Hey everyone! This weekend I had the privilege of going to a fat clothes swap, organised by
Claire in London, and I thought I'd post one of the things I got, which is this grey tailored jacket. I love dressing up my jeans with a smarter blouse, and this jacket makes the look even smarter.
Jacket, free via Fat Swap Shop
Blouse, M&S, £15
Jeans, Beth Ditto for Evans, £8
Loafers, Primark, £8
The event was fantastic, and it was a really affirming space for me (I'm hoping to get something similar happening in Leeds later this year) and a positive experience. I love clothes swaps, but normally don't find much in my size - it was great for this not to be an option! I love the ethos of clothes swapping, and particularly the difference between these environments and traditional high street environments. I feel that particularly in plus size spaces, we're marketed to in particular ways, which stress the importance of "flattering" shapes and disguising our fat (
this dress your shape guide from Evans being a perfect example).
High street shopping isn't a particularly fun experience as a fatty - in shops which have a larger size ranges, the larger sizes often aren't in stores (HELLO DOROTHY PERKINS), or the plus size ranges are hidden in the darkest corner of the store, or even only available online. I find that most of the time I now shop online, and that's disappointing and expensive when you factor in postage costs. This is often why, when I go shopping in stores, I hit vintage shops and charity shops - I probably stand the same chance of finding something, but I'm not made to feel inferior by my size being hidden in a corner/not in store/only available online. Everything's together, and I find I have more fun rummaging.
Coming to events like this is both amazing for my wardrobe(!) and for my experience as a fat woman. Instead of constantly having to compromise, the experience is fun and empowering. It's great to see people laughing about clothes, and also being able to see something that doesn't fit one person suiting someone else so well. I consider myself very lucky to know so many awesome people, and to be able to partake in events like this! So thank you very much to Claire for organising, and I'll be posting with more bits and pieces I scored as the week goes on!
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.
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.
Hey everyone! This weekend I had the privilege of going to a fat clothes swap, organised by Claire in London, and I thought I'd post one of the things I got, which is this grey tailored jacket. I love dressing up my jeans with a smarter blouse, and this jacket makes the look even smarter. 
Another casual outfit for you today, with bonus fat girl in horizontal stripes points! Life is a bit hard at the minute - I'm dealing with a bully landlord, job applications and trying to finish all my craft projects too (the last one involved a jumper skirt, a quilt, a knitted cushion cover, a pleated skirt, a shirt for my boyfriend and some alterations - why did I start them all again?!) - so I've been mainly acting like a hermit in my room in particularly unglamourous outfits. Today, however, I'm pushing on and actually making progress! I've also just finished the itinerary for the Big Beach Bums meet up in Brighton, so once I can turn it into a PDF at work tomorrow, expect a slightly more exciting and upbeat post!
I've been staring at this top in the topshop sale many lunchtimes since the January sales passed. It's a white assymmetrical style with a crop top front and a low back, and cut out squares over the front. I was a very happy bunny to discover it had been cut from £15 to £3 last week! It's a size 16, but the style is super oversized, so worth looking at for fellow fats. I actually find that topshop's range of crop tops fit me fairly well, so it shows that it's always worth checking out straight size stores once in a while!
I wore this outfit Saturday evening, for a dinner + drinks session at a friend's house. Suffice to say, it ended er... well, let's just say I shouldn't mix drinks, and I'm still paying for it now, though a lot of sleep and some donuts definitely helped relieve the symptoms somewhat. Eep!
Oh my, it was sunny today! Well, until about midday anyway, and now it's pouring with rain. Oh dear. In celebration of something resembling spring this morning, I broke out a new blouse and a *gosh* exposed midriff. Now that is something I thought I'd never do! However, these jeans give me the best shape and quite frankly, they don't deserve to be covered up. The blouse was a recent find on eBay, it's way too tight around the hips, but the collar is so beautiful (and I always wear shirts tucked in nowadays anyhow).
Two weekends ago I picked up a beautiful silk paisley tie from a charity shop near me. The brown/grey tones of the pattern seemed so perfect for my colour palette of choice, and I've been meaning to adapt more towards a menswear-esque uniform for work that's a little easier to throw on in the morning than my more elaborate ensembles. I dressed it in a similar way the first two times I wore it, once with my wide legged grey pinstripe trousers and brogues for a more dapper formal look, and the second with my skinnies, because I enjoyed the way the androgynous-ness of the boots, shirt and tie mixed with my unruly hips and belly in those jeans.
This week has been awesome - after making the polka dot dress for Plus London after work for the best part of two weeks, I needed a good few nights sleep. So evenings have been mainly watching trashy TV, cooking and plotting new projects. I scored this vintage pattern (in a size 26!) on eBay for £5, and I still have the 60s polyester I bought at the marina car boot sale in January, so I'm hoping to tackle it over the next few weeks. Scary exciting! It's a bit harder than the last two dresses I've made, so fingers crossed it still works out. Eep!
