Aussie Curves: Black

I have to admit that most of my clothes come from City Chic or ASOS, so I'm excited about writing this blog post because I've been branching out a little and have tried some other online brands. You may be wondering why I haven't been blogging very often lately. Well, I usually photograph my outfits on the weekends for my blog, but over the last few months my "weekend" wardrobe has become all about comfort and I haven't been trying out many outfits I'm afraid. It's all been a bit boring. I'm excited to get back on the saddle again and show off some of the outfits I've been wearing to work and on the occasional night out. If you're a regular on the blog, you may remember that I am a freelance DJ, and now that wedding season is over, I'm finally getting more weekends off. I had a night out in town two weeks ago - the first one in six months I reckon - and I went to an Oasis vs Blur indie night. It was so thrilling to be able to do that again. These days I get really excited about Saturday nights in, but just occasionally I really crave the nightlife again. I'm not sure why I'm bringing this up, since I'm not actually blogging the outfit I wore out that night in this post!

What I AM wearing is a lot of black, in keeping with this week's Aussie Curve's theme. 

skirt || MISSGUIDED

crop top || GISELA RAMIREZ

coat || IZABEL LONDON (gifted) find it here

shoes || NEW LOOK VIA ASOS

I realise I prefer the coat unbuttoned on me. I love how the sleeves are 3/4 length so it's quite freeing. It's also very lightweight. It's from Izabel London, based in the UK. They have started posting to Australia and have a plus size range of around 200 items. The style of these items reminds me a bit of TS here in Australia, with some more structured items thrown in. Their coats and knitwear are pretty impressive at the moment. This is my first item from Izabel and I've got my eye on a few other things too. However, I found their sizing chart a bit misleading. My recommendation is to go with your regular size, not necessarily the sizing chart. I went by the sizing chart, and thought I'd need to order  two sizes up from my regular size, and found their items swimming on me.

The second brand I tried for the first time, inspired by a post by Suger Coat It, was Missguided. I had some difficulties with signing up and processing payment on several different occasions and just about gave up. However, I persevered and found that by using Safari rather than Firefox, I was able to navigate the website without any hitches. I bought two skirts and a t-shirt, which both fitted me perfectly and were so much better than the pictures implied. I loved the quality and fit of the items. Missguided have more alternative styles which I tend to gravitate towards. I should also mention that I got those three items for $60, free shipping - and the package arrived within a week from Manchester. An absolute bargain for items I've been practically living in!

Thanks for reading! x

Aussie Curves: Bridal

Last year one of my best friends, Ali, got married. We house shared for several years, a ramshackle unit on a beach in Adelaide. I still miss those days. Now Ali lives interstate and I'm a home owner with my partner, so life is very different and grown up now. Janelle was our other housemate and bestie, and she now lives in the Northern Territory. The wedding was the first time we'd all been back together in Adelaide for a while.

I was thrilled to get a phone call from Ali asking me to be her bridesmaid on her special day. If you've ever been asked to be in a bridal party, I'm sure you can understand the sense of honour and privilege you feel.

Discussions and planning commenced pretty quickly, and I suggested we use Light In The Box to select and order our bridesmaid dresses. I'd seen other fashion bloggers review the site, and I was keen to try it. It seemed too good to be true. Just send in your measurements and the dress is posted out to you, for a ridiculously reasonable price. Yes please.

When the dresses started to dribble in, we were all a little nervous to hear from each other about how they turned out.The dresses themselves were beautiful, but all of us needed slight alterations by a dressmaker at some point. I found my dress far too long and the shoulders kept falling down. Also, the plunging neckline was embarrassingly revealing! However, a family friend was able to fix all of those issues. Even though the finished product was gorgeous, I got the impression from the dressmaker that dresses from places like Light In The Box can be really tricky to work with because of how they are made. Something to keep in mind.

I had such a marvelous day and loved being a part of it with my best friends. Ali is the most beautiful bride I'd ever seen, and the day brought out a lot of unexpected emotions. I have a lot of love for those two girls.

Thanks for reading! x

Aussie Curves: Investment Piece

When someone says "investment piece", my first thought is LEATHER. Trendy plus size leather items are kind of rare, aren't they? Maybe I've just been looking in the wrong places, but I have the most luck with ASOS Curve. I have a pencil skirt, dress and two jackets - all in leather - from there. Each item cost more than what I'd usually pay for clothes, but are beautiful to wear and will be in my wardrobe as long as they continue to fit me (and even then, I'll probably hold onto them). 

The most versatile item is this black leather jacket. I was a bit apprehensive about the wide shoulders and was prepared to send it back if I didn't like how it looked. I kept it, though! I wouldn't mind getting another black leather jacket in a different style down the track, one day.

jacket ASOS CURVE || dress CLUB L VIA ASOS CURVE

sunglasses ASOS || boots DOC MARTEN || necklace COLETTE

I wore this outfit to my uncle's 50th birthday dinner. Here's a photo of me with my fella. The couple next to me is my sister Chelsea and her boyfriend. We had a lovely night at the Seaford Hotel, which has been renovated. The meals were delicious!

Where do you get your quality leather plus size items?


Thanks for reading! x

Aussie Curves: Style Inspiration

One of my favourite plus size bloggers is Danielle Vanier, based in the UK. On her blog, she writes, 

The main aim for this blog is to help empower you and to inspire you to feel confident through your choices in clothing and accessories. I want to help inspire you to feel confident about your body (what ever size/shape you are) and to show you that there are beautiful clothes out there, no matter what size you happen to be. I have very rarely let my size affect my style or sense of self worth and if I can help at least one person feel great about themselves then I know I have done a good job!

Well, she has definitely made me feel great about myself and this outfit certainly helps! When I first saw this photo of her on my Instagram feed, I was pea-green with envy (check out her blog post here). I couldn't believe how much I loved this outfit, and I was on ASOS right away trying to replicate the look. I was able to find the exact leggings, but the other items I found were just slightly different. For example, the New Look Inspire "Nothing To Wear" top is a T-shirt, not a sweater.

Also, today is the second of March and let me just say THANK GOD IT'S AUTUMN. So I might actually be able to wear this outfit out and about soon. I'm all about Autumn and Spring - mild weather is where it's at! I'm just not into the extremes, not one little bit. Also, I have a feeling that the faux fur collar is going to be all over the place come winter. I feel like I'm seeing it EVERYWHERE! I am soooo on trend, teehee. 

cardigan: river island via asos || leggings: asos curve || t-shirt: new look via asos || shirt: asos curve

My style inspiration is the bloggers that I follow. I highly recommend signing up to Bloglovin' if you haven't already. You get email updates daily, telling you which bloggers have posted new content. It's wonderful!

Thanks for reading!

Check out the other Aussie Curve bloggers on the blog hop!

Aussie Curves: Date Night

Jeff and I haven't gone out on a "date" in a while because we've been making more of an effort to eat in. It sounds boring, but we're totally obsessed with Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals right now. A lot more thought and effort has been going into our grocery shopping and buying our vegetables from farmers markets. We are really enjoying cooking together and trying new things. 

But I know my boyfriend, and if I was out to impress, this is something I'd wear. He waited outside for me with the camera, and when I appeared, ready for him to photograph this outfit, his first reaction was, "Rowr!" He loves well structured pieces. I feel more myself in flowing bohemian-type styles, but I still keep outfits like this around to impress the fella.

shoes: new look via asos || top: city chic || skirt: junarose via asos curve

I first saw this City Chic spliced corset crop on SpijkerKat's Instagram. I thought it looked amazingly sexy on her, and I thought it was a bit different to the usual City Chic stuff. The skirt is also a bit unusual, but I'm enjoying mixing it up a bit. Gabifresh is wearing a white version here, with a matching white top. It's positively breathtaking. Fashion goals right there.

Thank you for reading! x



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Aussie Curves: Festival #2

I'm not sure I've actually been to a festival since my last Aussie Curves Festival post! I'd much rather see one band I love and have a big night out rather than be in the festival atmosphere. Having said that, I love the fashion of festivals. There's something about the cute little boots, boho summer dresses and flower headbands that has me swooning. It's all so whimsical. My favourite festival in Adelaide is Laneway, for sure. Maybe one day I'll give that one a whirl again.

Even though I didn't wear this outfit to a festival, I can say, in all honesty, that this is pretty close to what I'd look like at one. Except I'd wear my hair down with a daisy-chain headband and turn the hippie notch up a bit.

DRESS asos curve || DENIM VEST river island via asos || PEARL HAIR BAND asos

Thank you for reading! x

 

Aussie Curves: Swimwear

Last summer I lived across the road from the beach and was there nearly every day - snorkeling usually. Swimming is my thing. However, in July I moved house and I'm almost ashamed to say that I haven't been to the beach yet this summer, despite being only a 5 minute drive away! I've been to the pool quite a bit, but I usually go on my own. So please forgive my backyard swimwear posts, with stupid chickens who don't care that I'm trying to capture some glam. Also, since seeing these photos, I've decided that my boyfriend is going to have to go back to being my photographer because using the self-timer application just isn't giving me the crisp photo finish that I'm used to. I usually hate it when bloggers apologise for stuff in their photos, like: "sorry about the mess on the floor" - I just tend to think...well...CLEAN IT UP or just don't mention it all. Pretend it doesn't exist and then your readers are more likely too as well. But I really do want to acknowledge that I know these photos could be better. Hopefully you can look past it to seeing how cute this swimsuit is.

swimsuit SWIMSUITS FOR ALL (gifted) || sarong SEAFOLLY

I've gone for a bit of a pinup style, with the halter neck, polka dot and cute little skirt. It's navy blue  with pink polka dots, and very comfortable! It's called the Shore Club Cotton Candy Bandeau/Halter Swimdress, from Swimsuits For All.

I've blogged a lot about body confidence and swimwear in the past, but I wanted to add a few personal thoughts I've had lately. Last summer I felt pretty confident on the beach, something I had worked very hard to achieve. However, my body has changed since then and I've had to face old demons all over again. Taking off the sarong was not easy for me. Learning to value yourself - ALL OF YOURSELF - including your body - is such a lifelong process, isn't it? As Meagan Kerr said on her swimwear post, "you can’t sit there and worry about what other people might think of you – you just have to live your life. They don’t care if you miss out on swimming with your kids or splashing about with your friends… but you sure will." 

I really hope that this summer, I continue to not give a f**k.

Thanks for reading! x

Aussie Curves: Skirt

I don't wear skirts as often as I used to, but when I saw this one on ASOS, I immediately saved it so I could think on it. A few weeks later I was still thinking about it, so I bought it. It's a neat trick my mum taught me. If you see something for sale that you like, walk away. If you're still thinking about it over the next few days - then go back and get it. Very sound advice.

This skirt is so soft to wear. Both the lining and the chill are a beautiful soft texture, feeling marvelous against the skin. I've paired it with my Dangerfield t-shirt, Lovisa necklace and vintage t-bar Doc Martens.

Thank you for reading! x

Aussie Curves: Everyday Style

For some reason, I interpreted this week's theme "Everyday Style" as what I wear to work. With that in mind, I set up my tripod to take photos of my outfit after work on Monday. The outfit captures the essence of what I've been wearing lately. Leggings or stockings with a dress and blazer. 

My workplace does not have a dress code. A lot of schools adopt a no-denim policy, but the only instruction I've heard on the matter is, "Don't dress like you're going to a family barbeque" and a few subtle hints about my tongue piercing - which luckily I was happy to take out anyway. As a result, teachers cover a wide spectrum of styles and "effort". You get your PE teachers who saunter into school wearing trackies and a t-shirt (like, seriously).  Women who wear a lot of purple. Beautiful, pressed suits. Lots of blazers. Pretty scarves. Unwashed hair. Thrift shop basics. One grey dress (or grey suit) worn everyday of the week. Beautifully styled hair. Short, low-maintenance pixie cuts. Spats, sneakers, sandals (sometimes with socks). Freshly shaven. Biblical beards. No make up. Bright red lipstick everyday (me). Teachers who don't wear make up to school are pretty smart, as it becomes your "norm" and that's how people expect you to look. If I turn up to school without makeup - or even just a bit of BB cream and blush - I get odd looks all day and "Are you okay? You look tired". 

Over the years I've worn hundreds of styles to work. The librarian suggested I start a fashion blog. So I did. Having said that - my style has toned down a bit. A mixture of wanting to appear a bit more "professional" and dare I say it - more "mature" so that others would view me more seriously, perhaps. Don't get me wrong - I still wear lipsticks that are ridiculously bright and choose the pink stockings over the black every now and again - but I've definitely become more boring and value comfort equally to style these days.

dress ASOS CURVE || blazer CITY CHIC || stockings CITY CHIC || shoes Dr MARTENS

Thanks for reading!

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