A curvy girl's guide to work fashion: Review of the Moda jersey dress by George at Asda

   When it comes to fashion, I love nothing more than to get dressed up and experiment with my style. One of the most exciting things for me to buy is a new 'party' dress, but special occasion dresses are not something that I can wear on an everyday basis and are most certainly not appropriate work-wear!

   My gripe with work wear is that it tends to lack excitement and it is too easy to fall into the rut of a black pencil skirt/ black trousers and a blouse. As a girl with a 28FF/G bust, fitted blouses and shirts can be a nightmare to find and my highstreet blouse purchases tend to be oversized. 

   What I look for in workwear is something that is stylish but easy to throw on in the morning - there is nothing better than looking professional and feeling comfortable without having to make too much effort!

   Bring on George at Asda! I stumbled upon George at Asda clothing by complete chance - I had never bought clothes from a supermarket before, but when I spotted the Moda mono print jersey wrap dress for £16 on my weekly shop, it looked perfect for filling my workwear wardrobe gap!

Unfortunately my size was not available in store, so I went online and ordered a size 10. (Due to the stretchy nature of the fabric, I thought that it would be more likely that it would fit me given that I had not tried it on before buying..)

   As you can see, the Moda jersey dress is a wrap/ cross-over style dress that features a bold monochrome dogtooth print, giving it a great deal of scope for dressing up or down according to preference. It also boasts a 'V' shaped neckline, ruched sleeves and a pleated waistband to add interest and flatter curves.

   Fit-wise, I found that the size 10 came up quite generous and I think a size 8 (if it came in this size) would have been my 'ideal' fit. That said, even in the size 10 it looks and feels lovely on and I am thrilled with the length of the dress, which comes to just above the knee on my 5ft10" frame. The dress has a 97% viscose and 3% elastane fabric content, making it incredibly soft to the touch and the material drapes nicely over my bust and hips. 

   One of the great things about this dress is its wrap-over style, which really flatters a larger bust and curves. The 'wrap-over' meets at a fixed waist seam, so the dress stays in place all day without revealing too much flesh or shifting with a freak gust of wind. I am also very impressed with the amount of space at the bust - there is plenty of room for a bigger bust and it will certainly accomodate for a chest much larger than mine too. (Caroline from Curvy Wordy also sang its praises after I recommended it to her and her 30KK bust looks fantastic in this dress!)

   In the pictures above, you can see that the dress displays a fairly modest amount of cleavage, but for work I tend to pop a black camisole/vest top underneath as in the picture below. Due to the dress being slightly too big for me, I also add a belt to emphasise my waist and give a more 'hourglass' look. 

   Thick black tights with this dress are ideal for keeping me warm in the chilly weather, but in the warmer months of the year, I would be happy to go bare-legged or wear nude tights with this dress. I am also wearing black patent shoes (from Dorothy Perkins) and a set of pearls in the picture above, which lend to a sophisticated and polished finished outfit! 

   Whilst the look that I have talked about here is quite a conservative work/ everyday look, it would be easy to add colour to this outfit with bold accessories and a dramatic lip colour - perfect for taking you from office to bar!

   All in all, I am pleased with my first supermarket clothing purchase. The only real criticism that I have of this dress is that the fabric is quite thin, so you may need to be a bit careful to avoid snagging it on things - I have found that after wearing it a few times, the fabric at the waist band has frayed a little and has created a small hole (which is ok if you're a dab hand at sewing), but for £16, I can't complain too much..

  I would definitely buy more dresses from Asda in future and I am excited to have found such a bust-friendly dress on the highstreet at such a bargainous price! Although the dogtooth jersey dress has since sold out, Asda have an identical Moda floral jersey wrap dress in stock at the moment in a blossom print, available in sizes 10-24. I hope that Asda will bring out more of these wrap dresses in different prints in future as I would love to buy some others for my work wardrobe..

To shop more of Asda's clothing range, click here. (There is also FREE delivery available on all orders over £40 until 8th Dec))

Love,

Kitty xo

Halloween Style File: Corsets, lace and vampire fangs!

   Halloween is nearly upon us; a night synonymous with ghoulish goings on, trick or treating and scary movies! If, like me, you enjoy Halloween as a good excuse to 'paint the town red', then you will undoubtedly be excited to get costume planning!

   People tend to go to varying lengths for a Halloween fancy dress party.. witches, zombies, skeletons, cat women, devils, vampires and ghosts are quite common, but you also come across some very original outfits that are more kooky than blood-curdling..

('Barbie and Ken', 'Shark Attack', 'Sexy Corn' (what!?) and 'Rubix Cube')

(Couples costume via Tumblr)

   Whilst the above costumes are a great laugh, I decided to take a more 'traditional' Halloween approach to my outfit this year, choosing to be a vampire for the 'Lost Souls II' Halloween party at the London Aquarium! Whilst there's the temptation to buy a 'pre-made' Halloween costume from a shop or online, I decided that I was going to fashion a spooky costume from my existing wardrobe, incorporating my love of lingerie.

   One of the difficulties with Halloween outfits is striking a balance between looking scary and sexy at the same time.. particularly when lingerie is involved! I wanted to channel 'underwear as outerwear', rather than 'gone out in my underwear', so keeping things classy was a 'must' for my outfit choice.

   I started with my 'base' piece which was the black 'Vintage Stitch Corset' (size medium) that I bought from Playful Promises. This overbust corset is plastic boned with metal front fastenings and it boasts glamorous Art Deco style stitching at the hip. It features a traditional lace up back, which can be tightened as much as desired to draw in your waist, accentuating your curves.

   This Playful Promises corset gives a great hourglass shape and it is surprisingly comfortable to wear on a night out (I didn't need to adjust it at all)! As you can also see from the picture, there is a pop of red and black lace peeking out from underneath the corset and Curvy Kate aficionados may recognise this bra as the 'Tempt Me' (Scarlet and Black) from the 'Showgirl Range':

   Although it's not 100% necessary to wear a bra underneath a corset, I felt like I would feel slightly more secure and supported in a bra as well..especially for a night out that involved running through a 'scare maze' and busting some vamp-tacular moves on the dance floor! 

   I chose to wear the Curvy Kate 'Tempt Me' for a few reasons, namely that it is a great plunge style that lends itself to a lovely cleavage, but also because the seductive red colour and black lace detailing just screamed to be worn by a vampire on Halloween! The flash of red underneath the corset also gave a bit of contrast to the predominantly black outfit that I chose and also complimented my red 'Dorothy's friend' court shoes from Office, red lipstick and fake blood!

   I also wore a figure-hugging black 'fishtail' skirt from ASOS which has a slightly gothic looking lace overlay. I  accessorised with black earrings, a statement necklace from Topshop, some black satin gloves from Claire's Accessories and, of course, some Vampire-esque makeup and fangs!

(Black, blue, bronze and white smokey eye makeup with black liquid eyeliner and purple under eye liner)

(Scarlet red lips, vampire fangs and a little trickle of fake blood!)

I finished off the outfit with a long floaty cardigan/shawl to keep the chills at bay:

   I certainly had fun with this lingerie-inspired Halloween look, but what do you think of incorporating lingerie into your Halloween costume? 

Whatever you're planning, have a very HAPPY HALLOWEEN, LINGERISTAS!

Love,

Kitty xo

Style file: The curvy girl's guide to a night out

Your night out is planned and all of your friends have confirmed, but the big question remains..what to wear?

  Every girl has experienced that ‘I have nothing to wear’ moment prior to a big night out and for the curvy girls out there, there are just so many things to think about aside from whether you can walk in your new sky-scraper heels! Dressing curves is never an easy task – the balance must be addressed between showing off your assets and looking like you’ve tried too hard or have dressed to get the wrong kid of attention!

  Another issue is finding clothes that accommodate for curves and a bigger bust. Going up a size to give enough room to your bust can be disastrous, resulting in too much material around the waist, or clothes that just ‘hang’ off your frame. No-one wants to get lost in too much fabric, but not everyone has the confidence to pour themselves into a fitted dress…

  The solution to dressing curves is firstly to work out the kind of occasion that you are dressing for and secondly, to decide which areas of your body you want to highlight or conceal. Although there are specialist fashion stores (like Pepperberry) that cater for curves, I want to show girls that they can pick up curve-friendly clothes on the cheap! 

 

LOOK 1: Trendy but understated

(Necklace, top and black skinny jeans from Topshop. Studded heeled boots from Love label.)

Skinny jeans are a great night-out alternative to a dress. They can be worn to more casual events, dinner with friends or the cocktail bar.

Black skinny jeans are very slimming and flattering to curves and also elongate your frame.

Wrap-over tops or ‘V’-shaped plunging necklines draw attention to your bust, whilst not revealing too much flesh.

Gold accents and embellishment add a little bit of glitz for the evening. Whoever said you can’t stand out in a pair of black jeans?

LOOK 2: Flirty summer prom dress

 

(Dress, belt and heels – all Primark)

With the onset of summer, what better way to celebrate, than with a

pretty prom-style dress?

This dress from Primark is perfect for curvy girls, due to the fitted bodice and sweetheart neckline, which flatter a bigger bust. The A-line skirt and cinched-in waist give the impression of an hour-glass figure, whilst skimming over the stomach and thighs.

Nude heels finish off the outfit by elongating the legs.

LOOK 3: Chiffon and leggings

(Tunic dress and heels from Primark. Leggings – H&M)

This rust-coloured tunic dress is very girly and great for an evening out with the girls. The bust is roomy and the buttons can be undone to reveal a stretchy under-slip.

The plaited belt adds shape to the dress and draws attention to your waist. Leggings keep the look casual, but the embellished heels add a bit of nighttime glamour!

LOOK 4: Elegant in summer brights

 

(Dress, belt and heels from Dorothy Perkins. Necklace – Primark.)

Take on the summer brights trend with a vibrant purple dress like this one from Dorothy Perkins! The dress is made from a stretchy material and will accommodate for larger busts.

The fabric falls from under the bust and skims your curves. The accompanying belt can also be worn under the bust, enhancing your chest whilst giving you a cinched-in shape!

LOOK 5: Daring panelling

(Bodycon ‘Emma’ dress from Motel)

For the more daring of curvy girls, body-con can be a knockout way to show off curves and an hourglass figure!

This dress by Motel is very glam and perfect for a night out on the tiles. Look out for strategic panelling, which emphasises curvy figures. The panels of the Motel ‘Emma’ dress give the illusion of a smaller waist!

Don’t forget to wear seam-free underwear and a supportive strapless bra. Here, I am wearing the Freya ‘Deco’ strapless bra in black.

LOOK 6: The little black dress

(Dress by Geitzy London – found in a vintage shop. Heels from Dorothy Perkins)

Look out for the perfect little black dress that you can wear over and over again. This ‘Geitzy’ dress is made from very stretchy material and is slightly ruched at the bust. Stretchy dresses, like this one, are great as they cling to the curves that you want to show off (your bust), but aren’t too clingy on the rest of your body!

Team with a gorgeous pair of platform heels and rock those curves!

  I hope you have enjoyed my going-out style file for curvy girls, which should hopefully provide some ‘food for thought’ and show that you don’t need to spend a lot to look good!

  When shopping for clothes, remember to look out for clothes that streamline your figure, enhance your best points and skim over any parts of your body that you dislike. Don’t be afraid to customise – tacking, sewing and altering can really transform an outfit that is not ‘quite’ right when you buy it. Adding a waist belt to a dress is also a great way of giving shape to clothes that otherwise fit too loosely and do not pay enough homage to your gorgeous figure!

  One last thing to keep in mind is underwear. The first step to looking great starts with the basics…and that means a well-fitting, supportive bra! I am wearing the Freya nude ‘Deco’ bra in looks 1-4 and the Freya black strapless ‘Deco’ in looks 5-6. These are the staple lingerie pieces that I reach for again and again. Due to being completely seamless and providing fantastic uplift and support, these bras are a must-have for all curvy girls!

  Although fashion is very subjective, the most important thing is to dress for your figure, as ultimately, only you know what you feel most comfortable and confident in. A beautiful girl is a confident girl; so don’t forget to finish off any outfit with a dazzling smile!

Love,

Kitty xo