Big Beach Bums

Hello once again!

I'm sadly still without internet (though my laptop has been repaired at last), so posts around here may be a little thin on the ground for a while. I did, however, want to devote some time to talking about Big Beach Bums, which happened over a week ago now. Of course, I was useless and didn't really take any photographs, so instead I've pinched a few from the lovely Claire and Ragini, who both posted about the day also.

We were a small group of five after a few people dropped out. This actually proved great as it met we could all go around the shops together, and I also really enjoyed being able to get to know everyone much easier! The day was absolutely foul, so sadly we kept our pottering to the shops and later a pub to avoid being swept off our feet on the beach! Oh, the joys of British weather...

Anyway, here are some photographs taken from other posts:

My boyfriend (who lasted all of about half an hour on the vintage front, haha), Rebecca, me, Claire and Nadia after first meeting up.

The cavernous Beyond Retro! We did the bulk of our rummaging here and came up with a good haul including:

this rather spectacularly garish jersey tie dye affair, which I actually could not resist (Belly swirls are the best)

Ragini

After this we headed off and ate some cheap grub at Pompoko, and then hit the bargain rails on Sydney Street (where I scored a lovely plaid 40s-esque dress, and Ragini found a lovely coral trench for £5!), before hitting a coffee shop for some well deserved rest and chattering.

After this we headed to meet up with our other halves in the pub for some more drinks. Overall it was a lovely day, and great to get to hang out with everyone for so long! I only wish I could spend more time with such awesome fats on a more regular basis.

Outfit post to follow shortly!

BIG BEACH BUMS - maps and plans!

Another BBB post for anyone who's interested in attending (see here for the original post for any further information. It's a fat positive meet up, with vintage shopping and hang outs on Brighton beach. Anyone is welcome! Just let me know if you plan to attend by emailing me at fattyunbound@gmail.com).

I've spent the last few weeks researching where to take us on our big day out (this has been a thinly veiled excuse to go vintage shopping a lot), and I've finally got a plan and a map! Hurrah!

The interactive map with all points marked can be viewed here. I've put the itinerary information, along with a screen cap of the map with all of our shopping streets (I've put stars next to the shops I recommend), and some names of recommended eating places, in a PDF file, which can be seen downloaded here from megaupload for all attending.

The itinerary is as follows (please check the map to cross-reference where the locations are!):

11:00 - Meet in Pelham Square, which is a couple of minutes walk from Brighton rail station. It's a nice leaft square with benches, so we can all have a catch up while we wait for the others.

11:30 - We’ll all walk to Beyond Retro as a group to commence the shopping. Beyond Retro is the biggest vintage shop in Brighton - it’s not the cheapest, but it will be a nice large space for us to start rummaging.

12:15-ish: More shopping! Vintage shops in Brighton are pinpointed on the map to the on the following page. Depending on how many of us there are by this point, we can either walk around as a group or alternatively split off into smaller groups.

2:00: Reassemble in Pelham Square to compare finds, catch up with any late arrivals and have another chatter.

2:30-ish: Luncheon! Either bring sandwiches and some nibbles, and we’ll all go for a picnic on the beach, or otherwise there are some recommended eateries further down with the map details. Brighton is a fantastic place to eat, so

3:30: Beach time! We’ll meet in Jubilee Square this time, then wander down to the beach as a whole, where we can party rad fat style to our heart’s content!

As people have trains and whatnot to catch, I’ve left the evening relatively free/unplanned, but for those who are staying late or overnight, maybe we could partake in a drink or two? I know of at least one 241 cocktail deal!

Sunday:

If anyone is in Brighton overnight, I’d wholeheartedly recommend the Brighton Antiques Fair and Car Boot sale which takes place in Brighton Marina car park on Sundays from 7am-1pm. It is easily reached by buses from the train station (any that are going to the Marina), or alternatively you can get the Volks Electric Railway from Brighton pier (this runs every 15 minutes from 10:15) to Brighton Marina. I’ll certainly be going along, so if anyone fancies accompanying let me know!

If anyone would let any further recommendations for things to do locally, let me know! My contact details are included on the PDF (phone, email, twitter), and I'm happy to answer any questions about the day or provide any information which is lacking. Anyone can join at any point of the day - just call or text me if you're arriving later into the day, and I can arrange for you to convene with the group.

So, yes, spread the word, and I'll be seeing you all soon! Huzzah!

Another Big Beach Bums update

So I've been a bit busy of late. I was mentioned to a producer making a show for the BBC on body image by Lauren and Kat. Yesterday we met, and it looks like I'm going to be filmed for the part of the show focusing on body acceptance. The show is going to involve the presenter going round the country speaking to different women with different opinions about their bodies, and I'll be the last one. Speaking to the producer, it seems like they want to get a body positive message across, they're very much behind what this blog (and the many other amazing blogs out there) is about, so I'm excited (and terrified). The chance to get any fat acceptance dialogue on a mainstream television show over here would be amazing, even if it is amidst different messages.

The producer knows about Big Beach Bums through her research, and has stated an interest in coming along to film and speak to us all. As I'm very concerned that the meet up remains a safe space, and that everyone is comfortable with the day, I haven't said yes. I also haven't said no, because I'd like to speak to you all in more detail about it.

The producer said that they would be able to film selectively, so only the people who want to be featured would be (if this is necessary). They're interested in coming to the beach meet up, so we'd be able to shop first, chatter, and then do the filming.

Basically, if anyone, for any reason, doesn't want this, I understand entirely and I won't say yes. I wanted to open up the dialogue because I think it would be interesting to be able to feature our community, but I also want any decision I make to be made with the collective consensus of the group.

So, thoughts anyone? Would anyone like to be featured?

Hello again!
Sorry for my immediate disappearance, this was attributed to a rather lovely holiday in Amsterdam and a week off, spent mainly avoiding the world and reading/knitting in parks. Somehow blogging didn't quite factor into it. Oh dear! Since the weather got a bit fancier, I have mainly been living in shorts and tees anyhow, so there hasn't been a whole amount to report.

T-shirt, Topshop sale, £3
Shorts, clothes swap, £free
Shoes, New Look, £22

This week I have another week off! Yay! I'll be spending it finishing up the research for Big Beach Bums, which approaches in about a month, hurrah! I'm just collecting details from shops, and hope to have a mini map/itinerary available within the week. I'm so excited to see everyone again, and to meet those I haven't already :)

Big Beach Bums - an update!

On the Big Beach Bums front, I have a well needed update! Here's are the blogger attendees that I have so far confirmed:

Rebecca - wearelargepeople.blogspot.com

Claire - amonkeyfatshionista.wordpress.com

Lauren - www.pocketrocketfashion.com

Kat - plussizebeauty07.blogspot.com

Wendy - 52-46-54.blogspot.com/

Meryl - pluseyes.tumblr.com

Mel - melasaurus.tumblr.com

Raigini - www.acuriousfancy.com

Nadia - http://mystylishlife-vintagegirl87.blogspot.com/

Lauren - http://biggerdeal.wordpress.com/

Isha - http://catwoman25.tumblr.com/

and me, of course! These are only people who've said definitely yes, there are still a few maybes and some non-bloggers too (whose names I haven't listed). I reckon we'll have about 30 people in total, with respective friends, partners and relatives. So a nice manageable number, and a fantastic swarm of rad fats to hit Brighton with ;)

If anyone else wants to come, please let me know, either by RSVP-ing on facebook here, or dropping me an email at fattyunbound@gmail.com. I'm collecting numbers just so I have an idea of how many of us there will be, so I can better plan the map. If you have a blog, also let me know the URL and I'll add you to the list.

The itinerary is still being worked on, but will likely involve a chat/catch up, then shops, then lunch, then beach! I'll be putting the final touches to the map over the last weekend in April and first weekend in May, when I have some time off.

If anyone wants to tweet about the event, the hash tag is #BIGBEACHBUMS