That girl's got roaches in her hair!

 

Hello my darlings! 

Hoping once more that this blog post finds everyone well and enjoying themselves. Today I've got some exciting news to share with you all- I've joined a blog hop! 

After speaking with my beautiful fellow blogger Kobi Jae  over facebook, she told me all about an exciting new collective of queens that go by the name Alternative Curves. Alternative Curves are an international group of bloggers who all embrace their personal style and share this with one another in the form of monthly outfit challenges. This sounded right up my street as I love finding outfit inspiration from a wide variety of places, and I was sold as soon as I heard the title of May's challenge: "Cult Movie". 

As I'm sure many of you can guess (I'm certain that I've mentioned it enough times!) I am an absolute movie geek. My penchant lies primarily with all things horror and gore but I also have a special place in my heart for movie musicals and anything by John Waters - they are without a doubt my ultimate guilty pleasure! The characters... the colours... the filth- what's not to love?!

This "Cult Movie" challenge got my head spinning immediately with ideas - the Red dress from the  Tommy Wiseau underground sensation "The Room"? Some edgy goth style a-la Nancy from "The Craft"? So many options, so little time! Eventually I settled on the decision to emulate my ultimate style role model from my favourite film of all time- Tracy Turnblad from John Waters' classic 1988 "Hairspray". 

Being a Hefty Hideaway girl

For this look, I decided to whip out a beautiful frock that I purchased last year but have never found the perfect occasion to wear yet- the inimitable Roach Dress from indie designer Candy Strike. This brand is the brainchild of the multi-talented Elizabeth Denneau and I'm not over-exaggerating when I say she is absolutely phenomenal. With a plethora of bags, dresses, crop tops and quirky skater skirts all created with the unique Candy Strike brand in mind, it's easy to lose yourself lusting after their entire website! Taking influence from the likes Absolutely Fabulous, Pretty in Pink, Cry Baby, and indeed Hairspray, Elizabeth's illustrations are brought to life through fun and bold prints in beautiful fabrics - something I can definitely get on board with! 

The bag says it all (just change "Blonde" to "Ginger"!)

This particular dress is inspired by Ricki Lake in the "Miss Auto Show" scene of Hairspray where she responds to the claim "She's got roaches in her hair!" made by arch-rival Amber Von Tussel by wearing a dress covered in cockroaches and leading a dance to the novelty song "The Bug" by Jerry Dallman and the Knightcaps.  This iconic scene is one of my personal favourites and I'm so glad that this dress has been recreated for the masses!

Ricki Lake killin' it, as per

This fabulous frock is absolutely wonderful. It's made from a super comfortable stretch scuba-knit fabrics that is soft and luxurious, and the screen-printed love heart roaches are just adorable. I ordered this dress in a size 2xl to be on the safe side but this ended up being far too loose. 

Rather than return this lovely outfit (who can be bothered with the hassle or returning to America from Scotland, amiright?!) I instead had it tailored to have a few inches of excess fabric removed from the waist and a couple of inches off the straps to make for a closer fit. (Thanks Grandma!) For reference my measurements are as follows: Bust 45" Waist 36.5" Hips: 46" which as you can see lie pretty much right in the middle of the XL and 2XL sizing from Candy Strike's Website:

 

My advice if considering a purchase from the wonderful Candy Strike if you happen to be between sizes such as myself would definitely be to size down - most of their clothing is made of material with some degree of stretch (such as the scuba knit or spandex/polyester blends) so if you're after a closer fit this is the way to go.  

The only thing better than hairspray, that's me!

Another thing that really make me excited to be supporting this magnificent brand is the amount of diversity within their range of models. Candy Strike use models for their clothing from a size small all the way through to a 3XL so you can really get a good idea of how their clothes will look on your body. Their models also encompass a wide range of different skin tones and ethnicities which is something I love to see. Their models have tattoos, big bellies, long waif-like limbs, big hips, small boobs - but all are absolutely stunning in their own unique way. This is something I wish more designers would take on board- women want to see how clothes will look on their bodies!  

 

 

When i'm in full spin as with these photos above, you can really see the sheer volume that lies within this gorgeous skirted dress - perfect for dancing and jiving a la Miss Tracy Turnblad! 

I paired this outfit with some sweet little black and white brogues and lacy tights for contrast

Outfit details 

Dress: Candy Strike (size 2x)

Cardigan: Primark (size 16) 

Belt: New Look (size M/L) 

Hair bow: Claire's Accessories 

Shoes: New Look (old)

So that just about wraps up another blog post- I hope you've enjoyed my little Tracy Turnblad-esque take on the Alternative Curves "Cult Movie" theme- I am curious to know now though dear readers, what are your favourite movies? Do they ever influence the way you dress or style yourself? Let me know in the comments! 

Lastly, to find out more about the amazing women behind the Alternative Curves movement, check out the #AlternativeCurves hashtag on Instagram or Click Here to see how all the other lovely ladies of the blog hop have styled their Cult Movie ensembles! Enjoy! 

Until next time my darlings, 

Lovelustloves x0