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

Fat girls shouldn't wear stripes...

Hello darlings!

Firstly, let me alleviate any fears or misconceptions you may have had when reading the title of this blog- I am a firm believer that ANYONE can wear absolutely ANYTHING they so desire. Fat, thin, curvy, tall, disabled, apple-shaped.... it doesn't matter! (So no, you haven't stepped into the twilight zone; I'm still the same loud and unapologetic body positive activist I've always been!)

It's no great secret that I find clothes and the act of clothing oneself to be a pivotal experience both in terms of existing in a heavily politicised body and in terms of expressing yourself through a creative medium. I simply adore the idea that through dressing up you can be seen as walking art - the perfect outlet to proudly display who you are for the world. It isn't always an easy task mind you- especially when you consider the limitations enforced upon us to conform to that elusive little beast, the societal "norm".

As someone who self-identifies as a fat woman, I'm used to being bombarded with messages through mainstream media on what is and is not socially acceptable for me to look like and what I can and cannot wear. Encouraged relentlessly to be a "good fatty" who is openly self-loathing, always dieting, always apologising for my presence and taking up space - this kind of thing really takes its toll! 

Don’t wear sleeveless tops. Don’t wear fitted clothes. Pencil skirts? Forget about it! Top ten tricks to make yourself look slimmer! Don’t wear white. Only ever wear black. Oh, and most importantly- never wear stripes!

Ugh- give me a break! 

The thing is, if you are plus size, bigger, chubby, fat -however you want to label it- then you'll look that size regardless of what you're wearing. Sure enough, you can dress to flatter your figure and take heed of all those presupposed "fashion rules" outlined above but ultimately you will still look the size you actually are (and by the way, that's perfectly OKAY).

I personally am completely fed up of being told how to exist within my own body. Being told what and what not to wear, it's exhausting! Not to mention demoralising and at times even embarrassing.

My own brand of personal style is something I see as an ever evolving entity - it changes and adapts depending on many factors. My mood, my inspiration, my passions... I dress for myself and myself alone. And guess what? If I want to wear stripes, bodycon, loud prints etc. I'll god-damn well wear them! (And I'll look good doing it too!)  

 

This little outfit is something I threw together from pieces already existing in my own wardrobe. Whilst styling this outfit I was conscious to ignore that little voice in the back of my head saying "You shouldn't wear that!" and "This won't look good on you!" (sidenote: after years and years of being subjected to media critique of larger bodies it is HARD to shake that nagging little voice!) but overall, I'm really happy with how I look and how I felt on this day. I was overwhelmed with feeling incredibly powerful and liberated when taking these photos, which I think is reflected in the overall result - I think these are some of my favourite photos ever taken!

 

 

Outfit Details 

Sunglasses: Primark
Dress: River Island
Hair flowers: Pinupgirlclothing (sold out, similar here)
Rings: Accessorize

Tights: Primark

Shoes: Bordello

Being a fat girl breaking so many fashion rules - no stripes, no bodycon and definitely no VBO (visible belly outline) was a euphoric experience and something I'll definitely be repeating in future.  

What do you think of fat girls wearing stripes? How about breaking fashion rules? Please let me know! 

Until next time darlings, 

Lovelustloves x0

Ava Maria

Hello darlings!

I've got a new frock and I'm incredibly excited about it!
The dress I'm going to be discussing today is one that is known, revered and loved by the pinup community and has been for a long time... none other than PinupGirlClothing's astounding Ava dress! 

The Ava dress is one that has been on my radar for a number of years. When it was first released in 2010 it instantly blew up amongst pinup and retro enthusiasts alike, due in part to the similarities between the style of the tight, fitted Ava dress and the beautiful ensembles worn by Christina Hendricks in Mad Men; this dress quickly became known amongst the community as the "Joan" a fitting homage to Hendricks' character.  

Not only is this dress absolutely breathtaking when on, but it also comes in a huge range of colours so there really is something to suit everyone! From the lovely plum hue that I'm showcasing here to teal, red, black, blush, peach and a whole host of rainbow shades - I feel no shame in wanting this dress in all the colours!

As you can see the Ava dress is incredibly big bust friendly!

When I first came across this beautiful frock I was only 18 and reasonably new to the rockabilly/pinup scene. My first thought (slightly embarrassing as it may be) when viewing the Ava in its stunning Plum hue was that it would make the perfect bridesmaid dress for my hypothetical future wedding. Fast forward a few years and I no longer have any rousing desire to actually get wed, however my love for the Ava dress has remained. 

I purchased this dress last year in advance of my 23rd birthday with hopes of wearing it out to celebrate. Unfortunately at the time I found that it didn't quite fit me right so it was sadly shelved. I found that my regular size of 2X in Pinupgirlclothing dresses was too tight across my bust in this dress and crammed my breasts together in a most unflattering way creating a "shelf" effect. It was also a little too tight across my midsection and generally didn't fit well overall -cue assorted boos and hisses-

Luckily enough, I recently re-discovered the Ava lurking at the back of my wardrobe and being a naturally curious person, I decided to try it on once more. Due in part to some recent weight loss this dress now fits me like a glove and I couldn't be happier with it! My advice to anyone considering purchasing this dress is to keep in mind that it has minimal stretch, so be sure to check the size chart vigilantly before making a purchase. 

Pretty in plum

Another great aspect of the Ava is that this dress is made from a luxurious shakira satin so has a lovely iridescence to it - the fabric looks so good in the sunshine! The tulip style skirt is incredibly flattering over my ample hips and the faux-wrap bustline is sexy without showing too much or being too risqué (not that this is something I ever bother myself thinking about!) 

Look at how the Shakira satin catches the light- I'm in love!

One thing I found quite difficult to wrap (haha, see what I did there?!) my head around was the sash of this dress. Luckily for me, the lovely Micheline from PinupGirlClothing was kind enough to make an explanatory YouTube video showing us the correct way to wrap. I've attached this below for anyone else who struggled as I did to get this just right:

Lastly, in terms of accessorizing this outfit, I wanted to keep things interesting so added a few key pieces to really make this dress pop. I added a fun statement handbag that I recently swiped in a Primark sale for the meagre sum of £3, a couple of my signature hair flowers in complimentary purple and grey/silver hues and some big glittery shoes. These platform wedge shoes are absolutely stunning but due to their sheer impracticality they don't get worn as often as they should- something I will need to duly rectify! 

Because this dress is such a statement piece on it's own I didn't think it needed too much accessorizing. I feel like this would be the perfect outfit to wear to a friend's wedding or a swanky awards ceremony- it's still very "me" but at the same time ticks all the right boxes of being bold, beautiful and fancy - a winning combination! 

Outfit Details

Dress: Pinupgirl Clothing

Tights: New Look

Shoes: Schuh

Handbag: Primark
Hair Flowers: George at Asda

Do you have an affinity for the Ava dress or something similar? Let me know in the comments section! 

Until next time my darlings, 

Lovelustloves x0

The COSLA Excellence Awards

Hello my darlings!

I hope this latest post finds everyone well on this lovely Friday afternoon. Today on the blog I'd like to share my recent experience at the 2015 COSLA awards. For anyone who does not know, The COSLA awards represent the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and are held annually to celebrate good practice across a wide range of services within Scotland's 32 councils.

For this post we're going to need a little context: During my day to day life I work two jobs; one is for a local authority and one for a charitable organization both doing youth work with elements of community education and resource organization involved. One of the areas of youth work that I am most passionate about is LGBT (lesbian gay bisexual and transgender) work within schools and communities, fighting proactively to tackle homophobia and hate crimes and to give young LGBT people a safe space to feel comfortable, accepted and free to be their authentic selves. I've been working locally with two wonderful LGBT projects -the West Lothian LGBT Youth Forum and the Glitter Cannons project- for just over a year now and it is these projects that were recently nominated for a COSLA excellence award. 

In order to gain a bit of insight into the nature of the work that both of these projects do, please take a wee look at this video, highlighting the strengths and achievements of the LGBT youth work that happens locally. Look out for me and my freshly dyed orange hair!

 

Hopefully you'll agree with me that the work that these projects do is incredibly important and gain an understanding of just how valuable this type of youth work is. Supporting people who identify as LGBT (and otherwise) is such an enriching part of my personal and professional working life and truthfully is one of my favourite aspects of my day job - I absolutely love it! Needless to say I was absolutely elated when I heard that our projects were shortlisted as finalists for the COSLA awards- not for the actual awards themselves, but for the opportunity for our work to be shown on a National platform and to prompt a recognizable discussion regarding the importance of LGBT youth work across Scotland as a whole; humbling stuff really! 

After submitting an application and presenting our projects to an illustrious panel of judges in Edinburgh, we were finally gearing up for the actual awards themselves. 

Taking place at the suitably swanky Creiff Hydro Hotel in Perthshire, the awards were a black tie formal affair which set my little fashionista heart racing. Formal wear has always been something that has eluded me; aside from my high school prom back in 2009 I have never attended an event that required a "formal" dress code. My concerns were primarily centered around the fact that my usual everyday attire in itself is relatively formal, swing dresses, petticoats and vibrant colours are my wardrobe staples, so what traction was there to vamp up this style into something more "black-tie"? 

After many hours spent traipsing online, panic- purchasing and subsequently returning an ill-fitting discount dress and a few tears of frustration I finally found it- the formal wear dress of my dreams. This dress is none other than the phenomenal Lesley Ann Dress from my old favourites, yep you guessed- pinupgirlclothing.com! 

I have discussed this dress briefly before in my post about the Miss Scottish Pinup Pageant (which you can read by following this link) however I really feel as though this dress requires further discussion -it's really just that good! 

Information about this dress from the pinupgirlclothing website reads as follows: 

"Inspired by the timeless poise and striking beauty of actress Lesley-Ann Brandt, the Lesley-Ann Dress from Laura Byrnes California is the embodiment of grace and classic elegance. Suggestive of the exquisitely-made and highly treasured party dresses of the 1950s but with clean modern lines and refined detailing for today's woman, this dress is a marvel of construction. 

The full charmeuse-lined skirt offers a stretch Meredith satin base in a delicate mauve purple with layer upon layer of pale blue tulle overlaid on top with a satin waistband to accentuate its 50s-inspired silhouette. The top, to put it mildly, is breathtaking. Meticulously cut, pleated, and sewn into a herringbone-shaped design, the tulle overlay across the lined satin bust transitions into a straight-pleated back enhanced by a satin border on the top following the lines of the tulle. Sitting slightly off-shoulder and extending to the back zip to create a drop v-back, the tulle and satin cap sleeves complete this dream of a dress. Thanks to its careful construction and enduring design, this dress will last a lifetime and beyond if cared for properly!" 

Needless to say, this dress is truly exquisite. It may come with a hefty pricetag but I can assure that it is more than worth the investment as it will quite easily become a timeless wardrobe classic for all formal, black tie and let's be totally honest here- party opportunities for years to come! I thought that this dress was absolutely perfect for the COSLA awards- the structure, fabric and design tick all the boxes of my ideal formal gown, but the colours and tulle skirt add a necessary element of whimsy to proceedings and keep it very true to my personal style as a whole. 

Just look at that tulle 

The construction of this dress is second to none- you can really see where every penny of that $260 pricetag has gone into getting the fit, structure and fabric of this dress just right to encompass designer Laura Byrnes' vision of the perfect modern representation of this delightful 1950's party dress. 

Since sharing this dress on social media, many people have asked me about the fit. As usual, I ordered this dress in my regular size of 2x in Pinupgirlclothing - according to their size chart I fit right in the middle of the 2x measurements with my 46" bust, 36" waist and generous hips, and i'd say that this dress really does fit true to size. Because this dress is so well constructed, i'd definitely say that if you are considering ordering, take a good look at the size chart before placing your order, but keep in mind that this dress is fairly big-boob accommodating, so don't let that dissuade you!

After deciding on my gown for the COSLA excellence awards, I needed to glamorize myself appropriately to match, so I opted for a big bouffant with a simple purple flower fascinator.

Props to my amazing hairdresser Nicky of Mark Brown Hairdressing, West Calder for always keeping my updo's on point! 

To continue with the glamorous theme for the evening's proceedings, I opted for a lovely silver clutch which dates all the way back to my aforementioned high school prom and lots of cheap sparkly jewelry, including a beautiful sequince (a little  Rupaul's Drag Race inspired joke there!) wrap that my mother kindly purchased for me on eBay and a co-ordinating purple and blue manicure to match the stunning Lesley Ann dress. Links to purchase all of the above will be feautired at the bottom of this post.

I kept my makeup for the event reasonably simple; a little touch of Urban Decay's Naked Palette on my eyes and a gorgeous purple lipstick (I love co-ordination, can you tell!?) on my lips. I also added a little silver heart necklace that belongs to my mother for some added sparkle.

Unfortunately I didn't manage to get a photo of my whole outfit including accessories, but this is almost as good, right?

Now, with my formal attire finally on point, it was on to the main event- the awards themselves!

We (the staff) arrived at the Creiff Hydro Hotel with a minibus full of young people who are members of both youth groups discussed earlier. Everyone was all kitted out in their finest ensembles and each and every person looked truly magnificent. We met with one of our colleagues from the wonderful voluntary organization LGBT Youth Scotland and proceeded inside, seizing the moment for a quick photo opportunity (naturally) and making the most of our beautiful surroundings. 

As you can see from the above images, the awards themselves were quite the experience! The entire shindig was an incredibly glitzy and fancy affair, with all nominees being treated to an exquisite 3 course meal before the awards themselves began. Hosted by television personality Jackie Bird proceedings were soon underway, with our category being the 3rd announced. 

Our projects were up for nomination alongside Midlothian and Edinburgh City Council under the category "Tackling Inequality and Improving Health" which is fitting given the nature of work that we do. Unfortunately we didn't win the gold in our designated category, this accolade instead going to Edinburgh City Council's awe inspiring "Willow" project which addresses the social, health and welfare needs of women in the criminal justice system and is an incredible piece of work- a truly deserving winner. 

After this, we collectively presumed that our chances of winning at the 2015 COSLA excellence awards was over, however we were surprisingly mistaken. Right at the end of the evening it was announced that there would be three additional awards given to projects that had demonstrated excellence in their field - the Solace Awards for best team, the Scottish Government Award for Local Matters and lastly, the COSLA Chairperson's Award. 

The Chairperson's Award was the last to be announced and to the absolute shock of everyone at our table- we won!!

The West Lothian LGBT Youth Forum and Glitter Cannons alongside the Chairperson of COSLA and television host Jackie Bird. 

This wonderful accolade took us entirely by surprise- none of us were expecting to win in our category, let alone a surprise award we knew nothing about! The Chairperson of COSLA made an impassioned speech about the work that the West Lothian LGBT Youth Forum and Glitter Cannons project does and why it is so important not only to the LGBT youth community, but to everyone, because tackling inequality is something that we should all be striving to achieve. One of our young members then made a further (incredibly moving) speech that had me crying with pride, discussing how important LGBT youth work is and what impact it had made to her life. I guarantee that there wasn't a dry eye in the house! 

Overall, the COSLA Excellence Awards were such a wonderful experience, and I'm so happy that I was able to be a part of it. This award has made our desire to achieve positive change for LGBT youths even stronger and has given us the drive and determination to ensure that the needs of this marginalized community are met in full. I absolutely love what I do and to for these projects to receive national recognition of this type on a public platform is awe-inspiring and truly speaks volumes. 

Outfit details

Dress: Pinupgirlclothing.com

Sequin stole: eBay 

Hair Flower: eBay

Ring: Primark 

Clutch: Kudos

Shoes: Schuh 

I hope you've enjoyed reading this latest post. 

Until next time my darlings- with lots of love, 

Lovelustloves x0