How to wear: Sports Luxe

After visiting a number of Spring/Summer press days last year and Autumn/Winter press days earlier this year, a few trends stood out to me and one of them was the Sports Luxe trend. This isn't a trend I have really tried out before but after having a hunt online, I have spotted some bits that I actually LOVE and I thought seeing as I have heard some people say it's a difficult trend; I would put some images together to show you how I would style my favourite items.

The key to nailing this trend in my opinion is to keep things simple. Clean lines, minimal print and don't over complicate your look. The key fabrics are jersey, pu/leather, tracksuit, canvas, mesh and shiny, shiny polyester! I love how you can mix a going out shoe with a sporty looking bomber jacket or go with a more casual look and wear a T-shirt dress with trainers. If you happen to like anything shown below, click on the orange box next to the item and it'll take you directly to the correct website!

Is this sporty trend something you could see yourself wearing?

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Neon leopard

I've been here, there and everywhere recently and I am exhausted I must say! Weddings, hen dos, events, work things, trips home to devon... Yesterday, I finally did nothing except go to my Brother and Sister-in-laws for dinner. I wanted to look nice and summery but I wanted to be super comfortable. Enter, this neon print swing dress. Oh my, it's like wearing a nightie but you actually look good and not like you're ready to head to bed.

It's super soft and roomy. I was kindly gifted this dress by the beauties at Simply Be and I chose the 20/22 but it comes up really big. If I was to choose again, I'd pick the 16/18 so keep that in mind if you fancy ordering it. I've been living in these high heeled plimsols since I bought them and I've just bought the black ones that have a white heel (smiley emoji with heart eyes)

My bag is from Simply Be, which is not normally somewhere I would shop for accessories but I love it. I have been using smaller cross body bags this year but I like carting round all my stuff in this big one. It sadly doesn't seem to be online any more but I definitely recommend checking their bags out - they have some really nice ones.

A little selfie wearing Mystic by Sleek Makeup

It's hard to see from the above picture but I am wearing my new pineapple earrings from Black Heart Creatives. Please check this brand out... they have some immense jewellery and they make custom made pieces. I've had a few things made and I love how individual they are. Ooh, one last thing... my lippy is Mystic by Sleek Makeup.

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A day out in Stratford-Upon-Avon

Last weekend I travelled up to Stratford-Upon-Avon with two of my best friends Jo and Lauren. The reason for our visit was that two of our very good friends were getting married. We went up the day before the ceremony so we weren't rushing and so we could get out and about and explore the town.

From what I saw of the town - I loved it! It was such a glorious day, the sun was shining and it was nice and warm. We felt rather smug actually as we saw everyone back in London was nearly washed away when a storm hit the city.

We got settled in our hilariously dated hotel and then headed out. We had a stroll around the town before getting settled by the riverside and we enjoyed some sliders and a nice cold drink in a place called The Shed.

I decided to wear my fave summer dress from Primark (still available in some stores) and fave chunky plimsols (available here) and I stayed nice and cool and my feet were comfy even though we did quite a bit of walking. These shoes aren't wide fit but they are very roomy and a steal at £23.00 in the sale! My cute name name necklace is from Topshop and I can see that they still have some online here but for a larger selection, head to a store I say. My bag is also from Primark and I think you can still find them in the stores.

In the evening we headed to a pub called The Dirty Duck to join lots of our other friends who had arrived and took over a huge area out the back in the garden. The Bride and Groom were also there and it was so exciting to see them the night before their beautiful day. In my next post I thought I'd show you guys what I wore for their wedding.

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Handy tips for transitional dressing

I used to loathe the summer months here in the UK because I never got my arms or legs out and I used to find myself sweating and uncomfortable all the time. With my ever growing confidence in how to dress during the summer months I have found that my wardrobe has also grown considerably. The problem with the British summer is that it is rather short lived and you can end up with hoards of clothes that you only wear a handful of times before they are stashed away and forgotten about.

With this in mind, I thought I'd put a few tips together to help you get the most out of your summer wardrobe and also show you some pieces you can buy right now that'll take you through to autumn/winter.

Layering - So you've bought that fabulous dress and you've been wearing it with your legs out and sandals and it's been the perfect go to item... You can take this same dress through to autumn just by layering up and mixing up the fabric types. Add a crisp white shirt underneath and a leather jacket on top. Finish off the look with thick tights and heaps of accessories!

I recently bought this gorgeous shift dress and I cant wait to wear it at a summer party but also add tights and a jacket when it starts to get cooler.

Here's how a white shirt and leather jacket can transform a simple dress. The tartan dress I am wearing below is an old New Look Inspire piece but they have a fab update online available here

Dark florals - It's no surprise to hear that florals are huge during the summer months but that they are also a key trend on the catwalks in Autumn/Winter year in and year out. If you start to hunt for floral prints online now, my handy tip is to start buying prints that have a darker base colour or that are predominately dark all over. Below are some gorgeous prints that you can buy now, wear now but take with you through to winter.

SHOP DARK FLORALS

Top left to right - Kimono // Daisy Dress // Floaty Dress
Bottom left to right - Jumper // Pencil Skirt 

Just add booties - If you've been stocking up on maxi dresses and are worried their shelf life is running out, fear not! Just add a pair of boots to your dress. With additional pieces like a floppy hat or a gorgeous piece of knitwear you can turn a festival-esq outfit into a fab 70s style cosy outfit. I've heard that cowboy boots are coming back this winter...how do we feel about that?

Get Folky with it - A trend that has started to trickle from the catwalk to the shops is the folk trend. This is a great trend to start playing around with as a lot of the pieces you can buy online will look great layered up with knit wear, jackets, boots and tights! You can buy now and enjoy whilst it's warm but you'll still be able to wear them this winter AND be bang on trend.

SHOP THE FOLK TREND 

Obviously these are just some tips and in no way are they rules. At the end of the day, I believe you should be able to wear what you want, when you want but I thought I'd see if I could give a few pointers as we all get stuck from time to time.

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Wedding outfit planning

I attended my friends wedding yesterday (I will blog my outfit at a later date) and it was suchhhh an amazing day. I have two more in store this summer and I'm currently in the middle of trying to plan outfits for both of them. The next one I am going to is in three weeks and I think I've settled on this summery combo below - let me know what you think. The dress in real life has a neon pink print on a bluey/grey base. If you go to an item you like, you can click on the black icon and it'll take you right to the website.

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I FEEL FANCY

We all have that one item of clothing that when we put it on; we feel like we can take on the world. This super old ASOS dress is my favourite dress and it never ceases to make me feel like a fancy nancy when I put it on.

This dress is from the main range and is a UK size 18. I find the ASOS Curve body cons come up a little big and can be a bit baggy on so if you fancy going for a dress like this, size down. My ethos is that not everything you wear has to be flattering, some times you want to wear that over size top or baggy T-shirt dress. With this dress I must admit I love how flattering the print is and how it seems to follow the shape of my body. Unfortunately this dress is not available online anymore but I've put together a selection of dresses below that mean you can create this look if you're into that sort of thing.

The accessories I wore are all old and out of stock but there are lots of similar shoes available online at New Look in the wide fit section and you can't beat Topshop for cute handbags.

For my makeup, I used Sleek Brow Kit on my big brows, Glam Eyes Eyeliner by Rimmerl and MUA Velvet Lip Lacquer in Criminal on my lips. Mwah xx

SHOP MY LOOK

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Asos wish list

There are some banging bits on ASOS at the moment and I thought I'd show you what I'm lusting after.

Click directly on the black icon and it'll take you straight to the website! Easy peasy!

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Simply Be shopping selfies

This week I visited Manchester with my wife Callie and we collaborated with Simply Be on an exciting project. I can't share much about the day but I will obviously show you all when I can so keep your eyes peeled.

On our final day in Manchester we popped into the Simply Be store in the Arndale Centre and we both tried on heaps of clothes. I snapped myself in some of my fave pieces and thought I'd show you how they looked. I've never been into an actual store and it was great to try on things that had previously passed me by online. I'm really looking forward to the new store opening on Oxford Street... that is going to be so dangerous and I can hear my bank balance weeping already. Oh and before I forget, the girls who work in the store were sooo helpful and friendly!

Burn out daisy top - I sized up by two sizes as I wanted this to have a very over sized look

AX Paris White Geo Swing Dress - your usual size will be fine in this style

Floral Drop Waist Dress - my Fave item from the day. I sized up by one size

AX Paris Swing Dress - size up by one size if you are like me and find this thin fabric can cling to your belly

Alice and You Acid Wash Denim Dress - Loved this simple dress. Size up by one size as it is quite tight

Alice and You Check Shift Dress - I sized up two sizes as it was quite clingy on my belly

Grey Floral Print Tulip Dress - I shall be buying this for a wedding I am going to this summer. I LOVED it.  Size up as it has no stretch. 

Do you like the look of any of these Simply Be items? Oh I also tried on and bought the infamous Chloe jeans...they fit amazingly well and I find it so hard to find trousers!

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Collar me Beautiful

This is the sweetest dress eva.

I feel like such a cutie in it. It makes me look like I'm all pure and innocent doesn't it? Pahahaha this is far from the truth but it's nice to pretend ey?

The dress is from a brand called Ruby's Closet and I bought it from Simply Be but you can buy this brand from a number of shops including Dorothy Perkins and Newlook. It has a 60s vibe about it and I thought bare legs and my high heeled white plimsolls would suit it perfectly. This dress comes in sizeS 16-26 and I recommend you buy your usual size. I sized up on my first order but had to return it and my usual size is in fact spot on. I didn't fancy wearing a busy outfit on this particular day; so I didn't drench myself in jewellery like I normally would but I just kept it simple and slicked on my favourite bright pink lippy called La Diva from Chanel.

SHOP MY LOOK

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Carmakoma comes to Evans.

In the last month Evans has introduced a number of brands as part of their Brand Edit. Danish brand Carmakoma is one of those brands and when Evans contacted me and asked if I would like to try some of their pieces I jumped at the chance. Carmakoma has been on my radar for a long time but I've never bought anything from them. I've always seen their clothes on other bloggers and enjoy following their social media pages but for some reason I've never actively gone online to shop their garments.

Now that Carmakoma is available online and in some Evans stores I feel like it's going to be a lot more accessible and I like that I will be able to go into a store and try on the clothes. 

Anyway, on to the clothes! The price points for Carmakoma are a little higher than I would normally pay for clothes BUT if you are after some investment pieces, this is a brand you should investigate. 

I picked this Smudge Print Dress to try and the Lightweight Coat and I am really happy with both pieces. I feel really grown up in this outfit but I can also see myself wearing this dress with bright high heels for a night out with my friends.

The dress is really lovely and light but it doesn't cling to my lumps and bumps like a lot of dresses tend to. The shape is really flattering and you can't really tell from my pictures, but the back hem is slightly lower which I like because when I wear this with my legs on show I like the fact the back of my knees will be covered up.

The jacket, although long sleeved and black is nice and lightweight (as the name suggests) and it'll be perfect for when I go out in the evening and I want to make sure I have a coat with me when I'm falling out of the bar at god knows what time of night ;) The boucle fabric and the popper fastenings on the front jazz this jacket up and I like that although the sleeves are long, I can roll them up my chubby arms. I accessorised todays outfit with my wide fit boots from New Look and an old necklace from H&M which is silver AND NOT GOLD....god, I've changed! 

SHOP MY LOOK 

Check out Carmakoma here and also take a look at the other brands Evans now stock, I love that our options for plus size clothing is forever increasing! 

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