Oh What A Year…

Wow, 2011 is drawing to a close and what a year it has been!
My journey started in January when I took part in Plus Size Tall’s Plus Model Search.

I ended up coming third and the boost it gave me was amazing! At that time I was unsure whether I wanted to become a model or just make a point but it felt good to be doing something so body positive.
I had my first photoshoot:


And my confidence soared!

A few months later I went onto to enter Curvy Kate’s Star In A Bra…

I came third, again! And in a way I feel that was the best outcome. Lizzie is a deserving winner, my favourite model and someone I really look up too, a lifelong friend! Emma was a beautiful silver placed minx and I hope she gets snapped up by an amazing company as she is gorgeous.

I get on really well with many of the other girls and all in all it was an amazing experience. And from that my blog was born! I enjoyed Star In a Bra very much and the idea of being a model for women who are not represented enough in the modelling world. I have good and bad days with my figure but generally I am at ease with how I look and how I dress and I have made some good discoveries through my fellow bloggers and the joys of the internet and sharing them seems like the best thing to do! I have to thank you, my amazing readers for my amazing successes and triumphs and I hope you have enjoyed the blog as much as I have and I’d love your continuing support next year.

My plans for next year are to keep going as I am with the blog and just see where it takes me. In January I will be on your screens so watch this space, that is all I can say for now! My giveaway competition will be launching for you lovely ladies all over the world. I will be featured in the lovely Velvet D’Amour’s magazine, hopefully have my long awaited shoot with Evans and I will be available in a miniature form…I am so excited! So thank you 2011, you have been amazing, bring on 2012!

A Pintastic Collaboration

It’s safe to say that I love Pinup Girl Clothing:

I also love the gloriously beautiful Tess Munster and incidentally described her as “a real life pin up, just stunning” in that post! It’s like I was looking into the future…

Holy crap! A gorgeous new model and some larger sizes….don’t make me come over there and kiss you PUG! This is such amazing news on two levels, firstly the introduction of a bigger model, following in the footsteps of Domino Dollhouse and of course the bigger sizes – now even more women can look like pinup goddesses! Smart move PUG!

Shaping Up With Playtex

Since the Focus Group I attended with Playtex I have kept in contact with them. Recently I started chatting with the lovely Katherine about shapewear. She sent me this interesting email:

” From Hourglass To Apple

– Half of women set to wear control underwear to this year’s Christmas party as their waists increase by 8 inches –

With Christmas party season just around the corner, new research from Playtex has revealed that nearly half (41%) of British women will be reaching for their control pants as they don their party dresses and dash to the dance floor this year.

Brits are streamlining their silhouette with control underwear to tackle their changing body shapes – with the average woman’s waist measuring 8 inches more than the svelte ladies of the 1950s. 60 years ago, the average woman was a petite hourglass, with a small 26-inch waist, 37-inch bust and 39-inch hip. Now we’re much broader on the waist – measuring an average 34-inches – sporting an apple shaped figure with 38-inch busts and 40-inch hips.

Playtex is famous for providing the perfect fit and the right level of support, having launched into the UK in the 1950’s we’re now a household name. By 1955 Playtex was shipping 12,000 girdles from the United States – as the lingerie of choice for fashionable women of the day – every week; giving a generation of women the famously curvy, hourglass silhouette that recently returned to the catwalks with Mad Men mania. We believe that “Feeling better than ever” starts with wearing the perfect fitting bra.
Playtex have conducted extensive research over two years, to understand what you are looking for in a bra and gather your thoughts on what’s currently out there on the high street. Our mission is to listen to you and give your view.

CELEBRATING 55 YEARS OF PLAYTEX

Playtex launched in the UK in 1955 and quickly became a household name. Over half a century later, Playtex is still helping British women look and feel fabulously feminine.

TIMELINE
1955 Playtex UK is established in Port Glasgow; importing girdles from the US and selling them to UK customers. Dorothy Perkins sells 12,000 girdles every week
1965 Playtex UK launches the iconic Cross Your Heart range
1968 Cross Your Heart is advertised on TV for the first time
1980 Playtex UK causes a stir by becoming the first brand to show bras on live models
2009 Cross Your Heart bra 152, the most famous of Playtex’s bras, celebrates 40 years and five million units sold
Playtex UK introduces the G cup to its range of bras in response to changing body shapes
2010 Playtex UK becomes the only lingerie to celebrate women aged 50+

With new styles, materials and larger cup sizes, Playtex UK is taking a fresh new direction by reaching out to the modern, 50-something woman and is proud to be the only lingerie label to celebrate women of this age.

Consumer research conducted by Playtex UK has shown that the most important factors for bra-wearers aged 50+ are everyday comfort (84 per cent), strong support (64 per cent) and an improved silhouette (60 per cent), which is why Playtex remains a firm favourite with women in this age group*.

From girdles to shapewear – Playtex has been making women in the UK look and feel good for over half a century

2010/11 COLLECTION
The legendary bra brand is back with a new collection that’s all about giving maximum comfort, great fit and a fabulously feminine shape.
Flower Lace bra
Lace Décor bra
Spiral Embroidery bra
Padded Microfibre (t-shirt bra)
Cotton Jacquard (launched November 2010)
The Pure Control range (launched Autumn 2010) includes Maxi, Waistliner and High Waist Long Leg

Since the 1950s, women have been turning to control underwear from Playtex. In 1955 Playtex’s original girdle (pictured below) was one of the first-ever control underwear products to nip ladies’ waists into shape. Today, Playtex’s range of Pure Control Shapewear (pictured below) continues to shape women’s figures. According to the research by Playtex, half of women (47%) say control underwear makes them feel more confident, and over a third (42%) agree that it makes them feel slimmer. What’s more, a quarter of women (25%) now wear control underwear up to twice a week to smooth and improve their silhouette.

Vital statistics

Playtex Marketing Manager Marica Carleschi comments: “Women’s figures have changed dramatically in the years that Playtex has been making control underwear. Since our first girdle in 1955, we’ve led the way to offer women a range of Shapewear that enhances their silhouette whilst being invisible under clothes – giving women everywhere a confidence boost and shapely silhouette.”

Playtex Pure Control Shapewear is available in both black and skin, in three styles, Maxi (RRP £26.50), Waistliner (RRP £30.50) and High Waist Long Leg (£35.50).

Find Playtex at all good lingerie stores, independent retailers, Debenhams and IsMe To find your nearest Playtex stockist, visit http://www.playtex.co.uk and enter your postcode.

For your chance to win Playtex Shapewear and for offers and news from Playtex, visit our Facbook page.  “

It’s interesting to read about how women are getting bigger yet still striving to keep those hourglass proportions. I am guilty of wearing shapewear on every night out and teaming a belt with pretty much every outfit – I love the way my proportions look!
I was very excited to try out the shapewear and received two lovely pieces in the post.

The first was this piece in a size L.

It’s been a long time since my bum was a size 16 and it was quite a struggle to get this piece on! As you can see it looks ok under my dress but due to my not so size 16 body it cut into my thighs a little too much.

And so I tried on this piece (although I really am not liking how that model appears to be having some sort of H&M malfunction…)

This was also a Large and as you can see it could do with being a smidge bigger, especially round my legs but it gave me an amazing flat shape all night long last night and was such a comfy piece of shapewear – and it didn’t roll down at all which is great as that is a problem I have had with previous short style pieces I have tried.

Playtex are not a company I have ever really heard of or tried but I think that they are starting to be really engaging and coming on strong.  They are listening to their customers and working with and for them.  The Focus Group, the creation of a UK Facebook page, the willingness to engage with bloggers – I look forward to see what Playtex have instore for us in 2012!

A Cinderella Story – If The Bra Fits…

I have a dream. It involves boobs and bras and women. Although not in the way that you may expect…

Let me start at the beginning. As I have said before I never used to understand bra sizes and how to fit myself. It took a lot of nagging from a few friends and a lot of hanging around Bravissimo’s Facebook page before it all clicked for me and I now take that knowledge for granted. I now understand that a women with a 30F bust will not have bigger actual breasts than a woman who is a 38DD, but proportionally compared to her underbust measurement she will be bigger. As I said in this post “Someone with a 38 back with the same volume as someone with 28G boobs will require a 38D bra, as proportionally their boobs will not be as large as the smaller framed person. This is because a 28G has the same cup volume as a 30FF, a 32F, a 34E, a 36DD and a 38D. This should help to show how when we have to downsize or upsize in the band depending on the brand we are using, we also have to do the same in the cup.”
I now know that The Alphabet Does Not Stop At DDD. I know, firsthand, the horrors that can befall women who wear the wrong size bra. And therefore I get really very enraged when I see celebs broadcasting them being ‘x’ size when I know for a fact they must be a few back sizes smaller and a few cup sizes bigger. I experience fits of rage when I see women saying ‘she can’t be a D, I am a D and I am way bigger’ – er hello, BRA SIZES ARE ALL RELATIVE! My housemate aka boyfriend is used to me screaming and shouting at the computer screen or tv screen or magazine at something I have read and thanks to that he could probably fit bras a lot better than many women!

So here is my dream: I want to educate girls and women on how to fit bras and how bra sizes work. I have been known to address random women on the internet, on night’s out, my mother, my sister, my friends, basically EVERYONE and let them know just what I think of their bra size. Some have been successes, my greatest to date my ’34DD’ friend who was cajoled into a 30GG bra in Bravissimo! I try to explain to people why I think that tiny woman over there is not a 36DD and how what you measure under your bust is pretty similar to what your waist measures, therefore teeny waisted women have teeny backs, and teeny backs mean teeny bands! I have wept in frustration as I have tried to make women understand what a bra is meant to do. And I can’t help thinking that there are two major influences to blame for some women being left confused – our education and media influences, particularly busty celebs who either do not understand their correct bra size or prefer to admit some absurd stupid FRUSTRATING size. Hence me wanting to start some sort of programme where I go round schools and talk to young teenage girls about bra fitting and everything else related to that topic. I remember being told how to wipe my bum hygienically at school, how to use sanitary pads, how to put a condom on a banana – well what about teaching girls how to support their breasts? It is something I need to think about and work on.
As I said in my previous posts shoes and bras are very similar. Wouldn’t it be great if we could re write that Cinderella story and have Prince Charming searching the land for the owner of a 34G bra (somehow left on the palace steps…?!) It can’t be the ugly step sister’s, the band is too big, it can’t be the step mother’s her breasts are spilling out of the cups, it must be Cinderella’s as the band is snug, the gore is flat and the cups are perfect…a bit of an x rated fairytale but I think it could work! I’m looking at you Pablo Wapsi!

Plus Size Blog Of The Year!!!

Thank you to everyone who voted for my blog…
… I WON!!!!!!

Feeling Ella Good!

I am not a fan of non padded bras, but there is one set that I have been lusting after for ages, despite that…
…the Curvy Kate Ella. The stunning pops of colour have had me umming and erring over it for ages and the thing that pushed me over the edge was Brastop’s AMAZING sale.
I went for the 34J with size 20 bottoms and I have to say it does not disappoint. The three hooks and eye and fully adjustable straps were so comfy and supportive and I felt like a gorgeous round breasted fairy! The amazing double bows in contrasting colours, the beautiful flower detailing, the glittery black stitching…every girls needs this set!!!

Topping It All Off

Recently I have been wearing my 44BB/BBB BiuBiu tops a lot – they are so versatile!

I have worn them out partying, to smarter events, casually…they are literally amazing!

The empire line cuts in under my boobs therefore making the most of my shape, and then flows nicely over my tummy.

They are quite low cut but to me they flatter my boobs and give me a great shape – what are you waiting for, go grab one in every colour like I have!

Absolutely Flabulous!

I have a love/hate relationship with magazines.

On the one hand I love a bit of celebrity gossip. Yet I hate the horoscopes. I adore the amusing photo captions. I dislike the scrutiny that celebs are put under due to their looks. I enjoy the readers’ stories. But I DETEST the fashion advice. This particularly riled me up…

Excuse me?! We should do WHAT?! And for what reason?! I wait for MONTHS to see some sort of fashion advice that is aimed at women who like to cover their thighs and cannot wear strapless dresses and THIS is what I get? A small tiny piece of writing that tells me in delicate terms that my ‘larger frame’ should basically be ‘shrunk’, covered up, have all of the attention drawn away from it because god forbid should anyone realise how fat I am, protect their eyes from how my figure may look in patterns! Oh, and just in case I am not clear on the sentiment there is a ruddy great arrow pointing at a recommended patternless, dark fairly shapeless garment that I should definitely buy in every shade of black and live the rest of my life in. I am ambivalent about my body at the best of times but I firmly believe that you should be proud of what you have and if you aren’t happy then make the most of it whilst taking steps to try and change it into something that you are more content with. The reason that fat women end up hating their bodies is because they are bombarded with endless pages and spreads and features and adverts giving them advice on what to wear that they cannot follow – links to shops that stop at a size 16, unattainable dress lengths, tiny hot pants, bodycon dresses. Then, squeezed in at the bottom of the page there in which fashion advice for the larger female in condensed into the simple line “Big-framed girls should avoid prints and opt for darker colours to flatter the frame.” Get with the times you so called ‘fashion magazines’ and start giving some valid useful fashion tips to those of use who have larger hips, a wobbly bum, a large pair of boobs – those of us who don’t have perfect shop mannequin like figures!

I went to an Evans focus group a few months back and I was lucky enough to meet the gorgeous like-minded Kathryn. Both of us are of a “larger frame” and we agreed that as bigger girls we didn’t want to hide away. Evans have a reputation of making some rather unflattering clothes that aim to swamp rather than flatter and this is NOT what us chubby girls want. We want to look and feel good just like our slimmer counterparts. We may not be able to dress ourselves in the kind of outfits that they can but does that mean that we have to lurk in the shadows in our ill fitting black tents trying to not to ‘upset’ anyone? No it bloody shouldn’t! People may comment and make remarks – well let them, this fat girl will not be dressing like a goth trapped in a marquee any time soon!

Check out this post which is an amazing read on the same subject!

Giving A Fit

Fancy that, I’m sat on my sofa getting ready to write this blog with The IT Crowd on in the background and this happens…

Genius!

Well, it seems that my fitting post has hit a nerve with so many of you! I am very much enjoying the feedback and the fact that John Lewis have already sent me a few responses.

Let’s hope that they stay true to their word, I would hate to think that this is being treated as a trivial matter.

In an ideal world this is how I would like everyone’s bra fitting experience to go in EVERY STORE. A girl can dream, indulge mine…

Upon entering the lingerie store/department it would be nice to be acknowledged by a member of staff within a few minutes. They don’t have to come over and try to sell something but just make me aware that they have noticed me so that I feel welcome – buying lingerie is a personal and sometimes an embarrassing thing to do for some women. When I ask for a fitting I would like to be given one or at least be offered to be booked in for one in the near future, bearing in mind that it may have taken a lot for me to pluck up the courage to even do that as I may be shy and ashamed of my body.
When I go in for the fitting I would usually expect to keep my own bra on and be assessed in that. There should not be a tape measure in sight! The fitter should ask me what size the bra is and how long I have had it for whilst checking how loose the band is and how I am sitting in the cups. I would then expect them to bring me several sizes around what they think I am, for example, if I am in a newish bra that is a 32 and I am already on the tightest hook and I am spilling out of the G cups then I’d like to be brought some 28HH/J and 30H/HH backed bras to try on. If they do not have such sizes in stock then I would like to be given a rough idea of what I may be and politely told that unfortunately those sizes are not currently in stock and maybe they could order some in for me or advise where I might find such sizes. Making a quick sale that then doesn’t work well for a woman is not as important as gaining the respect of the customer who will not forget such excellent service and will recommend it to others.
I would like the fitter to pull on the band, adjust the bra straps and ask me to try my top/dress on over the top of the bra so that I can see what kind of shape and look I am given and what the cut of the bra is like. The fitter should explain about the function of the bra. They should tell me how the band is there to give the majority of the support and that is why a tight firm band is necessary or else the shoulders will take the strain and this will cause aches and pains and discomfort. A loose band will ride up at the back causing the cups to sit lower at the front and making the wearer hunch over. They should explain how yes it may feel very tight and uncomfortable at first but bras need breaking in (just like shoes!) and so it may take a few wears before it becomes less noticeable. The straps should be tightened enough to give a good shape but not so much that it pulls the cups up onto the breasts. The underwire needs to sit under the breasts and the central gore flat between them. I would want the fitter the make sure I am completely happy in the bra that they have fitted me in and stress that my size may differ from brand to brand, but thanks to the tips they have given me I should be able to fit myself until my next fitting in a few months time.

You wouldn’t sell a car to someone who didn’t know how to drive it and yes, that may be a drastic comparison but it should apply to bras. They can be the difference between a women hating or loving her body, between considering surgery or celebrating her curves, between having crippling back pain or walking tall. Bra fitting is not a matter that should be taken lightly and not something that should be undertaken by women who don’t really understand every aspect of a bra and what it can and cannot do. It’s not asking for too much as shops like Bravissimo and Leia can do it and do it well so come on the rest of the high street, if this 23year old waitress can do it then so can you! Increase your size selection, brush up on your knowledge and make us proud of our perky perfectly encased breasts, no matter what size or shape we are!

Shoes Vs Bras

It has occurred to me that when talking about bras I do look to throw in a good shoe analogy. It really helps to explain so many things about bras in an accessible way. Here are some examples…

• When you first buy a new pair of shoes they often rub a bit and feel a bit tight and need to be broken in. Just like a bra.

• When you go to try on some lace up shoes or shoes with buckles you adjust the buckle/laces to feel comfortable to ensure the shoes are a good fit. Just like you should with bras and their shoulder straps.

• After wearing shoes all day long you may find your feet bear the indents and red marks from them. If it tears your skin or repetitively blisters it then that is not a good sign but a little redness is normal. Just like with your bras.

• You wouldn’t wear a shoe that was three sizes too small just because the shop doesn’t stock your size/you like the shoe/it’s cheap. So ditto for your bras!

• Cheap shoes don’t last as long as the expensive versions. For a reason. The same applies to bras.

• So what if you have bigger feet than your friend and need bigger shoes? Or vice versa? We are all different and wear different sizes in different items, especially in bras.

• Shoe shop assistants should be hands on when checking if a shoes fits. Feeling where your toe is, making sure you are in the shoe properly, making sure you can walk in them. A bra fitter should do the same – adjust the straps, pull the band, make you try a top on over the bra.

• As the day progresses you may need to adjust your shoe laces or buckles – just as you may have to do with your bras, though hopefully not as regularly!

• You may not always be the same size in every pair of shoes, just as you may not be in every single bra.

I hope these little summaries made you smile and make you think. Let me know of any other shoes Vs bra fitting tips you can think of 🙂