Simply Yours & Beach to Beach Swimwear from Simply Be/JD Williams

#psbloggers
Summer is by far my favourite season and we have been blessed with such amazing weather so far.  Unfortunately a holiday is just not something I can afford at the moment, so I vowed to make sure I am living for my weekends and soaking up all the rays here in the UK. 

With so many brands offering beautiful plus size swimwear I am always spoilt for choice. These two pieces are from the #SimplyYours & #BeachtoBeach range for +JD Williams/ +Simply Be.

First up is the Beach to Beach Blouson Tankini Set in mint green gingham print.
The top is a size 18 and the bottoms a size 20. With this being a blouson cut, it is designed and shaped to be loose fitting.  This is perfect for people who are conscious of tight fitted swimwear.  


The top sits just below my tummy and gathers with an elasticated waistband.  The sizing is generous and I am glad I opted to go for an 18 in the top as the 20 would've been rather loose. The tankini top has a light inner bust support, no cup mold or underwire at all, it's just an inner panel which helps keep the pups in place but be under no illusion that it offers any support.  It has fully adjustable detachable straps, but can also be worn bandeau style. The bikini bottoms are pretty standard, full brief fit, no high leg, good bum coverage and affordable too.  I probably could have chosen an 18 in the bottoms also.

These items are sold as separates;
Blouson Top - £22.00
Bikini Bottoms - £12.00

Next up I wanna talk about the #SimplyYours Floral Bandeau swimsuit

The print alone of this suit sold me, it's gorgeous! It's a simple bandeau cut with detachable & adjustable straps. I opted for a size 20 and this is quite generously cut like the tankini set. Where I am between a size 18/20, I could have opted for the 18 and still been comfortable. There are fixed foam cups sewn into a bra support panel and it offers decent support for my size 38GG chest. 

You can pick this up for £25.00 at the moment.


Overall Summary:  Both the tankini set and the swimsuit are lovely items and perfect for any holiday.  The both offer a comfortable and stylish way to rock your curves over the summer months.

Rating:  9/10

Potential improvements: When making swimwear for D+ cups, a little more support in the bra region would not go a-miss. An underwire would be amazing.

Would I recommend this? Yes I would, I have always loved these styles of swimwear they really complement the figure without being too revealing.  They're versatile enough to rock on the beach and at your local swimming pool. They're winners for me.


Disclaimer
.The review above is based on my own opinions of the products and I own all creative content of this post.

xXx

#SBxLFW - Social Media Takeover for Simply Be at London Fashion Week

@kat_v_henry

Check out the fantastic array of beautiful creativity and individuality that I saw today; the final day of London Fashion Week;

#StreetStyle from #SBxLFW - my Social Media Takeover for Simply Be Fashion at London Fashion Week (#LFW)

Posted by Katherine Henry on Tuesday, 23 February 2016
Here's a look at what I wore...



Today was so much fun.  I got the chance to speak to a lot of people, it was fantastic to hear what inspired people's looks and why they were coming to #LFW.  Unfortunately Freemason's Hall was closed so I only got to see the happenings at Brewer St Car Park, but I was not missing out. There were so many gorgeous trends on display, that I was simply spoilt for choice.

I got the chance to try out Periscope. If you didn't catch the live streams don't worry you can check them all out below;

Periscope <LIVE> Sneak Peek at Simply Be's flagship Oxford St Store

Periscope <LIVE> with @SisimissVIP from SisiTV with @Kat_V_Henry & @simplybeuk for #LFW #SBxLFW

Periscope <LIVE>  with Recklezz & Soleaux with @kat_v_henry & @Simplybeuk for #LFW #SBxLFW

Thank you +Simply Be for having me...
Let's do it again sometime ;)

#ShowUsYourSass; My Day in Denim with Simply Be UK

#showusyoursass
You just cannot help but wiggle when you find that pair of jeans that make you feel fantastic!

These "Kim" Bootcut high waisted jeans from +Simply Be do just that.

I've taken the same pair of jeans and I'm gonna show you how I styled them from day to night.

But first let's get the important stuff out of the way.

These jeans have a super-soft texture, which is fully machine washable.

They're cut to be high waisted and on my 5ft 4 frame they fit comfortably around my waist.  I always do the crouching test with any new pair of jeans to see how they fit around my back. I was pleasantly surprised, most jeans sag around the waist exposing way too much booty for my liking.   Not these bad boys, they stayed snug round my waist.
I'm wearing the regular length and to be honest they are a little too long at this length for me to comfortably wear without heels.


They're available in three colours;

They come in three lengths too;
Short; to fit inside leg 27 inches/69cm (Product Code: HH034XM)
Regular; to fit inside leg 29 inches/74cm (Product Code: CL572XM)
Long; to fit inside leg 31 inches/79cm (Product Code: CL715XM)

Sizes ranging from size 10 to 32.  I am wearing a size 18, I am between a size 18/20.  I generally wear a size 20 in most trousers but in these I have opted to size down for a better fit all round.

Here's my Day look; I opted for a smart/casual look that I could wear out in the day.








My Night look using the same pair of jeans;







You can check out the #ShowUsYourSass hashtag to see some other gorgeous bloggers showing you the array of different denim styles on offer at Simply Be.

Have you tried these jeans?  What do you think of them?

xXx

Disclaimer
The review above is based on my own opinion of the product and I own all creative content of this post. These items were sent to me by Simply Be UK for review purposes.




Pour Moi? Forbidden Basque *Review*

#simplybe
This gorgeous Pour Moi? basque is currently on sale on the +Simply Be website; Forbidden Basque

It has been reduced from £64.00 to £59.00
Product Code: BP617HS

Here I am wearing a 38FF which I believe is the largest size cup size that they do, however they do stock up to a 40 in back size.


I love the harness style straps it adds to turn what would be a rather plain run of the mill basque into a show stopper.  The balcony style cup isn't the most supporting but it holds well in my opinion with no overspill.

The colour appears purple but the underneath is actually an off white with black mesh and lace detailing.

It comes with suspender straps fitted.

The back is just sheer mesh and it has three rows of hook & eye fastenings to adjust accordingly.

This cut instantly creates an hourglass silhouette which is ideal for women of size.

There are matching briefs available here also.

Xx

My Scarlett & Jo competition win & trip to Home House

boudoir shoot
Back in April I won a #selfie competition run by +Scarlett Jo to win a luxury night's stay for 2 at the swanky member's only venue Home House in London.  To be totally honest looking at some of the other entries in the competition, I didn't think I stood any chance of winning. So when another fellow blogger reached out to me on FB to say congratulations for winning, I was very much like "oh I didn't win...I just entered" thinking there must be some misunderstanding.  I did a little google search and happened across Scarlett & Jo's blog announcing the winner - you can read it here


I was beside myself - I had admired S&J clothing from afar for sometime but had never had the confidence to try anything on for fear of it not suiting me.  It was only when I went to my first PS Bloggers event in Birmingham when we stormed Evans (you can read all about that here) that  I found the balls to try on these two dresses whilst in the company of other plus size babes.


I got in touch with Gifi Fields the brains behind the brand, and we arranged to meet for cocktails at Home House.  I instantly warmed to Gifi,  he is a very intelligent man and oozes charisma and a passion and drive for the industry that I admire.  He took the time to really explain some of the ins & outs of the fashion world and told many a story of his experiences. I was in awe and he has the most infectious laugh.  


Following my drinks with Gifi - I organised my date to go back to Home House for my overnight stay.

My other half Andy & I turned up at Home House on 30th May after a heavy night the night before. Andy had been DJ'ing so we had not got home until the early hours of the morning.  We needed some serious R&R.



The staff at Home House welcomed us with open arms and were fabulous hosts.  We were shown to our suite; a feature room named after "Lady Susan Thorpe"


We were greeted by a beautiful glass of champagne.

We took the time to relax & get ready for dinner at our leisure, Andy watched a little bit of football whilst I pottered around getting glammed up!


I had chosen to wear this gorgeous floral bodycon +AX Paris dress from +Simply Be 
I felt like a million dollars - this dress instantly became my fave dress, it really accentuated my curves & Andy approved #winning <3


We started with a few cocktails in the bar & followed by a delicious Thai meal in the hotel's restaurant.

Even though the Hotel has it's very own exclusive members only club which stays open till 3am, we were both shattered so retired to our room.

We had done a bit of research on the venue before hand and I have always wanted to take some lingerie shots, I feel most comfortable around Andy, so we seized the opportunity to use the ornate surroundings of the suite to do a pop-up boudoir shoot.

Take a look at some of the photos...


I am ever so grateful to Gifi & the S&J team for picking me to win such an amazing prize, I loved Home House and would jump at the chance to return one day.
You can take a look at Home House yourself here I would thoroughly recommend it for a night's stay. It's pricey but 10,000 x worth it!

Xx

Plus Size Fashion Events; Curvy Con

#CurvyCon
Being part of this hugely supportive community of plus sized babes is a welcome breath of fresh air.

Gone are the days of feeling low in a crowd of people who were judging me for my size.  With the welcome addition of Plus Sized fashion events such as The Curvy Convention & Style XL in my life, I can now confidently feel fabulous in the presence of a plethora of like-minded & stunningly beautiful women who "get me"

Curvy Con was my first plus sized event and it cemented the fact that we need more empowering outlets to allow women to feel comfortable in their own skin.  The venue housed so many stalls such as +Simply Be, +ELVI, +Lovedrobe Clothing, +NICKY ROCKETS, Topsy Curvy, Gemma Collins, State of Mind Active & many more offering beautiful lines of fashionable garments for us all to try on & buy.   They had a massage tent, cake & refreshments, jewellery, accessories amongst other things.  The main feature of Curvy Con was the huge runway which was graced by many of my fellow Plus Size Models strutting their funky stuff in the latest designs from +ASOS Curve, +Simply Be, Eyani Couture, Enjeanious by +Rean Fisher, Topsy Curvy, +Voodoo Vixen & many many more.

It was so liberating seeing beautiful women representing all shapes & sizes modelling the clothes.  It is a real positive movement in the right direction for the plus size industry.

The highlight of my day has to be finally meeting all of my fellow #PSBlogger babes in the flesh. With so many of the bloggers that I have followed for years in one place, I felt a little star struck, but being the character that I am, I made sure I showered them with a tonne of boob squishes, hugs & lovin' while making sure to get a gazillion selfies!

Meeting these women has given me a whole new family. Since CC we now have a whatsapp group of blogger babes, there's gotta be 25-30+ bloggers in there and we all talk daily, they are like my sisters. I can talk to them about anything from fashion advice to relationship advice to just daily grumbles but they are all on hand to give you a boost whenever you need it.  

Will you be going back next year?
- MOST Definitely!  I missed the casting for it due to work commitments, but I may just participate next year. If not, I will be there with bells on with my blogger babes anyway!

Would you recommend Curvy Con?
- 100% It's only the first year - so there is scope for this event to grow. I would like to see more plus brands involved, in terms of stalls.  Perhaps a larger venue with more space to try clothes on.  

What did you get from Curvy Con?
- I made friends, it was a brilliant networking opportunity, I got to see my friends looking beautiful on the catwalk, but mostly I got a tonne of empowerment & positivity from being in a room of people who could relate to me.  


I can't wait till next year, more selfies, more fashion, more cake, more babes....where do I sign up??












Xx



Boho Bridal Shoot with Chiara Aprea

#boho #bridal
I have raved before about +Chiara Aprea's impeccable talent, but I cannot shout enough about this gorgeous Bohemian themed Bridal Shoot we did on location.

Not only is Chiara a qualified make up artist, but she has a flair for hair too, not to mention her photography skills which are incomparable.

From the minute you sit in her chair you feel at ease, her personality is so warm & welcoming all anxiety you may have of modelling with her is gone.

I chose this fantastic maxi dress from +Simply Be and Chiara provided accessories to compliment the theme.














Make sure you book in with Chiara for a fab experience...you will not be disappointed.
Chiara Aprea Photography