Oh yes I'm the great pretender

It's Downton Abbey night, so I thought I'd post some pictures of me pretending to be important enough to go to fancy events. Smart & well-dressed is absolutely not my strong point. I'm a messy person right down to my very core. Most of my clothes have food stains on them. However, I got this beautiful jacquard pencil skirt when I went rad-fat shopping in Doncaster last week and it's just so nice and smart I had to find a way to do it justice. 

The skirt was £23, which I've mentioned before is a little out of my budget for a skirt. I'm definitely a budget shopper, I suppose you have to be when you're all about fast fashion and have such an addiction to shopping, however once I tried it on I knew I should buy it. There's something about it, it's just so lovely and thick and comfortable, and the material feels beautiful. It's a really great length, too. I like to pull my pencil skirts right up to just under my bra and this still reaches below the knee, so it's perfect as a very smart skirt for those times smart is required.

I was wearing this cardigan in my last blog post but I didn't really say anything about it. I got it just the other week from Primark. It's a size uk20 but it's super stretchy. It's that beautiful fluffy wool that seems to be quite popular at the moment. When I wear it I can't stop stroking it. I love short shrug-style cardigans; my favourite burgundy one has recently lost a button so I needed a nice one to replace it while I search for a new button.

I got these earrings from New Look. I can't really find a way to describe them other than saying they're like glittery purple rocks that have been chiseled  into a heart shape? I'm sure there is a real name for the kind of rock, but really is it just glittery blue and purple rocks to me.

------

The next outfit is probably less smart. I was going for a glamorous 60's movie-star look, but it didn't quite end up that way. I got this dress from Primark. It was super cheap. It's a very stretchy ribbed material, so it is very comfortable. I don't usually go for things with a high neck-line, so I'm still a little unsure about it. I imagine it will be nice to wear in winter layered up with leggings and a thick cardigan or jacket. I do wish the sleeves were longer, though. I think it would be much smarter with half or even three-quarter sleeves.

Cardigan UK20 - Primark
Dress UK20 - Primark
Boots UK7 - Primark
Pearls - Primark
Sunglasses - Charity Shop
Dog - Model's own ;)

Tattoo by the amazing Rosie Evans :)

TARTAN

So I know tartan is very "in" right now, because it appears to be in ALL of the shops, however tartan has never ever been "out" for me. I LOVE IT. I never ever ever get bored of tartan.

In my last post I showed you the beautiful Simply Be tartan dress, and the red and black tartan-style checkered skirt I got, so I thought I'd carry on and show you another two items I got recently that I can't stop wearing.

First up we have this Dorothy Perkins black and white tartan-style skirt with pvc detailing on the pockets. Unfortunately there aren't actually any pockets, but I imagine it wouldn't be at all difficult to sew some in if you wanted some. I was forced to size WAY down as I couldn't find a 22 or even a 20 in stock anywhere, so I had to go for this super tight size 18. I don't think it looks too bad, but I imagine it may ride up if I am doing a lot of walking. This is definitely a show piece.

Again, the skirt was a little pricey for me at £22, but I actually had some vouchers to spend so thought I'd splash out. I wore it with a lovely vest top I got from New Look Inspire in the sale for £4, my New Look Inspire leather gilet, a simple pair of leggings and my BEAUTIFUL Primark boots.

Vest top UK26 - New Look Inspire
Leather gilet UK26 - New Look Inspire
Skirt UK18 - Dorothy Perkins
Leggings UK24 - Yours Clothing
Sunglasses - Charity Shop
Boots UK7 - Primark

I got this cool key necklace from Primark for £1!!!

So my second item is this pair of tartan leggings from Primark. I actually now own four pairs because they are SO SOFT and so stretchy and comfortable and lovely. My boyfriend Andrew has even stolen two pairs from me because he's taken to lounging around the house in them. Seriously, you need to try them. I can't stop talking about how great they are. I even wore them to work for most of the past two weeks (professional or what).

I got this silly skull vest top from H&M because it was about £7 and super stretchy. It's only a size M, so I presume it's probably actually supposed to be a dress, but on me it is a top and I am fine with that. I also got this hat from H&M because I always want to be a hat person, but I think I just need to accept that I am just not a hat person. The only kind of hat I actually seem to suit are hats with ears on them. Seriously.

Hat - H&M
Vest top - H&M
Leggings UK20 - Primark
Creepers UK7 - New Look
Dog - Model's Own.

Rad fat shopping

This weekend I went to Doncaster to meet up with some of my favourite rad fatties for a spot of shopping.

Primark nails! 

Train selfie. 

What I wore:
Cardigan UK20 - Primark
Skirt UK18 (VERY stretchy & loose in a good way) - Dorothy Perkins
The vest top was my mum's
Bag - Primark
Nails - Primark
Leggings - Evans

We found a mirror that made us all look skinny. We thought
it was hilarious, however a group of lads walking
by thought it was "embarrassing".

Rachel, Rebs, myself and Lisa <3

First stop was Simply Be. I had my heart set on the red tartan/checkered pencil skirt. I thought it would also be a good opportunity to try on the "coat of dreams" and the tartan dress Melly wore at Plus North.

First up was the coat of dreams. It fit like an
absolute dream, however the £75 price tag
was definitely out of my budget. Maybe
it's time to start a dream coat fund. All
donations welcome! ;)

Next up was the tartan dress. At £35 I was so
tempted to buy it. It was lovely and comfy,
I actually sized down as they didn't have a
26 in stock, but it wasn't at all too tight.

Dream coat/dress combo. PLEASE SOMEONE
BUY ME THIS OUTFIT?!?!

THE SKIRT! I knew I wanted this ever since I
saw it on the Simply Be website. I think £25 is
a little pricey for a skirt, but it was so perfect
& comfy I just had to get it.

We all spotted these boots just before we went into the
changing rooms. I don't think I have ever tried on a pair
of tall boots that actually fit around my calfs, but
these boots actually had plenty of room to spare!
I don't remember exactly how much they were, but
I do remember them being cheaper than it says on
the website. Rachel & Rebs both bought them so
check out their blogs for more info.

I wore my new tartan skirt today so I thought I'd do a little outfit posts featuring it. Here I am standing on a bench in my garden, because why not!

Skirt UK24 - Simply Be
Top UK24 - New Look (£8.99!)
Leggings UK24 - Yours Clothing
Belt - Primark
Sunglasses - charity shop
Boots - Dr. Martens

Plus North - AKA weekend of dreams. PART 3

So the afternoon was over and all focus was now on getting getting ready for the evening do. I had bought this dress a few months ago for an event I never ended up going to, and I had been looking for a good reason to wear it ever since. I can't tell you how excited I am to finally own this dress, it had been my absolute dream dress since I was a young teen.

I just have to say this; since I was a young teen and just finding my groove in the world, I started dressing in "alternative" clothes, and I always had this image in my head of how I wanted to look. I would see pictures of rockabilly girls and just despair at the fact I could never look like that. I always thought I had to be skinny and pretty and, you know, tick off all these ridiculous boxes to achieve this look and even then I thought I probably couldn't pull it off.

When I put on this dress and put on my bandanna (stolen from Mel), I turned around and looked at myself in the mirror and I had to do a double-take. I looked exactly how I had wanted to look for so many years! I just couldn't believe that was me in the mirror! Looking like that! I'm not usually one to blow my own trumpet at all, but I looked so great I was really quite overwhelmed!

Dress (UK24) petticoat & satin belt - Hot Corsets (buy it here!)
Cardigan - Evans
Leggings - Sainsburys TU
Shoes - Asda George
Bag - Madame Butterfly (LYDC)

I'm so sad these are the only two full-length pictures I have of the dress as you can't see the bright red petticoat underneath. I teamed the dress up with a short-sleeved cardigan, my favourite handbag (which I love because it looks a bit like a bowling bag), and my more comfortable platform sandals.

Anyway, back to the Plus North story. Mel and I arrived yet again (fashionably) late. We actually arrived just to see the models coming out of the main room after their catwalk appearance. I was quite sad that we had missed it because they all looked absolutely incredible!!

Mel and I may have had a couple of bevvies before we arrived so we decided to waste absolutely no time in getting on the dance floor.

Mel enjoying the stage

Mel and Lisa making their own fashion show

Rachel in "that dress". Wowza

I LOVE HER SO FREAKIN' MUCH SERIOUSLY I WANT TO MARRY HER PLEASE OK

Utter babes. 

I made everyone sing Nelly on karaoke then I spent the whole time filming them. Also CHLOE <3

Bathroom selfie with my beautiful bestie <3

Bathroom selfies

I freakin' adore this lot <3

Love these two (plus the best bloke at the party in the background)

OMG HOW DO YOU EXIST IN REAL LIFE OLIVIA CAMPBELL?!

Two words for this lady: fabulous, darling.

Jump around!

Do yo thang

If you liked it then you should've put a ring on it.

AAAAAAMAZING.

I may have blinded Kathryn with my flash :/ oops <3

Dancefloor queen.

What an arse.

No idea what song this was but Mel was loving it

<3

LOLLY <3

<3 <3 <3 Stolen from ultimate babely babe Lisa

Lisa, Lyndsey and I having a moment outside <3 Stolen from ultimate babely babe Lisa

Gorgeous Rachel and me clearly feeling the love <3 Stolen from ultimate babely babe Lisa

Me and hot mama Lolly <3 Stolen from ultimate babely babe Lisa

I believe I announced "I'm being Howard Moon!" right before this was taken :/  Stolen from ultimate babely babe Lisa

This happened.

One of the highlights of the night was when Gemma sang Wuthering Heights on karaoke. Hopefully the following photos will accurately demonstrate what happened:

It was genuinely one of the greatest nights of my life. I don't think I stopped laughing from start to finish and I definitely spent the whole day in the absolute greatest company imaginable! I wish I could spend every single weekend for the rest of my life with these people! Every person there seemed so open and loving and just so happy to be there, and the feeling of love seemed to be literally dripping from every surface. Granted, we had all had a few drinks, but I know for a fact I could have remained sober for the entire night and it still would have been the greatest night.

Thank you to everyone I met for making it such a dazzling moment in my life, and a HUGE thank you to Becky and Toni for bringing us all together in this way. What a beautiful event to exist, and what beautiful and genuine humans all of these people are. <3

Part 1  -  Part 2

(If you would like copies of any of my photos, or alternatively if you would like to be tagged (yes please) or have the photo taken down altogether, just get in touch with me via email or facebook.)