Plus size fashion - is it that much different?

My best friend in the whole world is classed as plus size. I don’t know if I’d agree with that… sure, she is a little bit bigger, but I would just call her extremely curvy. Curvy in a very nice way – she’s got a proper hourglass shape. You could say I’m a little bit jealous actually… ;)

She has got a bum like an African lady (her own description), and quite a large bust, but with a tiny waist. This makes it quite difficult for her to find well-fitting clothes. When it comes to tops she can buy them in most stores, but when it comes to trousers and some dresses she sometimes has to buy them in the plus size section of a shop. She was a bit reluctant to this at first, but I’ve been with her on several shopping trips and we’ve both realised that the plus size range is not that much different from the stores’ normal collections. Plus size clothing has really improved a lot in the last few years, and gone are the dark baggy clothes that used to fill the shop shelves. Nowadays, plus size clothes are just the same as the current high street trends.

During the years my friend (who by the way is running her own fashion blog over at All Fashion Babble) has learnt to dress very well for her shape, and she really makes the most of it. She has been kind enough to share some of her tips and tricks with me. Let’s see if I can remember them all…

Marked waist

The key ingredient to a plus size outfit is to mark your waist. This enhances your bust but takes inches off your belly! Some great examples of garments that are perfect for this are these dresses above.

High waist

Another trick to make your belly look smaller is to wear trousers with a high waist. Again, this marks the waist, at the same time as it tucks in and hides the belly.

Flared skirts

A way of decreasing the look of your bum and upper thighs – wear dresses or skirts that are flared. But make sure to wear a tight top with it as your outfit will look too baggy and shapeless otherwise.

Layers

Wearing a layered outfit can also help marking and shaping your body in the right places. Again, make sure that the clothes aren’t too baggy, or you’ll just end up looking like a bag of potatoes!

Heels

Heeled shoes are great for making anyone get a better posture, and super sexy calves! Something that is very welcome in a plus size outfit. Stores like New Look even have a range of wide fit shoes available.

I just have to add that I’m so proud of my friend who during the last 6 months has managed to loose so much weight! She looks absolutely stunning now, and as well as looking slimmer she also looks a lot healthier.

The only pink thing I own

Although one of my favourite songs of all time is Aerosmith’s “Pink”, where they’re singing “Pink, it was love at first sight…” – this does not apply to me. Pink was not love at first sight for me. I’ve never actually liked pink, and I don’t think I’ve ever owned a pink piece of clothing. I was never a girly girl, but I was always a bit of a tomboy when I was a child. I inherited my older (male) cousin’s clothes up to the age of 10 or so, so you would always see me in denim shirts, etc. 

Anyhow, what I was getting to is that I now own something pink. I would still never dress in pink clothes, but it was love at first sight when I saw this necklace from designer brand Rirem. It has a clip on pendant in two pieces – a small spinnable ball in a cerise pink colour, with a flat and quite wide steel ring around it. What I like most about it is the message written on the steel ring; “THE REST OF YOUR LIFE STARTS TODAY”. 

I love this saying as it means you can’t sit around and wait for something to happen but you have to act today. It’s kind of like the famous motto of the dragonfly, which I also like a lot – “Seize the day”, or “Carpe Diem”.

Do you have a favourite saying or motto?

Mila Kunis in Miss Dior handbag campaign

I just watched “Friends with benefits” on TV the other day, starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, and it just struck me how beautiful she is! I’ve never really noticed it before, but she’s absolutely stunning! A natural beauty, and you could just drown in her big eyes. OK, OK… I admit it – another girl crush, just like last week with Blake Lively!

And then a couple of days ago I found out that Mila Kunis stars in Dior’s latest handbag campaign for Autumn 2012. I came across these amazing black and white photos of Mila looking very retro in the Miss Dior campaign. She has been styled by Carine Roitfeld, resembling a very chic starlet from the 1950’s Hollywood.

This isn’t Mila’s first collaboration with designer giant Dior, but she did her début in January this year for the Miss Dior Spring eyewear campaign.

Featured: Pretty Green fashion label by Liam Gallagher

I always find it quite exciting when celebrities have their own fashion collections. I know I mostly write about women’s fashion since that’s obviously more relevant to me, but every once in a while I choose to feature some men’s clothing as well. What has caught my eye recently is the brand by British rock artist Liam Gallagher (known from the rockband Oasis) – a perfect follow-up to my post about British fashion brands the other day. 

Liam started up his own fashion label Pretty Green a while back, and it has been nothing but success. He recently opened up his 11^th store in UK – here in Leeds actually, and it’s located in the fancy shopping centre Victoria Quarter (It’s one of those shopping centres you only sneak through cause it’s all so posh. Only looking, no touching!) He also just opened up his first international store in Tokyo, Japan. Good on you, Liam!

Pretty Green consists of two lines; Green Label, and Black Label (I’m kind of wondering if this has something to do with the famous whiskey Johnny Walker… or is this just because I used to be a bartender?) and these lines range pretty much every fashion item you can imagine. Everything from parkas and outerwear, to denim jeans and shirts, shoes, accessories… you name it! I especially like the eyewear collection.

Right at this moment online store Red Square is having a sale on Liam Gallagher’s Pretty Green clothing collection. Head over and have a look before it's too late! ;)

The art of clothes swapping

Just a short and sweet post where I want to express that second hand clothing is OK!

You don’t have to fork out on every piece of clothing you add to your wardrobe, but sometimes you can get things for free (and I’m NOT talking about shoplifting!)

If you live in Leeds or the surrounding areas you might have heard of Remade in Leeds. It’s a small shop in Hyde Park where they arrange a monthly clothes exchange event. You simply bring your unwanted garments, and you get to swap them for the same amount of “new” clothes. New in this sentence meaning someone else’s old clothes – but still new to you!

I think it’s a brilliant idea, and it reduces clothing waste at the same time as it’s a creative way of experimenting with your individual style

Last time I went I found this black halterneck dress with smocking around the middle and braided details around the décolletage. Not too bad, is it? It’s actually quite versatile.

 Next clothes exchange event is on Saturday 21^st of July (between 12.00-16.00).

Wear British brands with pride!

This year has been a very British year indeed; the Queen’s jubilee, the Euros, and now the Olympics are about to start. There have been many reason’s to support and be proud of this country, and people are not shy to show the world that they’re British. 

Some take it to the extreme though, wearing nothing but red, white and blue, and sometimes even with the Union Jack printed on their clothes – like a certain Spice Girls member from the 90’s…

I’ve seen Geri’s new Union Jack dress collection at Next, and it’s NOT pretty. I would say it looks quite tacky actually.

One way to show your support for Britain during the upcoming Olympics could simply be to wear British designed clothes. Homegrown brands such as Little Mistress, Oh My Love, Fever London or A Postcard From Brighton are brands to be proud of, and they’re easy to make a statement with without having to be too extreme. What do you think of the below homegrown garments?

I must say that Orla Kiely is my favourite alternative UK brand at the moment – a fabulous collection of crazy patterns and unusual materials that can be found at online store Zalando. I would be more than happy to wear anything from this line – although it is a little bit pricey…

Braided summery hairstyles

I got a little bit of a girl crush on Blake Lively when I first saw this photo of her with an amazing long fishtail braid. This is like the ultimate summer hairstyle, and it’s perfect both for a day on the beach and for a night out. I would never be able to achieve this gorgeous look with my locks though… my hair is fairly long, but far from long enough, and I’m guessing this style requires really thick hair as well – which I don’t have. My hair is just “normal” and quite boring… you can’t do much with it at all.

For special occasions I’ve sometimes thought I’d like to try hair extensions, but when I see them on other girls they sometimes look very fake. I’ve seen a lot of nice ones as well though, but I’m guessing they’re a bit pricier.

For this summer I wouldn’t mind trying out clip on ponytails to get Blake Lively’s look. Just check out this one from Hershesons hair accessories online store.

My hair looks very much like the “before” picture here, regarding both length and colour, so this clip on ponytail would probably be perfect for my hair!

I also love this summer hairstyle of Ashley Olsen. It’s a romantic looking updo that requires minimum effort – it’s supposed to look a bit loose with tresses hanging down and framing your face. If you don’t have hair long or thick enough to create this style you can simply use a braided hairband such as the one below.

I’ve sometimes used fake hair when putting up my hair in a bun. One of those scrunchy-types with curly hair on… know what I mean? It’s so simple to use when wanting to create a nice updo in no time at all.

Do you use hair extensions for special occasions or for going out, and if not – would you consider trying it?