That Little Black Dress (LBD)

I love how a simple black dress can create a multitude of different looks just with a little style twist. The Yours Clothing team challenged us to all take the same dress and style it our way. Knowing these girlies, I am sure that every look is going to be seriously unique.

Click the photo below to shop this dress

I was torn between styling the dress for a night out and keeping is casual so I figured, why not show you how I would wear this little black dress both ways!

Leading such a busy lifestyle, I often struggle to find the time to get back home to change outfits so it's really important to find clothes that are versatile enough to be styled from day to night with the addition of a few items.

So here is my first look, the casual weekend day time look.  I went for a more urban grungy look by adding a plaid long sleeve shirt around my waist and kept the feet comfy with a pair of white high top converse.


This plaid top is from Marisota and is a fair few years old, but Yours Clothing love a plaid shirt so here is a alternative shirt option >>  Navy, Pink & White Checked Boyfriend Shirt << but they have so many on offer you can choose whichever colour tickles your fancy.


This outfit would work with any kind of shirt really, even a long sleeved denim shirt or denim jacket like this >> Denim Jacket  <<

Yours have a pair of low rise canvas pumps which would complete the look  >> Canvas Pumps <<


The trumpet sleeve makes it quite unique in it's own right, almost statement enough to rock on it's own but for my evening look I opted to accessorise it up.

Here's my second look, which is way more of an night outfit. This would be perfect for a concert or out for drinks.


I am wearing the "Seductive" harness from Vixen Curves which is still available from their website.  I picked a silver and black clutch to match the harness which is from Simply Be, again a few years old but any clutch would work with this dress. You could even go for a statement clutch in a bold colour for a contrasting look.


These lace up boots are from Yours too, they are sooooooo comfy. I have extremely wide calves so getting these boots to fit round them is a huge achievement.  The heels aren't high and the soles are cleated so they're super grippy.  You can grab yourself a pair here.

The dress itself doesn't have a lot of shape in the body, so I nipped in the waist with a simple elasticated belt.  


The trumpet sleeves are really cute and very on trend this summer. The upper sleeves of this dress are very snug, I actually had to size up in this dress to a 22, as the 20 was too tight on the bicep. By sizing up the dress fitted looser on the arm and there was definitely more give on the tummy area. The neck line of the dress is a V-shape, not particularly low either. The trumpet flares out from just above the elbow.


The length of the dress without any belts or anything tied around my waist comes to just above the knee on my 5ft4" frame. Adding a belt or anything of the like will cause the dress to rise up a little, so for my taller friends, perhaps consider going belt-less!!

I'm so excited to see how the ladies style their dresses, why not give them a cheeky little follow and perhaps you might be inspired by their looks.


I am really interested to know how you would style this dress too, why don't you show me?

Photos by QR Photography

Disclaimer
This item was gifted to me for review purposes.  The review above is based on my own opinions of the products and I own all creative content of this post.

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My Body My Rules; Introducing OBD Clothing

Finding decent activewear as a plus size woman these days is a hell of a lot easier than it was a few years ago. Don't get me wrong, it's not a piece of cake or nothing, it's still a ball-ache trying to find leggings that stay up when I jump or a sports bra that doesn't eventually try to pierce my heart with it's underwire, but there is definitely more choice out there with more brands widening their size ranges.  

Hollie of Pretty Big Butterflies suggested I check out OBD Clothing. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they too had chosen to extend their sizes up to a size 28 with their new Curve range.  


OBD offer a range of gym apparel mainly tees and vests at the moment. They start from a size 10 and go up to a 16 in their regular range but their Curves range starts from an 18 and currently goes up to a size 28.  They appear to want to extend their range further if the demand is there too, which I think is a really positive move.

I go through a lot of activewear, many t-shirts are too heavy to workout in, especially the ones with catchy slogans on them, so it's nice to have a lightweight and breathable tee that will keep me cool during a class.

Sizewise I ordered a 20 and it's a great fit for me, lovely and loose on the arm and not to clingy on the tummy. 

I teamed it with these awesome distressed joggers from Yours Clothing which unfortunately are no longer available.



The slogan I chose is "My Body My Rules"  This phrase is crucial in my opinion to living a "zero fks given" lifestyle and in the fitness industry especially as a plus size girl I think that's really important. The looks I get when I tell people that I am a +BOOSTfit fitness instructor are priceless. Some just look at me with a "yeah right and I'm the Pope" look others do the whole, "but you're not exactly fit" thing. The best one is the pitiful look that I get as if they think I'm lying. The thing is you cannot judge my health or fitness level just by looking at me. This body is strong and capable of some amazing things, I don't exercise to lose weight, I exercise because I enjoy dancing, it makes me happy and that boosts my mental health as well as improving my fitness. I never wanted to conform, I've never been one to stick to the rules. We were born to be unique and this t-shirt really reinforces that fact. So I wear it and shout even louder, it's my body and I will do with it whatever makes me happy.



Why don't you head on over to OBD's website and check out some of their other slogan tee's and if there is something that tickles your fancy you can use my discount code KAT20 to score yourself 20% off at the checkout.



Overall Summary:  I love this t-shirt, the fabric is breathable and it's super lightweight.  I like the ability to pick the colours of your tee's for a fully customised feel.  The slogans are catchy and positive which is refreshing in this ridiculous culture of shaming others for fun.

Rating: 9/10

Potential improvements: More body posi slogans, introduce crop tops and vests into your curve range and if you ever branch into full activewear, hook a sister up!!

Would I recommend this?  I would thoroughly recommend these tee shirts to any one looking for activewear that is not restricting and doesn't leave you feeling hot and sweaty.

Photos by QR Photography

Disclaimer
This item was gifted to me for review purposes.  The review above is based on my own opinions of the products and I own all creative content of this post.

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Amber Riley: Steal Her Style with Yours Clothing

In my opinion Amber Riley is an utter babe and totally one of my celeb style icons so clearly it was a given for me to pick this chick to "steal her style."

When someone has such serious style it's kinda hard to pick just one style from Amber's wardrobe. 
So I've picked a couple of looks and have found you guys similar items from Yours Clothing so you too can look as awesome as Amber.

The Casual Look
Khaki Jacket//White T-Shirt//Wet Look Leggings//Oversized Scarf//Tote Bag//Open Toe Heel Boots
I love this outfit, I would be seen wearing this ensemble of a weekend or a casual night out. You can shop Amber's style using the links above and you can pick up this entire outfit for just over £100.00!

The Daytime/Red Carpet Look

Pink Skater Dress
If the arms on this Sienna Couture dress were just a tad longer, this dress would be identical to the dress Amber is rocking.  I have this dress in other colours and I love dressing it up with killer heels for a day event.  You can pick up this dress using the link above for just £25.00.

So all in all you could be blazing up the style trail like Amber in both these outfits for under £150! That's a bargain in my books!

Which Celeb style icon inspires you?

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