Evans Pear Ultra Stretch Skinny Jeans 18

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed that I have never before reviewed jeans on my blog. There is a simple reason for that: I don't wear jeans because I can't find any that fit me properly. 

Yes, I know I am fussy about fit, but why shouldn't I be? The problem is, finding jeans to fit hips that are 19" bigger than the waist is a pretty tough task. Most jeans are cut to fit a 'typical' woman, and I am a million miles away from fitting into that norm. I understand that. 

In the past I have considered ordering custom-made jeans over the internet as I don't think even curve-friendly brands like PZI would work for me, but I never ended up going for it as I was sceptical they'd be worth the money (I would have had to order from abroad). I also don't have a desperate need for jeans - I have a wardrobe full of gorgeous frocks; why on earth would I need jeans?! I admit that I didn't want to feel that awful disappointment when you can't find anything that fits, so for my own pride I never searched too hard and so I eventually lost any desire to own denim. An additional put off was that the fashion for jeans and trousers over the past decade has been for them to be 'hipsters', or at best low rise. Such a terrible look for pears and hourglasses, in my opinion, and something that looked absolutely awful on me. However, over the past few years I have had a number of requests from readers who wanted me to review jeans, so it has always been in the back of my mind to get around to doing so one day.

Little did I know that UK plus size fashion retailer Evans held the key to my jeans dreams: the Evans Pear Ultra Stretch Skinny Jeans (£30.00; UK sizes 14-32, in short (71cm/28"), regular (76cm/30"), and long (81cm/32")lengths):

Image courtesy of Evans

Bravissimo Lola Luxe Basque in Blackberry 36K and Thong XL

Early last year I bought the Bravissimo Lola Luxe Basque in Black/Teal from a friend and reviewed it on my blog. Although the fit was not completely perfect it's a set I am glad to have as it's very pretty and is perfect for those special bedroom occasions.

Last month I was looking on the Bravissimo website to see if there was anything I could review and my search brought me to the Lola Luxe Basque in Blackberry (was £50.00, now reduced to £40.00; UK sizes 30-38 F-K (limited availability)).

Image courtesy of Bravissimo

Bravissimo Lola Luxe Basque in Black/Teal 32K and Briefs XL

I am always on the look-out for lingerie other than bras and knickers. In the J+ cup size range there are sadly very few options available so when something comes up I am always incredibly keen to give it a try.

A few months ago a friend of mine sold me her nearly new Bravissimo Lola Luxe Basque in Black/Teal (sells new for £50.00 in sizes 28 DD-J and 30-38 DD-K) with brand new matching briefs and thong. I had checked the item on the Bravissimo website and had fallen head over heels in love with its design and colours:

Image courtesy of Bravissimo

Curvy Kate Lola Babydoll 32K and Thong 20

For many years, women above a G cup have had very few lingerie choices.  We've had to count ourselves lucky that lingerie brands finally clocked on to the fact that we'd like bras in colours other than just black, white and nude, and some savvy companies even gave us choices in bra style.  Yes, we're so fortunate to not just have to stick to full cup bras, but many of us can now also choose from plunges, half cups, balconettes and even multiway and strapless bras.  Lucky us!

Forgive my flippancy...but sometimes it feels like those of us with larger boobs have to be grateful for these things and not ask for more.  Don't get me wrong; I am incredibly grateful to brands such as Ewa Michalak and Bravissimo for really pushing the boundaries with bra styles in larger cups.  But what has been missing for so long are options beyond this.  We want longlines, we want bustieres, we want basques, we want bra-sized nightwear and we want babydolls.

That last 'want' in my list is one that has been addressed by several brands in the past year or so.  Plus size lingerie brand Elomi brought out the Betty babydoll, but the largest cup available was an H.  Fortunately, this has been followed in recent months by other brands bringing out their own babydolls and large cup lingerie trailblazer Curvy Kate has done just that.

Image courtesy of Curvy Kate

Pepperberry Bravissimo Red Corsage Kimono Dress 14RSC

Some months ago I'd heard from friends about a dress from Bravissimo's clothing arm, Pepperberry, that worked for almost all curvy women: the Red Corsage Dress.

In theory, it looked perfect for me.  A wrap-over bust area, a cinched, ruched waist, and a tulip-shaped skirt - all things that would be on my 'dream dress design' wishlist.  Surely it would match up to my high hopes...?

Bravissimo Sun Seeker Bikini in Pink

Before my holiday last month, I tried out several bikinis as I was in dire need of a couple of new ones for 2012.  When I saw the Sun Seeker bikini on Bravissimo its colour jumped out at me and I knew I had to add it to my basket.

Image courtesy of Bravissimo

My quest for a sleep bra: Bravissimo Inspire Sports Bra in Black

For a long time, I have been looking for a sleep bra.  My definition of a sleep bra is one which is comfortable enough to wear in bed (every night if wished) and also around the house during the evenings and at weekends.

So far, I have only tried non-wired bras in my quest.  I have tried soft cup bras, sports bras, maternity bras and even a nursing bra, but nothing yet has quite hit the spot.  I have stumbled every time, with the main reason being that I don't get separation of my breasts in non-wired bras.  This has lead me to wonder if I might be able to find a wired bra which would be comfortable enough to sleep in.

Now, my Ewa Michalak bras are super comfortable.  I wear them each and every day and it's a pleasure to do so.  Rarely do they dig in, rub or give me any kind of pain or discomfort so they would be ideal to wear in bed as well.  But, as I wear them every day, I think it would be unhealthy to wear them at night as well so I am on the lookout for an underwired sleep/house bra, as well as a non-wired one.

A few weeks ago, I tried the Bravissimo Inspire Sports Bra in black.

Image courtesy of Bravissimo

Bravissimo Boudoir Beau Bra

Bravissimo have a wide range of own brand bras available on their website.  Almost a year ago I visited their store in Ealing and tried on several styles and sizes but could not find anything that really suited me.  I have now realised that this is probably because I was going for too big a band - my Ewa Michalaks have helped me become accustomed to a firmer band and now I find I am sizing down time and again.


I recently placed an order with Bravissimo for several bras and one of them was the very foxy Boudoir Beau in red/graphite.

Image courtesy of Bravissimo

My quest for a sleep bra: Royce Sadie

I have reviewed the Royce Sadie in one of my earlier posts but wanted to try it again in a smaller band and bigger cups.  I found this bra available on Bravissimo, which is a great place to find large cup bras.

Image courtesy of Bravissimo

My quest for a sleep bra: Royce Charlotte

The Royce Charlotte is another soft cup bra which I reviewed back in the early days of my blog.  I tried it in a 36H but found it to be completely unsuitable for me.


The Charlotte is available on Bravissimo in sizes 28DD-J and 30-40DD-K (also available in a nursing bra).  It's a great selection of sizes and the promotional picture suggests good support and shape.

Image courtesy of Bravissimo

A fabulous Friday fitting with Leia Lingerie

Good Friday 2012 turned out to be a great one for me as I spent the majority of it in the company of the wonderful Georgina of Fuller Figure Fuller Bust.  We had decided to have a day of lingerie shopping - what could be better?

We headed off to Bluewater shopping centre in Kent as we wanted to visit a Leia Lingerie store and this was our closest branch.

 

Photo courtesy of http://www.claroblue.com/

Bravissimo Moulin Rose Bra

Whilst looking through the many bras available on Bravissimo recently, the Moulin Rose caught my eye instantly.

Image courtesy of Bravissimo

Bravissimo Rococo Charm Bra

I recently tried the Rococo Charm bra, which is one of Bravissimo's own brand bras.  I had heard great things about this bra - and read many rave reviews on the Bravissimo website - so was excited to try it for myself.

Image courtesy of Bravissimo

Bravissimo Parisian Plume Bra

Bravissimo have several halfcup bras available at the moment and after hearing lots of good things about the Parisian Plume I wanted to try it for myself.

Image courtesy of Bravissimo

My quest for a sleep bra: Royce Impact Free Sports Bra in Grey Marl

My search to find a bra to wear around the house and at night in bed continues.  I have come close a few times but still not found anything I am completely happy with - even nearly happy with, in fact.


I decided to give the Royce Impact Free Sports Bra a try as I saw it on Bravissimo and it looked like it might work for me.

Image courtesy of Bravissimo

Bravissimo Dotty Spot Bra

I have long heard about the wonders of Bravissimo's Dotty Spot bra but had never tried it out for myself until recently.  A friend of mine told how she had bought one on eBay so I jumped on the site and found a brand new without tags Dotty Spot in Black/Cafe in a 34HH and bought it quick as a flash.

Image courtesy of Bravissimo

Failure in finding decent bras for big boobs...

My first proper post will be about bras.  I LOVE bras.  Which is a good thing seeing I have had big bazookas for as long as I can remember.  I am currently a 36J (depending on the brand), which is the largest I have ever been.  For the last few years I was a 36H but for some reason in the last six months or so my boobies decided they wanted to expand even further.  I don't mind as I love having large breasts but it did present me with the age-old dilemma of buying some new bras.


I have tried many brands over the years but for the past 6-8 years the best by far, for me at least, was Freya.  Not all of their styles, I hasten to add, but in particular the amazing Millie and the sexy Eleanor.