Win A Ticket To The Curve Fashion Festival 2015!

Dear readers, I must apologise as it has been some time since my last post. I have been busy with work and doing fun things, such as being a bridesmaid for Georgina from Fuller Figure Fuller Bust blog and attending Style XL. I am even busy as I write - busy being on holiday. I'm in Greece for a week with Georgina and we are making the most of soaking up the sun and recharging our batteries.

However, a fantastic opportunity has come my way and I simply could not wait to share it with you. 

Lady V London: Lady Voluptuous Pink Rose Floral on Cream Phoebe Dress 20 and Japanese Black Floral Phoebe Dress 22/24

Lady Voluptuous, Lady V London's plus size line, is doing great things for full-figured women. The range comprises gorgeous dresses and skirts that are exclusively offered in UK sizes 16-32. The garments flatter the figure and are comfortable and practical to wear. I love how the designs have been made with larger ladies in mind, with realistically sized sleeves and armholes, good boob room, and a range of necklines.

One of the newer dresses to be released is the Phoebe (£55; UK sizes 16-32): a fully lined 1950s inspired dress with a flared skirt and built-in petticoat. It comes in a number of pretty prints but for me I was particularly enamoured with these two:

Images courtesy of Lady V London

Lady V London: Lady Voluptuous Blue Butterfly Cosette Dress 16 and Japanese Blue Cosette Dress 18

As a fan of vintage style clothing I was super excited when Lady V London set up their plus size range, Lady Voluptuous. These clothes are made exclusively in UK sizes 16-32 and they are absolutely gorgeous. I am slowly but surely making my way through the collection and hope to review it in its entirety in the fullness of time, but as I am sure you can appreciate this all takes time and to mix things up I am reviewing other items in between.

Today I will be reviewing the Cosette Dress (£50, UK sizes 16-32).

Images courtesy of Lady V London

Lady V London: Lady Voluptuous Pink Lips on Black Full Circle Skirt 16 and Japanese Floral on Black Full Circle Skirt 18

Lady V London's plus size range, Lady Voluptuous, continues to go from strength to strength. The label, which was created in collaboration with my wonderful friend Georgina from Fuller Figure Fuller Bust, boasts a range of dresses in UK sizes 16-32, all of which have been flying off the shelves every time they get restocked. It was fantastic to see them recently release a new item - the Full Circle Skirt - and of course I was quick to buy a couple to try out. At just £35 each, these skirts are superb value.

I wasn't completely sure which size would be best, so I decided to order two different prints, each in a different size. I went for the Pink Lips on Black Full Circle Skirt in size 16, and the Japanese Black Floral Full Circle Skirt in size 18.

Images courtesy of Lady V London

Lady V London: Lady Voluptuous Bellatrix Dress 16

I recently reviewed the Medusa dress from the 'Lady Voluptuous' plus size range from Lady V London. This collection was launched only a few weeks ago but it has already made a great impression on the plus size blogging community, and many ladies have already reviewed the dresses from the range.

Today I am reviewing a second dress from the Lady Voluptuous line: the Bellatrix (£45).

Images courtesy of Lady Voluptuous

Lady V London: Lady Voluptuous Medusa Dress 16

Apologies for being absent from here for the past few weeks; I've been on a fortnight's holiday in the Caribbean, which was wonderful, and, although I took my laptop with me in the hope that I'd get some spare time to write blog posts, I shouldn't have bothered! I didn't get to turn my laptop on once as I was kept busy by my 8 year old niece and 5 year old nephew, so I can't complain as I had lots of fun and we made countless holiday memories. I also wore lots of gorgeous bikinis, which I will be reviewing in the coming weeks.

Since I've been home, I have been feeling rather under the weather, so my blogging ambitions have had to remain on hold for a while longer. Finally I am on the road to recovery and I am delighted to bring you my latest review.

A few weeks ago, my beautiful and incredibly talented pal, Georgina from Fuller Figure Fuller Bust, did something amazing. OK, she does amazing things ALL the time, but this thing was extra special. It's something I've known about for a while and I have found it very hard keeping quiet, so goodness knows how she's managed it! Of course I am talking about the clothing range she has launched in collaboration with Lady V London: Lady Voluptuous.

Image courtesy of Lady Voluptuous

Pink Clove Pleated Skater Skirt With Contrast Waistband 16

Plus size brand Pink Clove has continued to go from strength to strength since its launch in 2013. Offering a range of fast fashion items in sizes 16-32, their prices are just as attractive as their garments. I own a number of Pink Clove items and still wear items I bought when the brand first launched, including my beloved Red Tartan Skater Dress.

Late last year I was sent a number of items by the lovely Pink Clove PR team, and today I am going to share with you the Pleated Skater Skirt With Contrast Waistband (now sold out in pink but was £14.00, UK sizes 16-28).

Image courtesy of Pink Clove

Evans Scarlett & Jo Animal Print Fit and Flare Dress 14

I've reviewed quite a lot of Scarlett & Jo items lately, and that's because they are a brand that make some really great pieces of clothing. They are committed to designing gorgeous frocks for us plus size ladies and so I can't help but want to share them with you all.

Today I'm going to share with you the Scarlett & Jo Animal Print Fit and Flare Dress (£39.00; UK sizes 14-32. I'm afraid this is no longer available online but it may still be in stock in some Evans stores - probably in the sale section). 

Image courtesy of Evans

Evans Scarlett & Jo Black 3D Textured Floral Prom Dress 16

Plus size brand Scarlett & Jo seem to be going from strength to strength. Sold exclusively at Evans, this is a range of clothing that is designed to accentuate the figure and makes the most of curves. I have reviewed a number of items from their collections on my blog, and today I will be showing you a dress I tried shortly before Christmas: the Black 3D Textured Floral Prom Dress (original price £75; sizes 14-32, now sold out online but may still be available in stores).

Image courtesy of Evans

Collectif Phyllis Velvet Pencil Dress 20

For several years, I have been a huge fan of vintage brand Collectif. I love their 40s and 50s style clothing and own a number of their items, including coats, tops, and dresses.

Shortly before Christmas, I was contacted by the Collectif team to ask if I would like to review something from their range and of course I jumped at the chance. My first thought was to go for a Dolores Doll dress, but I have already reviewed a number of these so I wanted to go for something a little different. I ended up picking the Phyllis Velvet Pencil Dress (was £60.00, now £30.00; UK sizes 6-22):

Image courtesy of Collectif

Yours Clothing Glitter Flocked Skater Dress 18

In late November, plus size retailer Yours Clothing had a huge sale. I ordered quite a number of items to try on but ultimately only kept two: the Glitter Flocked Skater Dress in blue (sizes 14-32; was £35, now on sale in limited sizes at £18.40) and in purple (sizes 14-32; was £35, now sold out online but may be available in some stores).

 Image courtesy of Yours Clothing

Image courtesy of Yours Clothing

Evans Scarlett & Jo Embellished Velvet Dress 16

I don't often get invited to very posh ceremonies or parties, but if I ever was I am not sure I'd have a dress in my wardrobe to fit the occasion. Yes, I have a ton of gorgeous dresses, but I can't think of one that would be glamorous enough for a really fancy event. Well, that recently changed when I acquired the Scarlett & Jo Embellished Velvet Dress in navy and in black.

Image courtesy of Evans

Evans Scarlett & Jo Multi Floral Print Prom Skirt 14

I have been having a love affair with Scarlett & Jo's prom dresses and separates for a little while now, and I ordered a number of them from Evans back in the summer to try. Have a look at the beautiful Multi Floral Print Prom Skirt (was £48.00, now sold out on the website but may still be available in some stores):

Image courtesy of Evans

Evans Teal Jacquard Dress 14

High street plus size retailer Evans have been around for many years. Their collections have varied since the brand came about, and personally I think their items are getting better and better. I recently placed an order to try a number of items and today I am going to share with you the Teal Jacquard Dress (was £40.00, now £36.00, UK sizes 14-32 (limited sizes available at the time of writing)).

Image courtesy of Evans

Lady V London Estella Dress: Cream Birdcage Print and Red Wine Polka Dot Print

I have been aware of vintage-inspired brand Lady V London (a.k.a. Lady Vintage London) for a few years now and have often lusted over their gorgeous dresses and beautiful prints. However, as my proportions are so troublesome, I had never previously dared to place an order as I strongly suspected I wouldn't be able to get a good fit on both my bust and my waist.

I expect you are already familiar with my wonderful friend, Georgina from Fuller Figure Fuller Bust, and the dress she helped design for Lady V: the Estella.

Image courtesy of Lady V London

Pink Clove Colour Block Dress

Earlier this year I bought a few bits and pieces from plus size fashion brand Pink Clove. One of the items was a dress I'd had my eye on for a while: the Colour Block Dress.

Image courtesy of Pink Clove

Evans Scarlett & Jo Black Spot and Floral Print Dress 16

I love Scarlett & Jo. I know I've said it before but I adore the clothing they produce and am always impressed with their new collections. They really know how to make the most of a feminine figure and how to show it off to its best advantage.

I recently ordered a couple of Scarlett & Jo dresses to try on from Evans, and of course I took the opportunity to take some photos to share the garments with you. Today's review is of the Scarlett & Jo Black Spot and Floral Print Dress (was £45.00, now £40.00, UK sizes 14-32 (some sizes out of stock)).

Image courtesy of Evans

Evans Scarlett & Jo Black Jersey Crepe Top 14 and Yellow Floral Print Prom Skirt 14

I have previously waxed lyrical on my love for Scarlett & Jo's dresses, and you can read my past reviews here. Back in the summer, they did something a bit different, and brought out their highly successful prom dresses in separates. Naturally, I was itching to try them out for myself, so I placed an order with Evans and eagerly awaited their arrival.

First of all, I tried the Black Jersey Crepe Top (was £28.00, now in the sale for just £8.00; most sizes available at the time of writing) and the Yellow Floral Print Prom Skirt (was £48.00, now on sale for just £20.00 (wowwww!!) at the time of writing in limited sizes).

Image courtesy of Evans

Image courtesy of Evans

Cut For Evans Navy Textured Panel Knitted Dress 14/16

Several weeks ago, high street plus size retailer Evans launched its latest 'Cut For Evans' collection. These pieces are part of an industry leading initiative that introduces a range of garments from brand new fashion designers. You can read all about it here. Sadly, I wasn't able to attend the launch myself due to prior commitments, but I did order an item from the collection to try for myself and to share with you here on my blog. 

The piece I chose was the Cut For Evans Navy Textured Panel Knitted Dress (£55.00, UK sizes 14-32 (dual sized)).

Image courtesy of Evans

Monroe Knows Amber Dress in Black 18

If you're an avid follower of plus size blogs and their various social media outlets, you will almost certainly have seen a lot of hype about new clothing brand, Monroe Knows. Starting off with a small signature collection, the brand is set to expand very soon and I for one can't wait to see what gorgeous items they bring out next. 

I was absolutely delighted when Marvin, the brand's founder, contacted me a few weeks ago to ask if I'd like to review a dress from the collection. I headed over to the website to see what choices I had and I was pleased to see they have a good range of stylish dresses for me to pick from. All of the dresses look well made and cut for plus size figures, and the price point shows this is not another brand aiming at the fast fashion market but instead they are offering quality garments made to last. 

I was instantly drawn to the Amber dress (£49.99, UK sizes 18-24); its figure-hugging style and slinky fabric appealed to me immensely and I loved the fact it had elbow-length sleeves, which are perfect for this time of year.

Image courtesy of Monroe Knows