Online shopping haul

Just sharing a recent online shopping haul. Mostly scores but some not so sure.

 Firstly two jackets from autograph. These are a great find for $29 each. This black and white floral is a light satiny feel and will be great for spring.

I love this floral cotton blazer. Smart business like but fun. I think it will go with a lot of things.

Then there is the Asos sale. It's still going but here are my finds. 

Firstly the body on dress. I know I'm not smiling but I love this dress even if it is very figure hugging. I'm going to brave it and wear to work.

Then of course there are two peplum tops. They are cut longer in the waist than previous Asos tops I have bought. 

Without belt or with belt?

And then this one is a little out there. My dd thinks it is a little too Alice in wonderland and I am not sure whether to keep it

Without belt or with belt?

The next dress is a lovely light cotton knot. It feels wonderful on and is much longer on short me then on the website. I will be keeping this for hot summer days.

Lastly there are these pants. I should have known better. I know from years of sewing that a more fitted pant looks better on me. I wanted to try the printed pant trend but this may not be my answer. Also they do not feel as cool on as I expected. I think I bough two sizes too big as well. What do you think?

Aussie Curves Celebrate

Aussie Curves Celebrate

A year ago a courageous and shy young woman had a dream. She wanted to establish a supportive and positive community for plus sized women where is was safe to explore their fashion style and to learn from each other. I wonder if Danimezza had any idea how successful she would be.

I was in from the beginning. 

I wasn't sure if I was what she was aiming for in the demographic , being old enough to be the mother of some of the participants but there are very few middle aged plus sized women blogging about fashion out there and I wanted to have a go. 

And I have gained so much.

My style has changed quite a bit. Admittedly it had started changing before exactly 12 months ago but that was from following Dani and other plus sized bloggers in the months before Aussie Curves started.

So what has changed?

I have confidence to play with fashion!

I accept that my body is wide and I wear figure hugging clothes anyway.

I wear belts to indicate a waist.

And I have found other sources of clothes than just the ones available in the mall so ASOS and  other online sources have pumped up my wardrobe, perhaps a little too much.I also walk into shops I didnt visit before like Millers. I know, not high fashion but I found this lovely monochrome peplum top today and I think it shows the current season trend pretty well.

And who would have ever thought I would wear a leather look skirt? It had been ages since I had worn pencil skirts. I did wear them a lot in the 80s but then I wore very few skirts for 20 years. Now I love them and have quite a few pencil skirts but this lovely Scuba skirt from Harlow is my latest and favourite and I never would have tried it without Aussie Curves.

And then there is colour. Red and black were my colours before and I still love them. But now I am happy to play with pops of hot pink, purple and cobalt blue. Close fitting jackets and peplums are also a big feature in my wardrobe. This one from City chic called out to me the day it came into store and I had to have it even at full price. So glad I bought it because they were all gone 3 days later.

Finally, my DD and I have had a lot of fun playing with photos. She has even offered to take photos for the challenge recently. That is truly something to celebrate. It is always lovely to work with your children using the creativity that you both can bring. Today we were playing with lighting. I think she is getting better and better as a photographer. Our garage is making a pretty good studio.

Isn't she beautiful?

So Happy Birthday Aussie Curves and thanks to Dani and all the other participants. We really have something to celebrate

Aussie Curves Handmade

Those who know me well would have thought this Aussie Curves theme would be easy for me. After all I sewed nearly all of my clothes from about the age of 14 until about 6 years ago. It was a complete necessity. At the age of 14 I was a size 14 and even that size was difficult to get at normal stores and no-one in my family was going to help me find stores for my size. My mother was a good seamstress in her day but having 6 kids got in the way so she taught me how to sew  and off I went. I even sewed my year 12 formal dress. Thankfully no photos remain.

The very first paycheck I got from a summer job went towards my own sewing machine which came to college with me when I moved for uni.

When the children came along I sewed a lot for them and bought an overlocker for all the stretch stuff little ones wear. They each have their own christening gown made by Mum and there are some heirloom gowns made of silk and French lace in my cupboard waiting for grandchildren. ( I am hoping to wait quite a lot longer yet though). As they took up dance I got good at sewing leotards and costumes. One year I sewed about 160 dancing costumes for the school and the dancing school and the girls. My daughters have far more faith in my abilities than they should and often draw something they want and ask for it to be made with no pattern. Most of the time I manage. This year, most of my efforts have gone on pole dancing costumes for the oldest. And no you cant see them on this blog. But she loves them.

So I kind of stopped sewing for me. Luckily by now plus sized clothes are easier to find and getting better and better and relatively more affordable.

But I do have one handmade item of clothing in my wardrobe. I put so much effort into sewing it years ago that I can't part with it. Vey much from the 90s fashion era, this swing coat made of purple wool is so warm and comfy, it still gets worn on very cold days.

It's very heavy so I cant take it away if I go to colder climes unless I drive there.

Coat hand made, top Autograph, Skirt TS14plus

For those of you in the know it is underlined to give it structure as well as lined with satin silk lining.

It's so warm.

In a past life I have been very crafty and have made a few items of jewelry as well. One I made about 3 years ago was worn last week and it still gets comments. If you are interested, pop over to my old crafting blog and check it out.

One day I might get back to my craft. You never know.

But in the mean time this is the least of the first year of Aussie Curve posts. There are more to come for the second year. I have enjoyed participating immensely and hope that seeing a 50 year old woman having a go at fashion has contributed to the wonderful positivity that Aussie Curves has meant to me. Thanks to Dannimezza and Melissa for starting the group and the challenge. It has been a blast and I am sure will continue to be so.

This is a blog hop. Check out the other wonderful women from Aussie Curves