Getting all Dolly and Dotty!

Dress: c/o Dolly and Dotty. Belt: Vintage. Cardigan: Dorothy Perkins. Shoes: Bait Footwear. Sunglasses: Specspost. Hair Flower: Pin Up Curl.

I've had this dress for quite awhile and I've been desperately meaning to post about it but I just wasn't happy with the photos, however these only came out marginally better and I do hope you don't mind. I wish the photos without the cardigan were cuter than they are but I wanted to show you how the fabric is on the bust and back of the dress (both extremely comfortable!) This is the Melissa Bandeau dress the lovely team over at Dolly and Dotty sent me to review. You may recall be reviewing another of their dresses at the beginning of the year and me being surprised at how true to size they were as so often I find vintage reproduction or inspired brands can be on the smaller size but I am happy to report again that Dolly and Dotty's sizing seems to be spot on if not a little generous. Here I'm wearing a UK20 and it's comfortable and doesn't cut in on my waistband, I do however find the dress a little long in the body though I am only 5'2 so this is something that I usual find in the vast majority of dresses I wear! I also find the bust quite full as well so if you have boobs bigger than me (for reference I wear a 38DD/E generally in bras) you should still be fine even with it being strapless. I'm wearing my go to Curvy Kate Luxe strapless bra under the dress in these photos. 

I decided to colour coordinate the whole of my outfit and threw on the cardigan and belt over as I just think it looks so cute and is a great option for wearing this dress in the cooler months as well! If you're looking for fun vintage style dresses which are easy to care for and extremely well priced I'd definitely check out Dolly and Dotty! 

SHARE:

3 comments

Polka Dot Pretty with Lady Vintage.

Dress: c/o Lady Vintage. Shoes: Bait Footwear. Beret: old! Clutch: Primark.

Lately I've been delving a little deeper into the retro loving side of my own personal style and from my blog posts over the last few months it's been even more obvious than ever! So I was so excited when Lady Vintage asked if I'd like to review The Maria Dress from their Lady Voluptuous range which goes up to a UK32. A size range in such a scale as theirs is sadly often lacking when it comes to vintage reproduction brands. Lady Vintage have been on my radar for quite awhile but I'd never gotten chance to get my hands on a dress before! 

Here I'm wearing a UK20 which I would say is very true to size. If you've read my blog for awhile you'll know that I often mention how in vintage reproduction brands in the past I've found sizing to run small compared to high street sizing etc but I'm happy to report that in this Maria Dress that isn't the case! The dress itself is well made and the fabric is a thick stretch cotton mix meaning it hugs to the body well but also keeps it's shape! What I particularly love about this design is the flattering shape of the neckline and gathers across the chest and the 3/4 length sleeve as these aren't often on dresses and it does mean that there isn't any need for a cardigan if you were at all self conscious about your arms. I styled the dress up with a cute beret that I don't wear enough. these Bait Footwear flats which I utterly adore but they're just a little too snug to wear a lot and my go to classic red lip! The clutch bag was a recent and rather frivolous purchase from Primark but I just couldn't resist! 

If you're now dying to get your hands on a Lady Volup piece, the team have been nice enough to offer you guys 10% off your order with

ROSIE10

SHARE:

1 comments

Polka Dots and Poodles.

Peplum Top: c/o George at Asda. Jeans: Matalan. Necklace: Me and Zena. Clutch: Asos. Shoes: Evans.

I took these photos far to long ago but with my massive graduate hand in and the after math of a weddings and my brother and his girlfriend staying for a week I've only just had the chance to sit down and finally write a blog post. Unfortunately I am pretty behind on posts and have an array of fabulous things to show you which I'm hoping to get posted over the next few weeks so please do bare with me. I'm a little refreshed and hopefully have my blogging mojo back!

This style of top is one of my favourites for summer, long enough to pair with leggings for a comfortable look but can equally be dressed up with denim and heels for a less casual look like I've done here. In this I sized up to a UK22 as I like them to be looser for the warm whether and it also means that the top would be longer on me making sure it covered my crotch for wearing with leggings! The back of the neck also have a really lovely scoop and tie at the back which I unfortunately couldn't master getting a decent photo of! I decided to finish the look by mixing prints in the form of this cute clutch back I picked up on sale at Asos (a bag I'll probably use for photos but rarely out as I like to carry a lot of crap around with me!), denim to break up the dark colours and cute hair and make up, which was from a shoot I did at HMS Vintage and can't WAIT to show you when I get a chance! 

Again sorry for the radio silence but I'm glad to be back and I hope you're glad too! 

SHARE:

8 comments

Spring Time Wellies.

Denim Jacket: M&Co. Dress: Dorothy Perkins. Wellies: c/o Jileon Wellies. Hair: Thanks to Nancy!

I don't know about you but I've never been a massive fan of wellies, probably because I couldn't get cute one that would fit around my calves or fit my wide feet. In fact I recall having some tops of wellies when I was younger being slit down the back so I could get my legs in! But in the last 2 years I've found the joy that is Jileon Wellies who sent me a pair to try in November 2012 (check that post out here) which I loved back then but they have come on leaps and bounds since then! They were lovely enough to offer me the opportunity to review there new style and I'm genuinely blown away! 

 The buckles are perfect they actually lock so they don't come undone as you walk which ones in the past have. On where the clasp is for the buckle and cord it can't fall out all together which is another well thought out feature, having them made our of fabric instead of the rubber of the wellie has worked out perfectly. They're also insanely comfortable because they actually fit my feet so I don't get aching soles after wearing them for a few hours. These are almost closed on me and they fit up to a 53cm calf so would be perfect for all manner of calves. So not only are these practical and fit wonderfully but they're also really pretty, I adore the ditsy print of the flowers and the fact it doesn't cover the whole boot makes it easier to match with clashing prints and this time I wore them with this cute polka dot get up, red lips (which I'm rarely without) and my lovely vintage hairstyle, which is thanks to the lovely Nancy and I'll be showing you more snaps from this soon! This was slept on hair as well, super impressed! Back to the Wellies, I'd recommend Jileon to anyone with wide calves, I love these so much that I'm seriously lusting over this second pair!

Jileon Wellies have been even more fabulous by offering my readers a fabulous 20% OFF! Just use the code ROSE20 at the check out, this will be active for 2 WHOLE weeks! Let me know if you order any I'd love to see what you chosen!

SHARE:

6 comments

Marisota SS14 Style Challenge.

Biker Jacket: c/o Marisota. Jeans: Matalan. Top: Asos Curve. Socks: Urban Outfitters. Shoes: New Look. Necklace: Topshop. Glasses: Jeepers Peepers.

The lovely guys at Marisota gave me the chance to style up an item from there upcoming SS2014 pieces and I was lucky enough to be sent this beautiful Boucle Biker Jacket from the Ava by Mark Heyes collection. It's something I wouldn't usually go for as it's such a pale colour and for someone as accident prone as me it's something I tend to shy away from. I can't get over how grown up I actually feel in this get up, of course I've still got my creative focal points to stop me feeling overly mature with my polka dot socks, pointed flats, quirky frames and heart necklace but I felt very professional in this like I could take over the world? I received this in a size 20 and it fits a dream, it doesn't zip up on me but as I don't wear any jackets done up this isn't a problem for me. It even fits well with a jumper under neath, so perfect for layering!

I decided to style this with jeans to keep it on the more casual side another item I tend to avoid due to the fact they never seem to fit me nicely and I end up with my tummy getting cut in two with the waistband or just a very baggy bum! For the time being these basic straight leg jeans from Matalan ( a bargain at a £10) shall suffice. The top is a very recent purchase for my upcoming trip to London for a few days with uni as it's comfortable, doesn't crease easily and I love the mesh piece at the top, I actually sized up to a 22 in this thinking it would be loose but as you can see it's not so I'd certainly suggest going up a dress size. I finished the look with my latest piece of bling that fabulous heart cut out necklace and a slick of my trade mark coloured lips!

Apologies if my photographs are a little off, I've recently upgraded to a snazzier camera and I'm still getting used to the setting and no I haven't bothered reading the instructions....

SHARE:

103 comments

Polka Dot Pretties.

 Xelence Mini Spot Tights - Light Shape Dress Size 16-20.

Xelence 30 Denier Semi Opaque Tights - Light Shape Dress Size 16-20

Dress: Dorothy Perkins Concession. Glasses: Jeepers Peepers.

I was contracted way before Christmas by the lovely team at Charnos to see if I'd like to review some tights from there XeLence range which are made with us plus size girls in mind and go up to a size 32. I received the size 16-20 in both styles, though I have to admit I was a little dubious initially as I always tend to size up with tights as so often if I buy ones that will only reach to my knees! Of course I needn't have worried as even though I'm at the top of the size bracket they fit like a dream and don't really cut into my stomach at all!

I was really excited to receiving the polka dot pair as I've been swooning over this cutesy look for so long but just didn't want to risk such thin tights because I've lost count of the times I've put my fingers through tights when trying to yank them on! When I originally popped these pretties on I was really careful not to snag anything but they pulled up really easily are very soft to the touch and even with them being thin I didn't feel like I was going to have to carry a bottle of clear nail varnish with me to stop any ladders! The second pair of tights being perfect for daily and basic wear and something I'd certainly feel comfortable wearing all day in the office or at uni, another thing I noticed when I wore these out was that they didn't fall down a lot either which is always a nice thing!

Each pair of Charnos Xelence is constructed with a higher denier yarn on the thigh area to help combat chub rub which I personally think is a fab idea but doesn't feel like it's heavier or tighter on your skins. They also each have a clever feature of a single layer waistband which helps eliminate the elastic band effect you can get across your stomach when wearing tights (I get this ALL THE TIME!) Priced between £7 to £10 I do think this is a great price for such a wonderful piece of hosiery and I certainly plan to order some more in myself in the future.

I think Charnos have really hit the nail on the head by saying there Xelence range is Custom Made For Curves and I can't wait to see more!

SHARE:

2 comments

Polka Dots and Red Lips.

Dress: Vivien of Holloway. Top: M&Co. Shoes: Matalan. Brooch: Vintage. Flower slide: Primark.

At the start of the month I was looking at the lovely blog DIY Fatshion by Dani (go check her out shes so sweet!) and saw her Polka dot get up and felt totally inspired by her. Of course I don't own the exact same outfit (If only!) but I certainly own more than enough of my fair share of spotty items, they're like my kryptonite... along with stripes obviously!

The outfit ended up coming out pretty vintage inspired with my beautiful VOH dress which I bought from Rachel who runs A Dress Is For Life and my eBay petticoat under neath. One of my favourite colour combinations is red and monochrome so I added my bargain £2.50 shoes and lashing of red gloss! I just couldn't resist blowing you all a kiss as a thank you for following me and putting up with my ramblings! As I've just reached 400 GFC followers today, SO CHEERS!

For once I don't have much else to say, first time for everything right! It was my birthday this weekend I turned the rip old age of 20, but I didn't really plan much as all my friends were still at Uni etc but it was lovely all the same with my family even though it rained! Hopefully I'll have some snaps from our day out up soon once I get my hands on them!

SHARE:

10 comments

The Fat Fabulous Four Challenge!

Today (well normally Saturday evenings but I'm late... my time skills are awful!) is the launch of  a lovely little challenge collaboration between me (obviously), Becky of The Ramblings of Mrs BeBe, Toni of The only way is Toni and Mhairi of Lilybobombs. We will all be bringing you a new post every two weeks on a saturday with our own takes on some top trends and styles, starting this week with lace!

Dress: Asos Curve. Black Tee/(P)leather Jacket: Dorothy Perkins. Trainers: Matalan (£5!)

Now I'm a massive fan of lace, I own a large quantity of the it but this is the only non black piece I own. I have worn it without a long sleeved top under but it was so bloody cold today that I had to! The only downside to this dress is the white top piece under the lace slides down, I wore it to see One Direction as few weeks back and they got an eyeful as they passed over us that's for sure! 

These trainers have hardly been off my feet since I picked them up in the Matalan sale for a fiver! I bought them for summer but as all my shoes have slowly fallen apart and these were the only things that didn't let water in I had to start wearing them and now I honestly don't think they'll last that long! My (p)leather jacket was also thrown on for a little warmth, something else I've hardly had off since I got it back in January! 

Do you still see lace as a fancy even sexy fabric? Or do you wear it casually as well?

SHARE:

7 comments