The perfect seaside holiday outfit

 

Hello lovely people! 

I do hope this blog post finds you all well. I am very happy to report that I'm in good spirits and incredibly well rested after a much needed getaway at the weekend. My beautiful friend Leigh and I escaped to her family holiday home in the southwest of Scotland in the quaint little seaside town of Portpatrick. We had the most wonderful time exploring the beaches and climbing rocks, as well as eating lots of delicious seafood (and drinking plenty of wine)! 

We arrived in Portpatrick on Friday night at about 7.30pm after an afternoon of driving. After dropping off our suitcases we were both keen to see the sights and I wanted to find an outfit that was comfortable and practical for exploring, whilst still looking chic and stylish. Luckily i'd packed this incredible leopard print jumpsuit from Primark that really ticked all of the boxes and fit my criteria- so happily popped it on and went about our evening. 

I decided to pair the jumpsuit with some big gold hoop earrings- my latest obsession. I feel as though gold hoop earrings will be making their way into more and more of my fashion posts as I seem to be wearing them with everything right now! I also added an unusual gold triangle necklace that was gifted to me for my birthday last year as I thought this made my outfit a little more fancy, which was perfect for eating dinner in a lovely little seaside restaurant. 

Another necessity to this little outfit were some sunglasses. Unfortunately i'd overlooked these when hurriedly packing my suitcase (moral of the story, always pack and plan what you will be wearing in advance!) but my friend Leigh sorted me out by letting me borrow these sweet little circle lens glasses from Primark.

If you're a regular reader of this blog you'll remember me writing about being bolder with my fashion choices and trying new things, abolishing any presupposed "standard" or fashion "rules" I was following or had created for myself. This trend is something that really is only growing stronger as time goes on- I am practically living in jumpsuits and dungarees these days and am no longer afraid to show off my arms or tummy. Yay for continuous body positivity!!

This little leopard print number is no exception to that rule- it fits well, is remarkably comfortable and ultimately looks really good on! I'm wearing a size 18 here which fits my 45-36-45 frame nicely and doesn't pull or gape in the wrong places. I also love just how much attention it brings to my rather large posterior! For reference I am 5'7 and I find the legs to be a nice length when wearing flats, if I were wearing heels it may come up a little short, but I didn't need to worry about that on this trip. 

Another thing I love about this jumpsuit is that it has the holy grail of all fashion finds- pockets! Not only is this incredible practical, but the pockets are well sized to carry around your phone, car keys and lipstick and don't detract from the surprisingly good tailoring. As well as this, the jumpsuit also comes with a matching leopard belt that can be used to cinch the waist. The leopard print motif is also one that I simply adore. Often I find that leopard print can be a bit garish (not that it ever puts me off, haha!) but this particular print blends neatly and doesn't come off too strong. 

I do hope that you're enjoying the photos on this blog post- Portpatrick is without a doubt one of the most beautiful scenic places I've ever seen so I definitely took advantage of the surroundings and got camera happy!

One thing that I've been particularly struck by when writing this post and looking at these photos is how strong and confident I both look and feel. Truthfully I've been in somewhat of a confidence slump as of late, I've not been taking any photos of myself and have felt uninspired when it comes to my wardrobe. Luckily I think getting away for the weekend to the beautiful seaside has allowed me to reconnect with myself and my love of fashion and left me feeling uplifted and positive. 

If this outfit is something you like then you can find all of my assorted bits and pieces on the list below:

Outfit Details

Jumpsuit: Primark 

Sunglasses: Primark 

Earrings: Accessorize

Necklace: New Look

Shoes: New Look

 

 

And that's all for me for now beautiful people. I hope you enjoyed my wee outfit post and holiday pictures and please do check in on the blog for regular updates. 

Until next time darlings, 

Lovelustloves x0

Rainbows and Revolution

Hello beautiful people! 

I do hope that I find you all well today. Today's post is quite a special one to me. Not only am I talking about a killer outfit (I am, fear not!) but i'm also going to be discussing something that is very near and dear to my heart- Pride. 

Last Saturday the 30th June was the date of Edinburgh's Annual Pride. For those of you who aren't aware, Pride is an annual celebration held in large cities across the world aiming to bring together the LGBT+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans) community, as well as straight and cis friends and allies. We march in solidarity with our queer brothers and sisters in opposition to the years of oppression and hardship faced by this community and promote a clear message of equality for all. 

Pride is something that has special value to me; I am an openly bisexual woman and a strong advocate for LGBT+ rights both locally and nationally. I often volunteer with the incredible charity organisation Stonewall and work part-time supporting a local LGBT+ youth group. To me, Pride is so much more than just rainbows and parties- it's a political revolution. It's having our voices heard. It's queer liberation.  

I am lucky enough to be loved and supported for who I am by my family and friends, something that unfortunately cannot be said for all LGBT people. When people ask me why i'm involved in LGBT+ activism I tell them that it would be foolish for me not to be. In a world where 40% of homeless youth are LGBT, LGBT people are at much higher risk of suffering with mental illness and they face adversity, discrimination and difficulty accessing everyday services I believe it is not only my right, but also my duty to stand up and support my LGBT family, friends and community. 

I regularly attend pride events. In the past I've been to London, Brighton, Glasgow and Edinburgh prides and last year I even co-organised a Pride march in my hometown of West Lothian (if you like, you can read more about that here). This year's Edinburgh pride was however without a doubt my favourite one yet. In the wake of the horrors faced by the people of Orlando and PULSE nightclub, as well as increasing political uncertainty over human and equal rights within the United Kingdom Pride could not be more needed at this point in time. Signs declaring "We stand with Orlando" and "Love is love" were displayed proudly and there was a real air of positivity and sense of community. People were happily chatting, mingling and complementing one another - it was a truly humbling experience to be in amongst a movement that was so human, filled with raw emotion.

 

My time at Pride was spent proudly marching alongside upwards of 10,000 other incredible individuals through the City Centre and then followed by some volunteering with Stonewall's new #ByYourSide campaign- speaking to members of the public and letting them know all about this wonderful new initiative that brings people together and asks who supports you and allows you to be your truest self. 

Being able to talk to so many wonderful people was incredibly liberating and really helped me embrace the meaning of Pride and get into the spirit of things. Proudly sporting a rainbow scarf and some of my brightest clothes also helped me open dialogue with many people, allowing conversation to flow naturally as everyone embraced the joyous occasion. 

Pride at it's heart is about acceptance without exception, being true to who you are and feeling safe and supported to do that. I for one am a huge advocate of being your most authentic self at all times and wearing bright colours and loud clothing really helps me to accomplish that. For Pride, I decided to sport a flower crown, Ragged Priest scarf and my bright yellow Mary Blair skirt from Pinupgirl clothing. I also threw some glitter and stars on my face for good measure, because why the hell not?

Below are a few of the photos I took that I think really capture the essence of what Pride was for me- an incredible revolutionary day that was good for the mind, body and soul. Enjoy!

 

Outfit Details 
Flower Crown: Frankii Wilde

Scarf: The Ragged Priest
Top: New Look 
Skirt: Pinupgirl Clothing 

 

And that's all for now, darlings. If you have a Pride event coming up in your hometown or a city near you I would greatly encourage you to attend and embrace the rainbow revolution. 

Until next time, 

Lovelustloves x0

Dungaree Delights

Hello beautiful people!

I hope this blog post finds you all peachy keen on this bright Tuesday. Today on the blog I'll be chatting about something that is once again completely out of my realms of fashion comfort- dungarees! 

Overalls, Salopettes, Bib and Braces... whatever you want to call them, they're quickly becoming a staple on many a fashion blog and taking over the pages of "must have" fashion trend magazines. 

Dungarees are yet another fashion item that until recently I did not think would be suitable for my plus-size body. Wandering through high street shops such as Topshop, Primark, H&M etc. I hadn't found any dungarees that really wowed me, and those that I did discover usually stopped at a 14, far too small for my curvy body. "Woe is me" I thought, seemingly relegated to the dungaree dreams of my childhood; that is, until I stumbled across New Look's Inspire range last week. 

Enter the most wonderful dungarees I could hope to come across: lightweight, comfortable and featuring a cute print - what more could I want?! I instantly made them mine and haven't looked back since.

I decided to pair my dungarees with a bit of 90's inspiration- styling my hair in curly pigtails a la one of my favourite comedians - Ilana Glazer from Broad City. Couple that with a print clashing white leopard print top, some super-cute  heart shaped sunglasses and some contrasting silver brogues and I think overall this makes a fun, comfortable and most importantly stylish outfit- perfect for Spring/Summer. 

Since this is such a fun and comfortable outfit, I decided to try it out on a wee nature walk. It ended up being perfect for climbing up log piles, exploring the countryside and playing in the river - as you can see from the photographs below! 

Outfit Details 

Top: George @ ASDA

Dungarees: New Look 
Sunglasses: Primark 

Shoes: Florence and Fred @ TESCO 

Whilst writing up this blog post I was struck by a common theme I've found developing in more and more of my writings- challenging myself to step outside of my fashion boundaries. What once started last year as a blog almost entirely dedicated to large floaty pinup dresses and accessories has evolved to encompass a smorgasbord of style and fashion choices. 

Thinking critically about this reflection has taught me several things: 

1) Fat women should never be confined to what they wear. Don't let anyone or anything tell you differently. You want to wear a crop top, bikini or dungarees? Fucking DO IT  

2) Style is an ever evolving mechanism and will more than likely adapt throughout your life. It's all well and good to have a go-to signature look (heck, I still adore my big floaty dresses!) but don't let your own fears and apprehensions hold you back from trying out new things. 

3) Lastly, we as fat women are not afforded the same options as our smaller sisters. Many women cannot simply walk into a high street shop and buy something cute off the rack. I myself am afforded a certain level of privilege that I am very aware of insofar as being a  UK size 16/18 can still wear many things from "straight size" shops however plus-size women are often forced to think more creatively and ultimately spend more money to express themselves through the medium of clothing and personal style - something that, by the way, is COMPLETELY UNFAIR.  

And so with that little rant over I come to the conclusion of my latest post. What do you think about Dungarees - or any "non fat-friendly" clothing for that matter? Do you agree with my thoughts on the clothing industry? Let me know! 

Until next time darlings, 

Lovelustloves x0

Kobi Jae's Blogiversary Giveaway!

Hello darlings!

I absolutely adore blogging. Not only does it allow me the creative freedom to come up with fun outfits to share with you all and let me show off my personal style, but the blogging world has also allowed me to connect with and meet so many rad babes from across the world. I count myself truly blessed to have been able to form some of the awesome friendships I have with people in the online community of #bodypositivity and #fatshion. 

One such babe that I met years ago by following on Instagram is the beautiful Kobi Jae. For those of you that aren't familiar with her work, Kobi is an Australian plus-size blogging babe that works tirelessly to promote body positivity and takes a strong stand against the mainstream fashion industry and a lack of diversity and representation in public media campaigns. In other words, my kinda woman!  

The babe herself!

Kobi's been on the blogging scene since early 2014 and recently celebrated her 2nd blog anniversary (congratulations, sweetie!) As part of her celebrations, she kindly launched a blog giveaway- offering fabulous prizes from small indie designers such as Re/dress and Size Queen Clothing (two amazing brands that were completely unknown to me prior to this. I just LOVE finding exciting new designers and clothing companies to lust over!) 

Well, lo and behold - yours truly won one of the prize draws! Fast Forward a few weeks and a very exciting package from overseas was shipping its way to my door. I hastily opened it (I posted my reactions to everything over on my snapchat - @ivorylovelust if you wanna be my snap pal!) and got to thinking about all of the beautiful bits and pieces contained and how I could style them up into a fun outfit! 

So, what was in the package?! 

First up, this amazing little "sweet tooth" necklace! The beautiful jewels that I won in Kobi's giveaway come from a fabulous Australian designer known as Miss-A-Ree Guts Creations and you can find them over on Etsy. This necklace is incredibly cute; a pastel colour palette and sweet little candy decorations make this a firm favourite of mine. The chain is a lovely length too- one of my pet peeves with jewellery is that it's either
a) far too long and the decorations slip awkwardly into your cleavage or
b) they aren't fat friendly and the chains are too short, cutting off your circulation! This is thankfully neither, and sits at just the right place on me.  

Next up, Kobi- being the sweetheart that she is decided to pop some Australian candies in my package! Having never visited Australia before I was not familiar with the deliciousness of Caramello Koalas, but they're incredibly similar to the UK's caramel freddos (aka freakin' delicious!) Kobi was also kind enough to pop a wee card into my parcel thanking me for entering the giveaway. Can you believe the kindness of this gesture? Believe me, the pleasure was all mine! 

 

 

The sweetest message!

Finally (and this is the real piece de resistance) was this AMAZING frend ring. Made again by the wonderful Miss-A-Ree Guts, these rings are just entirely too cute for words. As soon as I opened my package from Kobi and seen this beautiful wee gem I was screaming with excitement- it's just so perfect!! I absolutely had to style a fun wee outfit around this amazingness- how couldn't I?!  

Got my eyes on you!

Below are some impromptu photos from a fun day out I had recently where I decided to wear all of my Kobi Jae Giveaway goodies at once. I hope you enjoy them- I think the jewels go especially well with this fun & colourful outfit!

Outfit Details 

Dress: Joe Browns
Hair Flower: Alternate Normality 
Sunglasses: Beyond Retro
Jewellery: Miss-A-Ree Guts 
Petticoat: Oh My Honey!
Tights: New Look
Shoes: Primark

What do you think of Miss-A-Ree Guts? I'm personally over the moon to have discovered such a sweet little independent designer, and I'm so thankful to Kobi for introducing me to them!

For now my loves, that's all from me. 
See you all soon! 

Lovelustloves x0

Jump-suiting for joy!

Hello beautiful humans!   

I do hope that this blog post finds you all well. I've recently been hit with a huge burst of fashion inspiration and I've felt compelled to get my creative hat on and start thinking about fun topics and clothing to write about. For today's post I'll be focusing on something that until a few weeks ago was completely alien to me and lacking entirely from my wardrobe- the jumpsuit.

Jumpsuits are something that I've always admired, but never thought I could make work for my body shape. I've envied and coveted the likes of plus-size fashion bloggers ArchedEyebrow and Callie Thorpe rocking their beautiful jumpsuits, full of confidence and pride and wishing I too could find something so fabulous to fulfil my wishes. 

Enter, the retro jumpsuit from River Island: 

When I first stumbled upon this pretty little number in my local River Island, I actually didn't realise it was a jumpsuit. I had been in the market to pick up a fun printed shirt-dress for work and thought this might just do the trick; little did I know it would be the answer my prayers and put a quick end to my jumpsuit woes! 

There are many things that I really love about this wee gem of a jumpsuit, from the short shorts that are just the right length between modest and risqué, the printed belt that cinches the waist and the tiny gold buttons that add just the right amount of glam factor. One thing really stood out for me though....

The print. 
Isn't it simply divine?!
 I'm not usually one to be a fan of browns and beige shades, but the vibrancy of the 60's inspired print completely overrules any colour choices in my book! The large floral motifs read really nicely both closer up and farther away, giving this jumpsuit an interesting appeal.

If you read my blog regularly or know me either online or in real life, you'll know that I'm pretty much obsessed with prints. The stranger and more unusual the better! This ticked all of those boxes and more for me.

 

In regards to sizing, I'm wearing a UK size 16 here. Now- full disclaimer- I am definitely not a size 16. This jumpsuit is very generously sized and aside from a little gaping around the chest area, it fits more of less like a glove. I was very impressed with the generosity of sizing, particularly in the bum area as this is one region in which I am particularly blessed! 

If you're thinking of making a purchase of this lovely item (and why shouldn't you- it's currently on sale!) I'd recommend trying this on for size if that's an option for you, but if not I'd argue that you would be safe to size down. I've included a wee link to purchase at the end of this post for any interested parties!

 

Oh, and just in case you were wondering- it looks just as good (arguably if not better!) from behind:

To properly show off this beautiful outfit in all it's glory, I decided to enlist the help of my beautiful friend Leigh to organise a little impromptu photoshoot in my living room. We chose to go for a "you better werk" vibe which basically translates to me looking sassy as hell and channelling my inner bad-ass boss bitch- something that works really well with this jumpsuit! 

We were both overjoyed with the results, and hope that you like them too:

 

 

Outfit Details 

Hair Flower: George @ ASDA

Jumpsuit: River Island

Tights: H&M

Shoes: Primark

Et voilà! I hope you've enjoyed seeing my jumpsuit joy - is this something you'd wear, or do you have another wardrobe lust you're looking for? Let me know!

I've recently been fortunate enough to be blessed with something of a rarity for me these days- free time! So if you read and keep up to date with my blog you'll be seeing more of my face around- I promise! I've been involved with a few really exciting projects lately, including a collaboration with the beautiful Leyah Shanks of The Body Confidence Revolution which I'm hoping to post about soon! 

Until next time my darlings
Love and kisses, 
Lovelustloves xo

One dress, two ways

Hello my darlings,

I hope you're all enjoying the start of Autumn- it's well and truly here in Scotland now! Today's post is a quick review of a shirt-dress that's incredibly versatile and Autumn-friendly; and I'll be showing you two different ways to wear it. 

This dress comes from a clothing brand who until recently were completely off my radar- Monki. Monki are a Scandinavian-born fashion brand that promote a fun street-style aesthetic that is big on eclectic prints, beautiful basics and incredibly trendy pieces. Whilst they aren't an exclusively plus-size brand, many of Monki's clothes are loose-fitting and oversized, meaning they fit a wide variety of body shapes, types and sizes. To my knowledge Monki don't currently have any Scottish stores, but if you're a London gal they do have a reportedly fantastic store on Carnaby Street- well worth checking out!

This shirt-dress was first brought to my attention via the beautiful Bethany, of ArchedEyebrow.com fame. (For her review and styling of this Monki ensemble, please click here. I must admit that this piece didn't really capture my imagination when I first saw it online at ASOS.com, but after seeing it styled up and on a plus-size babe, I thought I'd take the leap and make this purchase. (huge kudos to my homegal Sarah for convincing me to buy this- I love my fashion enabling friends!)

 

#Monkistyle

If you're a regular purveyor of my blog or Instagram, you'll know that this look is a real far cry from my everyday style! As a girl who usually wears full-skirted, nipped-in-waist dresses that showcase my bust, this shirt-dress is almost diametrically opposed to my style norm, but after seeing the many different ways in which it could be styled it really struck my imagination.  If I'm being completely honest, first seeing this dress in its loose and free-flowing form it did strike me as being a little "Grandparents in Charlie & the Chocolate Factory" although I am incredibly pleased to report this comparison existed only in my head, and doesn't translate when it's on my body and styled up with pretty accessories! 

As you can see from the photograph above, when nipped in with a waist belt this dress takes on a whole new shape and style- it really transforms it into a cute semi-structured and loosely-tailored outfit that is perfect for work and play. It's no secret that I'm an avid fan of a waist belt (they feature in nearly all of my outfits!) and I believe that this ensemble is tantamount to the power of the belt insofar as it's ability to transform an outfit. This is the first way to wear this shirt-dress, and I've included a few more photographs of this look below for your perusal: 

 

I'm in love with this bold print! 

 

To make this look cohesive, I decided to add some printed tights (another personal style signature) and some exceptionally high-heeled boots alongside some fun illuminati-inspired earrings I picked up from H&M. I think this really brings the style together and could be worn to a variety of places; this week already I've worn this outfit to work, to go for drinks and on a date - talk about versatile!

To focus quickly on sizing for a moment- as I mentioned earlier Monki clothes tend to be  deliberately loose-fitting and are generally available in XS, S, M or L (measured on their website as being a UK size 8, 10, 12 and 14 respectively.) I decided to purchase this shirt-dress in a size L, and the fit is incredibly accommodating. Fellow blogger babe Danielle Vanier recently wrote an article for The Debrief about Monki as a brand for plus-size people, so I'd recommend having a read of this here.

Arguably my favourite thing about this shirt-dress is the eclectic print, to me it's incredibly reminiscent of 60's wallpaper which oddly enough is of huge appeal! The ability to wear this dress more than one way is also hugely appealing, below I've posted photos of this look without the added belt to highlight how good it looks with or without - look number 2. I'm also absolutely infatuated with the finer details of the shirt, it even has concealed pockets which are fantastically practical - another great selling point.

 

Pockets! 

 

Another reason for this purchase (not that I need one, I've already sold this dress to myself four times over!) is that I'm slowly getting more involved in my local Northern Soul scene, and whilst I've never been able to fully embrace the 60's mini-dress silhouette I do believe that this is a step in the right direction. In actuality I cannot wait to tear up the dancefloor with this pretty little dress, grooving to the likes of Frankie Valli, The Supremes & Eddie Spencer.

I've really enjoyed taking this little step outside my comfort zone and this dress has fast become a wardrobe staple of mine - I hope you'll agree that it looks good both ways, either with or without a belt! 

Outfit Details

Shirt Dress: Monki (purchased via ASOS)

Belt:  New Look

Earrings: H&M

Shoes: Amazon

Tights: Primark

And so, that concludes another wee look at a fun, flirty outfit that I'm absolutely in love with. I hope you've enjoyed seeing how I've styled this lovely shirt-dress, and will keep it in mind for a cute autumnal style. What do you think of the brand Monki? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time angels,
Lovelustloves x0