Liebster Award #2

I've been nominated for another Liebster Award, this time by the lovely Tanya.  I love these posts and they are an easy way to get to know a little more about a variety of bloggers. Showing your appreciation for blogs and discovering new ones in the process!

Onto the questions..

1. Favourite city and why?

New Orleans. When I was 18 I packed off on my own for two weeks, staying in a youth hostel a short tram ride from the centre. I had timed my trip well as they had only just reinstated the trams. I was also very fortunate in my timing as I visited in July and in the September Hurrican Katrina hit. I was blessed to experience the last summer before the travesty. 

New Orleans felt like a dream, like a living story. Walking through sleepy streets with their beautiful colonial french architecture, the low ornate balconies dripping with ivy and wisteria, only to gaze up into the distance and see towering skyscrapers of the city ahead. Old men, their hats tipped over their eyes to shield from the sun, sitting on corners and filling the air with amazing jazz music. 

I wish I had planned better and saved enough money to go on a swap trip and I missed visiting the Garden District. 

Maybe one day I'll go back.

2. What people, dead or alive, would you invite to a dinner party?

Tough one. Neil Fallon, lead singer of Clutch. Mostly so I could sit there and fizz my pants off but also because he's a seemingly very smart and erudite person who would tell wonderful stories, or talk about a topic he's passionate about and make it really interesting. Plus his speaking voice is so delicious. Did I mention he's bloody gorgeous? Sigh. What was the question again?

Tarja Turunen and Vibeke Stene so they could sing for us at the table and make me cry. 

Stuart Lee because he makes me laugh until it hurts. 

3. Biggest fashion faux pas? (pictures if possible)

My whole teenage years were a fashion faux pas. As a fat goth I was extra cringy. I mean everyone did the oversized jeans and band shirts but we all overstepped the mark wth dog collars.

4. What started you blogging?

Peer pressure! Ha, I went to my first Plus North a couple of years ago and everyone there said I should start one. So I did! It hasn't come very naturally to me but it's been mostly fun!

5. Where would you like to see the PS community in the next 5 years?

I want to see us demanding more choice from brands, demanding better representation from brands. I want us to hold people accountable for the shitty/racist/sexist/bigoted things they say and do, but with a view for growth. I want us to be more inclusive, less flat stomach curvy hour glasses, more disabled/poc/trans representation and support. I'm not saying we don't have those people involved but there's room for everyone so let them in. So, not a lot!

6. Biggest pet hate?

Only one? Oh man. Ok, well I guess willful ignorance. Everyone fucks up, says the wrong thing or does something thoughtless but to refuse to acknowledge your mistakes or your privilege in society is what makes all the difference. There's a lot of shitty stuff happening in the world that doesn't happen to you but make yourself aware, educate yourself. 

7. Your motto to live by?

"Be just, and fear not." --Wolsey scene ii, Henry VIII by Shakespeare. 

I got a tattoo with it, mostly because it really struck me. But as time has passed it's become more and more relevant to me. Don't be afraid to do the right thing, even if it isn't always the most popular decision. 

8. What piece of advice would you give your teenage self?

Fuck 'em. They don't matter. They don't matter now and they never will. Their words will become ashes on your tongue. Read more, take better care of your skin. Maybe don't cut your hair that short.


The nominees...

Just Me, Leah
Lolly Likes
Rad Fat Feminist
Kitty Rambles A Lot


The questions..

1. What was your favourite subject in school?
2. You're on death row, what is your final meal?
3. What song gets you singing in the shower?
4. Your proudest moment?
5. Set yourself a goal for the coming year.
6. What did you want to be when you grew up?
7. If you won the lottery what would the first thing you did?


* Link back to the blogger that nominated you.
*Answer the questions
*Nominate other blogs
*Create answers to be published
*Notify all your nominees once published

Halloween Love

It's coming up to one of my favourite times of year. Halloween brings a lot of expectations of crisp, Autumn days with the trees turning red and gold, pumpkins glowing in windows. Growing up in the north this was not often the case and more often than not it meant rain, rain, and more rain.

Living in the East Midlands the weather is milder which means there is more opportunity for cute clothes that aren't hidden under waterproofs!

Here are some spooky threads I am loving at the moment!

Halloween Cats Midi Skirt by Interrobangirl

I follow Interrobangirl on Instagram and it's just a constant source of want.

Everything is handmade and she offers a custom service and sizes go upto a 36 instore!

Dem Bonez Bodycon Dress by Topsy Curvy

Recently modelled by Betty Pamper I love this spooky little number and would be cute to wear with some killer heels (ha, geddit?!)

Frankenstein Cardigan by Baned Apparel

Lolly Likes recently posted an OOTD on her blog wearing this with a darling skeleton dress and she looked amazing. You can check it out here. In fact, just checkher blog out in general for some recent amazing Halloween outfits.

Banned Apparel don't have a store themselves but you can find stockists with a quick Google. 

Cleaver Clutch by Kreepsville 666

Ok this bag is seriously awesome. Sold out on the website but a quick Google shows there are plenty of other stockists!

Bat Hair Adornments by JanineBasil

 I LOVE these so much they've gone on my Christmas list. There's 36 colours you can choose from!

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I hope you liked my spooky pickin's! 

Anything got you shaking?

High Five!

Recently Everything5Pounds had an offer of free shipping with a £25 spend. In the mood to shop, I filled up my basket. I bought 5 items, though sadly one of them was no good. Not due to sizing but rather because it looked nothing like it did in the photo and the colours were not to my taste. So 4/5 aint bad!

Three of my five purchases are all in this outfit post!

Firstly the crotchet collar dress in a lovely chocolate colour. The material is substantial without being too heavy, so it's ideal for a transitional outfit that you can layer up with a cardigan and thick tights or leggings as it gets cooler. It's loose without being flimsy.

As you can see the sizing is generous on account of the material being stretchy. I'm wearing a 26, which is perfect for me, but you could certainly size up or down depending on the kind of fit you wanted. 

You may have noticed the boots I'm wearing. A bootleg (Ha, geddit?! I'm so sorry.) version of Dr Martens  but with a slight platform bottom. When I got them out of the box I thought there was no way in buggery they'd fit my calves with also having a side zip. I am happy to report I was wrong. For only a fiver even if they fall off my feet within 6 months it won't have been a huge loss. 

But boots that fit me, for a fiver? I'll take that!

Completing my look is this adorable satchel. It's a little snug inside so not very useful for much beyond your phone, purses, and diaries, but again for such a cheap price you can't go wrong.

Have you had a bargain haul lately? 

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One rule for one?

I wanted to share this here and get some feedback to see if it would abate my annoyance or reassuree I'm not being unreasonable.

I've just been on the Lady Vintage instagram when I saw this:

What's happening here is that due to a high demand the Lyra dress from the Lady Voluptous range (Lady Vintage's plus size range) is now being offered to Lady Vintage customers in their 'straight sizes'. 

Needless to say I'm pissed off.

Before I go any further I want to make it very clear that this isn't an 'us vs them' situation and I'm not wanting to 'keep' this for us fatties but I can't count the number of times I've commented on brands social media begging them to do them in larger sizes, and it NEVER happens. The fact that Lady Vintage did a seperate line with unique dresses shows that fat customers aren't able to wear their lines. 

I find it baffling that Lady Vintage seemingly stop certain dresses at a 20, others at a 24, then make a wholly seperate line just for 16+.

If you are willing to make plus size lines smaller then you should be making smaller lines for bigger customers.

Your straight sized customers already have a larger choice compared to us and tet you offer them even more?

 What am I missing here? Surely with the success of the Lady Voluptuous line they can see that the need is there.

I love this brand. But there have been countless times when I've had an email from them declaring a new dress range, only to click the link and see they stop at a 20.

Why are we not opening up the whole lot to EVERYONE?

Thoughts?

Heritage Collection from Yours Clothing

It's been donkeys since I walked into a store and came out with something. I'd popped over to my nearest Yours Clothing store to pick an online order up and was having a nosy around at some of the new autumn stock when I spotted this gorgeous longline tunic from their Heritage Collection.

Straight up the last thing I thought I'd find myself leaving with. I don't tend to vibe with florals but I loved the colours. It's got a great mix of autumnal colours with splashes of red, forest green, and orange. It's got a really great 70's vibe to it. 

As I'm a bit of a short arse I'm rocking this as a cute little baby doll. 

It's super roomy too. I'm generally a 26 but, typically, that was literally the only size they didn't have. So I sized down and I'm kinda glad I did. 

Also Dr Martens because I'm a 90's babydoll, ok?

Anything you have your eye on in Yours?

The Curve Fashion Festival 2015 (part 2)

In this post I wanted to focus a little more on the festival itself. It's more than obvious I had a great time. But what was actually going on?

The event was held at the Manchester Central Convention Complex. As the space is designed to hold events like this there was a noticable different to previous events I had attended, mostly the space. There were wider areas to walk around. However a lot of the stalls were bunched together and it felt a bit like a Christmas market. If you stopped to talk to someone there was soon a bit of a jam with people struggling to get past.

There was a great mix of brands; high end and high street to independent companies. Not just clothing either! There was jewellery, a photography studio, artists, and my favourite: a spa treatment tent offering massages, manicures, and pedicures from as little as £5! After a long day on my feet my foot massage was a life saver!

Andrew Wood Photography had a little pop up studio for you to strike a pose!

With it being such a long day seating and refreshements are pretty important and these were provided with a pop up shop offering sandwiches and hot pasties, as well as fresh fruit, and hot and cold drinks. The seating was ok, but given that this was an event catering to bigger people I think it might have been appreciated to provide better seating than flimsy metal chairs with arms. Not so easily accessible for everyone. But it was certainly appreciated to have a space to take a breather and catch up with friends.

Also importantly was everything was on one level, including the toilets, and they were situtated just outside the conference room which was better for disability access and not wandering around a labyrinth and missing out on all the fun! 

The catwalk felt quite inaccessable for many that had paid. It was situated quite far back and unless you were lucky to get the side seats you were standing up at the back just to get a look. This was disappointing as attendees were charged to view the catwalks and I felt the layout should have been fairer. 

Speaking of the catwalk, this part of the event was the only real disappointment for me. Considering this was an event to celebrate plus size and curvy people the models used by every single brand were thin (and predominantly white too.) Very disappointing that brands who are happy to take our money refuse to use our bodies to represent them. 

No shade to the models who were all beautiful and just doing their jobs, but I felt it was inappropriate and a bit of slap in the face to have a whole day dedicated to the plus size, only to be let down this way. 

Needless to say I didn't attend the second catwalk. 

Thankfully this was the only real let down. The day was a roaring success and a great time had by all. I hope it continues to be a bigger, better event for years to come.

Did you go? What did you enjoy most?