Roll Up, Roll Up.

Shock! Horror! I have deviated from the 70s and actually managed to put together an outfit that isn't inspired by that era but by the 90s instead!

This cute little summer *Midi Dress is beautiful but sadly with our British summer being as hideous as it is; I can't see myself wearing it any time soon. Whilst sitting on my bed and day dreaming, I had one of those light bulb moments and realised I needed to add an autumn twist to the dress so that I could continue wearing it well into the winter.

Adding a roll neck underneath a simple strappy dress instantly updates it and can take you from summer to winter in a blink of an eye. Add chunky boots, some pendant necklaces and a leather jacket (if it's really nippy) and you're laughing! Without realising it, I had styled a very 90s inspired outfit when I put all this together and I think the half up/half down hairstyle or "The Hun" as it is now known and the dark lips finish the look off well.

Photographs by Gemma Bellfield

Earlier this month, I attended a beautiful dinner hosted by Fashion Chick and we chatted the night away, ate scrummy sushi at Kouzu and they gave us the best goody bags, brimming to the top with goodies from Miss Selfridge, New Look, Boden and more. This cute lil New Look dress was part of my selection and now I've found a way of wearing it during these chilly months; I can tell I am going to wearing it a lot. 

What I'm Wearing

*Midi Dress - New Look c/o Fashion Chick
Roll Neck Jumper - M&S
*Boots - old Missguided similar here
*Rucksack - New Look
*Long Pendant - Wallis 
Leaf Pendant - old Philip GoGo similar here

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*Denotes a gifted item

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White and Tan

When I pack a white dress for a holiday; I know exactly when I'll be wearing it. I always save it for the very end of the trip when I'll hopefully be all sun kissed and glowy!

When I went to Spain last month, I spent 90% of my time there basking in the sun so by the time I came to wear this little white dress; I was indeed nice and tanned. One of my favourite pairings is a white dress and tan accessory. I picked up this beautiful hand made bag whilst on a trip to Benidorm and I love the unique design of it and the fact that when ever I wear it; it'll always remind me of one of the best holidays I've ever had!

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Spotty Dotty

Wedding season is underway and I had the pleasure of attending one last weekend. My friend's Hev and Chris tied the knot in a lovely venue and it was so nice to meet up with some friends I've not seen in years!

Picking an outfit for an occasion like a wedding can sometimes be tricky because you have all these rules you're meant to follow and as we all know; rules are restrictive! One of the "rules" you should supposedly follow as a wedding guest is that you shouldn't wear black. Following rules is never fun so when I spotted this black mesh dress I knew I had to try it for this wedding.

I think the fact the dress is broken up with a white print and pleats and the fact I styled it with light accessories means that even though this was a summer wedding; the outfit doesn't look too dark and dreary.

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MONOCHROME WEDDING LOOKS

What are your thoughts on wearing black to a wedding?

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White Blooms

Hello, my name is Danielle and I am one of the worlds messiest eaters. Everything I eat, no matter what it is ends up on my *ahem* shelf. This makes wearing white clothes a little tricky for me as I end up covered in stains. You would think that after 29 years on this planet, I would have mastered the art of eating like an adult; but I just can't do it. This is a shame as I love white clothes and white accessories...I'm not sure if I've mentioned my white shoe addiction before?

If you are like me and everything ends up down your front, may I recommend a white dress, covered in brightly coloured florals? If you spill stuff, no one will notice...it's a genius manoeuvre. Thank me later.

I picked this dress up in the ASOS sale, I sized up due to the fact it is a fitted style, with no stretch and as I mentioned in my previous post; I had to have it as it's made out of cotton so I knew it would keep me cool when I went out to party whilst on holiday.

A note about 'Chub Rub' - lots of people ask me about how I cope with the dreaded chub rub. It's a horrid thing that affects many of us ladies (big and small) and my all time fave method to stop any rubbing is to wear shorts. My fave shorts are from M&S and they are Light Control Invisible Shaping Thigh Slimmer's. They only go up to a UK 22 sadly but they are my favourites, I wear them all year round and they are so smooth you never see them underneath even the tightest outfits.

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Let's get Trenched

It's no secret that I love bright/in your face outfits. I also love to mix things up a bit and try more casual/classic looks as well.

This Trench Coat from plus size brand, Elvi is the sort of staple piece everyone should have in their wardrobe. You can dress it down like I have in today's post or you can go glam and team it with some ridiculously high heels and a fitted dress.

I have only recently tried garments from Elvi and I have so far been very impressed. I live in my Tropical Print Top as it's so easy to throw on with some leggings and I have their gorgeous khaki Maxi Skirt waiting for me in my wardrobe. I like their attention to detail; the trench has all the classic style features like shoulder epaulets and gun flap on the front chest area. I sized up to a 22 in this style as I tried the 20 and found it was a little too tight on my upper arms. I don't normally have issues with my upper arms so bare that in mind if this is something you sometimes struggle with.

Photographs by David C Photography 

WHAT I'M WEARING 

Coat - Elvi

High Waisted Jeans - Simply Be 

Breton Stripe - old River Island similar here

Wedge heels - New Look 

Suede Bag - Asos similar here

Elvi have a sale on currently so if you fancied treating yourself to something; now is the perfect time! 

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*This post was sponsored by Elvi, but as ever all thoughts and opinions are my own

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Return of the Mac

So it's the beginning of the July and it should be the height of summer. We should all be lounging in parks, having bbq's and drowning ourselves in Pimms and Aperol but alas; it's the beginning of July and it's raining a lot, it's muggy and the sun seems to have disappeared.

Enter the need for a summer-time cover up that isn't bulky but still means you're covered and not exposed to the "elements". In the last few weeks, the launch of Phase Eight's plus size range, Studio 8 has been picking up momentum and after seeing some of the launch pieces in real life at their press day; it's great to see the site up and running and to be able to get my hands on some of their luxe pieces. Phase Eight is renowned for their sophisticated pieces, their attention to detail and great quality and they have some of the best occasion wear on the High Street - it's now time for us plus size gals to wear their premium and stylish clothing.

This beautiful Mac, is undeniably chic looking and it is such a good cross between a casual water fall jacket and a more structured, classic trench coat. With regards to the sizing, I would recommend picking your usual size or even sizing down as the coat comes up a little big. Give me brights and prints any day but I also love switching things up and sometimes I crave a neutral palette, I love the tone of this grey coat. I've got to admit, I felt kinda special in this outfit.

Photographs by David C Photography 

As much as I love my more quirky or casual outfits, I love dressing up and feeling like a slightly more sophisticated version of myself and I think this outfit is doing just that for me. The culotte jumpsuit is a totally different shape for me. I've never worn anything like it before but you know what? I love it! I like that it nips me in at the waist, shows off a little cleavage and the length is perfect for me as I like to wear things that fall just below the knee. In regards to fit, as with all New Look items, I have had to size up to a 24, even though I usually wear a size 20 so bare that in mind if you fancy buying one. The waist is elasticated so there is a lot of stretch in the jumpsuit.

What I'm wearing:

Mac - Studio 8 

Jumpsuit - New Look Inspire via ASOS

Silver Heels - old New Look similar here

Bag - old H&M similar here

Earrings - old New Look similar here

Have a peek at what Studio 8 are up to and let me know what you guys think. Anything they are missing or could improve on?

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*This post was sponsored by Studio 8 but as ever, all the opinions in this post are mine.

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Jumpsuit Joy

It's Friday - hurray! I wanted to show you all a comfy casual outfit today. Now if you have followed my blog for a while, you'll know that I hardly ever wear trousers or jumpsuits but in recent months I have been trying to push myself and wear things that are out of my comfort zone. I previously blogged about a black jumpsuit (here) and that was the first time I'd ever tried that sort of style and I love, love, love wearing that jumpsuit now.

When Fashionchick recently gifted me a box of treats, I saw they had included a *printed jumpsuit and at first I was a bit apprehensive about trying it on but once it was on; I felt so comfortable. You all know that I love putting individual garments together to create my outfits but sometimes you just want to throw on one item and be done with it!

You might be surprised to know that this jumpsuit is from Marks and Spencers and is available in their PLUS range in sizes 18 - 32 and you should check out what they have online because they have some lovely bits. You can also buy this particular jumpsuit from their main range as well.

I kept the accessories for the outfit relatively simple and teamed the jumpsuit with my new *Superga Silver Shoes, an old holographic fold over clutch from New Look and matte silver hoops from New Look.

Photographs by Gemma Bellfield 

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*Denotes a gifted item for review 

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