Simply Be Trend

Hey!

There are a few good trends out there for Autumn/Winter 2013, and Simply Be have got two great ones for you.  

Simply Be gave me the chance to pick an outfit from these collections to wear as a 'date night' outfit. As soon as I saw the jacket in the 'Flirty 50's' I knew that had to be part of it! So, here is what I ended up with :)

Animal Jacquard Boyfriend Blazer £45 (here - and on sale for £27 right now!) 

Floral Printed Doll Dress £45 (here)

Box Clutch Bag with Metal Clasp and Detachable Chain £25 (here)

Slate tights - Marisota

Black pumps - Evans

I went for a clash of prints, but I really think it works well. The dress is so pretty for me, in fact, it is my first floral print dress, and I have to say that I love it. I have been on the look out for another 'day dress' than my two ASOS skater dresses, and this is it! Here is a little close up of the fabric...

And it's also a great length for me! It's longer than my other 'day dresses' so I managed to get away with wearing it with tights, which I was so pleased with!

The jacket is so light and comfortable, and I loved the pattern. I described it as giraffe print, but black and white. It has 3/4 length sleeves with turn-ups and is a great length. I can't wait to style this with soooooo many things!

Lastly, is the cute little box clutch bag. It is available in Black and Ivory, and I went for the Ivory as all I seem to own is black clutch bags! I love it's detachable chain, which means you can take it from being a little hand held clutch to a bag over your shoulder.

This is such a cute little bag and I am so pleased I picked it in the ivory as it looks stunning with the gold edging. 

You can check out the trend collection here.

Beka x

DEA London Coat

Hey guys!

In June, Mike and I went to the launch of Dea London's A/W13 range on a rooftop in London on one of the hottest days of the year! You can read about the event here. So, I was lucky enough to win a prize draw on the day, and my prize was one of their amazing coats from the A/W13 collection.

After the event was over, the designer Jelena Fehmi took me to one side and took some measurements so that my coat would be custom fit just for me. I got to choose where I wanted the coat to come down to, and where the pockets would be, so it was all completely my choice :)

So yesterday, it arrived! I couldn't wait to try it on...and I wasn't disappointed!

It is so lovely! I felt so warm in it, it is lined and fit me perfectly! It has a pretty lace-style detail on the collar and sleeves, which I love! In the picture above, I have the sleeves down fully, but you can roll them over and you can see the detail....

Then there are the two little cords that hang down from the collar....you give them a tighten and then the collar becomes more like a built in scarf!! It is so comfy :)

I love it! And I am so happy that I get to own a piece from this wonderful collection. You can find their whole collection here.

Beka x

Five Question Friday - Hollie

Hey!

This week on Five Question Friday, I have been asking questions to the lovely Hollie @ Pretty Big Butterflies.

1. What do you buy the most - clothes, shoes or accessories?

This is so difficult. At one point it was always shoes and jewellery. Being classified as 'plus-size' it used to be really hard getting fashionable clothing. But now more and more shops are stocking up to a size 20, as well as online brands really making headway, I have to say I am a clothes addict.

I feel bad because my boyfriends wardrobe has been banished to the spare room as I have literally take over our bedroom!

2. What is your favourite way to wear your hair?

I have recently been introduced to the love of hair doughnuts. I love wearing them to work! they make any outfit look that bit more classy and professional. (My fave outfit is a peplum top, pencil skirt and my hair in a bun with the help of a doughnut).I struggle to do them though so any tips are much appreciated!

3. What is the one essential item in your wardrobe you can't live without?

I have 2! Sorry to cheat. But leggings are a MUST! Literally pull on and go. I wear them around the house as loungewear but they can be dressed up with boots and a jumper dress which is going to be one of my staples as we head into Autumn.  I also can't live without skinny jeans. I can wear them with anything and everything. They are just a casual staple that are a MUST in my wardrobe. (The Bailey Range from Dorothy Perkins are the best I have found).

4. What is the last piece of clothing you bought?

Now there is a question. The fact I got paid last week doesn't help. I bought a gorgeous coat from Simply Be. It's a little bit pricey but I don't mind paying more for a staple item that is going to get a lot of use! Plus I know the fit would be decent and the quality would be good. 

 It has a PU trim with a diagnal zip design. It looks great and will keep me warm! I sized up because you always need room for the chunky knits when it gets cold! I haven't had a chance to wear it so bring on the cold days please!

5. If you could go anywhere in the world on holiday, where would it be, and who would it be with?

My dream holiday is Barbados. The sun, sea, sand, tranquillity, food! Just imagine the sunsets and the clear water.... such a contrast to the busy streets of London.  take me now!I would go with my boyfriend (If I didn't he wouldn't let me live it down!). I had my dream holiday 2 years ago when I went to New York for the Christmas holidays. We arrived on boxing day and stayed until after New Years Eve. It was the best week of my life I can't even describe it. Everything came straight out of a movie from the crazy taxi drivers to the shop assistant in Bloomingdales pointing at me and saying ''OMG That bag is sooooooo cute!''.

I literally left a piece of my heart in New York.

I would love to go to New York at some point in my life. Everyone that goes there seems to love it! I would have to see a Broadway show :) 
A big thank you to Hollie for taking part and answering my questions, and if you haven't already, you can check out her blog here.

See you again next week!!

Beka x

OMCZ #17

Hey friends!

This time on Outside My Comfort Zone, we have gone for a 'free' challenge. So we get to set our own little challenge to show anything we want to :) 

So this time I wanted to share with you a sneak peak of a dress I will be featuring in a post next week...

If you had of told me a year ago that I would wear a flowery print dress....and like it, I would have laughed in your face! But now, with the help of all of the wonderful women I have come in contact with through blogging and Twitter, I now own one of those dresses! Don't get me wrong, I do like it, but there is still part of me that feels like I shouldn't be wearing it, but you know what, I like it :)

Check out the other ladies taking part in the OMCZ challenge.

Stephanie http://www.seeingsp0ts.blogspot.co.uk
Leah http://www.justmeleah.blogspot.co.uk
Mary http://www.marysbigcloset.blogspot.pt
Becky http://www.doesmyblogmakemelookfat.com
Rachel http://www.adressisforlife.com/
Natalie http://awheelbarrowfullofstyle.blogspot.co.uk/
Nikki http://www.nattynikki.blogspot.co.uk/
Rebs http://sullen-hearts.blogspot.co.uk/
Verena http://aplussizefashionobsession.blogspot.de/
Vicky www.TheCurvedOpinion.com
Rebecca http://theplussideofme.com
Hollie Http://www.prettybigbutterflies.com

Sabina http://www.femmefatalexsabina.blogspot.de/

Beka x

Wrapping up warm

Hey!

As the Great British weather changes from crazy hotness, to pretty darn coldness, we all need to be prepared for it. So I decided that I needed to have a good look at some coats as I don't have a decent warm coat to do the school runs in..... last year I managed with just a waterproof, but I left it a little late to find myself a nice warm winter coat. So, being good, I have looked through some of my favourite websites and picked out some coats that took my fancy :)

1. Lovedrobe Grey Fur Trim Hooded Duffle Coat - £75

2. Evans Grey Hooded Wax Jacket - £69.50

3. Evans Black Zip Peter Pan Coat - £59.50

4. Yours Purple Faux Fur Trimmed Hood Duffle Coat with Toggle Fastening - £55

5. Bon Prix Fishtail Parka - £39.99

As you can see, I have a few different styles that I like, I'm not quite sure which one I like the most, but I hope to get one soon :)

Are you ready for the winter weather?

Beka x

Five Question Friday - Nancy

Hey everyone!

Welcome back to Five Question Friday! I am so happy to bring you some more lovely ladies whose blogs/vlogs I love! So bringing this feature back in style is the gorgeous blogger Nancy @ Sugar, Darling?

1.Which celebrity's style do you admire the most?

Dita Von Teese is my absolute style idol. I don't think she has ever worn anything that I haven't loved and her dedication to beauty is unrivalled - I've never seen a photo where she didn't look lovely, not even a papped one!

2. What was the last piece of clothing you bought?

The last thing I bought was a sparkly blue dress from Excite Clothing that features a cut out collar which is just adorable. I've just changed jobs and wanted something special for my night out with my old colleagues and this fit the bill perfectly.

3. What beauty product could you not live without?

This is a real toughy because I'm pretty addicted to make-up and beauty products... I'd have to say black eyeliner though as I wear a cat eye style look on my eyes every day and have done since the age of about 14! My current favourite is 'Liner Pinceau' by Bourjois - it has great staying power and a nice thin brush perfect for applying a perfect flick.

4. What are you 'go-to' shoes for a night out?

I have to admit that I am really not confident in heels but I love the shape they give your calves, so I pretty much always wear my favourite leather ankle boots that my boyfriend bought me from Evans last year. They have a bit of a heel but aren't too high so I can stay in them all night and they look great with black tights and pretty much any dress.

5. What is your favourite film and why?

There are two I just can't decide between - How To Marry a Millionaire and Blade Runner. They both feature amazing costume and set design but are completely different genres. They both have wonderful scripts that compliment the visuals wonderfully but in very different ways. 

HTMAM stars Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall so is a real classic beauty all star movie - the costumes are stunning and Marilyn looks amazing in her sparkly cat eye glasses! The ladies all have some great one-liners, it's a great heart-warming comedy for a lazy afternoon in.

Blade Runner is a really stylish film set in futuristic Los Angeles - the plot line is really hard to explain briefly so you'll just have to give it a watch. One of the main characters Rachael has an incredible wardrobe of 1920's-1940's style clothes with a futuristic twist. I got to see one of her outfits in person at the V&A in January as part of the Hollywood Costumes exhibition and it was even more stunning in person!

I want to say a massive thank you to Nancy for answering my questions, and now I really feel I need to watch How To Marry A Millionaire! If you haven't already checked out her blog, you can find it here. It's amazing, she has great style, brilliant taste, and she is stunning! Check her out :-)

See you next week!

Beka x

The Long And Tall Of It - Dresses

Hey there!

This is the first in a series of posts in collaboration with my lovely tall twin Kim @ Call Me Kim. 

We have met a few times now, and each time we have ended up discussing our difficulties in finding clothes to fit us properly. We both love how much the 'plus size' market has grown in the last few years, but we feel that there is currently a large gap in the plus size market for longer lengths and we are often forced to make things 'work' instead of wearing it as it was originally designed to be worn.  Often, we're asked by other bloggers or readers for tips on how to combat these issues - as there seems to be little advice from brands in store.

First up, I wanted to talk about dresses.....

This is one of my favourite dresses! It is from ASOS Curve and I bought it in July. I loved the print, the style, the sleeve length and love the way it looks on me. My only criticism is the length. In the picture above, I am wearing leggings with the dress, and that is my 'go-to' way to wear this dress.

Here I am wearing the dress with black tights for my birthday. I really didn't want to wear leggings, so I went for tights instead, but it was rather short! I had to make sure I didn't bend over or move the wrong way, or I would be flashing my knickers! 

I do have to reiterate that I LOVE this dress. I wear it lots, and have even got another one the same style, but with an Aztec print, but they are more like tunics than dresses for me.

Next up is another dress from ASOS Curve.....

Now this was more like it! I ordered this dress with my birthday money, and as soon as I tried it on, I was soooo happy! It was a great length on me, the neckline was lovely and the sleeves were also a good length. It wasn't advertised as longer than the average dresses, I think they are all slightly different, but this is SO much longer than my first dress. I wore this for the Friday night at Plus North, and I had so many compliments, and I felt great in it.

I have become a true dress wearer over the past 6 months, but the majority of the dresses I have bought, and still love, have been just a little too short for me. I still wear them, but I have to 'make them work' with leggings, rather than as a dress, with tights. 

Beka x