Keeping Warm With Curvissa

I am a little bit obsessed with coats! I own a ridiculous amount, to be honest and every year I want a new one. I have a smart going out coat and a lovely warm winter coat but I can never find a decent outdoors coat that is stylish, warm and tough.

So when I was contacted by Curvissa recently about doing a Coat Review, it was with my outdoor needs in mind that I began my search.

Parkers are very in fashion right now but if I am honest they either swamp me or are nowhere near warm enough so although a couple caught my eye it was this lovely Soft Shell Coat that I went for in the end.

I usually wear a 22 but my previous experience of Curvissa has taught me to size up so I did with this to a 24 to make sure it worked over my bust and I am glad I did as it is only just right.

It is made of a lovely soft material that feels like it will be shower prof although it does not state this in its description, it is windproof and breathable which is ideal for walking my dogs along the river next to the open fields as it does get pretty blustery around here. The coat is lined with a gorgeous thin fleece which is soft to touch and very warm.

The length of the coat is perfect for me as it covers my bum, please remember though I am only 5'2  and one anyone taller it is likely to sit just below your bum the picture of it on the model is a good indicator of its length.

The tie waist is a nice feature as it gives shape to the coat which is often missing from outdoor coat.

I assume this is the brand although it isn't called this on curvissa.

The hood is big and feel like it might stay put in the wind as it hooks over quite nicely.

All in all I am very happy with this coat, its sizing could be a little more generous but otherwise it is lovely and I would highly recommend it to anyone look for a good outdoors coat. it feels like it can cope well with my three biggest dogs jumping up at me with muddy paws when we play and me falling on my bum in the mud which has happened a few times.

A few other fabulous ladies are also working with Curvissa to review coats and they all look far more glamorous than me, so head on over to their pages and take a look. The links are below.

http://itsemchannel.blogspot.co.uk

http://pamperandcurves.blogspot.co.uk 

http://www.lilybobombslovelylumps.com

http://www.sugar-darling.com

http://www.adressisforlife.com

Mhairi 

xxx

Plus North Premier Sponsor Post - Curvissa

My next Plus North Premier Sponsor post is for the lovely Curvissa.

This is what Curvissa have to say about themselves.

Plus size fashion shouldn’t be about compromise, it should be about choice. Curvissa.co.uk offers a selection of over 3,000 quality fashion items in sizes 14 - 32, giving you a comprehensive collection of plus size clothing that includes everything from trousers and tops, to jackets and jeans.

Great Values Across a Range of Sizes

We’re also firm believers that plus size clothing shouldn’t come with a premium price, which is why every item at Curvissa.co.uk is available in sizes 14 - 32, with a single competitive price across all size options. Search the site for specific items, or browse by category, size, occasion or trend for inspiration across the latest looks and styles.

Be Inspired

There’s more to Curvissa than just fabulous fashion at competitive prices too. Through our regularly updated Inspire section our experts bring you the latest looks and industry trends, as well as seasonal style tips and interactive tools to help you build your look from the ground up. Check out our Shape Calculator to start shaping your individual style.

The Curvissa Community

We also love sharing in a good discussion too. Curvissa is home to a great customer community which we welcome everyone to join in - find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to talk trends and plus size fashion with like-minded ladies and fellow customers, as well as the Curvissa team, or follow our blog for behind the scenes secrets, clothing chat and much more.

I really like the vast range of clothing that Curvissa offer, and own a few of their pieces myself.

Myself and the rest of the team were all sent the Pinafore Dress, which is a really sweet little dress, it is a quite thin material with no stretch so pay close attention to the size guide, I have found I need to order at least 1-2 sizes bigger than my usual dress size with curvissa.

In this I went for a 24 and should possibly have gone for the 26 (I am usually a 20-22) but the numbers on labels have never bothered me, I wear the size that looks best on me.

So how did it look

I decided to try it with my current favourite tartan blouse and I love it, I need full length leggings with it I think but need to buy a new pair.

I think I would normally wear it with a simple long sleve top, leggings and converse. it is currently a little tight over my bust, but I am wearing it with a slightly padded bra so a non padded may work better.

Head over and check out the other gorgeous girls in their outfits.

Hanna

Toni

Rosie

Becky

Fatshion Faceoff - Biker Jacket

Good evening my fabulous readers.

This weeks item is the Biker jacket, but I have to admit my photos are from a while ago as due to my new job starting this week, I am a little unorganised and forgot to recharge the batteries on my camera.

But this is still how I am likely to wear my jacket, so they are still relevant.

I love little details like the fabulous studs on this jacket.

I want to find myself the perfect black biker jacket to add to my collection as well, but I do love this Curvissa Jacket.

Head over the other ladies pages and take a look, they will have been far more organised and looking fabulous I am sure. 

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

Fatshion Faceoff - Red Dress

This weeks challenge is a red dress and I decided not to go for the traditional bright red but a darker panelled dress from IGIGI.

With my creased studded jacket from Curvissa and my rocket dog boots.

It makes a change to take photos in daylight, but Marc didn't do so well with the lighting in this one :) 

This is my more traditionally red dress from Simply Be

Go and check out the other gorgeous ladies in the challenge, I know they will all look amazing!

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

Curvissa Studded Jacket Review

The wonderful PR team at Curvissa approached me before christmas about the new spring/ summer range due in and asked me if I would like to try out something to review I was instantly drawn to the Studded Jacket from the PR image sent to me.

Spring is a time when I cant decide what to wear as the weather is so changeable and a biker jacket is something I have been thinking about for a while.

When the jacket arrived I was very impressed with the feel and weight of it, it costs £85 and is a lovely dark grey colour, I find black can be quite harsh on me and like the grey as it is a bit brighter.

This is a size 22 and it is a little big but it is comfortable and good for me to layer under so I am happy with that.

Sorry I look a little rough in the photos they were from before christmas when not too well, I am just now getting back into the swing of things and feeling completely better after weeks of passing various illnesses back and fourth in the house.

I cant find the link for the jacket at the moment, but as soon as I find it I will add it to the post. 

I love this jacket and I am in love with this one on the site too Faux Leather Jacket

Go check Curvissa out.

Mhairi

xxx

Plus North

Wow it has been just over a week since Plus North and I think I am now almost recovered!

It was amazing and exhausting all at once and this week has been about me getting back on track and figuring out whats next.

Do you ever get like that after a big event, I find that in all the excitement and craziness of the event afterwards I am totally shattered, in a good way mind you.

Sometimes my mind just likes me to take in and mull over all the fantastic experiences and make sense of them before I carry on.

So on to the event, Plus North was put together by the fabulous Becky of The Ramblings of Mrs BeBe and Toni of The Only Way is Toni, go take a look at both their blogs they are fabulous! 

Image courtesy of Janie visit her page HERE

I helped out with the ticket sales and printing the tickets for the event which is where some of the exhaustion came from I think, I finally finished all the printing and packing at about 2.30am on the saturday of the main event, and then had to get up at 5.30am to get myself ready to travel, luckily I was so excited that I didn't feel tired at all.

This is me almost ready to leave for the station I went for comfortable yet pretty clothing to help make me feel good.

I am wearing

Waterfall Cardigan - Que at Vida Moda

Glamourosa Tunic - SimplyBe

Leggings - Asda

WideFit Shoes - Newlook

I have to say this was the perfect outfit for travel it was comfy, cool and easy to move in, I had decided to travel to leeds first class as a busy train can seriously freak me out and I didn't want a bad start to my weekend.

I tweeted just as I left stevenage to say I was on route and after a bit of twitter chat figured out that the gorgeous Hanna of The Wardrobe Challenge was on the same train as me, so she popped along to first class for a visit, her visit ended up being the whole journey and we had a blast!

Picture courtesy of Hanna

On arriving in leeds we made our way to Aspire so I could drop off Hanna as she had dress rehearsals for the catwalk show and so I could pass on the Tickets to Becky and Toni so that their fabulous minions for the day MrBeBe and Ben could prepare for everyones arrival.

Now I had to race to find my hotel, get checked in and change ready for the fabulous afternoon ahead, I had luckily been offered a nights stay in the Hilton Doubletree hotel in leeds after a poor stay in another hotel in london, and I have to say the Double Tree more than made up for the previous hotel in every way!

The room was beautiful very simple and fairly modern it had a Mac in the room which was the TV, Radio and a Computer to use and a gorgeous bathroom, I like hotel bathrooms, if its a crap bathroom I wont want to stay again :) 

The view was really pretty, I was only on the 4th floor so no pretty views over the city but I loved the lock so I was happy, the walk to the hotel took me down this very creepy tunnel which is where the river flows under, It was incredibly loud but fabulous, I later found out that there is a much nicer well lit bridge a little further up but, I choose to take this route every time!

In all the mad dashes of the weekend I managed to forget to take a picture of my room but I can honestly say I would be more than happy to stay in the hotel again and likely will!

The aspire building is beautiful and on my return I really took the time to take a look around and I wasn't disappointed.

The view from the mezzanine floor - everyone beginning to arrive and settle in.

The internal architecture was simply stunning, if you like that sort of thing like me you would have enjoyed looking around!

The beautiful modern lighting looked amazing on the high ceilings and he massive arched windows, the Aspire building is the old Lloyds banking hall, how amazing would it be if our banks still looked like this!

Ok enough of my personal obsessions :) onto the amazing event itself and the fabulous clothing and guests!

I had the privilage to spend most of my day with Hanna and Caroline

How beautiful do they both look in their fabulous outfits!

Hanna's outfit is a New Look skirt with a Domino Dollhouse Petticoat, and Caroline is wearing a Wallis dress with a vest under. 

The catwalk show was fantastic, all the ladies who were brave enough to take part looked utterly stunning and I was so proud of them all, I decided not to take part this time as once in my life was enough for me!

You can take a look at all the photos on my Facebook page HERE The ladies all looked stunning! 

I did have an official photo taken by the fabulous SimplyBe Photographer so you can see my outfit, I will be doing a separate post about everything I wore to review the items for you, as the lovely Charlotte of SimplyBe offered to provide my outfit for the day as I had helped out with the ticket sales.

I am wearing

Sarong Skirt - Simplybe

Shrug - SimplyBe

Bustier Top - SimplyBe 

WideFit Shoes - New Look

I also want to say a huge thank you to the brands who attended making me feel the plus size market is not failing us, and events like this and plus London are needed to get our voices heard and to let them know we want fashion and fun!

Stella & Dot - F&F - Dea London - Trapped in a Skinny World - Chesca - Life's Big Canvas - Benefit - SimplyBe - Curvy and Stylish - State of Mind - Curvissa - Excite Clothing - Eve Activewear -
Eddi & Bri -  New Look - Style369 - Slink Magazine

All the above brands helped make the event what it was by being there, offering a prize for the draw or a discount code for us to use.

Plus North really was an amazing day and we had so much fun, I can not wait until next year!

Mhairi
xxx