Valentines Outfits

Valentines Day is fast approaching and even if your single its a night to spend with friends and loved ones.

We tend to stay home and eat nice food, watching a film, I would say its a nice romantic comedy but its usually a Horror or Sci-Fi for us!

I have put together a few outfits form my favourite brands which offer next day delivery so there is still time to get something special for the weekend.

The classics

These dresses are perfect for a romantic dinner or a night out with the girls.

Little Mistress @ Evans 

This dress is stunning, I love the off the shoulder and fitted shape it is beautiful!

Little Mistress @ Evans

Valentines and red always go together and this gorgeous lace dress is a gorgeous classic that can be worn again and again.

Simply Be

I adore this dress! It comes in both Black and  Red and the cut out heart detail at the back is seriously cute!

Brights

If you want to step away from the usual and make a statement then brights could be for you. They are everywhere at the moment!

Here are a few of my favourites.

Evans

Trouser // Jacket // Top

This jacket is such a fantastic way to inject some brights into your wardrobe, It would be fantastic for a meal out or a night at the cinema. This is one outfit that even if I don't go out on the night I will still be buying.

Evans

Top // Trousers

This top is another way to bring in the brights it will work well with trousers, jeans and skirts. and could be easily dressed up or down.

Asos Curve

This dress is simply stunning, the gorgeous bright orange with the contrast of the black and the flowers is amazing, slip on a nice jacket and your set for a fabulous night out.

Simply Be

If you like something a little more romantic this orange dress is stunning the gorgeous lace detailing and the pleated skirt are so pretty.

Naughty but Nice

Sometimes we don't want to be classic or romantic but instead want a bit of an edge to our look so the next outfits are for you.

Anna Scholz @ Simply Be

Skirt // Top

I am in love with this skirt and top combination. I may have to invest in the skirt as soon as possible as I would enjoy wearing the hell out of it!

Asos Curve

I love this dress, I am not sure I could pull it off! someone seriously needs to wear this though so I can ogle them and admire how amazing they look!

These are just a few of my suggestions, but plus fashion really does have a lot to offer, take a look around and let me know if you get anything fabulous.

Mhairi

xxx

OOTD - Simply Be Red Check Dress

The last two weeks have been insanely busy. My step son has been struggling with his school work and bullying, the school have not been able to really help Josh to reach his potential, and have limited his options so much this year with his GCSE's that he has become very frustrated with the whole situation.

We are very lucky that Josh does not have any behaviour related needs but his dyslexia requires different teaching techniques which most of his teachers refuse to use in the classroom which means he struggles to keep up and understand what is required of him.

After more than a year making the decision this week we officially removed Josh from secondary school and as of today we are officially a homeschooling household! This decision has been exciting and scary all at the same time but we know that we are making the right choice for him.

I am able to tech him Maths and science and have my sister helping to tutor in English skills and he will be allowed to explore the other subjects of his choosing to find the best fit for him.

As you can imagine I have been looking for outfits that are comfortable and relaxed as I am sat either in the office or in the kitchen with him while working. Todays outfit is an amazing dress that I was kindly sent by the lovely Simply Be.

While this dress is not the usual figure flattering nipped in waist style that I prefer, it is just so comfortable and makes me feel fabulous anyway! It has false zip pockets (would have loved real ones) and the bold check pattern is fantastic.

I didn't manage to capture the best photo of it today but you get the idea and I think you can see i feel happy and relaxed, excuse the hair, it was stuck up in a ponytail while we ran into town for school supplies.

* Red Check Dress - Simply Be

I also have another amazing tartan inspired outfit for you from Simply Be which is gorgeous so keep an eye out for that this week.

Hopefully now this decision is made and we are all less stressed I can get into a blogging schedule again.

Mhairi

xxx

Designer eyewear do I or dont I

When I first started wearing glasses I was 21 and just saw them as a functional item I had to put up with, but over the years I have developed a bit of a love affair with my glasses, and see them as an item of clothing to enhance how fabulous I look.

I always have two different pairs on the go at a time but really want more, so I have choices for all my outfits.

I am a regular Specsavers customer, and love the price ranges and options the have on offer, but I am finding myself more and more drawn to options that not everyone is wearing.

sometimes I am drawn to higher end designers or independent shops that have something to offer a little different to the usual high street options.

I recently came across the fabulous site for Eyewear brands and they have some amazing designer brands on offer.

Here are a few of my favourites.

Tiffany & Co 2051B

I found myself drawn to the gorgeous delicate pale minty green colour in contrast to the harder black. Such a beautiful pair of glasses.

Tiffany & Co TF2064B 8129 Grey Marble

I love the marble effect of these and again with subtle hints of green in there too!

Chanel CH3213 1272 RED

These are my favourite pair as I adore the shape and I like the paler colour as I have lots of dark frames already but would love a paler pair like this.

Chanel CH3213 714 HAVANA

 They also come in this more standard tortoiseshell and black as well as  more unusual shades.

                                                                             Tom Ford TF5224 NIKITA 56J HAVANA

These gorgeous Tom Ford Cat Eye frames are rather fabulous.

Prada PR08OV 2AU101 HAVANA

These are gorgeous I adore the shape!

Prada PR09PV 1AB101 Black

I just had to include these frames as they are awesome!!!!

I plan on taking a look at some other sites to see what else is on offer if these posts are of interest to my readers.

Mhairi

xxx

IGIGI Anastasia Gown in Ruby - Review

IGIGI very kindly sent me two dresses recently, the first was the amazing dress I wore recently to a wedding, you can see that review here.

The second dress I have been sent is the amazing Anastasia Gown in ruby.

Last weekend me and my husband celebrated out 10 year wedding anniversary and as 2012 has been a pretty bad year for us, we are planning a big night out in the new year with posh dinner and a show, so I have been looking for something really special to wear for ages and this fits the bill perfectly.

Just so you didn't have to wait until the New Year to see it I slipped it on for you so you can see just how amazing it really is!

It is a little long on me, but at only 5'2" I expected it so with a decent pair of platform heels it will be fine.

A close up of the lace overlay, can you tell my husband takes most of my pictures, sorry for the booby shot :) 

The lace detail is beautiful I just need to find a bra in this exact colour so the straps aren't so noticeable!

I promise though that as soon as things slow down a bit after christmas I will get more dolled up and do a real photo shoot for you.

This dress makes me feel elegant and beautiful, so I highly recommend a visit to IGIGI for your occasion wear.

IGIGI have a number of promotions running at the moment so take a look.

1. Promotion: $1000 IGIGI by Yuliya Raquel gift certificate contest
    Details, http://www.igigi.com/cms/iwish/.

2. Promotion: The Dress Sale - "20% Off Dresses!"
Dates: Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012 from 12.00PM - Dec. 26, 2012 12.00PM Pacific 
Code: "TIME2SHINE"
Link:  http://www.igigi.com/dress-sale

3. Free Shipping and Returns On all Continental U.S. orders placed through December 30, 2012. No code necessary. Visit www.igigi.com for more details. 

4. All orders of $150+ receive a plush pashmina scarf. For more details and the video, http://www.igigi.com/giftwithpurchase/

Also check out their Holiday Calendar, http://www.igigi.com/cms/glamguide#180 for 12 days of fabulous fashion features and promotions. 

I hope Ozlem and the IGIGI team have a fabulous holiday 

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

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

Outfit Ideas

Simply Be Belted Jersey Dress.

Being on a tight budget means I have to think long and hard about purchasing a new item for my wardrobe, I have to consider, will it work with what I already have, is it versatile enough to have multiple uses, and travel across seasons.

This Jersey Belted dress from simply be fits my list perfectly, I find florals like this can be used year round as it isn't so ditzy a print as to be considered too trendy, i love prints like this and wear them year round to brighten my days.

here are how I  see it working for me and my wardrobe.

Jersey Belted Dress - Simply Be - £45

Denim Jacket - Simply be - £60

Fred Perry Plimsoles - Schuh -£42

Black sateen Jacket - Dorophy Perkins - £45

Black Wedge - Dorophy Perkins - £35

I love the details the belt and peter pan collar are great.

Do you, regardless of personal budget, take these things into consideration when you buy a new item for your collection?

Mhairi. xx

Bettie Page Clothing Review

The Tatyana Dress

I have been looking at America to see what they offer plus size women compared to the UK, they have some amazing retro inspired clothing designers and Bettie page clothing has been one of my favourites for years, You can read more about the company and its founder/ designer HERE

When they said they would be happy to send me a dress to review, I thought I had died and gone to heaven.
Tightened purse strings have meant I couldn't order any items from abroad for a while, so I have been coveting the dresses from afar.

I was struggling between the Tatyana Circle and the Alika dress so asked them to choose for me so I didn't have to make the decision myself, I turned out to be a great idea as I would normally have gone for the safer choice of the Alika over the animal print of the Tatyana.

When the dress arrived I wasn't disappointed the colours were vibrant and the Bengaline material was beautiful to the touch with just the right amount of give, to fit me perfectly.

Please excuse the slightly blurry first picture as it was highly windy and I kept moving :)

The dress feels fabulous on, I love the red belt and will probably wear it with my wide black belt too.

The back of the dress is what made me fall in love with it in the first place, I love the fold out and the button detail it is just different to the usual high, or V back. 

Detail of the button

Close up of the back of the dress, must get the rest of my back tattoo completed just so I can show it off in this dress :) 

Close up of the button hole (for show only), this is possible the only thing I would change on the dress, I think it would be nice with an actual button hole even though it is only for show. 

This dress is genuinely amazing, I felt sexy, sassy and fun all night in it at Plus London 2 Now I need to find the perfect dress for plus North! 

It retails for $132 and comes in sizes XS to 4XL I ordered the 4XL and I am a uk 20/22.

I have asked some questions about sizing of a few other dresses and will update as soon as I hear back from Bettie Page Clothing.

Mhairi. xxx

Disclaimer:- This dress was gifted to me for review by bettie page clothing, I have not been paid to give a positive review and it is all my own opinions and words.

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 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.