More than a handful : Rock your Rolls

Canny Fatshionistas, get yourself to Simply Be and check out their up to 70% off sale. Their delivery couriers might be a bit crap at times and you HAVE to open a credit account to shop with them - don’t agree with that myself - but they do still have some great bargains in their sale.

Brands Like Anna Scholz for and Joe Browns are a good investment. So have a look. I’m not a huge fan, and i’ve been shopping with them since 2003 and i have no end of problems with their crappy couriers Hermes , but you don’t live where i do (i hope) so you might get better service!

Their next day deliverys, on the 3 occaisions i have used them, all turned up over 3 days late. Save your money, plan in advance.

I’ve been doing a fair whack of shopping recently, in time for the summer holidays. I’ve had some good and bad experiences.

Trying to find a nice dress for the Simply Be event has been extremely hard. Most of the dresses i want, were out of stock and over 28 day delivery :( Poor material choice (stay away from viscose people… what the hell!) I eventually found a lovely size 24 Ruby Rocks BBQ dress .. bloody thing is just too big.

Ordered the 22… and well it fits but its shorter.. que hoochie tors!

My Yours experience was poor, the tights were actually ripped, the fit was appalling as were the material choices. Damn shame about the tights, i loved them!

Evans, i returned all the items bar a necklace and a belt i bought in their sale. Again, choice of materials, bra back sizes..

New look - great summer sandals for those with wide trotters. Some pretty but either too short (hoochie) or baggy dresses and some things designed for tweenagers.

Primark - got some fab little accessories and sunglasses (full uv), yes they will break in 3 weeks, but hey.

Simply Yours - some great fitted lingerie, absolutely NO complaints.

I’m not a girl to return clothes to stores, but believe me i have been doing a lot recently. So i am now giving myself a shopping respite and investigating the gems i already have.

My goal is now investing in belts (essential now due to weightloss) and accessories.. HELLO ASOS!

So, an exciting day for me today as i won a fashion competition on Facebook! 9 other woman and myself have won a trip to Londong, expense paid, a night in a lulla little hotel and then VIP attendance to the launch of Simply Be’s Autumn/Winter range at a breakfast event the following morning. Plus £150 to spend on any fashion we want.  

The question: Why do you think you should attend the Simply Be Launch of a brand new designer range?’.

My answer: 

I think you should consider me because i am a hard working fatty, who could do with being cut a break. I don’t lament being fat, short, pale skinned. I embrace it. I love cinched waists, big boobs and little feet (normally flats because with this much jiggle i might just fall over). I am all about dresses, long hair and cupid lips and Simply Be branded lines give me access to clothing with that something extra i want. Whether it is Frock & Frill’s ethereal floaty tea dresses, Joe Browns vibrant patterns or Rise’s glamorous Capella Maxi.. i just ♥ them! Beautiful, colourful and whimsical, we just make a good match. 

So on July 14th i will be in London town attending a fat-fashion-fest in my new frock. Oh and the first thing i did when i heard?? Well, like any good girl, i called my mother and told her to pick something nice out of my winnings xx

Ultimately, when it comes to clothes, we all differ in taste, style, finances and body shape. These 4 elements will influence where we want to and where we can shop for clothes we can wear. My advice on the online retailers above are wholly based on my experiences, my own standards and knowing what suits my shape. 

Therefore don’t be surprised that I did not include some of the well know fatty friendly online retailers such as Simply Be,Evans and New Look Inspire. Why? I simply don’t rate them for my taste and shopping experience.

Evans occaisionally have some good pieces, but they still lean towards frump, you really have to dig around. For the materials and work that is put in to their pieces, I consider them over price, still, if you can find a gem in their capsule designer ranges..

Simply Be… simply over priced, badly made and often badly styled. However, that said, for large larger ladies, it goes up to 32 on some lines and depending on your style and where you wear your chub, this might make it a lifesaver.  The Joe Brown line is good.. eccentric in places but excellent knitwear, however, their sizing is incredibly frugal.

New Look Inspire - I used to love some of the lines that came out of Inspire, but like Evans, they’ve gone down the frump/plain/no style/no cut road. Horrid choice of materials and nothing really innovative. They used to scale up some of their seasonal wear.. but well… seems this is now lost to nostalgia. Shame, they do great cheap shoes if you are stuck for a last minute outfit.

So arm and inform yourself. Research if they offer what you are looking for and have fun in experimenting your style. Chances are you have more design creativity than me and can style up pieces, how you want them, I want design to go. 

I have cakes to eat, Boyfriend to nibble, work and posts to write after all!

(PS - top advice is to check sites like MoneySuperMarket, VoucherCloud and GroupOn for discount codes)