I think I might be breaking some blogger rules by going barefoot in this, but it'd be silly to put on shoes when I don't plan to leave the house. I'm partaking in Fatshion February on tumblr this year, so you can expect a lot more outfits from me during this month. I'm going to try and commit a little more to showing how I dress up and down, so be sure to follow me on tumblr to catch everything I wear. Also, follow the fatshionfebruary tag to catch all of the other entries, because they are ACE, and it is genuinely exciting to see a project which focuses more on everyday embodiment of fat bodies, rather than just showcasing the days when we feel super fancy.

Cardigan, M&S, gifted
Top, Dorothy Perkins via clothes swap, free
Necklace, £2, Primark
Skirt, Forever 21+, £8

A super dorky post today, because this pinafore is pretty juvenile. I found it at a costume sale at Bradford Playhouse a few years back, and it's still the 60s smock of my daydreams. I wore this to do boring stuff at the job centre and the market.

Also, I dyed my hair! I found some ancient dark brown hair dye in the toiletries stash and decided to go slightly darker on a whim. I had black hair when I was a teenage goth, but have not strayed too far from my light brown natural colour since I got it back. I consider this a reasonable success though!

Dress, £5, costume sale
Blouse, £5ish, eBay
Tights, M&S
Docs, £50

Just a quick outfit today, worn to do some charity shopping and job hunting. The jumper was a bargain find for £1.50 in a charity shop, and the shorts are from Asos during the sale.

Jumper, charity shop, £1.50
Shirt, clothes swap
Shorts, Asos, £15
Docs, £50

Just a quick post this evening to feature a skirt I made last night. I was in Leeds market during the week, and I found this ace thick black stretchy material on a £1.50 a metre sale rail (my fabric shopping haunt of choice!). I bought it on a bit of a whim, without a project in mind. I've been looking to replace my black mini of choice recently, as it's a bit small right now, and it occurred to me that I could probably use some of this fabric to make another. I did this by simply tracing around the outline of another mini that fits well (I also drafted a simple waistband also based on the other miniskirts). My fabric has a slightly less stretchy fabric content, so it came out a little tighter (good though, as the other mini is a tad big around my thighs!).

I also decided, on another whim, to add a peplum to the skirt, after watching this youtube tutorial, which is really simple and I would fully recommend! I wore it out crafting today and am impressed at how comfortable and clingy it is! I might even yet make a pencil skirt version. It's nice to know that I can make my own basics when I need to. Best of all, this cost me all of about £1 to make as it required less than a metre of fabric!

Teamed with:
Jumper, Primark, £10
Tights, M&S
Boots, Clarks, £40

Advertising

Now that this blog is well established, I'm starting to offer small advertising slots on my sidebar. These are available to bloggers, etsy shops, eBay shops, and small and large businesses, and are now up for grabs!

I am offering 125x125 square adverts:



The placing can be seen by viewing my home page. As an advertiser, you will have to supply me with the image itself.

These adverts are currently priced at £8 per calendar month. Additional features such as product giveaways or reviews can be discussed in addition. 250x250px adverts can also be arranged for £15 per calendar month.

Stats:

Average Monthly Page Views: 16,000+
Unique Visitors: 10,000+

Followers on Google Friend Connect: 950+
Followers on Google Reader: 1,000+
Followers on Tumblr: 1,100+
Followers on Twitter: 400+

Alexa Rank: 5,839,269
Google Pagerank: 4/10

Demographics:
My readers tend to be based in the UK, US and mainland Europe, and are largely either plus sized women or vintage enthusiasts.

Advertisers are at my own personal discretion, and I am not interested in featuring weight loss or diet related products. I reserve the right to refuse any content that is not appropriate or relevant to this blog's content.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact me directly at fattyunbound@gmail.com.

On bodies, respect and blogging

Okay, so as a blogger, I consent for my images to enter the public realm. This has been good for the main part, and I've made new friends, established myself in a body positive online community, and gotten a lot of support for my body from lots of people. However, there are horrible aspects too - images being taken without my consent, lots of internet snark, and occasional abusive comments. This also sometimes comes from within the fashion community (sometimes within the plus size blogging community too, which really makes me sad, as that's a space where I believe we shouldn't be exposed to diet/weight loss chatter).

The main thing I've wanted to explore lately is the interconnection between being a fashion blogger, a visible female, and being body positive. More mainstream fashion communities are intensely body policing and based around body hierarchies that mean that one body can look better in another. Even plus size stores like Evans preach dialogues of "flattery" and dressing to "suit your shape", which means that even shopping often involves the ongoing repetition that your body is inferior to others. These communities often seem to fragment our bodies, and I've seen my own body receive the same treatment quite a lot lately, because I don't hide my fattest parts. My belly is on display too much, my necklines are too high, my skirts are too short, and this must make me a bit delusional (because I wouldn't show these parts if someone just pointed my error to me!). We're almost told to "take responsibility" for our bodies and hide these fat parts for the sake of others - as if our bodies are public property that must be managed appropriately.

I've participated in fashion communities for years, when I was dieting and since I've become fat positive. I do so because I like clothes, and that's something I refuse to be made ashamed of. However, I don't believe that as a fat woman, I have to made any sacrifices for my body. Following these set rules and conditions to dress acceptably mean that shopping and dressing is no fun for me, as I'm constantly trying to fit within a strict set of variables, and hey, shopping for fat sized clothes is already tough enough as it is without rules to add to the mix!

I believe that one item of clothing can look amazing on a variety of different shapes. There isn't a body hierarchy to me because of this because of this. I don't believe that, as a female identified person or as a blogger, I am obliged to dress in any way - and I don't believe that anyone else is either. If you're fat and you want to wear spandex, or a unitard, or leggings as pants, or mini skirts, hot pants, body con dresses, and it makes you feel good then wear it. Similarly, I don't believe that anyone is obliged to dress "on trend" or in anything other than what they want to wear. Fashion is fun for me, but if it's not for you, then you don't need to spend time on it. I believe that part of feeling good in your body is finding a way to feel comfortable in it, whether that's dressing high fashion or low maintenance. I'm not interested in making anyone feel bad for having less (or no!) commitment to fashion than me.

It's disrespectful to comment negatively on someone's body in clothing (and out of clothing, and ever!) to me, for a variety of reasons. For one, you don't know what access they have to certain resources (I get pretty angry when people ask me to get a better bra, for instance, because large back small cup bras are pretty hard (and expensive) to come by), or how they feel about their body, or anything about their relationship to themselves. Also, dressing is personal expression for me, and, controversial as this opinion may be, I don't really believe in a right or wrong way to dress - just what works for me, personally. If you don't like the way someone dresses, don't read their blog. Learn to comment in a way that respects the poster (you can constructively criticise an outfit, but in a way that leaves body commentary out). Don't presume you know better than them, or anything about them.

Right now, fashion isn't a democracy (sadly it probably never will be). It's an industry that makes money out of telling people to "better" themselves constantly. Most of us will never be the person in fashion advertisements, but brands will have you believe that with the right amount of money, commitment, and weight loss regimes, we can become that. I believe that blogging can help to shift these attitudes, and help to focus on inspiring people of different shapes, gender identities, colours, abilities to dress the way the want to, not the way they've been told to. I appreciate the diversity I see in fashion blogging now, but I also acknowledge and hope that there could be a lot more. However, this won't happen unless fashion blogging becomes a friendlier, and more respectful, space.

I've owned this mustard yellow midi skirt for a good few months now, and worn it sparingly. I got it in the Dorothy Perkins sale, but have never quite twigged onto the perfect way to wear it, without it looking a bit frumpy and long (I like my skirts mid-thigh, and this is mid calf!). I twinned it with my black velvet scalloped mini dress (which I think I love more as a top now!) to wear to work this week, and I think finally got the styling right. The wide scalloped neckline of this dress, combined with a full skirt, feels very 50s to me - it's simple with just the right amount of unique detailing. I'd love to be able to master a scallop in my sewing projects, though sadly I don't seem to get along with circular hemming. Hmm.

Scalloped mini, worn as top, £3, charity shop
Belt, Dorothy Perkins, £7
Skirt, Dorothy Perkins, £15
Brooch, Primark, £2
Boots, rocketdogs, £50

Another absurd work outfit today. I'm really into red, orange and mustard yellow at the minute (you can probably tell?).

Dress (worn as top), Dorothy Perkins, £20
Scalloped collar, romwe, about £6.50
Skirt, handmade
Belt, Dorothy Perkins, £6
Shoes, docs, £50

I had a lovely Saturday this weekend, pottering around my favourite Yorkshire charity shop haunt (Otley, for those interested - about ten charity shops, most reasonably priced, not to mention some lovely cafes and the best bookshop ever). To celebrate a thrifty day, I wore my most recent find - this black velvet mini, which I found the weekend before for £3 in Nottingham, where my dad has recently moved. I teamed it with my garish stripey tights and a new brooch, from ASOS's sale.

Here's a picture of the neckline:

and a necessary picture of the gigantic piece of white chocolate and lemon cake I consumed:
My finds included a Spare Rib compilation book, a wool kilt, a fab bright red jumper and er, too many books. Good day!

I have to say, the longer I've been temping, the more brash I'm getting with my clothes. I work in an office currently that's full of pastels and proper workwear, and lately lots of unpleasant healthy lifestyle fat shaming rhetoric, and it's kind of hard on me in some ways. I've been coping with my favourite self care mechanism, which is basically dressing obnoxiously (within certain limits). This pink dress was a sales find from Next, from the maternity section (though my belly fills it minus sprog!), which is definitely a good resource if you are big bellied or pear shaped like me. It's another jersey mix, so comfortable day wear with just the right amount of 60s-ishness and obnoxious loudness for me.

Dress, £12, Next sale
Collar, £6.50, Romwe
Boots, Rocketdogs, £50

Here's another belated work outfit for you. The waistcoat and shorts were sale buys this year. I tried to focus my sale purchases more around versatile separates to replace long suffering favourites of mine, instead of cooing over all the pretty and ridiculous dresses as per usual!

Peacock waistcoat, Forever 21, £8 (their sale stuff was on buy one get one free over the festive period. HAPPY FACE)
Black tee, clothes swap
Necklace, Primark, £2
Tweed shorts of dreams, £17, very.co.uk
Boots, Rocketdogs, £50

This was one of those outfits for a day when you accomplish nearly nothing (in my case, a fry up at my local, and loafing around at home) but still fancy looking a bit ridiculous. This detachable collar is my new favourite thing EVER bought from Romwe here (if you do some googling, you can find a few discount codes too! I got this for about £6.50 including shipping.) I've been trying to make my own for a while, but this is really well made with some scalloping that I could never replicate myself. I wore it with my beloved Dorothy Perkins circle dress annnnnnnnd my Christmas present this year, which is a Cambridge Satchel! I've lusted after these since before I went to university (8 years!), but always ended up with vintage satchels instead, even though they tend to break almost instantly. Suffice to say, it's not left my shoulder yet.

Also featured are my January sales splurge on myself - a new pair of Doc Marten shoes, in a lovely garish red floral colour. They were reduced to £50, and I've loved them from afar since they came out, so I consider them a good investment. Here's a close up:

Dress, Dorothy Perkins, £20
Collar, Romwe, about £6.50
Belt, old vintage stock
Satchel, gifted!
Tights, M&S
Shoes, Doc Martens, £50

I do sometimes find myself wondering if I'll ever grow out of dresses, docs and cardigans. I feel like I've been dressing in this outfit (and variations) since I was a teenager, and it's just so comforting. This cardigan is my new favourite thing ever, unsuprisingly given how much I've posted it, and I'm enjoying living in this interchangable outfit in the cold days and dark mornings, when more elaborate ensembles are too much to deal with.

Cardigan, £5, F&F at Tesco
Dress, George via eBay, £7.50
Scarf, old vintage stock, free
Belt, old vintage stock, free
Docs, gifted

2011

Okay, so I don't normally do "end of year" or summary posts, but this year has been crazy, and I wanted to do something to say goodbye to it.

I've spent 2011 moving three times, between Brighton and Leeds more often than I'd care, and I've maybe been more inconsistent that I'd like with this blog. Real life has taken over more than I wanted, and I'm hoping that 2012 will allow me to maintain more steady contact on here.

I started this year with a few loyal followers, and through the course of it gained many more (mainly thanks to my television appearance, but also to the many kind people who've linked to me, recommended this blog, and said generally nice things about me). I've become a more visible part of a community of fat positive bloggers, some of who have become good friends, some of who I hope to meet in the future, and all of which continue to inspire and stimulate me (in a fashion sense and also in a badass fat activist way). I've been to awesome events, swaps, conferences, and even organised two of my own! I hope that 2012 will involve more community building, events, and support for each other. I'm personally aspiring to run more swaps, spend more time teaching other fats to sew haphazardly (or even well!), and to improve my own sewing skills to the extend where I can make better clothes for me, and maybe even custom make things for others. 2012 will also be the year I publish my own zine for the first time, and there'll be much more on that subject soon.

Without being emotional, I just wanted to say that I appreciate everyone who reads this blog. I'm glad to be another small piece of an online community of people who are challenging bodily norms and living visibly, proud and powerfully in bodies that are alienated and oppressed by mainstream discourses. I wanted to ask, too, what more you all want to read here. This past month or so I've not been writing much - instead I've put that towards zine making and finishing articles for people. I always want outfit posts to be a big part of this space, but I wanted to open it up to all of you - what else do you want to see more of? Tutorials? Politics? Histories? What do you want to know more about?

Still wayyyy behind with all of my outfit posts - I still haven't posted about my sales purchases! Here's an outfit I remixed for work before Christmas - the dress is a summer sale purchase, and one of my staple work dresses. I'm not great with tailoring (you might have noticed), mainly because my body completely changes shape when I'm sat down (this move turns most knee length shift dresses into minis! Not good!), so I try and go for smart jersey pieces instead.

Dress, £15, Dorothy Perkins
Cardigan was one I picked up from Rebecca when we met over the summer (summer?! What's that?!), free
Boots, Rocketdog, £50
Necklace, Primark, £2

In other news, I'm super excited about Plus London 2! Claire of Monkey Fatshionista is organising it this year, and it looks great. Brands involved include Domino Dollhouse, One Stop Plus, Simply Be and Anna Scholz, and there's going to be a fashion show, pop up photography studio and a clothes swap (so you know I'm there). Hopefully I'll get my arse into gear and finish my zine in time for it too! It's open to bloggers and friends of bloggers, and you can see the facebook event here and the tumblr here. If you want to attend, drop Claire a line at supermonkey79atgmaildotcom to RSVP. Hope to meet some of you there!

Ahhh, another early morning face. Can you tell I'm not the best with them?!

One Stop Plus contacted me recently, to offer me a piece from their website to review. I'd been ogling the Big Beauty for La Redoute collection before, and thought this would be a nice chance to try the collection out. I chose these stretch trousers, because, well, high waisted anything wins my heart! I love the way the trousers are glammed up in the product shot, but for me, they're great for workwear. I teamed them with a vintage hand knitted waistcoat and my trusty white pussy bow blouse for a vintage inspired work outfit.

I'm really impressed with the quality of the trousers, and would definitely consider the range again. The only complaint I would make is that they're a tad short on me - which, at 5'9", is not uncommon with trousers. I'd maybe recommend these for people a few inches smaller than me for optimum fit - or, as I've just been informed, you can also buy them in a longer length here instead.

Trousers, Big Beauty for La Redoute, still available to buy here, courtesy of One Stop Plus
Waistcoat, vintage via eBay, £6
Blouse, eBay, £3.50
Loafers, Primark, £12

Hello once again. I hope everyone had a nice festive holiday (if you celebrate, that is!). I spent mine back home in Surrey, with my dad, relaxing, eating and playing scrabble. Here's a work outfit from before Christmas, featuring a new skirt, that I made out of a novelty cat print fabric I bought at a crafting expo I went to in Harrogate. I tried gathering as a technique on this - normally I'm a fan of a full pleated skirt - and was pleasantly surprised at how simple it was. Would anyone be interested in a gathered skirt tutorial?

Handmade skirt (£6 for the fabric, and I used an old zip from my stash)
teamed with

Cardigan, F&F at Tesco, £7
Blouse, £3.50, eBay
Belt, old vintage stock
Loafers, £12, Primark

Here's another remixed outfit for work this week. I'm finding circle skirts a nice compromise between smart and repetitive - though still finding not being able to be a bit wackier a bit stifling. Thankfully I'm not stuck in tailoring all day, which is something at least! I'll try and be a bit more imaginative this week perhaps.

Nude body, very.co.uk, £12 (sale)
Cami, Dorothy Perkins, £4 (sale)
Skirt, self made with £4 market fabric
Tights, M&S
Boots, Rocketdog, £50

Just a quick post for me today. I'm temping at the minute, and trying to find my way around corporate/professional wear again, which I fear has resulted in way too many dull outfits. I'm also spending a lot of my spare time trying to make some work wear of my own, but I'll write about my adventures on that front another time. This dress is my favourite work appropriate item of clothing - it's a wool pinafore bought from Jane Bon Bon on etsy in a sample sale about a year and a half ago. I probably don't need to sell leopard print wool to anyone, but I'm still surprised at how well made and well fitted this is. I just had a nosey, and her etsy shop seems to be on ongoing vacation mode, sadly, and I hope this isn't permanent as I'm longing for another of her pieces when I next have money.

And one (badly posed) last picture to show off my winter coat this year! I found it at Leeds market, for the princely sum of £20. It's got a fake fur collar and a swing shape - warm with a nice vintage twinge. Lately I've been teaming it with this vintage hat, found last year in a charity shop for £4! I definitely go for a slightly "eccentric old lady" look during the winter - endless layers and big accessories are the best to keep warm in a cold Yorkshire winter.
Coat, £20, Leeds market
Hat, £4, charity shop
Dress, Jane Bonbon via etsy, £40 (sample sale price)
Black polo neck, Dorothy Perkins, £7
Boots, Rocketdog, £50
Tights, M&S

Wearing the boots for a second time - this time for some errand running. The cold weather has sadly put a halt to wearing this jacket now - I need a thick alternative with some shearling, as just looking at this is making me shiver now.

Jacket, old vintage stock
Shirt, clothes swap
Leggings, ASOS, £22
Boots, Clarks, £40

Another day, another doctored granny skirt

Here's my latest doctoring project. I saw some assymetrical skirt in some skinny person shop earlier this year, and I've dreamt of one ever since. This morning I decided to hack up a midi skirt that never really worked for me, cutting it diagonally and making it a little quirkier. I'm happy with the result (though maybe windy Leeds wasn't the best place to debut it!).

Also, I can't help but show off my new boots! I bought them on a bit of a whim, from Clarks in the sale. They're black fleece lined lace ups with a brown clog heel and platform. Despite the heel being larger than I'd ever wear, they're really comfortable because of the big platform. Great to stomp about in!



Deets:

Jacket, old vintage stock
Jumper, clothes swap
Skirt, bought for $5 in an American thrift store this summer
Belt, Dorothy Perkins, £5
Boots, Clarks, £40 (still on sale if you want them)

Belated post with some interview attire! I find job interviews tough because I'm prone to overdressing and looking a bit silly/not being taken seriously, but I think this is a reasonable compromise.

Tank top, £3 charity shop
Blouse, £4, eBay
Skirt, self made
Loafers, primark, £12

Just a quick post today, featuring my favourite swap find to date!

Cardigan, £5, tesco
Dress, clothes swap
Belt, old vintage stock
Boots, rocketdog, £50

Here's my latest craft project for you all. I found this medium brown stretch cotton on sale at the market for £1.50 a metre, and thought it'd make a nice understated circle dress. I used my old faithful vogue pattern (V8615) to make it, this time adding 3/4 length sleeves (a step I've always skipped before). I find the sleeves a bit tight on me, so some upsizing will be needed if I make this again with sleeves. For £4.50 total cost though, it's a perfectly functional dress for work and play.

Dress, handmade
Belt, £6, Dorothy Perkins
Brooch, £2, Primark
Brogues, £12, Primark

Hey strangers! The past couple of weeks have been busy with job interviews, cooking and zine making, and sadly a little low on the outfit front. Hopefully I'll be a little more active again now.

Dress, clothes swap (this is one of the dresses that Simply Be very kindly donated to the swap I organised!), free
Cardigan, clothes swap, free
Tights, M&S
Loafers, Primark, £12

In other news, I'm getting really excited about putting the zine I'm making together. I've been having fun with bad art and trying out some sewing methods for it. I'm still seeking submissions, so if anyone has any fat/crafty/DIY ideas to put forward then drop me an email. All the details are here, and submissions close on the 30th November (though there's certainly some flexibility there).

A very badly lit casual outfit for you all today! I scored this button up shirt from the fat clothes swap in October - button up shirts and blouses are perfect everyday wear for me, and jumpers and skinnies make them perfect casual attire. In other news, I er, clearly need to take photographs away from light bulbs in the future.

Jumper, charity shop, £3
Shirt, clothes swap, free
Skinnies, Beth Ditto for Evans, £8
Loafers, Primark, £12

I've spent the last few weeks going a tad craft-crazy, working on a whole bunch of projects and hitting the fabric sale racks at my local market pretty hard. I've been looking for the right pencil skirt pattern for ages, and found Burda Patterns's Kasia skirt pattern online recently. It doesn't fit up to my size, but I decided to take a chance on some DIY pattern grading with the cut and spread method (here's some information for anyone interested) and attempt to size it up because it was high waisted and had cute details that were perfect for workwear and casual skirts). I used a stretchy ponte knit fabric I scored for £1.50 a metre at the market (this took about 1.5 metres) and some feature stripey buttons:


It came out well for a first try - I ended up making it too large and had to take it in a fair bit, but that might be because of the super stretchy fabric. However, I'll DEFINITELY be making it again (Burda suggest contrast pockets, with sounds great!) in a less conservative pattern.

Jumper, clothes swap, free
Skirt, self made (total cost c. £5.50 including buttons!)
Necklace, Primark, £2
Boots, Rocketdog, £50

I was window shopping recently on H&M's website, and was pleasantly surprised to notice that a few pieces of the Inclusive range had some pretty hefty reductions. I wasn't keen on the range on it's release, but I did like a few pieces - this skirt and this bodysuit - both still reduced to £7.99 online. I ordered both (though sadly the body didn't work - not surprising, as I've yet to find one made for my 5'9" frame). I ended up having to size up to a size 26 for the skirt (this range runs so small! Size up at least one, probably two sizes, from your average). The ordering and exchanging process was pretty frustrating - to my knowledge, there is no sizing information online for this range, and it took about six weeks and several angry emails to get my exchange sorted! The skirt itself is fantastic, and I'm impressed with the length and fullness of it, but I'm not sure I'd go through such hassle to get an item of clothing again.

Anyway, it's here now, and I debuted it to go gaming with some friends. I teamed it with some basic pieces to make it a feature of the outfit.

Skirt, £7.99, H&M inclusive
Top, £3, Dorothy Perkins
Blazer, £10, Fatshionista sales post
Tights, M&S
Necklace, £2, Primark
Boots, Rocketdog, £50

I spent yesterday at Golden Acre Park in Leeds, enjoying Autumn at it's fullest! It was a bright but cold day, so I figured I'd do a blogger cliche and take my picture amidst the fallen leaves. It was a quiet day so luckily I managed to avoid feeling incredibly awkward in the process of doing so. Yay!

Top, Primark, £6 (knotted myself)
Skirt, Dorothy Perkins, £12
Belt, Dorothy Perkins, £6
Necklace, £2, Primark
Tights, M&S
Boots, Rocketdog, £50

I'm fairly certain that October didn't really call for a crop top, but I'm reluctant to give them up quite yet. I wore this to a gig the other week. The skirt was from Evans (back when they weren't scared of mini skirts) and is the best mini I own.

Top, £6, Primark (knotted by myself)
Skirt, second hand, originally from Evans, £10
Tights, M&S
Boots, £50, Rocketdog via eBay

MAKE IT WORK: A DIY fatshion craft zine

Hey everyone! I've come to post about a new project that I'd love for anyone to get involved with. Since I've been unemployed for a few weeks now, I've been crafting a lot in between job applications, and I've come across lots of useful plus size craft resources that I'd like to share. I was going to post a series here, but instead I thought I'd make it into a zine! I'm looking for contributions from others too. Here are the details:

Make It Work is a DIY fat radical craft zine, focusing on strategies for resistance, tutorials and craft projects for fellow awesome fats. “Make It Work” has been a mantra within fatshion communities since I can remember, and I’m interested in exploring it as a radical premise of fat positive politics. Fat people have and have always had very limited options in ready-made clothing, and, whilst retailers are starting to produce more on trend pieces, the process is slow and in the meantime, we have to come up with our own radical alternatives – whether it’s making clothes, thrifting, altering clothes or making straight sizes work for us. I want this zine to be about sharing the resources, skills and knowledge that we’ve gained, and for it to provide strategies for people to move forward with.

All contributions are welcome, and here are a few suggestions:

- DIY tutorials (resizing smaller items, designing patterns from scratch, adjusting clothes, costume making, accessories)

- Radical craft projects.

- Craft and fatshion related personal pieces.

- Organising fatshion events – clothes swap, DIY fashion shows, selling on etsy and so on.

- Sewing and crafting on a budget – how to do it, where to find cheap supplies, etc.

- Thrifting tips, shopping guides and etsy recommendations for fat positive sellers.

- Strategies for shopping – how do you find the pieces that you want if they aren’t immediately available? Shopping in straight size stores, vintage shopping, resource guides.

- Dressing queer as a fat person – how does being fat impact your choices? How do dominant aesthetics limit your choices, how do you resist them, and how does your sense of dress interact with these dominant aesthetics?

- Resources for trans and gender queer identified people.

- Letters to high street retailers, commentary on outsizing, plus size ranges and any other rants.

- Pieces on fatshion role models.

- Illustrations (that look good in black and white and are photocopiable!), comics, visual art of any kind.

- Critiques and criticisms of fatshion – how could we be more inclusive? Who do you want to see blogging?

Email any ideas, contributions and questions through to me at fattyunbound@gmail.com. I’m going to set a preliminary deadline of 30^th November for submitting, though that will probably slide and if anyone can’t make that, let me know and I’ll try and set some space aside for you.

I started thinking about doing something like this after some conversations with Lauren over the weekend, and after some debates that have recently been circulating around twitter and tumblr. I’ve been following fatshion blogs and communities since I discovered the Fatshionista livejournal community in 2007, and I’m really interested in how the community has evolved and shifted in those years. For me, Fatshionista was an amazing space, because it focused on fashion from a radically, politically engaged perspective and because it didn’t permit diet talk of any kind. I’m not saying that it was without problems, but at its peak it was a fantastic entrance point for anyone starting to re-think their body. Now that the community has dwindled, and most people blog instead, this sense of safe space doesn’t really exist anymore, because, whilst there is still a community of sorts, we each control our own spaces. Just because someone runs a plus size fashion blog doesn’t mean that they are fat positive, that the blog won’t involve diet talk or that they engage with politics in remotely the same way that I do. I’m used to fatshion being half about body politics, and half about clothes – however, as different people have entered the community from different backgrounds, the focus has shifted away from politics.

I recognise everyone’s right to bodily autonomy, and I’m not going to argue with anyone losing weight – that’s your choice, just as much as mine was to stop dieting. We all know what’s best for us individually. However, I can’t pretend that I’m not often nostalgic for when fatshion always came with a dose of radical fat acceptance politics. Instead of just ranting about my issues here, I thought I’d try and create something new that would bring some of these resources back into focus.

Winter Uniforms

This past week, I've been thinking about staple winter outfits. This outfit is probably all of my favourite staples in one outfits - button up blouses, high waisted skirt, round neck jumper and my trusty docs. It really helps with dark mornings to be able to rely on a formula like this, instead of trying to be super stylish every day of the week.

Jumper, clothes swap, free
Scalloped blouse, Dorothy Perkins, £12
High waisted skirt, clothes swap, free
Tights, M&S
Socks, Primark
Docs, gifted

After a bike-less hiatus in Brighton, I've finally been able to start cycling again now that I'm back in Leeds. I'm still getting used to what I can and cannot wear on it. This outfit is probably an errand running staple - great for cycling through rain and not getting distracted by my clothes.

The boots are Rocketdog Nokouts, bought recently on eBay after I discovered that they still existed! I had these boots when I was in uni (though in brown) and wore them to death. Since they went beyond repair, I've never found another pair of boots to feel the same about - my calves are too wide for most styles, and normally I just end up with a pair from Evans that I don't feel strongly about - so when I discovered that these still existed, I was ecstatic! They retail at about £65-70 online, but I was able to track down a nearly new pair for a bit less. They're available from IShoe for anyone else interested. They fit my wide size 8 and large calves with room to spare.

Sheer cream shirt, clothes swap, free
High waisted jeans, Beth Ditto for Evans, £8
Boots, Rocketdog Nokouts via eBay, £50
Duffel Coat, £12.50, River Island sale

Clothes Swap!

This Saturday was the day of the fat clothes swap I helped organised! It was an awesome day spent with lots of rad fat women, and as per usual, I nearly entirely forgot to document it! We took over a room in a local pub for the event, strung up bunting and fairy lights, as well as having a zine table and some cakes for munching. We also put together a mailing list to try and start more of a local fat acceptance community locally (if you want to be added, just email me). It was well attended and I think we all went home with some warm fat related feelings and some new clothes, which is amazing. We're hoping to hold another one after Christmas, so keep an eye out for more details. In the mean time, here is my not-so-great attempt at documenting the day:

Clothes!

Zines and books:


I took the day as an opportunity to wear a vintage housecoat I picked up in Portland over the summer, which is the stuff of garish colour lovers' dreams. I sewed up the front to make it a dress instead so it could see more daylight!

Dress, $20, vintage store
Belt, old vintage stock
Tights, M&S
Brogues, Primark, £12
Badge, gifted!


And a last close up of the serious business awesome badge that the lovely Donna made for me, which had to come out for the event! Oh, and my new fancy glasses, which are from Lensway if anyone is interested.

K x

Hello again! The past three weeks have been a bit crazy for me, finishing a very busy period working at a literature festival, and now lots of job hunting afoot! I'm unemployed right now, which is great for my sewing projects, but not so great otherwise. I spent my last paycheck on a few sales treats for myself, including this gorgeous dress from Dorothy Perkins. Bateau necklines and full skirts are my biggest weakness, and though I can generally make them myself now, the stitching and ponte material of this one made it a worthy purchase.

I'm loving teaming it with my mustard loafers for yellow overload, and it's proved absolutely fantastic to accessorise. I've worn it fairly constantly since it arrived, and am very much enjoying mixing my favourite accessories with it. Here's another look with the same dress:

This time I paired it with a crocheted shawl I picked up for £1 from Leeds market. One of the joys of being unemployed is being able to hit the outdoor market on a Thursday - which brings out the best second hand bargains! Sadly, I am way too poor to buy much, but the £1 piles do bring up some joys!

Dress, £20, Dorothy Perkins - still online (and reduced further! Gah!) here
Belt, Dorothy Perkins, £6
Tights, M&S
Loafers, £12, Primark
First scarf, old vintage stock
Second shawl, £1, Leeds market

Also, just another reminder that I'm co-organising a fat clothes swap in Leeds, on the 29th October! That's next weekend! Check out the event on facebook here and email me if you have any questions. The wonderful Simply Be have also sent me some unsold stock from previous seasons for the swap, which I'm very excited about. I'm sure it'll be an awesome event, and it'd be great to see some of my readers there too. K xx

Hey everyone. Sorry for my lack of posting recently, but this last week has been a shocker of twelve hour days, job rejections and getting mugged yesterday (I'm okay). I'm working pretty much 24/7 at the minute, and dressing well is a lower priority than sleeping sometimes. I did however want to show off my latest creation, which is this circle skirt in some brown/grey paisley that I bought at another car boot sale. I'm working on making work friendly pieces at the moment, as I'm job hunting and in desperate need of tailoring. This was overall a success, though the fabric is a bit too light for the purpose perhaps.

Blouse, £14.99, M&S via eBay
Skirt, made from a piece of £4 fabric
Tights, M&S
Shoes, Primark, £12