Sharing is caring - A little insight into my life and why I've loved 2014

Four years ago I started to get really ill with a condition called Fibromyalgia/CFS and I had to quit my job as a Textile Designer in London and move home to my parents house. I felt like a total failure and I honestly didn't know what I would do with my life. I missed my life in London, my freedom, my health. I never really talk about my illness as I don't want it to be the first thing people think when they think of me BUT it is a major part of my life. You all see me when I am glammed up, dressed to the nines and sipping on Prosecco at press events... what you don't see is the days I'm too unwell to move or dress or put my make up on. I am in constant, chronic pain and I have become very good at hiding it. Some days I sit and cry at what I've become but then other days I smile from ear to ear; if I hadn't have moved home I don't think I would have started my blog and look at me now! This year I moved back to London and 2014 has treated me exceptionally well.

I feel so, so proud of this blog and of everything that it has helped me to achieve. This year I featured in Vogue Italia, was filmed by Evans, New Look and Simply Be, met some amazing people and wore some beautiful clothes. The blog keeps growing and so does my love for it and I just want to keep pushing myself to do more things with it. I can post when I feel like it or leave it for a few days when I'm too sick and I love the freedom it gives me. I some times have to cancel invites or turn down opportunities due to my illness but thankfully all the brands I work with are really understanding and so are my friends (both blogger pals and my group of wonderful friends)

The constant emails, tweets and comments that you all send to me are a huge part of why I keep posting. I have been bought to tears on a number of occasions after reading your kind words - I am so happy that I have been able to inspire you guys and show you that fashion is fun, accessible to all and that it's ok to experiment with it.

Thank you again for your support - I try to answer all your questions/reply to all your emails but sometimes it's hard but I want you to know I appreciate them all. Here is a little roundup of my fave outfits I have worn this year and here's to 2015 - I am already so excited about the things in store for me and my wee blog.

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3X NYE PARTY OUTFIT IDEAS

I have zilch idea what I'm doing this New Years Eve let alone what I will be wearing! Is anyone else in a bit of an outfit pickle like I am? If you are then maybe these three outfit ideas might give you a little bit of inspiration.

If you like the look of any of these items just click on the red boxes and you'll be directed to the correct website.

Plus size party wear ideas 

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- Nothing to wear -

My blog title is a total lie. I do in fact own a sh*t load of clothes. My slogan jumper from *New Look Inspire is therefor incredibly ironic. I do struggle with the age old problem of not owning the right item for the right occasion though. Mounds and mounds of clothes, some with their labels still attached, rail after rail buckling under the pressure yet when you come to find that *perfect* dress/top/jacket (delete where appropriate) you can't find it. I can often be heard screaming "I have nothing to wearrrrrrrrr". I am sure 99% of you reading this will be nodding in agreement - we've all been there right?

Since acquiring this jumper, it has helped me get out of this tricky situation on a number of occasions.  Ever since my shoot with Evans (read about it here) where I wore a rather fetching androgynous outfit; I have become obsessed with this look and have recreated it a fair bit. For the shoot I went uber glam with the styling but for a more casual look I have been swapping the heels for my trusty monochrome plimsolls and wearing a looser fitting coat, like this grey/fur coat from River Island. I have previously mentioned my love of River Island outer wear and each time I go into store I hypothetically add about twenty of their coats to my shopping basket. This jacket is a UK18 and as I've mentioned before - they are very generous with their sizing which is good news for me and my rather plentiful bosom. Please give them a go even if you are up to a UK22, you'll be surprised to see how many of their jackets/coats you'll fit into.

I wore these PU stripe leggings on my Evans shoot and I'm so glad I went out and bought a pair as they have definitely been an important part of this androgynous style flex that I am currently on. I bought my correct size and I'd say they are true to size. My white shirt was kindly sent to me from *New Look Inspire a while back. It's not the best material but does the trick when I just want to see the collar poking out the top of a jumper or a dress. Now, the colar tips/chain are from.... hmmm it's either Topshop or ASOS, I can't actually remember! Here are some similar from ASOS.

My white clutch is from *Missguided and as I mentioned in a previous post - is one online store I hadn't ever bought accessories from but now it is one of the first places I look if I am after something. The clutches and statement necklaces are so good right now! The shoes, (you can probably tell me where they're from seeing as I wear them pretty much every day) are from Office if you didn't already know and you can buy similar here. Finally, my grey-ish lipstick is called Taupe from Kiko and my white nail varnish is from *Barry M.

Photographs by Gemma Bellfield 

*denotes a gifted item or PR sample

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Gift Guide | Men

I struggle each year to find presents for the men in my life but putting together this gift guide has actually done wonders for me! I feel a lot more inspired and I hope you do too.

Click on the black boxes and it'll take you directly to the correct shop. Happy shopping!

Gift ideas for the men in your lives

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Blowing raspberries

Red isn't a colour I gravitate to usually but this raspberry red dress felt very festive. A wrap dress is also not very 'me' BUT the joy of fashion is the fact you can experiment with it and I always like to try new things. I know a wrap dress can be seen as a little bit mumsy some times but it all depends how you style it in my opinion. I think you will agree, I hardly look frumpy in these pictures! *grumpy maybe but hardly frumpy*
Head to their site to take a look at their capsule collection and if you missed my last post, have a look at how I style their beautiful Amber Dress.

This is the second Monroe Knows dress that I wanted to show you and this style called 'Amy' comes in both red and green and is on sale now. When I was initially sent this dress I thought I would style it with a 40s vibe and go quite glam with my accessories but I tried it on and as I was looking through my wardrobe my old Monki bomber jacket caught my eye. Once I had tried it on with the dress I knew I wanted to style it in this 'edgy' kind of way. I piled on the gold chains - the smaller gold chains are from Missguided but the longer one was a gift from a friend. The white scrappy sandals were from Topshop this summer and you might have seen my New Look faux fur pink clutch before - I've used it so much since I bought it.

Photographs by Gemma Bellfield 

*This post was written in collaboration with Monroe Knows but all views/words are my own.

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Gift guides | For Your Bestie - Male or Female

Christmas is fast approaching and I thought I'd put together a few gift guides to help inspire you. Now, I know you'll probably see a thousand of these over the next few weeks but I thought it would be nice to show you what sort of things I like to buy the people I love and it might help inspire you to make slightly different choices when purchasing that perfect pressie.

First up.... buying for your bestie! Whether that's your female/male BFF, your mum, your brother; your bestie is a seriously important person in your life - I know I couldn't manage without mine. Here's a selection of gifts that have caught my eye (both luxury and budget options)

Simply click on the green boxes and it'll take you straight to the correct website. Happy Shopping!

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The Monroe Knows LBD

We are forever on the hunt for that perfect LBD and depending on the time of year, how we're feeling or the occasion that perfect dress can differ dramatically. Ladies, it's party season and I urge you to flaunt that beautiful body of yours... enter, the Amber dress from independent retailer, Monroe Knows. 

Monroe Knows is a new online boutique and if you take a look on their site, you will see a small signature collection of well made, competitively priced dresses ranging in sizes 18-26, with this range being increased to 16-32 in 2015 *huzzah!* Now that is a range of sizes that makes me happy!

This is the sort of dress that commands attention! I felt absolutely incredible in it I must say. It accentuates my curves, yet the ruched fabric is mega flattering and I love how it nips me in at the waist. The longer sleeve is perfect for winter as well. If there was one thing I would change about the design, it would be the length. I like that it covers my knees but I would personally prefer it if it was a little shorter. In regards to sizing, I chose my usual size and it's spot on! Figure hugging yet it doesn't show all your wobbly bits.

Under garments with a dress like this are very important. I have a favourite piece that I always wear and I can't recommend it enough. It's by shape wear specialists Maidenform and you can buy it here from Yours Clothing. It is a great item to have as it smooths you out but it isn't really restrictive and you can actually breathe in it!

Seeing as it is party season I glammed this dress up and went all out with the styling. I chose my comfy wide fit heels, my Going Out Out bag, faux fur stole, old Asos Curve belt and old River Island earrings. I have had this beautiful eagle chain back brooch for a long time and haven't worn it until now but now I've taken it for a spin I will be adding it to a lot more outfits in the future. It's from online boutique Habbibis Jewellery Box and it's available here.

Photographs by Gemma Bellfield 

SHOP MY LOOK 

Dress - Monroe Knows

Belt - ASOS Curve (similar here)

Heels - New Look 

Clutch - Dorothy Perkins (similar here) 

Eagle back brooch - Habbibis Jewellery Box

Lipstick - diego dalla palma 

Have a little look at the Monroe Knows site and let me know what you think. Will you be treating yourself to this little black dress or maybe one of the other styles has caught your eye. Keep checking back here for my second Monroe Knows outfit posts as well - it's another good'un. 


*This post was written in collaboration with Monroe Knows but all views/words are my own.

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Pink lady

I am inspired by lots of things but as you can imagine, fellow bloggers play a major role in giving me ideas about what I could wear in the future. Bethany always looks impeccable, we share a deep love of outerwear, bold lipsticks and mixing prints/block colours and she always gets my creative juices flowing. If you follow Bets' blog it's no secret that she is rather fond of the colour pink. I too enjoy this colour and remember a time when I was 16... yes, in my teens when I was obsessed with pink and it was pretty much the only thing I wore. If you need some evidence of Bethany's obsession please look here, here or here.

With this in mind, my brain started mulling over the idea of an all pink outfit. I recently purchased this rather humerous 'popcorn' bag and I knew it was the final piece in my pink outfit jigsaw. My coat is like a constant cuddle and was twenty-something quid from Primark. I am wearing it constantly at the moment because a) it's freezing and b) I am enjoying winter pastels this A/W14. I bought this mega cute swing dress back in the summer and posted about it here but I thought layering it with a thick coat and grey tights would be the perfect way to get some more wear out of it this winter. No surprises I accessorised with white shoes and *white nail polish c/o of Barry M, silver ring from Topshhop and I slicked on my fave pink lippy - La Diva by Chanel.

If you're a fan of pink, I've put together some of my fave bits and bobs below along with all the individual items I'm wearing here bar my Primark coat & handbag which appears to be out of stock at ASOS *sad face*

Photographs by Gemma Bellfield 

SHOP MY LOOK & ALL THINGS PINK

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