Okay... here goes!  I was extremely nervous about filming my first ever V-log but I knew it was something that I wanted to overcome so for my first ever V-log, I review two of Simply Be's Spring/Summer collection: the floral print woven front sweater and the peplum hem textured skirt.


My First V-Log - Review of Simply Be Spring/Summer 2014 from Felicity Hart on Vimeo.

Along with the V-log, I have also taken a couple of photos to show how these items look as a complete outfit, and as you can see, they are really lovely! Thank you Simply Be! :) 

 

Floral Print Woven Front Sweater*: Simply Be, Size 18, £35.00 available in sizes 12 - 32
Jeans: Select, size 18, £18, Ankle Boots: Tesco

Peplum Hem Textured Skirt*: Simply Be, Size 18 - £25, available in sizes 12-  28 (up to 32 currently out of stock), Top: Wallis, Size 18, Cardigan: Wallis, Size 16, Bracelets: ASOS Curve*

You've probably seen a lot of press regarding Taking Shape on other plus size fashion blogs and that's with good reason. Taking Shape are relatively new to the UK. They originally formed in Australia and aspire to be a plus size fashion brand for sizes 14 to 26.  I'd never heard of them before I noticed blog posts popping up over the Internet and then as luck would have it, Sarah got in contact with me to see if I knew about the brand and after a few emails back and forth, she offered me some items to review.  

After looking at the Taking Shape website, I noticed that a lot of the products were bright, bold prints with some gorgeous tunics and dresses along with more work suited trousers.  One of my immediate favourites was the Sugar Plum Velvet Coat and I'm sure you'll agree with me when you see it - it's so unique and looks extremely luxurious! 
 

 Sugar Plum Velvet Coat, Taking Shape, £125 in sizes 14 to 24.

I found it quite difficult to choose items to review due to many of the products I liked being out of stock in my size and there are a number of products that don't exactly match my usual style that I am comfortable with.  After browsing their website, I stumbled across some absolutely gorgeous trousers - Brocade Ponti Trousers.  I am a massive fan of the "Damask" print, which appears on my duvet covers and around my house in numerous places so when I saw these trousers I thought why not expand my love of this print to my clothing!  

Sarah kindly sent me a UK size 18 along with a tunic to review too which I did try on with the trousers but it was too long to wear together (my review of the tunic will come soon).  When my package arrived it was wrapped in a really lovely gym bag which had leaflets and a little catalogue explaining more about the brand.  It was a lovely surprise to receive just before Christmas Day and I tried everything on immediately - Now I'm going to let the photos do the talking...

Brocade Ponti Trousers: Taking Shape, £60 currently reduced to £35,

Snowflake Jumper: H&M, £14.99, Ankle Boots: Tesco, Bracelets: New Look

These trousers are very well made and feel lovely on. They have a slight stretch to them too and feel true to size.  Although you can't see the print very well on my photos, they have this gorgeous Damask print on them and I decided that due to the time of year and it being quite cold that I would team these trousers with a snowflake jumper which was from H&M.  Although this is quite a casual look for me, I think that the trousers and sequins on the snowflake jumper make it look a bit more luxurious and it's a look I will definitely wear out. 

I have bookmarked the Taking Shape website and although I can't justify spending £125 on a new coat at the moment with my wedding coming up, I will certainly be keeping an eye on it over the next few months! My experience of Taking Shape clothing so far has been great and it's always good to see a new plus size fashion brand that provides high quality and well made products that will last! 

I'm late... I know... I'm very late with these challenges and all I can say is that I'm putting it down to real hectic life, the weather and my cold that has knocked me for six.  I decided today that although I still have my cold that I was going to get myself all dressed up to make myself feel better and to make myself look more human.  There's only so long you can lounge about in fleece pyjamas right!? (Major perk of working from home though!).

Today's Style It My Way Challenge is from week 4 - Bodycon. I still have week 5 and this week to style and will aim to do that asap so that I am back on schedule.  The outfit I have chosen for the bodycon challenge is the same outfit that I wore to Plus North 2013 for the day event, minus a belt.

I am completely new to bodycon and if someone had suggested to me 5 years ago to wear it I would have told them where to go.  I always thought that bodycon actually meant "Body Conscious" and was corrected at Plus North that it means Body Confidence by a group of lovely bloggers and I felt like such an idiot! 

I am a lot more comfortable with my body and the way I look these days so when I saw this mini dress in New Look, I immediately loved the print and thought "What the heck!" and tried it on and here is the result...

 

 

Bodycon Mini Dress: New Look, £14.99 - Size 18,
Faux Leather Jacket, New Look, £39.99 - Size 18, Statement Necklace: New Look, £12.99, Ankle Boots: Tesco, £19.50 - Size 4

I'm like a walking advert for New Look! In all honesty I was panicking about what to wear to Plus North so found everything I needed in one go.  I love putting outfits together in a shop - it's so much fun!   Both the dress and the jacket are available up to a size 18 and the dress comes in either a mini style or midi if you'd like it that little bit longer.  I'd say that a size 20 would easily fit into the dress, but the jacket is kind of snug - I can just about do it up.

At Plus North, my necklace was commented on a lot which made me feel really great about myself and although I don't think I would wear a bodycon dress without some sort of jacket over the top just yet, I have since ordered 2 more bodycon dresses that will be arriving in the next few days.  They are sure to make an appearance on the blog soon!