Breton and Bling.

I did it. I FINALLY plucked up the courage to go on a little adventure with my SLR camera and take some outfit shots OUTSIDE. A miracle. You'll be totally shocked to know my camera was a Christmas present and since the 25th, I have used it three times. THREE TIMES! Yes, fellow bloggers will shudder at this. Last week I figured it was about time I took some decent outfit photos, ones that didn't involve the backdrop of the showroom at work! I'd been shopping so thought I'd show off my new purchases 'properly'.

Camo Jacket: Ebay

T-shirt: Topshop

Jeans: Simply Be

Bag: Marks and Spencer

Band rings: ASOS

How beautiful is this midi initial ring? I've been looking for one for ages and found this in Topshop for £4. I also bought (yet another) gorgeous statement necklace from Topshop. I'm loving the neon gems on the perspex.

Pumps: Kurt Geiger

I was also invited along to the So Fabulous blogger event last week but unfortunately I was spending my evening with Beyonce and I couldn't let her down, could I? The event looked like it was a huge success and I'm really impressed with the range which is available through Very and Littlewoods. I often find it difficult as a plus size girl to branch out of my comfort zone when shopping online. Lets face it, shopping on the high street can be difficult which is why I tend to fill my baskets online. The So fabulous range has some really gorgeous stuff and I've purchased a few bits from them before including some pleather leggings and lace peg trousers. I'm eyeing up this beautiful Ombre Sequin Dress next that you can see the lovely Callie modelling here.

On another note - it's FIVE DAYS until my holiday. I'm off on a little road trip with three of my friends  driving from San Francisco to LA and then Las Vegas. I've been to Vegas twice before but never to San Fran or LA so if any of you have any recommendations, do share!

A big congrats to Emily Rousell who was the winner of my ASOS competition too!

She's a Trainer Girl.

If like me you're tall, you'll do your best to avoid wearing high heels most of the time. I own around 4 pairs of heels in total and the rest of my footwear consists of brogues, ankle boots and trainers. I'm definitely a trainer girl and unless I'm off on a night out with the girls, I'll always choose to wear trainers. My converse collection currently stands at nine pairs and a while ago I invested in my very first pair of Nike Air Max. Obviously I didn't go for a standard pair, I needed floral ones of course. With trainers being such a massive trend right now it seemed a good time to put together my favourite picks from Nike. I'm also doing Race For Life in June so need to invest in some sensible trainers so now is as good a time as any, right?

Nike Blazer Mid Suede

Nike Dunk Sky Hi

Nike Roshe Run

Nike Roshe Run

Nike Air Max 1 Vintage

Nike Flyknit 1+

You can view the full collection at JD Sports.

Have A Nice Day.

I *may* have bought this Marcus Lupfer tee for my Mum as a birthday present and stolen it to wear myself this morning. Ooops! There's just something about the neon pink sequins that screamed "wear me" this morning, plus it's always nice to tell strangers to "have a nice day" right? You can shop the full Marcus Lupfer at ASOS collection here. Speaking of ASOS, the fabulous people over at Appliances Online have given me the chance to offer one of my lovely readers an £80 ASOS voucher. All you need to do is leave a comment telling me how you'd spend £80 on ASOS and you'll be entered into a draw. The winner will be chosen on Saturday at midday and announced on my blog.

If you need some inspiration, here's how I'd spend £80 on ASOS.

And here's me in my (my Mum's) Marcus Lupfer tee.

Blazer: ASOS

T-Shirt: Marcus Lupfer

Jeans: Simply Be

Pumps: New Look

Necklace: Zara

Please note the ASOS giveaway is for UK residents only. Don't forget to leave me your email address too.

Good Luck!

NEWS: Maria Francesca Pepe at Amazon.co.uk

If I was a millionaire, I'm pretty sure every penny I had would be spent on jewels. There is no greater thing in my mind than jewellery (ok, maybe Ryan Gosling but since he's committed to Eva we'll leave that there). I'm not talking dainty jewels from Tiffany and Co. (although when I was eighteen I would have spoken differently) I'm talking big, bold statement pieces that really make people stare. One of my favourite jewellery designers Maria Francesca Pepe range is now available to buy on amazon.co.uk so next time you're downloading that book for your kindle, why not shop the jewellery section which stocks other designers such as Mawi, Dinny Hall and Tatty Devine?

Inspired by British avant-garde and realised by Italian artisans, Maria gains inspiration from the thriving artistic scene, which compliments her creativity and predisposition for art and music. I've chosen my personal favourites from the designer below - I absolutely love these rose gold pieces and think a purchase of the Cubin Zircon Earrings needs to be made asap.

Lapis Lazuli Heart Stone Ring £152

 Black Agate Cuff £170

Lapis Lazuli Pendant Necklace £162

Triangle Charm Earrings £70

Crystal Stud and Spike Ring £85

Shop the full collection here at Amazon.co.uk

HERO

Another day, another slogan t-shirt. Today's is this 'HERO' tee from Own The Runway. How perfect is the mint for this gorgeous weather that's made an appearance recently? Be warned though - it's back to wind and rain come Friday so another two days of getting your legs out girls (please though - not the daisy dukes with your bum cheeks hanging out).

I've never shopped on Own The Runway before and was very kindly sent this t-shirt from the lovely people at Snow PR. Although most pieces only go up to a size 14, the oversized tops work well on a larger frame so definitely give them a try. I've got my eye on this next. May have to make a purchase and add it to my holiday wardrobe (which FYI is growing everyday!).

T-shirt: Own The Runway

Jacket: Vintage

Jeans: Simply Be

Shoes: Topshop

Necklace: Primark

Project/D London for Simply Be

When I first heard Danni Minogue was collaborating on a range with Simply Be I was sceptical to what I might find. Turns out, I wasn't disappointed AT ALL. The collection of nine dresses, a shrug and two tunic tops is the brands first plus size collection. Danni's range received an incredible amount of press the first time around and it's great the designer is now branching into plus size fashion and what better way to collaborate than with Simply Be?

Myself and four other bloggers were asked to choose between the Liberty Dress and the Carnegie Strappy dress. I absolutely loved both. The Liberty dress is a gorgeous print of the New York skyline and the perfect summer evening dress, however I felt I could style the Carnegie a lot more. With my holiday coming up, this is going to be my go-to summer dress and is also perfect for the festival season. I opted for the white and added some really bright accessories and studded ankle boots.

I would suggest sizing up on this. Although there is an elasticated back the waist line is quite fitted due to the under skirt having no give at all. Although I love the dress bared legged, I do wish it was slightly longer. This falls just below my knees and I'm 5"8. I'm eager to try this as an evening dress too with wedges and blazer but to me if feels much more of a day dress and will definitely be coming on holiday with me!

Dress: Project/D London at Simply Be (gifted)

Leather Jacket: Simply Be

Ankle Boots: Topshop

Necklace: Accessorize

Rings: Accessorize and Topshop

Check out the way the other bloggers styled the dress here:

Em www.boombands.blogspot.com

Lauren www.pocketrocketfashion.com

Wendy www.52-46-54.blogspot.co.uk

Georgina www.cupcakesclothes.com

China Print.

I'm becoming slightly obsessed with oversized sheer shirts at the moment. I purchased this beautiful china print shirt from Topshop a few weeks ago (or to use its correct name; toile). I then walked into Primark and saw an overload of toile print on dresses, skirts, tops and bought this beautiful sheer number below. I'm in love.

I realise I haven't even featured these A-MAZING Topshop cowboy boots before. I love the gold toe cap on the front and the berry tones. Beaut! They aren't online anymore but there's some similar ones here. And then there's the jeans. I'd been searching high and low for some ripped jeans and gave the New Look Inspire ones I go but they were just a bit too wide in the leg for me so ended up finding these babies on Very and a bargain at £22!

Shirt: Primark

Jeans: Very.co.uk

Necklace: Tatty Devine

Boots: Topshop

Rings: ASOS

Céline (Dion)

I'm seriously loving all the novelty slogan tees that are around at the moment. You know me, sucker for a tee and an even bigger sucker for one with a slogan. I picked up this Céline copy from Etsy a week ago - a bargain at £7.99 and teamed it my BEAUTIFUL jacket from Monsoon.

Necklace: New Look 

T-Shirt: Etsy

Jacket: Monsoon

Skirt: Style 369

Boots: Topshop

Rings: ASOS

A Love Letter to ASOS Curve

I don't think I've ever been so passionate about a plus brand than ASOS Curve. Recently in London and New York the team held a High Summer Preview and I was one of those people screen grabbing everything I wanted so I'm ready to pounce on the site once it all hits (some of it's already online) GOODBYE PAYDAY WAGE! The thing is with ASOS, they know what the plus size community are looking for. Literally, every single piece is amazing. It's fast, forward fashion and I don't feel like I have to wait ages for a trend to become accessible to someone my size. You know what's even more incredible? The Curve buyers. I regularly tweet the ASOS Curve team and they are more than happy to listen to my views or answer any questions I have. I've seen them interacting with bloggers on twitter and taking notice of what we like and dislike.

The fact that Curve have started holding these kind of events for bloggers and magazines is just amazing. It gets us excited about the new season and they aren't showcasing a bunch of frumpy and boring clothes. Everything they produce - I want to wear! The colours, materials and copies of catwalk pieces make them my favourite destination for plus size fashion. Honestly, my wardrobe is probably 70% ASOS and 30% Simply Be. These are the only retailers I feel at the moment and creating cool pieces for the plus size community. I've chosen some of my favourite pieces from the lookbook below but I just wanted to say thank you to the ASOS Curve team for making such amazing pieces for us and knowing exactly what it is that we want to wear.

Mixed Print Bomber Jacket £45

Denim Dress £40

Cutwork Embroidery Top £30

Dungarees £38

Floral and Stripe Shirt

Lace Dress

Embroided Dress - Snapped from Bethany's instagram

ASOS High Summer selection - Snapped from Gabi's instagram

Can I just bring your attention to the yellow maxi dress? Incredible.

Bravo ASOS Curve, Bravo.

My Avenue 32 Wishlist

If there's one thing I enjoy other than physically shopping, it's window/online shopping. There's no better feeling than adding some items to an online basket whilst waiting for payday to arrive (this is my current situation). I was delighted when the people over at Avenue 32 contacted me to ask if I'd put together my own wish list from the site. Similar to Net-a-Porter and The Outnet I spent a good while browsing the site and checking out their many designers. You'll find main stream designers on there such as Giles Deacon, Felder Felder and Calvin Klein plus lots of incredible jewellery designers like Maria Francesca Pepe, Lara Bohnic and Zara Simon.You know what a magpie I am for jewellery and Avenue 32 has an incredible range from statement art deco to fine, delicate pieces.

I've put together my wish list below, be warned this isn't a website to visit without (a few) pennies in the bank. My favourite pieces include the Giles jacquard full black skirt and the doll print scarf. These would look amazing with a white slogan tee and a pair of creepers. A girl can dream right?

This is a featured/paid post via Forward 3D. All text is my own and images used are via www.avenue32.com

Where for art thou, Spring?

It might be cold and I may still be walking to work with mascara streaming down my face because it's so windy and my eyes constantly water but today I decided to whip out a brand new pair of floral trousers from Very in the hope of Spring making a swift return. I actually think it may have worked as the sun has actually appeared this afternoon. I'm ashamed to say yet ANOTHER pair of printed trousers have made it into my wardrobe but I couldn't not pop these into my basket while browsing the site last week and at only £25! I went for a monochrome shirt and these gorgeous purple pointed heels for yet another pop of colour with them.

Shirt: Simply Be

Trousers: South at Very.co.uk

Shoes: Love Label at Very.co.uk

Black gem rings: ASOS

Bangles: Nelly.com, Accessorize and Mel's Boutique

Necklace: Nelly.com

REVIEW: Simply Be Military Jacket

A few weeks ago the lovely Hanna emailed me to ask if I wanted to review the Military Jacket for Simply Be with her and a couple of my other favourite bloggers and of course I jumped at the chance. Simply Be sent us all this lightweight camouflage jacket and it's safe to say I love it. What with this horrendous cold weather it's perfect for layering up underneath a big winter coat and keeping you warm.

With a button fastening and two large side pockets, the jacket also comes with a drawstring waist so if you want to give yourself more shape and clinch in the waist you can. It's a perfect length and I'd go one size up and wear slightly oversized . I wore mine with a floral shirt to tackle some clashing prints and my amazing Chloe jeans (also from Simply Be).

Jacket: Simply Be

Floral shirt: ASOS

Jeans: Simply Be

Shoes: Topshop

Chanel necklace: Costume from Portobello Road

Bracelets: Nelly.com, Accessorize, Mel's Boutique.

Head over to see how Naomi, Hanna and Sian wore theirs.

Smartening Up.

In my quest to start wearing things that are in my wardrobe and remain unworn, I picked out this Simply Be white shirt this morning which I bought well over 2 months ago and was still sitting in there with the tags on! I've raved before about how amazing I find Simply Be jeans and I'm wearing some boyfriend ones with the shirt today and a floral blazer from River Island. Office chic shall we call this look? I'm rarely seen in a shirt so this makes a nice change, and of course, some sparkle was added in the form of these lace up diamante Topshop pumps.

Blazer: River Island

Shirt: Simply Be

Boyfriend Jeans: Simply

Shoes: Topshop

Necklace: Zara

Rings: Primark and Kenneth Lane

Payday Treat

This gloomy weather is having a serious effect on my outfit choices lately. All I want to do is keep warm and throw on layer upon layer. Well, not today. I needed to add a little sunshine to my outfit and this was done through my new neon and lace top from ASOS Curve. There's nothing quite like a flash of neon to give an outfit some life. I was actually reading one of Monica's post (Monica writes The Elgin Avenue and is one of my favourite bloggers) and found some inspiration through one of her outfit posts. 

Blazer: Issey Miyake

Lace and Neon Top: ASOS Curve

Jeans: Simply Be

Necklace: New Look

Bag: Vintage Chanel

Scarf: Alexander McQueen

I've posted about these beautiful heels before. I found them at a car boot in Battersea where I visited for the first time with the lovely Jazmine. I love the gold elephant details on the heel and pointed toes. A perfect heel height for someone who avoids stilettos too!

In regards to the title of this post, I was a little naughty today. When I say a little, I actually mean VERY. I've been eyeing up the Brian Lichtenburg 'Homies' jumpers for ages and today (I mean, it IS payday) I purchased one from Browns on South Molton Street. I fear I may regret this with a 2 week holiday to San Fran, LA and Vegas still to pay for, but hey - a girls got to treat herself every now and again!