Fall Goth

fall velvet by prettymary_k featuring bandeau bra

Cisco Kaftan
105 GBP - allsaints.com
All saints tops »

dr. martens darcie diva 8 eye 3 R12891001
135 CAD - gravitypope.com
Dr. Martens »

Lace Bandeau Bra
$28 - topshop.com
Bandeau bra »

Marisa's Mixed Black & Silver Stacking Bangles
$23 - fantasyjewelrybox.com
Black jewelry »

Victorian Filigree Floral Cuff Bangle (Burn Silver Tone)
15 GBP - avalaya.com
Silver tone jewelry »

ASOS Hung Crucifix
$13 - asos.com
Chain jewelry »

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Color Colour Black Satin No. 219 Limited Edition
$30 - izzysbeautyshoppe.com

Amazon.com: OPI Nail Polish - India Collection - Black Cherry Chutney:...
$2.70 - amazon.com

South crushed velvet leggings | Very.co.uk
16 GBP - very.co.uk



Am just dying to break out my inner goth of late. This sheer kaftan from All Saints is far out of my budget, but I'm reckoning plus size friendly. I'm sure that something similar could be shown together with some cheap mesh from the market, and it may well become a sewing project. I've been lusting after those leggings for months also, and fear they may well make it into my winter wardrobe. They're just so right for the 90s trend, and also incredibly versatile. They'll add a bit of texture to anything.

Also, I've included a topshop bandeau bra here - can ANYONE tell me where to get hold of one of these in a plus size? I'm all about sheer and lace this season, and fear my bras aren't quite up for public viewing yet ;)

Oh erk.
My credit card is a bit angry at me again. So, tesco are having a sale at the moment, and I also got sent a 25% off code, so I splurged a bit. I spent about £70 and ended up with 12 things! As I wandered around town this afternoon and had a hunt for potential "first day" outfits for the new job and found nothing (well... actually I found a *perfect* grey floral dress from M&S, but it was £45 and knowing how fickle I am, I know I'd be bored with it too quickly), I got a fair few contenders in this lot, and bulked up my autumn wardrobe.

I bought:



Wolf Jumper Dress, £8. To be teamed with knee high boots and a blazer, or sent back if it's too short.

Black velvet body, £7.50. Perfect for the inner goth I'm channeling right now.

Houndstooth stretchy pencil skirt. £7.50. This is one of the "first day" contenders. I love a pencil skirt, but working in digitisation and sitting down in front of a computer or fiddling with objects, the more tailored skirts end up feeling a bit uncomfortable after a whole day. This looks like an excellent stretchy option.

Jumper, £5. I got these in mustard, purple and red, because plain colourful jumpers are an autumn/winter staple with me. I'm also eager to get into colour clashing this winter and thought that this would work both with the above skirt and a blazer for the big first day, and with the below skirt for clashing goodness.

Silk skirt, £12.50. Now, it's not often something that garish and well designed makes it to fit me. "First day" contender #2. £7(!!)!)!)!)!)). With a nice girly blouse beneath perhaps? Or a cardi.

Lace body! £5! Now I've been on the hunt for one of these for months. This is a size 18, but I'm hoping it'll stretch enough for me.

Orange peplum dress, £8! First day contender #3. Seriously garish. Just crying out for some clashing heels.

Spotty playsuit, £8. Okay, so it's a bit late for this, but too cute to resist. File under incredibly impulsive purchases, possibly to be hidden at the back of my wardrobe. But seriously, amazing.


And last but not least, red military winter coat, £22.50! Okay, so winter coats are the bane of my existence - I hate spending money on them and yet get angry with ill fitting coats. I spent £80 on one last year, and it's buttons constantly popped off. This is cute enough to work with my colour scheme and hopefully be adequately fitting.

So I think for all that, I'll be forgiven for a small credit card balance? I'll be sure to post some reviews once the parcel arrives.

Also, not sure if it will work, but the code I got given for 25% off was Z93D8LM64. It's for a first purchase only, but works on sale items.

A couple more outfits for you all. I have to say packing is taking it's toll, as is cycling a lot. It's pretty hard to maintain chic-ness whilst also taking care to have my knickers not on display! Possibly need to invest in some high quality leggings or short shorts (recommendations really appreciated on this front!). Anyway, here goes:

What I wore to rummage around the junk stalls on Leeds outdoor market. Today I scored a greatest hits by The Cure and a Woody Allen stand up compilation, both on vinyl, £3.50 each. Also, two metres of a nice navy wool mix fabric to attempt some skirt making with tomorrow, for £2! If all goes well I am going back next week to get some more in grey. Some sewing tutorials afoot also.

Lace crop top, Primark (about £5? Can't remember)
Flesh tone vest, £4 Primark
Brown belt, old stock, £free to me
Hanky panky skirt, Dorothy Perkins sale £5
Shoes, New Look £20
Grumpy face, £priceless


And another outfit, mainly designed to show off these cute new wedges, which are taupe and silver and a total bargain from Otley car boot for £1.50! Going back on Sun with the boy, so hopefully I will have a nice post containing further bargains galore.

Also, I scored this dress from ASOS in their sale, it's too short sans leggings but cute nonetheless. I just wish I could figure out a way to wear it without my bra showing! I normally wear a camisole, but I didn't that day because I wasn't really heading anywhere.

ASOS bow tunic £13
ASOS mesh leggings £20
Vintage wedges, £1.50 car boot.

LUST

Also, will someone please buy me this dress:

It's vintage, and on ebay here but er, at $125, is very out of my price range. And like I really need another prarie dress to prance around in petticoats in. But I still want it...

Harnesses!

Latest obsession of sorts: harnesses and bustiers!

After seeing this:

included on the wonderful A/W mood board on Musing of a Fatshionista: http://musingsofafatshionista.com/2010/08/295-lets-talk-inspiration-fall-2010-moodboard/ from the fall 2010 collection of Shakuhachi, I've been dying for something like the leather bustier featured with this maxi. Now, to be honest, I'm not hoping for anything similar to emerge in plus size collections and I'm not holding my hopes out thrifting, so I'm researching alternatives.

Whilst etsy browing, I recalled I went through a slightly obsession with the idea of harnesses over girly dresses earlier this year. The main contender was this harness by seller I Heart Norwegian Wood (the seller is very open to custom sizing, and it comes in a variety of colours). I also perved majorly over the cage skirt featured here. However, funds were never enough to stretch to either, so I forgot about it.

However, on my second leather influenced browse, I discovered this beaut, custom made to fit with buckles galore. He's up for plus size sizing as well, though charges $10 more. It's definitely intended for more cosplay related joys, however I can just see it worn over this floral maxi dress that's currently on sale at ASOS curve, and which I've also stalked for the past few months. However, given that I am notoriously fickle with clothes (even the items I stalk for months on etsy, I'll sometimes buy and then just sell on several months later), spending £40 on a harness that may or may not prove a staple item for fall is still debatable. Also, er, no money makes it an impossibility until my Brighton move is complete!

On the search for a leather bustier, the best options for fellow plus size belles seems to be "adult" shops, or fetishwear retailers where plus sizes are found in much more abundance. That said, it's a pricey undertaking. Here are a few links nonetheless (most probably NSFW): this halter bustier is $78 but so very nearly what I'm after (good for fellow members of the itty bitty titty committee also!); and this zip up faux leather crop top from ebay (which at only £20 is going on my watch list immediately!). There's not the tailoring of the original, however, definitely worth considering as an alternative.

Also, on further contemplation, I've just been reading this article about Lady Gaga's "leather" aesthetic, and thinking a lot about the whole bondage aesthetic reappearing in fall fashion this year. I often debate with myself about fashion and sexuality (largely because I quite enjoy playing with the "grotesque" in fashion, and I don't necessarily feel that dressing up should be down to flatter or make the body appear more conventionally attractive or exuding of normative sexuality, in fact I enjoy the way that high fashion often seeks to do the very opposite by creating silouhettes, shapes and looks that go against this concept of flattery. I'm all up for dressing sexually, and anyone who knows me and my love for a wiggle dress already knows this! However, I'm also very interested in reclaiming shapes and styles that have been forbidden from me by plus size retailers, because of the need to flatter, disguise and morph the fat body into something more acceptable.),namely because I don't feel that fashion has to be about appearing sexual, but I'm really, really excited about this. I feel that this play with sexuality and inside/outside apparel (underwear as outerwear particularly, plus this inclusion of the "leather" aesthetic in everyday fashion) is particularly interesting in terms of thinking about the unruly woman and what is socially appropriate in terms of attire.

Plus, er, I'd just like to see more fit fatties in even more inappropriate garb...

Okay, romper/jumpsuit haters ahoy. This is certainly one of my er, least practical purchases of the year. However. It was too bloody fantastic to pass up. Not every day I find such a monstrosity of florals made to fit my behind.

This jumpsuit was £29.99 from River Island (OUCH). It's a VERY generous size 16, so I'd imagine the 18 would fit up to a 24 or even 26 easily. It has an elasticated waist and I'd imagine is supposed to fit in a more slouchy style, but on my it's a more tight fit. I still love it though.

Teamed with a vintage studded belt, £8, Blue Rinse in Leeds. I've also got a white lace shirt that goes well with this for a true 90s look.

Misappropriation

I'm sorry about the lack of outfits these past few days. I'm beginning to pack and, in all truth, have spent more time in pajamas than anything else! But rest assured, some to come. Yesterday I scored an amazing assymetrical black dress and floral jumpsuit from River Island and I'm dying to show them off! There's tons of large fitting/stretchy items in there at the minute - so definitely worth a rummage if you're a size 20+.

Anyway, the reason I came to post here is because I've discovered that several of my images have been favourited by BBW image collectors. Earlier this week I discovered a picture of me in a jumpsuit in a flickr gallery devoted to "MILF's". Several days later, two images of me were favourited by someone who obviously collects images of BBW in er, compromising positions. I also had another message from someone asking er, kind of inappropriate questions.

Now I've always had negative feelings re: the whole BBW/fat admirer scene, and this has only made them more so. Now, to stress, my issue is not with people finding fat people sexy (hell, I'd have to have an issue with myself in that case!! And er, not to mention most of those who fancy me...), but rather the re-appropriation of a fat body in this scene. Or my body, I guess. I've always felt that my body is taken out of my hands by BBW chasers. My body comes to symbolise anything they desire - mother (this happens constantly. I'M NOT A MATRIARCH buddy.), teddy bear, infantile, or alternatively whore, rolls of flesh and.. er MILF apparently?! To me, the fetishisation of fat in a lot of these cases objectifies the fat body in a similar way to the headless fatties of the obesity epidemic. We are nothing but lumps of flesh, rolls, often decapitated or fragmented. Fat is still symbolic here, rather than simply being a physical trait - it's just a symbol of a pre-determined sexuality instead of a pre-determined health risk. The point being that our sexuality is not self-determined but rather appropriated by anonymous agencies.

I'm not anti-porn, and I'm certainly not against fellow fatties being seen sexually. Hell, I'd like to see more of it, but only when sexual expression is self-determined. The point being that my sexuality is my own. My body could be any of these things. However, it's for me to decide who I am and what my body represents, and not an anonymous wanking man on the internet. I post my photographs in a public space for me, and for other people just like me who NEED to see similar bodies to their own on the internet, without stigma. I enter my body into a public forum because I want to identify with other people. And I really don't appreciate someone taking a photograph intended for this purpose (without my permission) and reappropriating it in this way.

GRR.

This is quite simply possibly my favourite vintage dress ever. It's a plaid shirt dress with super cute spotty pockets. I haven't the foggiest how to date it, but I'm thinking it's 50s. Anyway, it's perfect for summer days like this, when I don't have anything to accomplish, but nonetheless want to wear something nice anyway.

Dress, £35 (!!!), Beyond Retro vintage, London.

Ebay times

I'm selling lots of bits and pieces on ebay currently. This is all going to fund my relocation costs to the south coast, so all pennies go to a good cause ;)

Just listed: this fabulous 60s smock

Complete with goofy smiles. Oh dear.

You can catch my current listings over here:
http://shop.ebay.co.uk/closet_rouge/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=25

BRIGHTON

So, I've been offered a very exciting job, working as a Technical Assistant in Screen Archive South East. I'll be working digitising 8/16mm home movies til the end of June next year, which means that in less than four weeks, I'll be moving to Brighton! Or, possibly to Surrey for a little while if I can't let the spare room in my flat. But Brighton eventually!

The boy and I have only just relocated into a lovely little attic flat in Leeds, and I've been working hard to get my bedroom into a lovely work space that's both calming and comforting. It looks like I'll be packing it all back up again, sigh! So, to remember this beautiful room as it is now, I took a few pictures. If anyone knows anything nice going in Brighton (and thrifting ideas), suggestions are much appreciated!

Guided tour:

Lovely shelves draped with blue fairy lights, holding boxes of zines, academic papers, art books and cameras. Oh, and sewing/knitting equipment.

Bed complete with a second hand white bedside table (£10 from a junk stall on Brixton hill) thrifted blue floral duvet (£4, charity shop) and of course, my tackiest of disembodied 70s children paintings. I have an awful love for these, and always will.

Another bedside table, my first joint furniture purchase with the boy back in 2006. It cost us £15 from another junk stall on Caledonian Road, and has stencilled stars on it.

In built wardrobes stuffed to the brim with my vintage/dress collection. <3

Cross stitch cat picture (£1, Otley car boot), russian dolls and DAB radio for radio four fun times during the day.
Book shelf. This is mine and was about £25 from argos. I wish I had more luck with second hand bookshelves but I never find them! I do however have a major second hand book problem. Far too many of these are currently unread.

Desk with laptop, DVDs to ebay, shoe rack and my image lines! Some strong string + drawing pins and pegs = no need for blue tack and an interchangeable mood wall/inspiration wall. Whenever I go to exhibitions I always try and buy a postcard or leaflet or flyer so that I can then go home and scribble away about my reactions to them. Images of late include family photographs, some of my A level work, train pictures and postcards from The Women's Library, the National Media Museum, the V&A and Impressions Gallery.

Bunting! £8.50 ebay. Also a floral sixties plastic monstrosity of a clock, £2.50 charity shop.

Petticoat! £££too much, Vivien of Holloway. But definitely a wardrobe staple when you flounce about in ridiculous dresses as much as I do ;)

Late night crochet action here. I decided to attempt my other crocheted steal from the topshop sale on Friday night. I had to go pick my friend Jess up from Leeds coach station, and made a last minute wardrobe dash. Excuse my white vest top, it was at least disguised under the shirt!

Anyhow, rundown:
Crochet tunic - Topshop sale (size 14!), £10
Black mini - Primark, £5 (best £5 ever as it is proving!)
Khaki shirt - New Look, about £10 I believe.
Tights - Evans £2 sale
Boots - vintage, ebay, £15

Lace and tailoring

lace tailoring by prettymary_k featuring Dorothy Perkins vests

Black lace waterfall waistcoat
24 GBP - dorothyperkins.com
More Dorothy Perkins vests »

South peg trousers | Very.co.uk
22 GBP - very.co.uk
More pants »

CORRELLI
79 GBP - kurtgeiger.com
More Kg shoes »

ASOS Chain Crucifix Necklace
$13 - asos.com

Love Label lace embroidered body | Very.co.uk
18 GBP - very.co.uk

Dear god I am perving over the above lace body by Love Label. It only goes up to a 20, but I reckon it'd stretch enough for my tush. I'm just dying to team it with some peg leg pleated formal trousers and a nice waterfall waistcoat. Cream brogues are also definitely needed in my brogue collection. Oh yes.

Okay, so here's some corporate wear for you. This Monday I had an interview to work at the University of Brighton digitising home movies. I still don't know if I've got it (though, to be honest, after two days of waiting I'm expecting the rejection sooner rather than later) and it would be a massive upheaval if I did. I had to catch a train at 7:00 in the morning to get there for the afternoon, so if I look grumpy, then er, there's logic behind it!

I've been wanting to try a shirt/tie combo for a while, and decided to give it a go here. Here's a breakdown:

Shirt: Boyfriend's, free to borrow
Tie: Boyfriend's (it's a 1960s policeman's tie!), also free to borrow
Shift dress; Evans, about £20 a while back I think? It was an impulse buy, but has proved to be the most versatile item I own. Seriously, shift dresses own me now.
Belt: That Dorothy Perkins belt again, £7
and not pictured - boring black flats again.

The shirt/tie thing will definitely make more appearances. I felt very dapper!

Latest ebay score

This little vintage beaut is now making it's way across the pond to me. I ended up in a bit of a bidding frenzy and spent about £17 on it (eep!), but the shape, collar and pattern are all so perfect that I couldn't resist.

The seller tagged this as a size XL - normally I'm way more in the XXL/XXXL category, so it just shows that it's worth searching around your sizes as well as just in the right categories. You'd be surprised how many vintage items are sold as completely different sizes! Especially what with the whole "oversized" thing coming back in. This was being sold as a 90s grungey oversized dress, whereas on me, it'll be nice and fitted. Score!

The best shoes ever. Recently acquired on my excursion to Edinburgh at a PDSA shop for £9.99. Check out those bows! Quite pricey for a charity shop find, but with large feet it's hard to find vintage/cute shoes to fit me.

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I've been across the country for an interview in Brighton, and I'm shattered! I'm soothing myself by seeing Cleo from 5 to 7 at my favourite cinema, the Hyde Park Picture House, this afternoon. Agnes Varda = <3.

More outfit posts later tonight! x

A bit of a fight with the self timer this morning. I now have new found respect for fashion bloggers with beautiful pictures - despite working as a photographer in an archive until recently, I constantly struggle with taking pictures that are A) in focus and B) exposed correctly, let alone getting to the point where I can pull a non-awkward pose! Oh dear. Maybe I should give up the day job... oh wait, I already have. ho hum.

Anyway, unemployment puns aside, today I'm trying something new. I bought this sheer lace skirt from ebay, for a reasonable sum, and on monday finally found a short black tube skirt that would work under it. I love that without the sheer skirt, it's indecently short, but with the sheer skirt not so.

Run down is as follows:
Ripped vest top, size 18, Primark £4 (years ago).
Tube skirt, a very generous size 18, primark £5. These are in stores at the minute and very accomodating to my 53" hips. They come in khaki too, so worth stocking up on.
Waist belt, £7 Dorothy Perkins sale.
Sheer skirt, £6 ebay.
Shoes, £10 evans (ancient)
Jacket, £20 new look sale. This was in the straight sized section, and is a size 16. The waterfall cut makes it fit me pretty comfortably though the arms are a tad tight. It's a great cut with a cropped back that goes well with jeans, dresses and more formal wear. (Can you tell I'm trying to justify having spent £20 on this?! ha).

I want to get a lot braver with the skirt. I have a vintage green 50s boned swimsuit with a gorgeous sweetheart bodice that I'm very tempted to wear beneath this with nothing else and some chunky heels. I love that it's so long yet completely indecent at the same time!

Gothic glam by prettymary_k featuring Dorothy Perkins

I like the idea of heading back into high goth fashion for the autumn. I'm loving the idea of mixed textures in an outfit, particularly fake fur capes, lace, ripped knits and fishnets. This was a set I made last autumn on polyvore attempting a more glam look. I love cream and black worn together, and if I can thrift a nice fur cape or feathered cape I will be happy for a good while. This is a sophisticated way to work with the 90s trend of the moment also - crushed velvet, ripped/baggy grungy knits and tops, as well as underwear as outerwear - all of these would work fantastically worn in an outfit of clashing textures.

Further style inspiration comes from the lovely ladies at Kingdom of Style, particularly the velvet/feathered combination shown here: http://kingdomofstyle.typepad.co.uk/my_weblog/2010/08/sale-studs.html and the bandage leggings here: http://kingdomofstyle.typepad.co.uk/my_weblog/2010/07/strapped-and-wrapped.html I am just dying to find plus size options of. Suggestions?!

Slightly special face today. Can you tell I'm a bit uncomfortable with this posing malarky? My boyfriend is also a lovely one, and most days is mocking my outfits whilst taking my picture, so I guess that doesn't help... silly boyfriend.

Anyhow, today I went to the job centre, then got angry at the job centre. I've come home and found out I have an interview at the University of Brighton, to work as a technical assistant with a collection of photography and cinematography. That's super exciting! So swings and roundabouts I guess...

Today is:
Dorothy Perkins floral skater dress, £7 sale (very short though, even for me! It barely covers my bum, so more of a leggings dress).
ASOS mesh leggings, as posted before.
Black wide buckled belt, £7 Dorothy Perkins sale.
Black sleeveless waterfall cardigan, £8 primark.
Black flats, £13 priceless.

The waterfall cut is new to me. I saw some other fatshion bloggers wearing them belted and it totally changed my perception. They're a great way to dress up an old outfit, and work equally well in casual and professional settings. This may well be incorporated into an interview outfit soon.

Today is a vintage day. I scored this dress on etsy recently for about £15 shipped (from america! Bargain!). It has a fantastic bow and a gorgeous pink and blue floral pattern. Also pictured, a wonderful birthday present from my lovely friend Caroline. Dogs + shoppers is a practical and super cute combination.

Dress, £15 etsy
Belt, £5 dorothy perkins sale
Shoes, £20-something pounds New Look

Okay, I think I'm doing this blogging thing properly this time, so let's have a discussion of the purpose of this blog.

This blog is an aim to create a space in the fatshion world/fat-o-sphere that perhaps looks more at thrifting. I am not interested in assimilating my body into the mainstream - I want on trend clothes, yes, and I'd rather that Evans wasn't permanently full of calf length skirts and elasticated waists - but at the same time, I want to be more than that - I want to be innovative, fresh and against the mainstream. The mainstream high street industry is what determines what a fat person can wear in the first place, whereas I want to be the person who determines what I wear.

Kathleen LeBesco talks about fatshion in her book Revolting Bodies, in a way which I feel sums up the ways in which fat people dressing up can be revolutionary and genuinely seeking of social change:
'When fat people are no longer relegated to unflattering tent-dresses made of interior fabrics, when they look more like their slim counterparts in terms of appealing garb, there's one less thing to dismiss them for. But when they disdain 'blending in' in favour of cobbling together a look from the scattered resources available and becoming more brave about appearing in ways that defy the 'tasteful' intentions of the commodifiers of corpulence, fashion is revolutionary; its newfound ability stymies fat oppression.' (LeBesco, 2004: 73)

I am not intending to cause waves here, but I sometimes get a bit concerned about the way fatshion blogging is heading. The focus seems to be far more on plus size retailers, i.e. Torrid, Evans, Lane Bryant, New Look and so on, and less about innovative ways to dress. Sometimes, especially when companies give pieces to bloggers, and with more bloggers choosing to blog for companies, the line between individual and corporation seems to blur. The whole point about fashion blogging is surely for everyday people, people that the fashion industry perhaps isn't focused on, to have their two cents about what's in and what's out. When fashion bloggers themselves become sponsored by companies, and become part of the corporate machine themselves, then are their words really their words anymore?

Also, I'm poor, and quite frankly, I can't afford the high street nowadays. So, this blog, I hope, is a step back to the start again. I'm going to talk about thrifting, jumble sales, car boots, vintage shopping, and I'm going to talk about how to do all these things as a fatty. I'm going to talk about living on an arts slave salary (sadly, not even that at the minute!), and still looking awesome. I'll probably still perve over more expensive clothes on here too, but what I hope to show is that you can be fat and radical and fashionable on any budget.

Over and out xx

Time for a teenage goth revival today. That said, I was a pretty rubbish teenage goth the first time round (I mainly wore plain black suit trousers and plain black office-y tops, it took me years to discover where actual plus size goth-y clothes lived, even living within an hour and a half of Camden. Dear oh dear), and probably wouldn't have owned any of this then.

Black sequinned waistcoat, £1 junk stall at Leeds Market. I wholeheartedly recommend the outdoor market on Thursday for uber cheap clothing scores, plus there is an amazing stall selling vintage books, clothes, homewares etc there on Monday and Thursday.
Pixies tour of 91 t-shirt, £1 Brixton Traid sale. I bought this for my boyfriend originally, but he deemed it too short so I reacquisitioned it. It's that perfect worn out grey of many years of wear.
Black skinnies, Dorothy Perkins sale £10
Studded platforms, swapped via the livejournal community ThriftstoreUK.