Mistletoe and Wine - The Joys of the Christmas Party

Well its that time of the year again 10 days until Christmas and I'm sure that a lot of you have parties, get togethers and general revelry planned for the next few weeks. The reason for this post is just in case any of you don't have your outfit sorted yet there are still options available. The first designer I'm going to on my trek is the simply divine Anne Scholz

The first entry is this gorgeous reinvention of the LBD.

Copyright©annascholz

The gorgeous Em from boombands blog wore this at curves in couture and I fell in love. Anna's styling yet again has got the fairy dust factor. The jersey skims not clings and it's just too amazing for words.

The second dress is this killer leopard print in the double silk.

Copyright © annascholz
Double silk is one of Anna's signature fabrics, a divine blend of silk and lycra it gives fantastic shape with no creasing and it allows movement with no rigidity. This dress is feminine, flattering and uber sexy.

My third pick is from those peeps at Navabi

This Manon Baptiste is simple and the transparent panel at the sleeves and collar makes it a little bit daring. I'd wear this with fishnet tights/stockings and heels or boots.

The 4th pick for me is this killer red maxi dress again from Manon Baptiste at Navabi

I love red for Christmas it's festive and fun. You could dress this up with statement jewellery (I'm thinking black and sparkly) and killer red lipstick.

Well I hope you have enjoy this piece as much as I have writing it. My next pieces are going to be reviews of the Manon Baptiste lace leggings and Sealed With A Kiss embellished red maxi dress

Hugs

Victoria xx

Brrrrr....

Well the temperature is dropping so I thought I'd share my favorite pieces to keep you warm and dry as well as trendy.

My first pick is this gorgeous Barbara Speer long red pullover from navabi

I LOVE THIS COLOUR - It's festive and this design is quirky and different. It's not like the ponchos of history the 3/4 length sleeves, asymmetrical hemline and it has my other love for winter knitwear and thats pockets to put my gloves in. I would wear this with a jersey shirt underneath and team it with black leggings and boots.

My second pick is again from navabi and is this yummy manon baptiste merino wool blend sweater dress

This comes in 3 different colour ways. I love the turtle neckline and after the past few really cold winters we have had I think that everyone needs at least one GOOD wool/wool blend jumper. This can be easily worn with leggings and boots, or jersey type trousers.

Now it's on to coats this Mara Gibbucci wool jacket with piping again from navabi is so cute.

The high proportion of wool this is made with will keep you as warm as toast and if we have snow the way we did last year this needs to be considered asap. I remember when the snow came in over the last two winters and every shop sold out of coats, hats and goves within hours. A good coat is an INVESTMENT piece that will last you YEARS. Just make sure you store it well (I'm a fan of the vac bags and cedar balls) and you will get the most out of it.

Finally is this gorgeous D Celli bordeaux red hooded coat again from navabi.

I love hoods on my coats. I know they are not everyones thing but I have a pathalogical aversion to having cold ears. I think this is a great all round item that will see you through early spring as well.

My next post is going to be my pick of the last minute christmas party dresses so keep your eyes peeled.

Living in fairy land....

It appears once again the chain store H&M is hitting the headlines for the wrong reasons. In the last 2 months Donatella Versace refused to work with "NORMAL" sized models for her diffusion collaberation with them. Now it has been confirmed that most of the "models" bodies on their website are computer generated so they can "design" a body that can display the clothes better than a real person.

Look familiar?

I believe that any photos in magazines, websites and in shops if they have had ANY kind of touch up/photoshop/cyber intervention this should be clearly labelled.

These totally unhuman pictures are a disgrace. Women and in particular teenagers follow these magazines and they are being given images straight out of fairyland. These body shapes are not real. Susan Ringwood, chief executive of the eating disorder charity Beat, said: 'We understand why you need a mannequin to stand in a shop window, but not when you could have a real living body instead.


I have never bought in H&M although they have a small plus section not in every store. On the few occasions I have been in the workmanship is dire and the fit is abysmal.

I have a feeling this is not going to be the last we hear about computer generated models there are a few other sites that I can think of where the models seem too perfect for words.

The Diversity Show and Curves in Couture Part 2

Natalie handed over to the gorgeous Pamela Stephenson who looked stunning in the second
Renaissance Creative Designdress of the evening

She charmed the audience with witty quips as to how much magnificent cleavage was on display and led us into the first catwalk show of Anna Scholz White Label collection.

Robyn Lawley looked amazing as she sashayed down the catwalk in a gorgeous sheer black and neon kaftan. You can see why this woman turned Australian Vogue on its head and why she was the first plus model in 52 years to grace their pages. I was so excited I've been to fashion shows before BUT this was the FIRST ever that I knew I could buy clothes from this set my heart racing then Lizzie Miller followed in another gorgeous kaftan. I can mentally imagine lots of far away beaches next year being inhabited by gorgeous full figured ladies wearing these

I have a long standing admiration for Anna Scholz no other plus size designer has given us more from her diffusion ranges for Debenhams and Simply Be, the luxury of the White Label to the edgy daytime looks of her Black Label, no other plus designer has given us as many options. Anna's clothes work for me because I am not just plus plus size I'm tall and a great many other clothing companies are just too short for me dresses in particular. I wore Anna's White Label Crepe Jersey Twist Strap dress with the Black Label Lace Cropped Jacket. I felt amazing I'm sure Anna has a large pot of fairy dust she uses when designing but anyway I digress. Their was such a lot of fierce femininity tempered with exquisite fluidity in these designs. As the models kept wallking out I was making a mental shopping list. I can not wait to try these clothes in particular the 2 dresses below. I have to say the White Label next season ladies all in all is mind blowing.

There was then a talk by Linda Scotson from the Advance Centre which from its creation in 1996 has dedicated itself to finding a way to not only advance the abilities of children with cerebral palsy and other brain injuries, but to actually reverse the structural and functional abnormalities.

We then had one of the most jaw dropping moments of the night the gorgeous Robyn Lawley wearing a knockout champagne coloured satin dress by up and coming designer Erin Lacy This young designer who graduated from the London College of Fashion in 2010 did work experience with both Evans and Anna Scholz. I had the pleasure of talking to Erin after the show and I have a feeling this woman is going to be a massive force within the plus size fashion industry. The structure of this dress blew me away. It's a shame there was only the one dress I'd have loved to see more but I'm going to be keeping my eye on her..

Early in the evening I was in the lobby of The Tabernacle there was a woman wearing the most gorgeous dress I can only say it was like a stained glass window with gorgeous blues, vibrant purples and ravishing greens. I thought it was amazing I asked the lady most politely where it was from and she said Carolyn de la Drapière. I and my friends Anna and Maria who I went with also got the chance to talk to her before the show so when it came for her section of the show I was really looking forward to it. She is a London based designer whom I had never heard of prior to this event. As the models wearing her clothes came out wearing her clothes I leaned in closer to view them. This lady is something very special.

For me seeing these designs was an absolute thrill. Gorgeous, feminine and wearable. The highlight for me was this gorgeous burgundy red dress

We then had the designs of Danielle Liane an up and coming student designer. Very sexy and sheer with a lot of naughtiness I can see her getting a lot of celebrity followers.

We then went into the final collection of the night Jill Alexander designs. The theme was very south american samba the models wore flowers in their hair and all of the models gave us plenty of attitude

The gorgeous Tocarra

Jill Alexander like Anna Scholz embodies her brand and has a well founded reputation for fantastic fit, tailoring and attention to detail.

I LOVE the colours and the fun in this collection. The dresses and jumpsuits looked full of energy. I can see a lot of those dresses in warm sultry locations or simply being worn for a night out for cocktails with the girls.

Fron bright green to red, vibrant prints to block colours this collection had a WOW factor























The final dress of this collection got cheers from the crowd and that was the gorgeous Tanya Gervasi in a stunning wedding dress. This was so special as this was the first and exclusive showing of this collection.

We then went into the world of the fantastic milliner Ilda Di Vico These hats were AMAZING true works of art. You can see why her website is called http://www.ascothats.net/ These creations were true statement pieces. If I ever have need of a hat this lady will be number 1 on my go to list

The final catwalk of the night fell to the winner of Britains Missing Top Model Kelly Knox wearing the final Renaissance Creative Design dress of the evening. It felt fitting that this was the final show and serves to act as a reminder that we need more diversity on the catwalk and in fashion generally.

The finale gave us each of the designers taking a wander up the catwalk with a model in one of their dresses. This led to cheers ringing out.

This event is something that will stay with me for a long time. The first and not final show of it's kind.

The fashion industry has to wake up and realise that the 47% of British women who are a size 16+ need as many clothing options as our slimmer sisters. Things are moving in the right direction. With the launches of the Simply Be shops this year we have greater options on the high street. Plus models like Robyn getting pages in Australian Vogue and Lizzie Miller stirring things up means we are getting plus editorial fashion shoots. Change is coming, it's not going to happen overnight but we are going the right way. I really hope that Caroline Rush from the British Fashion Council after seeing the show can do for London Fashion Week what's already happened at Liverpool Fashion Week. Having plus models and designers on the boards getting the same recognition as everyone else.

The Diversity Show and Curves in Couture Part 1

Well sorry it's taken a while but I hope you think it was worth the wait.
On the 17th November something amazing happened at The Tabernacle Notting Hill in London. The first ever UK plus sized fashion show took place. Established plus designers Anna Scholz, Jill Alexander and Carolyn de la Drapiere shared a runway with new faces like Miss Lacy and Danielle Liane. We also saw the work of amazing hat designer Ilda DiVico

The audience had more than its fair share of celebrity stardust. Velvet d'Amour the celebrated model, photographer and actress arrived looking stunning in a beautiful corset and fishtail skirt.

Me and the gorgeous Velvet

The dance group Flawless were in attendance. Eve Pollard aka Lady Lloyd the author, journalist and ex newspaper editor and the legend of the British fashion scene Zandra Rhodes were also there showing their support. The CEO of the British Fashion Council Caroline Rush was in there as well. The event was actually two separate shows.

The Diversity Show gave us models with a veriety of body shapes, some with (dis)abilities wearing clothes from a variety of retailers including Next, Pepe Jeans and many more. There has to be a shift in fashion marketing, we need more real people. This is what Angel Sinclair and the team at Models Of Diversity are fighting for and Angel is such a force to be reckoned with no one will get in her way. This was an event largely put together by volunteers and they did a cracking job.

This show was hosted by the gorgeous Natalie Cassidy who was very candid in speaking that she has stuggled with her weight and she's fluctuated between a very small size 6 up to a size 16, nearly an 18. She stuck me as very much the girl next door and came across brilliantly. Her dress attracted a lot of attention the slinky black number created by Renaissance Creative Designs showed off her curves well

There was an absolute tingle going through the whole building as Natalie closed up the Diversity show and then we moved onto Curves in Couture


Photos reproduced with the kind permission of Alessandro Capoccetti and Anna Martin

So Exciting,,,,,,,

Well next week I am going to the Models of Diversity Curves in Couture show. This will be the first time that a plus-only catwalk show of this prestige has occurred in the UK.

Models of Diversity is a London-based non-profit organization which advocates for more diversity in models, and demands that the fashion and marketing industries recognise the beauty in women and men of all races, ages, shapes, sizes, abilities, genders and sexual orientations. They aim to change the face of fashion and modelling! They campaign to stand for equal rights and opportunities within the modelling and fashion industry. MoD has joined with Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone for the government's campaign on body confidence.

We all know there is a total lack of normal sized models being used on the catwalk. The whole size Zero debate has garnered multiple column inches across inumerable magazines and papers. Over 45% of the uk female population are a size 16 or above yet there is no recognition of this on the catwalk generally.

This show is going to cover high street fashion as well as high end. Anna Scholz and Jill Alexander will be showing as well as new designers like Miss Lacy I am so excited by this and promise to share all the juicy details with you here.

Abandon your hang ups all who enter here

Hello and welcome to you all who are reading this.

Let me introduce myself.

I'm Victoria I'm 32 shortly to be 33 I'm a 5.9 glasses wearing brunette with the audacity to be a size 28/30 .I love nice clothes but frequesntly find that clothes shopping can become a form of torture with poor options, rubbish fit and just general naffness.

This blog will offer unbiased views of many designers and retailers. I will also be putting forward my thoughts on regards to body image, eating disorders, general wellbeing and a multitude of other subjects

Thankyou for joining me.  It's going to be a hell of a ride