Hey everyone! Sorry I’ve been a bit silent lately, I’ve been a very busy bee suddenly. To let you in on one of the more exciting reasons, I’ve been working super hard getting ready for my stall at the Fattylympics in London on 7^th July.

To quote/paraphrase the Fattylympics blog:

“The Fattylympics is a community event satirising the You Know Whats in East London, 2012.

It takes place on Saturday 7 July 2012, at Grassroots, Memorial Park, West Ham. It is free to attend and children are welcome.

The Fattylympics is organised by two fat activists living in East London, it has been paid for by a series of community fundraising events, and is supported by a handful of volunteers. It is non-commercial. These are some of our values.

We will be publishing the programme closer to the day but for now we can say that the Fattylympics will be an afternoon larking around in the park. We will have Opening and Closing Ceremonies, a Fattylympics torch and specially-written anthem. There will be four participatory events, plus performances and stalls. Egg'n'Spoon are the official Fattylympics mascots, and they will be making an appearance too. The Fattylympics is non-competitive and everyone will get a medal. We are hoping for an afternoon that is silly, relaxed and low-key.”

I’m making lots of things to take with me – I’ll have circle skirts galore, hopefully some dresses(!), and some other sartorial delights for the excessive dresser in you. I’m trying to make things in a bunch of sizes, but obviously I’m only one person so I can’t promise the world! However, suffice to say, the size selection will be substantially more generous than the high street (in more ways than one, wink wink). I’m also bringing Make It Work #1 AND 2 (which isn’t finished yet, and you can still contribute!), as well as a cute mini self-care zine I’m working on. I’m hoping there will also be badges and some DIY jewellery.

If you’re wanting to see my wares in person, or if you’ve got a project in mind and want to talk it through, come along. My friend Caroline is also having a stall and between the two of us we’ll also be doing some crafty skills sharing! You should come along to the Fattylympics anyway, because it’ll be a fun day filled with activism and community, and one I’ve been looking forward to for eons. 

Finding your own voice

OH NO A TEXT ONLY POST. (sorry)

Being creative is really important to me. I find being in spaces where creativity isn’t valued to be really tough going because it’s such a paramount part of the way that I engage with an environment – it’s in my choice of clothes, my approach to work and my hobbies, even the dynamics in my relationships. However, being a creative person is also pretty tough on me – most things I do feel like an extension of me, so therefore I take criticism badly and can often shut off when I fear I might face it, which in turn can have a negative effect on me.

I wanted to talk about creativity because it’s really central to my own fat activism – I’m passionate about making things, playing with my identity and producing content (both blogging, zines, and academic writing) that creatively counters what institutions have put in place about being fat. Mental health stuff means that being able to do this is very hard on me sometimes, which explains why I am sometimes less present or vocal on here and other places – sometimes what I deal with is just too tough and I need substantial periods by myself to recoup and move on. I’ve not really spoken about mental health and depression on here before, because it’s something I’ve only just acknowledged myself.

Often I’ve felt as if the best way to counter these negative patches is to make my creative output as good as it can possibly be – however, as I’m also a perfectionist, I never seem to reach the lofty heights of my ambition, so what I actually let out into the public realm is very limited. To illustrate this, I thought about starting this blog for about three years before I actually did – I’d been a part of fatshion communities both as a participant and through selling vintage clothing on eBay (which I did alongside my postgrad degree), and always really admired fatshion bloggers, but I wasn’t confident in my own ability so I put it off. Eventually I was unemployed for a bit and I started this space as a bit of a diversion – within a couple of weeks and after a miniscule amount of self-promotion, my first readers (most of whom are still here I think!) passed on my links and images, and I had an audience which began to grow and hasn’t stopped since. This blog has become much more than I ever anticipated it could be, and the support and kindness I’ve received has always massively outweighed the critiques and fat hatred that I also sometimes receive. I’m still very much not a “proper” blogger – most of my pictures are unedited, badly exposed and generally full of questionable facial expressions – but it doesn’t matter (maybe it would if I was trying to make money out of this, I don’t know).

I love the blogging world because it’s accessible to a much wider variety of people than traditional fashion platforms – I’m not saying that anyone can blog, because I also know that it takes a certain amount of resources to be able to do so (computer, internet access, camera, money for clothes), but rather that some of the hierarchies that have controlled the production of fashion culture have been removed. It’s a more democratic space, even if there are still prevalent norms and levels of privilege that often go unmentioned. I think the fashion industry looks down on blogs now, because they’re two a penny and everyone and their dog has one. However, I think this is what I love most about it. To me, I see a connection between this method of communication and zines and other DIY methods of counter culture – I created this space because I wanted there to be a fat fashion space that was also politically engaged and budget/DIY focused, and because I didn’t know many other similar voices out there. I used to have to imbibe substantial amounts of fat hatred to get my fashion fix, but now there’s no need for that, and that in itself is awesome.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again – bloggers are awesome, but we could be better. If you feel that your voice is missing from the fatshion world and you feel that you have the time and resources to change that, then do it! I’ll support you, and I know many others who will too. You don’t have to be a fashionista to write a blog, you don’t even have to be a particularly capable writer or photographer, and you certainly don’t need to look a certain way, contrary to what you might think. One of the most powerful aspects of blogging to me is the way that it has highlighted difference and variety in body shape, personal style, gender, sexuality, ability and colour – I love seeing how different people make a similar item of clothing work, because it’s such a contrast to the way I see clothes presented in shops and online (on a uniform, non-relatable body).  

I guess that what I’m saying is to myself as much to anyone else who’s gotten this far (congratulations!) – you don’t have to be perfect to have a creative output (whether that’s blogging, art, academic work, craft, music, whatever). I’ve always railed against the idea of perfection in aesthetics (being in possession of what society would determine a flawed body), and I guess it’s taken a while to apply this logic to my own creative projects too. Process is a really important part of our creative growth, and focusing on only the end point makes taking any steps towards it a very daunting prospect. If you feel you have something that needs saying, then find a basic forum to start working on it (whether this is yours or someone else’s blog, tumblr, a zine, a painting or art piece, anything) and just take it one step at a time. 

Hi everyone!

I started a job last week (yayyyy!) and this is what I wore for one of my office days. It’s a casual office, which is good news after so long corporate temping. I still kind of dress formally, but it’s nice to know that I can dress down when I want, and that my daywear isn’t so intensely policed. All of these pieces are favourites of mine – most of my workwear is interchangeable, it’s perhaps the only part of my wardrobe that I could be capable of making into a capsule wardrobe.

Blouse, F&F via eBay, £4

Pinafore, old vintage stock

Belt, old vintage stock

Tights, We Love Colours, £6 (bought via a friend)

Brogues, Primark, £6

Also, as a PS: don’t forget that submissions for Make It Work close soon - and there are spaces for more submissions.

Hello! Just a quick outfit today. I wore this to have a potter, some lovely lunch and some book shopping fun with one of my best friends Caroline. You've probably seen it all before, but the dress deserves a repeat outing as it's one of my favourites. I wish all vintage dresses fit me as perfectly as it did!

Dress, vintage via the big bum jumble
Tights, M&S
Brogues, Primark, £6

Spring Summer 2012 by prettymaryk on polyvore.com

Spring might not have really hit Yorkshire yet, but I've still been plotting ideas for what I'd like to wear when it warms up. I had a nosey on etsy at my favourites this morning, and put this board together on polyvore for you all. These are all plus size friendly (mostly custom) pieces. I'm particularly looking to buy the custom bike shorts soon as I'm now cycling to work everyday and would like a little less, er, exposure when cycling in skirts! Also, they look great for chub rub prevention on long hot days.


Visit the polyvore set for links.

One top, worn two ways today. I bought this short sleeved knit top in the Next sale earlier this year, but haven't worn it nearly enough yet. I decided the completion of my first pair of 40s-esque high waisted trousers warranted it's reappearance, as the style is quite 40s in itself. Teamed simply both times, the top to see some friends and the bottom outfit for a work related appointment.

The trousers worked out well, though I had to remake a waistband as I used stretchy tailoring and it meant the pattern's waistband (with interfacing) was too small. I think I might enlarge the waistband next time too, as though this is high waisted, they could suit a little higher. I made them out of a suiting from my bargain hunting adventures - bought from my favourite fabric stall for £1 a metre (seriously, I wish I'd bought all they had now, it's great!), and I still have some spare to make a pencil skirt out of. Now I've made them once, I'm already planning another pair in a more adventurous colour/fabric.

Top, £12, Next sale
Skirt, handmade
Trousers, handmade from Simplicity 3688 (widely available up to a 28w, I bought mine for £4 at a sale at a local craft shop)
Loafers, Primark, £12
Black belt, Dorothy Perkins, £7

Oh! And as a side note, I am applying for funding for my etsy shop through the Fund 101 scheme on Enterprise Nation. I need 500 votes, and then I'll qualify for a £500 grant, which will allow me to expand on my current skirt and fabric selection and buy a mannequin to fit and display my wares on. You can see my page here, and it only takes a minute to vote for me. I'd reach my target if about half of my regular readers voted, so if you have a spare moment and want to see more of my wares then please do vote!

Make It Work #2

Hi all!

So now that Make It Work #1 (copies are still available) has been out for a while, I'm all full of ideas again and I think I'm ready to start compiling the second one. I'd like to aim to have #2 printed in time for my stall at the Fattylypmics in London (7th July!) so I am going to set an initial deadline for contributions by the end of May. As with last time, the deadline will probably slide at least several weeks, so if you don't think you can meet that then please do email me to see if you can still submit.

Ideas for subjects:
- Self care.
- Body acceptance stories.

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

- Craft - radical crafts, projects, activism. Please try and make any tutorials sizeless.
- Art - good/bad/otherwise!
- Fat friendly exercise/HAES. 
- Fat relationships, sex, dating, friendships.
- Mental health.
- Fatshion - blogging, shopping guides, recommendations, resources for queer and differently gendered people.
- Queer politics - 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?
- Letters to high street retailers, methods of resistance against outsizing, commentary on the closing of physical fat sized stores.
- Critiques and criticisms of fatshion - how can we make it a more inclusive space? Who do you want to see blogging?

Make It Work is predominantly a fatshion/craft zine, but it's political focus means there is tons more scope to include pieces outside of that specific area. For me 'making it work' is a central part of my engagement with my body both in my fashion choices and in my lifestyle choices - I consider it part of the survival tactics that help me cope in environments which are body oppressive. These are just starting points for brainstorming, and things I'd love to feature in the zine - if you want to feature anything else then feel free to suggest something. 

Anything you send should be easily photocopiable. Text based submissions should be 1,000 words or less. If you want to discuss ideas with me or submit a piece then contact me at fattyunbound[at]gmail[dot]com.

A denim jacket has been on my list of items to acquire for a while now, after I realised it is pretty effortless to team with summer dresses in the Spring. Sadly Spring temperatures are still a way away (oh, England) but I wore it out anyway, to go see a screening of The Beggars of Life at the National Media Museum, though admittedly with many other layers to bump up the warmth factor.

Dress, George via eBay, £7.50
Scarf, Primark, £4
Jacket, New Look Inspire, £20 (and still online)
Belt, old vintage stock
Tights, We Love Colours (bought online via a friend's sale post)
Brogues, Primark, £6

This is my latest craft project. I've been meaning to tackle a shift dress for a good while (given that it's pretty much my favourite dress shape), and when I found the pattern for this in The Colette Sewing Handbook (FYI, the book's patterns are for US sizes 0-18), I thought it would be a good project. I made it in a lightweight cotton lawn, and lined the bodice with a sturdy cotton blend lining fabric. It's the first time I've fitted a lining and I'm chuffed with the outcome. Here's a close up of the main material:  

 

I bought it from a fabric stall in Leeds market for £5 pm. The total cost of the dress was about £20 - more than I'd normally spend, mainly because I shopped specifically for the materials for the dress (normally I just hover around the bargain bins/rails picking up what I can here and there for future projects). 

Here's how I dressed it for a day temping:

Cardigan, clothes swap

Dress, handmade

Belt, old vintage stock

Tights, M&S

Brogues, Primark, £6

I'm a great believer of images as an important part of body acceptance. They're often what you base your self-hatred on beforehand, by deconstructing your appearance, and, for me at least, seeing images of fat bodies on fatshion blogs and communities showed me that my body was not worth that self-hatred. We aren't often exposed to photographs of fat people in any other guise than the headless fatty or in generally a negative or incomplete portrayal, and this lack of images to relate to makes you feel as if your body is an anomoly. Fat positive online spaces contradict this by reclaiming their own image and sharing it on their own terms, with their own chosen aesthetic and presentation.

So, for me, seeing my body (whether by writing this blog, or hanging out with other fat people, or by being visible on my own terms) has become a really empowering way of negotiating my own relationship with my body. Maybe this makes me vain as hell, but it also makes me happy, and that's more important ultimately.

Anyway, to get to the point I'm trying to make(!), I recently got a copy of The Colette Sewing Handbook by Colette Patterns. They're an ace company who make vintage inspired patterns which have always hit the spot for me. They only go up to a UK size 20, but I've often been able to make the patterns work for me by working with smaller seam allowances. I would LOVE it if they'd expand their sizing so that more plus sizers could enjoy their work too *hint hint*. In the book, the author suggests that it's a good idea to make your own sewing doll/dummy on which to base your sketches for future craft projects. You do this by photographing yourself in either tight clothing or your underwear, printing a copy out, tracing your outline and then scanning or rephotographing it again. You've then got a digital copy of yourself that you can doodle ideas for, photocopy endlessly and design clothes for.

This excited me endlessly, because A) I'm a pretty bad artist and tracing is easy, and B) it meant I could doodle ideas for future creations on a copy of my own body. This is fantastic for craft purposes, but it's also a pretty fun thing to do in general - I found it a positive experience that helped me reconnect with myself after generally feeling a bit low. You can use the form to play around with outfit ideas, make zines, plan projects, or just doodle. It's a little thing, but I found it an affirming body positive experience, so thought I'd reflect upon it.

Here's mine (and if you don't want to see drawings of me in my pants, you should probably look away now!):


BACK FAT!

And here's some stuff I'd like to make or own:

An unashamed rip off of a Queen of Holloway dress I've had my eye on. Hopeful future project!

40s esque high waisted trousers (a current project), and a nice fitting blouse with a Peter Pan collar.

Here's an obnoxiously bright outfit best suited for the start of Spring (someone should tell Leeds that it is Spring soon though, it's been miserably dark of late). I bought these green tights off a friend who was selling them on because, well, who doesn't need green tights in their life?! They're we love colours, size E, and whilst they fit well there's lots of room to spare, so next time I buy a pair I'll probably size down. They're probably the tallest fitting tights I've ever owned, however, I can actually pull them over my bra! So definitely a good option for other tall fats!

Dress, vintage, $20
Tights, We Love Colours via an online sale, £6
Belt, old vintage stock
Brogues, Primark, £6

I had a job interview last week, for a pretty exciting editorial job (I don't know if I have it yet, but fingers crossed!). Since I was interviewing at a media company, I dressed smart but not corporately, though the last minute addition of my snow boots was not ideal, but necessary given that we had an unexpected sprinkling of snow the night before! This dress is from the clothes swap, and has a beautiful blue and grey leopard print patterned overlay - perfect office to evening wear.

Blazer, via Fatshion Exchange, £10
Dress, clothes swap
Necklace, Primark, £2
Boots, Deichmann, £25

A rare outside snap for you today - I'm with one of my parents in Surrey, where I am recovering from a cold and getting lots of dog cuddles. Today I'm wearing another find from the swap - this gorgeous jersey dress with a lace collar. It's a (very) generous size 20, and a great dress to throw on. Today I dressed it simply with a flash of colour from my purple loafers!

Dress, clothes swap (from Peacocks originally I think)
Tights, M&S
Shoes, Primark, £12

Giveaway! But Another Innocent Tale Footwear: Winner

Hi all! Just a quick announcement - I generated the winner for the giveaway with B.A.I.T footwear this morning, and I'm pleased to announce that it is commenter #13, which is Tea! We'll be in contact with you to arrange your shoes shortly. Thanks to B.A.I.T for providing such an awesome selection to pick from!

Hey all! Thought I'd show off another swap find, which was this lovely burnt orange 70s-esque tunic. It's originally from Primark, size 16 (and er, VERY GENEROUS). I think I'd looked at these when they were in store, but I'm not normally a massive fan of tunics because I don't like having to wear leggings or trousers beneath them, so didn't get it. However, I'm really glad I found it again - thank you to the person who brought it along! The sheer wide sleeves are really comfortable and good British Spring attire, and I like that it's another smart but comfortable piece that's easily remixed.

Tunic, clothes swap
Leggings, ASOS, £22
Belt, old vintage stock
Necklace, vintage, £7
Shoes, Primark, £12

Some online crafting tips

The internet really is a fantastic resource for craft tutorials and tips. I continue to be amazed by how easy it is to become a largely self-taught crafter, and to find resources which are (by large) free. I've been expanding my skirt drafting skills a lot recently, in the interests of being able to widen the styles I can offer on my etsy shop, and I've found quite a few drafting guides that are relevant whether you are a size 0 or 34. I don't buy many patterns these days - I largely adapt the ones I have, and spend my time researching how to drafting my own instead, as it's much more cost effective in the long run.

Here are a few size-less drafting guides for skirts. Skirts (in my opinion) are easiest to start with, as with full styles (circle, a-line, pleated), you only really have to fit around the waistband.

How to draft an a-line skirt from your measurements.
How to draft a circle skirt (with bonus spreadsheet for all the tough calculations!
DIY Couture (I have their cape and pleated skirt books, and cannot recommend them enough. Easy to follow, sizeless, amazing!)
How to draft a pencil skirt.
Super cute curved pockets - a fantastic 50s-esque detail to add!
DIY bodice sloper (my next project!)

As a DIY seamstress, I find the resources available online incredibly inspiring. I rarely have to consult the craft books I own anymore - googling tutorials tends to be much simpler and easier to follow (I am not great at following written instructions, so step by step pictures, videos and so on make much more sense to me). I also find I am significantly less reliant on the patterns available for plus sizes (pretty appalling all round), and more capable of making exactly what I want to own this way.

It's been a good while since I first bought this dress, but it still remains one of my favourite daywear items. I wore this on Saturday to go to Bradford with a friend, buy some zines from a fair and eat curry (a pretty good combination in my opinion!). I dug this necklace out of my jewellery box the other day when I was having a sort out - it was pretty much my favourite accessory all through my final year of university and I'm not sure how or why it got buried. It's a nice tough to add to an otherwise quite simply outfit.

Also, yes, apparently it is necessary to shoot the close up in front of my favourite creepy child painting (bad art is a kitsch love of mine, and this was a £3 charity shop buy).

Dress, Dorothy Perkins, £20
Belt, old vintage stock
Necklace, £7, vintage
Brogues, Primark, £6
Tights, M&S

Also, thank you all for your entries into my giveaway with B.A.I.T Footwear! Entries are now CLOSED! I'll be drawing the winner over the weekend, so keep your eyes peeled for emails and announcements. xx

After taking a whole bunch of pictures today, I came to the conclusion that I pretty much always look awkward posing with a satchel. Here's my typical errand attire of late, now that Spring has arrived in Yorkshire. I went out in three layers today and ended up sweltering! Here's hoping the sun stays and I can stop wearing tights constantly.

I'm wearing one of my finds from the Plus Sized Clothes Swap I co-hosted on Sunday - a sheer Edwardian-esque top! I had a great day, and completely failed to document it (of course), so if you're interested in pictures from the day I'll direct you to this post on Lolly Likes (who has great style!). We had an increase in turn out from last time, which was fantastic, and it was great to see lots of returning faces also. We're wanting to continue doing swaps and start a fat positive collective in Yorkshire - if you're interested in participating you can now join our facebook group here. Anyone is welcome to join and suggest activities, share resources or admin on the community. We also run an email list for the clothes swap, so if you'd like to be added to that you can email me at fattyunbound [at] gmail [dot] com. If anyone has any feedback on the swap, you can contact me via the same email.
I'll be showing off some more swap items as the week goes on!

Jacket, clothes swap
Top, clothes swap
Shorts, Dorothy Perkins, £20
Brogues, Primark, £6
Socks, Primark, £1
Satchel, Cambridge Satchel Company, gifted

p.s. My giveaway with the lovely B.A.I.T footwear closes tomorrow evening, so get your entries in ASAP! Find full details on this post.

This was an errand runing outfit from earlier in the week. I love this skirt, but the length is definitely odd for me - I always feel a little frumpy in it, because I normally wear mid thigh skirts. I'm wearing it more now though, as the bright yellow is such a Spring colour.

Skirt, Dorothy Perkins, £15
Top, via Claire
Scarf, old vintage stock
Belt, old vintage stock
Loafers, Primark, £12

A bit of a colour/pattern/everything clashing yesterday, inspired by occasional bursts of bright sun and just the general need to be a bit obnoxious and loud. I love these tights but feel I need to make a few bolder wardrobe decisions in teaming them with outfits.

Top, clothes swap, free
Collar, Romwe, c. £7
Skirt, self made with fabric gifted by the lovely Donna
Belt, Dorothy Perkins, £7
Tights, c/o We Love Colours
Shoes, Primark, £12

Edited to add a few plugs too:

This weekend is the plus sized clothes swap I'm organising - you can see details for that here, and there's a facebook event here too. It'll be fun and cheap and awesome!

Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway with BAIT footwear, details here.

Another plug for you all today, SORRY. Everyone knows that I've been making clothes for a while now, and this past month I've been spending a lot of time getting my grading skills up to a good standard. I've made the decision to start selling custom made circle skirts (half and full, in a variety of printed cotton fabrics) on etsy.

I cater to any size for the prices listed, and there are other pattern options available (including some super cute bird prints!). If you're looking for a plain cotton, or perhaps a different pattern, you can also convo me and I'll see if I can source something for you (though this might incur extra costs).

There are currently four listings on Etsy - two custom listings and two ready to ship (the above two skirts, which are both best for a 20/22). Head over to my etsy shop for further details.

An everyday sort of outfit today - these pieces are pretty much my staple wardrobe items. I think you've all seen them countless times before, but maybe not together in this way.

I've been thinking lately about my wardrobe habits. I'm pretty impulsive with my shopping, and it always means that my clothes storage is full to bursting. However, at the same time, I wear pieces like these to death, and I find that day to day, I keep to staple basic separates nowadays. This didn't use to be the case - I used to wear dresses and cardigans constantly (hello twee past), and I found that my wardrobe contained lots of dresses that I circulated regularly. Now my dresses are more for special occasions, and I am much more of a remixer of clothes.

Cardigan, M&S, gifted
Blouse, ASOS curve via Fatshion Exchange, £7
Skirt, clothes swap
Belt, old vintage stock
Docs, gifted

Giveaway! But Another Innocent Tale Footwear

This month I’m teaming up with my newest sponsors, But Another Innocent Tale Footwear, to offer you all a giveaway!

B.A.I.T are a very newly launched footwear company, who offer vintage inspired shoes, with modern details and colouring. Their styles are colourful, affordable and lovely compliments to a retro styled wardrobe. Their shoes are perfect staples for any wardrobe, and I have to say that, as someone who loves pieces to mix and match, the colour range appeals to me endlessly.They’re a brand that appeals to me so much right now, with Spring approaching, and the thought of summer days not too far away.

But Another Innocent Tale have kindly offered to give one of my readers a choice of shoe from their online store.

Here’s how to enter:

Visit the B.A.I.T footwear website, and check out their shoe selection. In the comments to this entry, let me know your favourite style name and colour, and don’t forget to leave your email address, so that we can contact you after the giveaway ends!

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents ONLY.

The giveaway will run until 29th March 2012 after which I’ll announce the winner on the blog and contact them directly.

B.A.I.T on facebook

B.A.I.T on twitter

B.A.I.T blog

I spent this past weekend at All Tomorrow's Parties in Minehead, enjoying the cold weather (with occasional bursts of sunshine!), the beach and seeing lots of bands that I love dearly. As per usual I got carried away and forgot to document my outfits, but I did have a chance to have a hunt around Taunton's (MANY) charity shops on my way home. I was lucky enough to pick up these high waisted polka dot shorts in one of them, which is pretty exciting as I've been after a pair for ages. These are really wide with a semi elasticated waist, and just the right length - I had a pair before, but they were pretty indecent even with tights on (curse long legs), so I swapped them a while back.

Cardigan, M&S, gifted
Heart badge, traded online
T-shirt, swapped
Shorts, charity shop, £2.99
Tights, M&S
Brogues, Primark, £6
Scarf, old vintage stock

p.s. I'm going to be hosting my first giveaway soon, keep an eye out for more information this evening!

I'm certain anyone who follows more than one fat fashion blog will have seen this dress by now - it's from New Look Inspire, and has proved pretty popular. Having read a few rad reviews, I decided to buy it when it went into the sale recently (it's sold out now), and I'm glad I did. I'm a big fan of simple jersey dresses for daywear right now, and the cut and big pockets make it pretty good for errand running. I sized down to a 20, because it was all that was left online, and am glad I did as it's pretty generous, and nice and form fitting now. It'll definitely be reworn!

Dress, £12, New Look
Tights, M&S
Belt, Dorothy Perkins, £7
Boots, Clarks, £40

After seeing suspender tights and hold ups as outerwear around so much lately, I decided to give it a go myself. Hold ups and mini skirts were pretty much my riot grrrrl teenager togs of choice, so I'm considering this a slightly more adult attempt. Funny though, how, despite wearing more tights than I would normally wear, I felt self conscious in this - completely nonsensical.

These hold ups, as a side note, as Autograph brand by M&S, and can be found here. I've owned maybe three pairs in the last three years, and they last FOREVER. They're also the only hold up I've ever gotten along with - they've got height enough to sit right on my upper thighs, never fall down and have a nice, thick band. Okay, £9.50 is a lot for a pair of hold ups, but I reckon with the amount of times I've worn them, they probably cost pennies per wear now.

Shirt, clothes swap, free
Bra, courtesy of Elomi
Shorts, Dorothy Perkins, still on site here £17 (with voucher code)
Hold ups, M&S
Suspender belt, eBay, £30
Boots, Clarks, £40

I figure everyone needs a MASSIVE fluffy jacket in their life, right. At least that's what I told myself when I bought this. I sold some clothes online recently, and kept the money to update my wardrobe a bit, as my size has changed a bit and some staple pieces needed rebuying. To counteract the buying of useful stuff (like this skinny black trousers, for instance), I allowed myself to splurge on the big fluffy jacket of joy. It's pretty cosy, and makes me feel a little bit like I'm back in my glam teenager days (especially teamed with these black studded flatforms I found at the back of my wardrobe). Dorothy Perkins were having a 25% off everything deal last week too, so I got these pieces at a good discount.

There's something really exciting for me to wear clothes that make me look bigger than I am. I figure it's the most cardinal of sins for fat girls, in the doctrine of flattery that dictates that fitted clothing is pretty much a must to be accepted. More thoughts on that later.

Massive fluffy jacket, Dorothy Perkins, still online here, £26 (with discount code)
Top, Forever 21+, £8
Treggings, Dorothy Perkins, still online here, £13 (with discount code)
Shoes, traded online, free

When I was down for the Plus London event in February, Claire let me have a rummage through some things she wanted to pass on. This denim should was one of the things I picked up, and I have pretty much lived in it on my off days. I wore this to go to my local WI, and to do some swap planning for March (details are on facebook here for anyone interested still). I'm looking forward to wearing it in a slightly more feminine way, with a nice pleated skirt perhaps.

Denim shirt via Claire! £free
T-shirt, £1, Traid
Leggings, clothes swap, £free
"Leather" vest, Forever 21+, £8 (bought in a BOGOF sale)
Dunlops, £2, car boot sale

An entire outfit for £11 = making my bargainous self pretty happy.

As an aside, I found out recently that an interview with me (and a bunch of other fat positive fashion bloggers) is featured in this month's Bitch magazine, which is pretty exciting for me! The magazine is pretty hard to come by in the UK (I'll scan in the feature when I get my copy for people to see), but is easier to find in the US. Check out Bitch's website to find local stockists to you.

This was worn to go to another interview last week. The dress is pretty much my go-to tailoring - it's a ponte knit with enough stretch to wear comfortably for hours on end. I don't find that I'm as confident in traditional tailoring - it's something that isn't made well in larger sizes (too many variables I guess - itchy lining, tight arms, no breathing room). However, this season has been great for finding alternatives in ponte knits, which remain smart enough without being uncomfortable.

Dress, Tesco via eBay for £1.70
Black necklace, £2, Primark
Wide belt, £7, Dorothy Perkins
Tights, M&S
Boots, Rocketdogs, £50

Make It Work!

How's that for a goofy grin?! So today I went to the printers and picked up my zine, Make It Work, at last! I've been working on this for a while now and it's really exciting to see it in paper form at last. Here are some details for you:

Make It Work is a radical fat positive zine centred around DIY fatshion and craft projects. It contains a mixture of personal pieces, tutorials, craft tips, guides to pattern upsizing, event organising and some fairly bad art. Contributors are awesome people from the fat-o-sphere including me (duh), Charlotte Cooper, Claire, Mel, Bronny, Brenda Jean and Kelsey and more.

“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. This zine is about sharing the resources, skills and knowledge that we’ve gained, and for it to provide strategies for people to move forward with.

Half size (A5) with 48 pages total. The zine is hand typed and has a medium pink card cover. Staple binding.

You can buy the zine from etsy here, or, alternatively you can leave your paypal email address and location in the comments below (or let me know it via email at fattyunbound@gmail.com) and I will send you a paypal invoice directly.

Hello again! I had a job interview this Monday, and this is what I wore. I posted about this dress last year here, it was a craft project made with my trust V8615 vogue pattern. I had added sleeves to the dress, but hadn't really worn it much because they were a bit tight. In a bit of a whim I decided to take them off, and in hindsight I'm glad I did. I much prefer the option of being able to wear blouses under dresses (it makes them more versatile and work friendly), and it's now a nice summer dress as is!

On a side note (ho ho), I've decided to start actively posting more photographs from different angles. This is because I've realised that focusing only on my front kind of hides my fatness to a certain extent (as much of my chub is concentrated in my perma-pregnant looking belly!), so, both to aid in my own body acceptance and to show how clothes fit me better, I'm going to try and show more sides of me.

Dress, handmade
Blouse, Dorothy Perkins, £12
Belt, clothes swap
Tights, M&S
Heels, Docs, £60

Clothes Swap!

Hello one and all! As you probably remember, last year I helped to organise a plus sized clothes swap in Leeds - and now we're putting on another!

This time we're in a different, more central venue in Leeds, Wharf Chambers. As well as the zine and reference corner we had last time, this time we're also bringing our sewing machines along for help with alterations, advice and craft fun. You'll also be able to pick up my zine Make It Work (it's still at the printers, but for those who can't come I'll be posting soon about how you can get a copy). The venue has a cafe service with tea and cake, and we welcome clothing for all gender identities. It's probably obvious to state, but the event is body positive and queer friendly!

There's a facebook event here - you can RSVP there if you're on facebook. There's no need to tell us you're coming, however if you can it will give us an idea of the numbers we're expecting. If you have any questions about the event, you can also either post on the facebook wall, or email me at fattyunbound@gmail.com.

We're running from 1-5, and it's £1 to get in. Bring along any clothes in reasonable condition, and you can swap them for ones you want!

Even if you can't make it, please let anyone who might be interested know about the event - any publicity is much appreciated. Otherwise, hope to see people there for more fun chatter and swapping!

Top picture courtesy of Sarah Price.

Of course, I pretty much had to take the evening event at Plus London Two as an opportunity to wear all of my fanciest clothing at once! I'm quite a quiet person, and I don't go out in the evenings all that often, so blogger events are always a great chance to dress up and swan around shedding feathers everywhere.

The dress was from Torrid via Re/Dress at this year's NOLOSE conference (my first!), and has pretty much been lounging about waiting for an occasion like this. The hat I got at the clothes swap I co-organised last year (news on a second will be revealed soon! Local types might want to keep the end of March free!), and is pretty much the best hat ever. The shoes were an extravagant purchase, from the Doc Martens final sale recently - I've loved them since I first set eyes on them last year, but couldn't justify the price tag for heels which, it must be said, I'm not the best in. However, I'm quite impressed, as I managed to walk around in them for the entire evening without feeling much aching (until the last few minutes) - very unusual for me. As they are docs, they also have good quality sales with grip that makes me feel significantly more confident too, so they will definitely be making an outing again.

Details:
Dress, Torrid via Re/Dress, $30
Feather cape, eBay, £9.00
Hat, clothes swap, £free
Necklace, Primark, £2
Belt, Dorothy Perkins, £7
Bag, market, £5
Tights, M&S
Shoes, Docs, £60

The event was fantastic, and it was great to see so many amazing fat women in one space. I never fail to come away from these events feeling empowered in my body and my fashion. There were also some great brands there, including Elomi Lingerie offering bra fittings (and I was very surprised to discover that I am in fact an E cup!), Red Bows Vintage (whose rails I have been wanting to rummage in for a while!), ASOS, and Simply Be. You can see lots of photos from the event at the Plus London 2 tumblr here, and also check out all of our best blogger poses in the Pop Up Studio here. Thanks again to Claire for organising it, and I hope that there will be many chances to see everyone again in the future.

Early mornings are never the best time to show off outfits! This is what I wore to head off to London last Saturday, to partake in the lovely Plus London event, organised by Claire of A Monkey Fatshionista. I made the pinafore (having had vintage pinafore lust for several years now) by upsizing a simple 60s pattern I found on eBay for 99p. It was a bit of a hit and miss - thinking it'd work out shorter than it did, I lengthened the bodice and had to do some major adjustments! However, apart from that it was relatively easy to size up, as the pattern had no darts, pleats or additional fanciness. I made it up in a cute purple floral corduroy that I found on sale at my local market, and added the white buttons from my sewing stash.

Blouse, £12, Dorothy Perkins sale
Pinafore, handmade
Tights, M&S
Socks, Primark
Docs, gifted

We spent the morning at Anna Scholz's studio in North West London, having nibbles, chatting and looking over their upcoming collection.


Anna was really welcoming, and I really liked the mix of bold prints in the collection. As an amateur seamstress, it was also really interesting to hear how she designed her prints, and she even explained some fit issues to us that helped me better understand why high street options are often so badly fitting. I also liked the way that Anna designs several different designs using the same pattern, which gives options for a wider variety of body shapes than by using just one design per print. Her clothes are way out of my price range right now, however I found the experience refreshing and totally different to the way other brands have treated the plus size blogging community. It's also nice to hear from a plus size designer who is actually plus size! The discussions we had highlighted the complexities of the industry to me in ways I hadn't often considered - we're a hard bunch to cater to, given that there is little room for variety and so many different ways to be fat!

Evening post to come soon!