas it was not to be!

The quality of the Cape was the same as the Red coat, the seams strong and a really well put together item, the buttons are nice and fit into the button holes easily without being stiff.

Helen sent me some photos of herself in the coat, I wish I had remembered to take a photo of me in the cape for comparison, but never mind, helen looks super pretty in it instead. 

My only worry with this coat is that it is such a light colour and I am hopeless with light colours.

We have also just found out the wonderful news the Helen and Daniel are expecting there second baby, so a huge congratulations to them both.  xxx

Helen sent me over a little note to go with the review

The coat is comfy, warm and I think it's stylish, although for me the

colour is a little impractical. At the moment it is great as it is one 

of the few coats I can wear with my expanding waste line!

So all in all a great review again for Ann Harvey, I would recommend a look in the stores if you have one or online, they also have concessions in both Debenhams and some Evans stores, there are a few items on my lists to buy at the moment.

Mhairi and Helen

xxx

Coat Reviews - Final

Well as you may already know I have been road testing Three coats two by myself and the third my friend is wearing, you can see me reviewing my coats Here, Here and Here. 


Just to go over the reasons why I choose to do these reviews....
Coat shopping for me is my most hated activity, Hate is a strong word that I rarely use, but I can honestly say that I HATE coat shopping.
It reduces me to tears and leaves me huddled in a corner wanting to hurt something, I can never get my boobs in them or if I can they are huge on the waist, I have a short waist and find they often fit all wrong, after talking to the fabulous Charlotte of Simply Be about this at an event they offered to send me a coat for review, but I thought it might help other people in my situation to see a few coats to get a good comparison, I want to know the shops I can go to every year and know I can likely find something suitable which I love, and the lovely Ann Harvey team offered me two coats to try, so I went with it.


I am going to give you my final review of the two coats I have tested now, and the full review of the Ann Harvey Cape my gorgeous friend Helen has worn for me will be scheduled for tomorrow, Helens crazy mummy/ work schedule and lost USB sticks have meant that we have been unable to split up the review of the cape. 


The Coats!

The two coats were the Simply Be Trench Coat and the Ann Harvey Red Funnel Neck Coat.


I have honestly worn these coats so much over the winter months and I have been so happy with them, I have found them both useful for total different things.


The Red Ann Harvey coat is such a vibrant red and makes me happy just looking at it, but I have found that the style for me is best worn with trousers and jeans as the length and shape suite them, but the Simply Be Trench works fantastically with dresses and trousers, and made me feel confident and sophisticated! 


I will start with the Ann Harvey coat, I really wanted to put these coats through there paces, so they have been worn for walking my four dogs, going out, playing in snow, even climbing trees! I wanted make them work hard for me!


Cleaning/Practicality 


It is dry clean only, but I haven't needed to put it in yet, as even when it has had muddy paw prints on it they have come off easily once dry, the colour is still vibrant and doesn't show marks easily, this makes me happy, as you can imagine, with four dogs it is easy to get mucky! 


Lining


Have you ever noticed how many coats you buy, even if the cost a small fortune, which have crap linings which are badly sewn and rip within a few wears? Or is that just me?
Well I can say that after 3 months of vigorous use the inner lining of this coat is doing brilliantly, no rips and not even thin spots, thats pretty good in my books!

Under arm bobbles and seems


This also something I hate I expect some wear and bobbles but sometimes on cheap material I find they happen almost immediately and look horrific! But so far so good the under arms look practically new, the colour hasn't faded from rubbing and the seems have held up brilliantly!

Buttons and Threads


Well as you can see from the photo there are one or two threads loose on the button holes but the buttons themselves are all still firm, I am impressed with this as I am hopeless at keeping buttons on coats!
Enjoy the added puppy hairs, they like to give me gifts :) 

Simply Be Caplet Trench Coat 


This coat has also been put through the same crazy routine as the the red coat, and has also worked extremely hard to prove itself to me!


Cleaning and Practicality 
The amazing thing about this coat which I loved is that it is fully machine washable, and although it is a  fairly dark colour it has held up well, but does show marks slightly easier that the red did, but only ever so slightly! I have washed this coat twice now, the first time I leaned against a dirty wall and put marks on it, and the second time, one of the puppies thought it was a good idea to try to jump into my arms, after she had ran around a muddy garden for a good half hour. 
Both times it washed brilliantly i popped it over a clothes horse and let it dry, which took no time at all really and it didn't need to be ironed which was fabulous (I hate ironing).


Lining


Again I am pleasantly surprised that the lining has held up brilliantly, there is no ripping or split teams, I have gone round every inch of seem on both coats and they are perfect!

Under Arm Bobbles and Seems


Now as you can see there is a loose thread hanging out of the underarm on the trench, but I cant decide if it is just a thread that has popped out and not trimmed, because i have had a good tug on the seems and they are holding completely, with no gaps at all, will have too keep an eye on it!  other than that all the outside seems are strong.

Buttons and Treads


 The buttons on the outside of the coat are all strong and holding up well, but one of the internal buttons has come off completely, So I will need to sew it back on, but not a huge job.

I am so happy with both coats that I cant choose which is my favourite only that they both get used for totally different things so that is great for me.
Ann Harvey is not a brand I have never tried before but they have really impressed me with the quality of their items, I will be looking at them again next year for coats! Simply be is a company I have been shopping with for quite a few years, but I had never thought to get a coat from them, but I would happily get one again, there is a rather gorgeous light weight trench coat I am tempted by!


The Red coat is no longer available from ann Harvey but they a couple of lovely winter coats in the sale half price if you want a bargain for next year.


The Simply Be trench is available here but this is the lighter weight one I want PU Sleeve Trench


Both of these coats come with my highest recommendation, so next winter if you are looking head on over and see what they have to offer!


I will be scheduling the Cape review to go live at 3pm tomorrow, so pop back then too. 


Mhairi.


xxx

Lust List

Well this weekend has been a bit of a washout, my teeth have been killing me, so I have spent most of it in my PJ's, under my duvet!

This has given me far too much time to look through my favourite websites, and this is what I have found today.

1,2 &5 are all via Navabi, I am a huge fan of this site as the stock Carmakoma and other international brands without me having to pay lots of expensive postage and packaging.

2 is the stunning high-low hem dress from Simply Be, I love the pale pastel colours that are around at the moment, its not something I am used to wearing but I am trying to expand my wardrobe to include some new items.

4, The Portofino by Day dress from Eliza Parker is just divine, it comes in a number of colours and I honestly need this dress in my life! It is my birthday soon and I want a special dress for myself, but I am stuck between this and another dress which isn't released yet! oh god I cant decide!

6 is from IGIGI, I really have a bit of a love affair with this brand, I find them lovely to deal with online and the quality of the dress I reviewed was excellent, the deep azure colour of this one really caught my eye!

7, this dress is from Ann Harvey, I love the jewel green colour and love that it has decent straps so I can wear a good bra, I plan to go try this on next week.

Is there anything you are lusting after right now, what is your favourite item from my lust list? 

Mhairi

xxx

Coat Reviews Part 3

It is now just over 4 weeks since I posted the initial review of the two coats, and since that initial post I have been wearing them to death! They have been my dog walking coats day to day task coats, going out coats, they have been in snow wind and rain and covered in mud.

So how did they do...

Simply Be

Double Breasted Caplet Trench Coat £80

This coat has been excellent so far I recently wore it to London for the Plus London Two bloggers event and found it warm and comfortable on all the train/tube journeys, it snowed heavily in london and most of the uk that weekend and it survived easily, a waterproof coat may have been a good idea, but I am never as warm in them.

It also had to be washed last week, I loved that it was machine washable, so when our crazy puppies managed to jump up at it and cover me in muddy paw prints I whipped it off and stuck it in the machine, and popped it on a clothes horse to dry after. Once dry the coat was clean, looked great and still had its shape, which was a huge relief.

I have not seen any noticeable bobbling, was expecting some after the amount I have been wearing it, especially in the usual places like under the arms, but pleasantly surprised to say it hasn't yet.

The colour is great, I find it can be worn with almost anything in my wardrobe and the removable caplet is fab, i like it on with my clutch bags and off when I use a shoulder bag.

It was so windy outside when I took these pictures that my hair went from being down and smooth to whipping about all over the place making me look a little insane :)

I didn't need to iron the coat after I washed it which was fab, I hate ironing with a passion, but I did make sure it was nice and straight on the dryer.

As it is I would still highly recommend buying this coat, it is versatile a gorgeous colour and works well with so many outfits, as it is warming up a little now, I will be out a lot more walking and shopping so it will get even more use, action shots to come.

Ann Harvey

Red Funnel Neck Coat £40

This coat has also been put through its paces and it is doing exceptionally well, I love it on casual days with the collar pulled up to keep me warm, being red it doesn't go with everything in my wardrobe, but it is incredibly versatile, I have worn it with jeans, skirts and dressed, and it looks good with them, but I did make the mistake of throwing it on with my green jeans and boots the other day and my step son had hysterical giggles as he thought I looked like an elf.

It hasn't needed to be washed yet, but I will be putting it in this weekend, so i will give an update about that after it is done.
I do love that I don't feel the need to be extra careful with it, the colour is dark enough not to show every speck of dirt, but vibrant enough to be interesting and brighten up my day.

The colour still makes me very happy, and I love wearing this coat, it is also a bargain at £40 in the sale right now, and is available in black, go take a peek.

I am starting a little photography project at the moment, so they will be tested out for practicality in use, and while carrying lots of equipment.

will be putting up the first months worth of reviews for the lovely double breasted cape coat form Ann Harvey as well this weekend, so look out for that.

Mhairi. xx

Winter Coat Reviews Part 2

Today I thought I would show you a little selection of photos with me in the coats, the cape photos will have to wait until sunday, when I get the coat delivered to my friend. 

But here you go. x

 The length of both coats is beautiful and I love the colour of them both.

The photo's below are to show just what an amazing model I really am..................NOT. x

you can click on the images above for larger view. 

This week I am going to put them through there paces walking the 6 dogs I currently have staying in my house. I will update again at the weekend. 

Mhairi. xxx

Winter Coat Reviews Part 1

I don't know if my absolute terror at the thought of shopping for a winter coat is a plus size thing, a having big boobs thing or just a woman thing, all I know is that for the last 6-7 years I have not managed to shop for a winter coat without breaking down in tears of frustration during the shopping trip.

You may also wonder why are you doing this review now, winter is already here!

well my reason is that here in the UK our weather is crazy, I didn't start wearing my coat this winter until about 3 weeks before christmas as it was strangely warm, and it often randomly snows any time until April so my winter coats get the most use between december and march, therefore I thought they would get the most intensive testing during this time, and it will hopefully prepare us all for next year and show you some fabulous bargains for this season.

The reviews will take place over 3 months, I have 3 coats in the review 2 are being reviewed by myself and one by a good friend, I will explain why when I post about that coat.

In the initial review I will be looking at the quality of the coats (finish, colour, materials), the fit and shape and cost of the coats, then over the 3 months, I plan to use them regularly for all my daily activities, working, walking the dogs, shopping and every else in-between then look at how the cope, does stitching fail, is the colour fading, it it becoming threadbare etc. 

If you think of any other things you want to know about them please let me know.

In this first post I am going to show you the coats and the information provided by the companies about the item and my initial thoughts. 

The first coat to arrive was the Simply Be Double Breasted Caplet Trench Coat.

When this coat arrived I surprised myself by loving it ( a very rare occurrence for a coat), online they have darkened the image and it makes it look brown on the model, and I am not a fan of brown, but as you can see by the picture on the right it is definitely Camel and in person it is beautiful, the reason I picked it even though it looked so dark, was that it is so versatile the caplet part is removable so you get 2 looks in one. 

It is made from polyester but feels gorgeous and it is lovely, soft and easy to move in.

Because I have a large bust, I needed to order the size 22 which gives me room for jumper underneath but does make it fairly large on the waist and hips for me, but the tie waist belt solves this beautifully, and makes it very comfortable to wear for me, I would say though that it fits true to a size 22 I could fit in a 20 easily but wouldn't be able to wear layers under as it would be too tight on my chest.
The pockets are lovely and deep and in just the right spot for a comfortable position.

Length wise I am only 5'2" and it sits exactly on my knees.
at the moment the coat is on sale for £32




Next to arrive were the two Coats sent to me by Ann Harvey the Red funnel Neck Coat and the Double Breasted Cape.

Again, when both of these coats arrived I loved them they were soft and the colours were vibrant and the details were lovely.
Ann Harvey was somewhere I never thought to look for clothing but I will be looking more often from now on, I would say that some of the items are more mature than I would usually wear but they are making more and more items for the younger plus market. 
Ann Harvey have recently launched three plus size micro brands, these are the Ann Harvey Collection which most people are familiar with, the portrait collection which focuses on occasion wear and the Anya brand which is aiming at the younger plus size woman, both of the coat I am reviewing are form the main ann Harvey collection, but I will hopefully take a look at the other micro brands in the future. 


The Red Funnel Neck Coat is stunning in colour, it is such a beautiful red and I loved the details like the very pretty square buttons and the funnel neck is a lovely shape that doesn't strangle me like some coats in this style, it fits my chest beautifully in the size 22 and has a little room in the hips which make it nice to move around in and easy to layer, I can see this being my goto coat for casual days it looks gorgeous with jeans and dresses them up fabulously.
it is warm but not bulky which I love and the pockets are again nice and deep and in a great position.
Length wise it sits just below my hips on my thigh but I am tiny.


It is currently on sale for £40


The Double breasted cape is divine it is a gorgeous creamy colour with beautiful curved round buttons, it feels stunning and looks gorgeous, but unfortunately just doesn't work on me, although I am a size 20/22 my shoulders are very narrow and with being so short it totally swamped me, I was devastated, and was so sad to be sending it back to the company, but after a weekend of thinking I approached the company and said I would still love to find a way to review the coat as it is genuinely stunning, and I feel it would be a shame not to show it off to my readers just because it didn't personally suit me.
Therefore my lovely friend helen who is much taller and looks fabulous in a cape is going to take part in the three month review with me, she is going to test it in the same way I am wearing it for daily tasks and will report back to me and provide me with pictures.


This coat truly deserves to be seen.


It is on sale for £27


Tomorrow I will be making my first post with me wearing the coats so you can see them on a real live me, and get an idea about how they look and work.


Thank you for reading and please let me know in the comments if there is anything specific you would like to know about the coats.

Disclaimer : This item was given to me free of charge for review, but all comments are my own and I have not been asked or paid to give any items a favourable review.

The images were taken from the Simply be and Ann Harvey websites with permission.

2011 what a year!

What a year.


Well it is 2.27 am and I cant sleep so instead of writing this post later today I will have a go at it now!
This will include a small discussion of my depression do not read if you do not want too!


2011 has been an amazing year and a horrible year all in one, it has been our first full year in our new home after having to leave a house we loved due to psychotic neighbours, I came here suffering from severe depression and agoraphobia and spent the first 6 months pretty much locked in our house.
With a little work and help from the people who love me I begun to venture out into the world with people for support and have been building on it ever since!


The biggest and most positive change for me came through finally getting the courage to blog, I have been passionate about fashion since I was a teenager and my aunt used to take me shopping to amazing wholesale warehouses, but after years of feeling down about myself I just stopped trying but with my increased positivity and confidence this year I am slowly learning to love it more and more.
The people I have met through blogging have also been an amazing help and support in finding my feet and I seriously love all of them!


Since august I have had the opportunity to meet and work with some amazing people and companies, starting with Simply Be who have supported me and my blog by allowing me to review clothing for them, and helping with my requests Charlotte is seriously such a Fantabulous and Splendiferous person. ( we like those words )
As well as Ann Harvey and Yoek who looking into working with me in the new year.
I want to thank Eliza Parker who sent me a dress which you will see my fabulous review of on sunday after my new years celebrations.
Also I am going to be reviewing for IGIGI early in the new year so you will have that to look forward to.


Special thanks also goes to my Husband and steps son, and family on my side and Marcs for all the love and support they have shown me in my blogging endeavours, I seriously appreciate everything you do big and small.


2012 looks like it is going to be very exciting and daunting as I have so many new and exciting things to look forward too, I am hoping to be starting a 12 week course with the HellsBells Roller girls and reviewing some items during that time too.
February sees the epic event Plus london Two taking place and the gorgeous  A Monkey Fatshionista who is doing such an amazing job of organising the event.


I am also totally freaking out with excitement that Pinup Girl Clothing are going to be working with Tess Munster as there new model and expanding some of there range to a 3X and 4X. *praying for the Heidi!
they may not be everyones cup of tea but I have been lusting over pinup clothing for so many years and Tess Munster is seriously hot!!!


But most of all to my readers who have made up my 5000+ page views, you are seriously awesome! Thank You!


All That is left to say is Happy New year for Tonight and I hope 2012 treats us all well. x


Love from 


Mhairi and Marc and Josh.

Poppy, Toby and the puppies (Hermione, Nell and Ron) wanted to be in on the action too :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Jumper dresses

I have been asked for a guide to finding some nice plus size jumper dresses, so I have been scouring the internet to see what I can find.

Mink Cowl Neck Knit Dress £37

I love this jumper it looks so cozy I always get too warm so like the short sleeves and would wear it with a long sleeve top under if I needed the warmth. It is available from size 14 to 28 from the style 369 website.

Grey Cowl Neck Knitted dress £37

This jumper dress is available from Evans from a size 14 to a 32

Knitted Pointelle Hem Dress £39.50

I like the detail on the hem of this dress, and and the shape is good for skimming over the sins, Evans have a nice collection this winter!

Purple Sequin Neck Jumper Tunic £48 (on sale)

I love the gorgeous jewel tones around just now, greens and reds and purples make me happy, this happy number is from Ann Harvey.

Twisted Sweater Dress £39

Lovely detail around the neck stops this stone coloured One stop plus dress from being boring.

Jumper dress £35

Simply be have a nice collection too, this one looks soft, but I am not sure how it would cope with my big bust.

Fairisle Jumper £38

I love the cute hearts on this Jumper again from Simply Be and I think it looks long enough to wear with leggings as a dress, but best to check length first I am short so everything looks long to me!

Jeffrey & Paula Sweater Dress & Snood £40

This dress from Simply Be looks so comfy and a nice wool too.

I am not sure what the wool is like in these dresses, I am extremely fussy, if it is even slightly itchy I freak out and can't wear it, but most people aren't as insane as me :) xx

Mhairi. xx