Bought to you by Universal Standard’s Universal Fit Library.
Ladies, meet someone who has become very special to me, Universal Standard. The love affair with them started when I came across their Starter Kit idea. You purchase seven pieces, receive the eight for free and you can mix and match it into 20 looks! As someone who’s wardrobe often takes over and gets out of hand, this streamlined idea was so exciting.
I pinned every single one of their outfit ideas.
Because of that, they’d been on my list to try for ages. But I was unsure of sizing (me, not them), plus I already possess a billion items of clothing and I’m easily distracted, so I’d never gotten around to trying them. So when they approached me to share their Universal Fit Library (more on that below) I was a wee bit excited! I’m not sure I’ve ever replied to an email faster or with more YAAAAAY/woo-girl than I did that one. Yeah, that happened.
So much for my cool AF exterior.
The items I selected arrive soon after and well, here we are. Me calling them my newest brand crush and loving hard their clothes. Seriously. I’ve already started culling and selling items in my wardrobe to make room for more from this brand. They are beautifully made and have the modern, sporty vibe I adore. If you head to the site later, scroll through and tell me you couldn’t see me wearing any one of those items of clothing.
So, what did I get?
The dress and top in this post are both the large (size 22/24). Given I’m a solid 24 at the moment, they are true to AU size. For once, I had a hard time choosing a colour. Their range is right up my ally with the black, white, grey and khaki. They have other colours, but can you imagine my struggle choosing between those!? Gosh.
I also requested this zip front pullover which I got in the khaki and IT IS spectacular! I want it in all the colours and I’ll donate everything else I own. You won’t believe the cut on these things until you put them on your body. That simple pullover got SO many compliments the first day I wore it to work; it was madness. I’ll post some pics soon, promise.
Wait, I’m fangirling, right?
Now, the point of all this (I was getting there, sorry for the rambling delays). Let’s talk Universal Fit Library, shall we? Now, as someone who has recently changed sizes, when the team told me about their Universal Fit Library idea, I was hooked.
The idea is that if you buy an item from their core range and within the year it doesn’t fit send your item back to them and they replace it with the new one! Then, wait for it, they launder your returned item and donate it to a women’s charity for reuse. I mean, how awesome is that. If a possible change of size is holding you back from having clothes you love now, this might be worth a look.
Wearing Geneva Dress (Grey – Large 22/24) over Rhine Color Block Cuff Top (black/white – Large) with New Balance joggers.
Long term lover of 17 Sundays reporting for duty! And if I ever wear tights or stockings, Sonsee are my brand. So when the two powerhouses decided to join forces and give you a chance to WIN an entire outfit (my dress, bomber and tights!) for their Winter Giveaway, I knew I wanted in. Because if I know you guys, and I feel like I do, I know you LOVE giveaways.
I mean, who wouldn’t want this dress/bomber/tights combo?
For those looking for sizing advice, I’m sitting around a 24 at the moment. I’m wearing the 22 in the floral bomber and even with my broad shoulders, it fits well. It is snug when I zip it up over things, it kind of gets a cropped look to it. But I don’t zip jackets like this often, so I’d rather it was a little snug, rather than the other way. Make sense?
I’m wearing the 26 in the floral wedge dress. Now, the ladies who fit the larger side of things, don’t panic. It’s not about fit, even though the material has no stretch (a little give, but no stretch). As you can see from the photos there is loads of room in there. The length is good, even with the split in the back, so I’m glad I have the larger size even if it wasn’t necessary.
But wait, there’s more!
Short ladies or if you’re borderline on a size, you won’t need to size up, in my opinion, but as with most of the dresses in this style, if you’re big in the backside, make sure you check the sizing chart, unless you can get it down over, you’re never going to get into the largest part of the dress. Got it? Good.
Now, the tights. So I’m a pretty standard 24 and I’m 179cm tall. So, I need a decent amount of room in tights. I’m wearing the Opaque 100 denier full tights in black, in size Stunning (22/24). The short version is that the whole point of these tights is that it gives us ladies with more belly and width at our waist, thighs and legs, more room for good coverage. It’s got some magic stretch going on in there so this style is such a win! Easy to wear and comfortable.
Enter here!
In order to win the competition, users must like both @17_Sundays and @sonsee_woman (on the platform they’re entering – Facebook for this entry), and comment on the posts in response to the question “Where would you wear this outfit”. The winners will be chosen based on the most creative and original response.
Competition closes: Wednesday 14 June 2017 Winners announced: Friday 23 June 2017
I’ve been thinking about dresses. A random post, I know, but since I posted about that maxi dress that wasn’t really me, I’ve wondered if maybe I’m not a dress girl at all. And why that is.
Maybe it’s the constant search that is shopping online. We’ve talked about special occasion dressing, and that’s a big one. But what about the constant struggle that is a fitting work dress, or a simple an affordable summer dress? When on a lot of occasions when restricted to shopping online the love of these simple finds can drive you crazy. That’s absolutely the case for me.
But then, dresses are just so girly! Haha. That was my problem with that printed maxi, all low cut, ruffles and flowing hemlines. I’m more a sneakers and leggings as pants kind of girl. We all have things we like or don’t I suppose, but for me, it took me time to find a look I liked. And you know what, that’s ok. It’s the whole point. You know me, I love the team at 17 Sundays and their slouchy, classic look. It’s my thing. Have you found yours?
I speak to a lot of plus size women, and I know this is something that comes up in conversation a lot. Dresses, the styles and what works and doesn’t work. How to wear them, should you cinch the waist, how low-cut is too low cut? The only advice I have is to find whatever works for you and go with that. Change your mind as often as you like. Follow trends or don’t. Decide what you want and go for it.
You know, just like in life.
LYST has dresses from your favourite online brands like ASOS, Forever 21 and Boohoo, all in the one place. Isn’t that nice of them? Start your search on their website here.
beme has sent out the word. It’s move over Summer, step aside Autumn, we are heading towards Winter and even the Queenslanders have gotten wind of such things. Literally, it was WINDY AS HECK around here last weekend. It brought with it the cooler weather and we were rejoicing! Brrrr. So what that means is that the layers start coming out in force. No more flimsy, sheer layers… Nope.
The day of the knit is here. I planned an outfit and everything.
beme asked me to share the newly released May range, I told them no problem, I’ve had my boots ready for months. Literally, months. Alas Queensland decided to amp up the humidity and go a little nuts on the whole NOPE, it’s totally not autumn, so I had to (again) switch them out for heels. But I’m confident this sassy outfit with the emphasis on new season knit still works.
For work or play.
And for those of you who are actually lucky enough to get something resembling cool weather, then you can add a jacket, a wrap or something that people who live in cold places own. I have no idea. I’ll be lucky to need sleeves if this current weather is anything to go by. Haha. But, the show must go on!
Wearing beme Sleeveless Buckle Tunic, check out the new arrivals for more great knitwear or the SALES for some excellent bargains. My girlfriend told me she scored some jeans at a MASSIVE mark down the other day, so there’s shopping to be done. Enjoy.
Oh hey team, welcome back to another round of Mr Suger looks cute on the blog for bigger, taller guy clothing brand Johnny Bigg. Now Mr Suger, he’s not exactly taller, but he wears 36 inch jeans and an XL’ish shirt. Larger than the average lad. He’s like the men’s plus size fashion inbetweenie. Haha.
The team approached us to showcase some of their Autumn/Winter 2016 range. Given how much we loved the Spring Summer wardrobe update. And I mean we, it was so nice for Kel to have some new clothes, fist bump. So it was on and this time we went top to toe! Well, other than my sunnies. Let’s check it out.
Johnny Bigg Outfit One
I mean getting this guy to be serious for even a second was impossible. He’s such a goofball I spent half the time tracking him with sports mode and the other half yelling at him to stop pulling faces. But that aside, how great is this outfit. Jacket, tee, jeans and sneakers from Johnny Bigg. Aren’t they gorgeous? Kel is wearing the 36 jeans and XL tee and jacket.
Those sneakers are a total upgrade on what he had. Like grown man sneakers in this delicious suede. A must see ladies of sneaker type men, a must see. Mr Suger has wide width feet so they will need to give a little for him to slouch about in them, but otherwise a perfect fit.
Outfit One Details
Reed Stretch Knit Jeans | Deacon Bomber Jacket | Crosby Print Tee | Roland Suede Shoe
Johnny Bigg Outfit Two
Outfit two with this gorgeous knit is just so snuggly and warm. It’s Queensland, so obviously at this point he can wear that without a tee or shirt under, but it will be perfect for that later on too. My challenge with this photos was him claiming to feel like a Wiggle in his ‘skivvy’ and dancing around as such. If you ask me, that’s rubbish, he just wanted an excuse to do jazz hands. Haha.
You get a closer look at the jeans here and they are a great style and fit. Prone to tearing work pants because of his ability to bend and lift and stretch and climb things, these jeans will serve him well. They give and move as he does. Such a win.
But I can’t leave it there without mentioning these beautiful shoes. We water treated them straight away (hello, it was raining) and I know that Kel is going to get some serious wear out of these babies. They are the shoe that dresses up any outfit. Don’t you think? I think.
Around here we are BIG fans of the monochrome outfit. So when the team at Target Australia asked me to share some of the new items from the Belle Curve range stacked high with khaki goodness. From that moment, I knew I’d tackle monochrome outfits. I’m a planner, what can I say? And I’m really, really into khaki right now.
I mean, check out my Instagram lately. It’s ridiculous.
So with items selected from the collection (and a few extras it turns out, check out this beauty I wore to work that ended up a bit too formal for this outfit) and some I’d purchased earlier this year. I had a sea of khaki, and I wasn’t afraid to use it.
In the end, I went for a casual combination (this maxi was $15 FULL PRICE, whoa) paired with a sleeveless vest and white tee to show off the monochromatic theming. Plus nude shoes because that’s always a god thing. So how do you give YOUR monochrome outfit a little bit of extra oomph? I’ve got your back, like this!
How to give your monochrome outfit oomph.
Colour game strong
Well, first of all, you kick the black to the kerb. All black is all kinds of perfection, don’t get me wrong. And just the right mix of such things are all a girl needs to kick some fashion goals, but black on black on black is great, monochrome in colour is next level. It might even be cooler than double denim. Probably not, but maybe. So go top to toe in your favourite colour and really show them who is boss. Bonus points for brights! Haha.
Warm vs. Cool
When you’re pairing ALL your next level coloured goodness together, you’re going to want them to work together. The simplest way to do this is to match the TONES of your colours. The green in this outfit is cool toned. If I were adding pieces, I would look for similarly toned items to add so they worked together. Easy.
Work the nude
If you can’t match your shoes or accessories, go for nude. Reach for your classic nude shoes or bag and you won’t detract from the monochrome effect. And sure I’ve paired my key colour with white here, but monochrome doesn’t seem to count shades for whatever reason. Haha. I don’t know the rules, I just yap on about them, ok?
Wearing all Target Australia items from the current collection. Shop online here.
Okay ladies and the gentleman types introducing Fashion Lane, an online SALE destination. Fashion Lane, meet the team. And yes, you read that correctly. An online SALE destination. Like a Pinterest board of awesome. Oh man, I wish my Pinterest board magically turned into a shopping cart… Sigh. Dream on. But that’s what Fashion Lane does, they curate sales from across the interwebs and serve them up for you on their site.
Because sales.
Hello.
So the team asked me to let you fine folks know about them so you could check them out next time you had shopping to do and money you wanted to save. That’s often right? I’ve met you, I know how this works. Haha. Say you were looking for the perfect pair of summer sandals, you could visit any number of sites across the interwebs, seek out the best deal and buy them. Good. That’s fine, BUT what if you could do all the searching, skipping around and sales comparisons in the one place?
You totally can. Thanks Fashion Lane.
And say you’ve been looking and the price is still a little out of reach for you? There’s a price alert. I used something similar when I was buying the billion pairs of sunglasses I did over the holidays. You sign up, they send an alert when the item you are interested in gets discounted (or my case, restocked). Easy peasy.
When I spoke to the team, they told me that originally they had planned to just share a collection of the best web based fashions. In reality, the curation based on discount and “Today’s Sale” came later. The team had added links to sales at online providers and people went made for them. Do I have to say it again, hello sales, people love the sales, right? Haha. I love a good made good on the internet story, it goes to show business owner types, you really need to be flexible on such things as your core business.
So there you go team. Check out Fashion Lane, enjoy a shop for me and let me know how you go.
Well, it was only a matter of time, the dude came and took over my blog. People love Mr Suger, Kel is super popular with the ladies. Especially the blog ladies when they find out he can wield a camera and isn’t afraid of a parking lot outfit change. Maybe I should hire him out as a blog husband? This post is probably the next best thing! Haha.
And yes, I let him spend some of the sponsored post fee on fishing equipment. Sort of. Or I will. Maybe.
So the team sent the man of the hour two adorable outfits, perfect for his casual, laid back style. This man and polos got way back. There is one polo based outfit and one open shirt for that whole, I’m so casual I didn’t even button up my shirt vibe. Which, wait until you see it, Mr Suger pulls off like no one’s business.
Because it wouldn’t be a Team Suger photo-blog without silliness.
The thing about Johnny Bigg is that it caters to a market of men similar to the women that read this blog. Maybe you’ve got a brother, a friend or a partner who could benefit from some super stylish, yet classic, mens wear that starts at an XL and goes from there. And there’s a tall section, Mr Suger doesn’t need tall, the short ass. HA. Though in his defense, it’s probably comparably. I am pretty tall.
And don’t think it’s just about casual clothes, that’s just Mr Suger’s thing, nope. The brand stocks suits as well, tailored shirts, dress pants, shoes, all the things. The whole deal. So whatever the man in your life needs, they can probably help. And that’s the point right? We want our plus sized man friends to have the same access to awesome clothes that more and more we have access to. So share the love. Here’s outfit two from Mr Suger. Poser.
Since we are enjoying checking out the blog husband types, check out Mr Wait Until The Sunset, Benjamin in this killer post they also produced for the brand. What can I say, the urge to be blog stars is strong in these boys. Thank goodness for that. Have a great weekend team. Until then, let’s dance!
I’m about shorts all year round: short shorts, long-ish shorts, denim shorts, and culottes. But my favourites are summer shorts because it’s summer! WOO. Shorts and I are a bit of a match made in heaven. I mean, let’s face it, I never remember to keep my knees together! Shorts are a blessing. Even the ones that drive me nuts I love. Sort of like my husband when he ditches photos to play on his digger… But that’s another story.
This story is about summer shorts.
I know some of you are going to be having a little conniption about wearing shorts. I know, I KNOW. Maybe you don’t feel you’ve got the legs for them. Maybe they ride up, gather at the bum or crotch, and you HATE them. I get all that and more. Really I do. But most of those are it or length problems. I’ll talk about that later. But, trust me, you’re going to learn something.
But first, let me say one thing about ‘not having the legs for shorts’ before we get into some more photos. There is no such thing as not made for shorts legs—no ifs or buts. Like the bikini body movement, if you have legs and wear shorts, you have shorts-loving legs! So quit that garbage now and get some sunshine on those pins.
So hey presto. THAT was me in shorts. Whoopie-do. Right? And that’s the point. If your shorts fit well and if you have the right length, it’s as simple as adding a t-shirt and a stacked heel, and you’re good to go. Trust me, sneakers are fun but if you want to get used to yourself in shorts, try a wedge or a stacked heel. Hello, long legs.
What about fit?
So I have some tips about the fit. First, find the pair that fits your legs and bum well. Too baggy in the bum, and it’s all saggy baggy elephant action back there. Too tight in the leg, and you’re a sausage in a casing. And yes, I’m sorry I have now compared your fine selves to a slice of deli meat and a rather sizeable animal. But it’s true. How your shorts fit you makes a difference. So don’t give up on shorts altogether; give up on crap fabric and unforgiving waistbands.
What length is perfect for you?
Now about length, there is a magic point on all of us that just works. It’s essential in plus sizes because we are all built so differently. Thicker here, narrow there. But your perfect length will elongate the leg and balances your height and your width.
For some of you, heck, I’d even go as far as to tell most of you, you’re wearing shorts that are TOO LONG. Yup. I promise you that. Plus, size women have been told for decades (that I’m aware of) that you should cover more skin for it to be flattering. I find this to be bullshit. Total bullshit. And that comes from the lover of all things slouchy. Try it next time you’re shopping, go shorter than you normally would, you might be surprised.
The length I’m wearing here is great for the tall folks out there. However, my shortie friends, these could be a little tricky and swamp your bottom half. You would always want at least an inch or two above your knee. The good news is that these could be easily cuffed another roll or three higher to do just that. And long legs always look amazing in the shortest shorts that you feel comfortable in.
Get the idea?
Try and try again!
Trust me, when you find your perfect length, you will know it. Try lots of styles on in your local beme {of course!} changeroom and don’t be afraid to roll them up or down and get a feel for it. Do one leg and not the other for comparison. Don’t be afraid to try everything on and dump the entire lot if they don’t work for you. It’s about time that we, as plus-size consumers, demanded more of our retailers. We want shorts that fit and look great, dammit!
CASE IN POINT.
Shop the brand new beme lookbook or shop the entire range of beme shorts (I’m wearing a 22, this style is coming soon!)
Ladies and, well, ladies welcome to spring! Eeekk, I know right? Thank goodness. Because after spring comes summer and I cannot wait. So when the team at beme approached me to share the beme spring lookbookwith you all I heard spring/summer and was like YES! I’m in.
After taking a look through the lookbook, I chose a few items that I wanted to put together into an outfit (there’s another post coming, get excited) to share. Because we all know that me in the dress with sneakers is always going to look different to the model with her blow-dry. Not that that’s a bad thing…
So for the first post I chose this cute, comfortable and brightly coloured dress (it is a lot of colour for me right? Tis the season to bust out the colour). It was perfect for my first outing with Mr Suger on his return as we hit the supermarket deli section for a cheese platter type assortment to end all assortments. Thank goodness he’s home team, thank goodness.
And the dress? Well true to size I’m wearing the 22 and it fits perfectly. It was plenty of room to move without being too slouchy that it loses my shape. I think this will join the lineup of summer dresses I drag around from the house to the beach and back again. Non-crush fabric too, that’s a win in my books.
What else can you expect from the new season at beme? Lots and bright and breezy pieces, some kaftans loving and a few pairs of shorts I’ve got my eye on. There are swimmers with power mesh and more than one great dress to add some colour and va va voom to your nights. In fact there a multi-coloured maxi in there that I know you guys are going to love. So if you want to check out the new arrivals, head over here.
For those who follow my adventures on Instagram, you would have realised that in the past year my time at the gym was MAJORLY reduced compared to the years prior. A new job, then a new role within that new job made it difficult indeed to line up with my gym buddies and actually get there. Excuses, excuses, blah. So I was considering replacing my burnt-out treadmill when I received an email from the team at CrazySales.com.au asking if I’d be interested in doing a post.
It was a sign!
Off I went to check that they weren’t in fact crazy and all seemed legit. Even though no one seems to have much to say on their Facebook pages, the good and bad reviews seemed to match most internet sales spots. With that in mind, I agreed to the post. I scanned their website full of all the things (I think that could almost be a literally all the things) for an appropriately sized piece of exercise equipment I could use any old time I liked!
I chose an exercise bike, made by Genki. I sent off my order and the teeny tiny courier lady arrived with it not long afterwards. Mission accomplished. Soon I would be fit again. Soon I would be the queen of the bike.
But apparently motivation cannot be purchased and delivered in a box from Crazy Sales. Darn it. Because despite the bike being awesome we have mostly used it for drunken sprint challenges on a Friday night with the men of the house competing to best each other for speed and strength in the tension modes. That said I have used it. Can review it as a product and am happy to report that it is everything it said it should be.
It is worth mentioning though that a new seat had to be procured. The racing style one that it comes with might be fine for those with already well-defined butt muscles. But for us, it felt like we had an entirely inappropriate exam conducted every time we sat on it. Not a hard, nor expensive fix. But one that was well worth it. I love my bike and I have lots of high hopes of turning this slump around sometime soon with it.
But was it a fluke?
Did crazysales.com.au actually only pass the review because I was a blogger that they knew to treat well and send speedily? Well, I thought you might ask so I did some shopping myself. I just bought a house, remember? So there are plenty of things on the site that I would love for the new house. Renovations, gosh. But after a flood event in our storage shed what we really needed was some new linens! ASAP.
So I ponied up my money and put it where my mouth was. I placed an order under a friend’s name and had it delivered to my work address. Tricky right? This mattered to me. Lately, I’m really suspicious of websites that promise bloggers (me, for example) money and gifts in exchange for reviewing their processes. When all is said and done, unless I did this, then I don’t really get to use their process. Right? Not really.
And what was the result of my test flight? Well it all went REALLY well. The quilt and sheets I ordered arrived in good time, the product is as described and all in all it felt like the same experience as the one I had with the bike. Phew. Always a relief when these things work out, I mean, what IS the return postage on an exercise bike anyway?
So all is well that ends well and I hope my crazysales.com.au review was helpful. I’m going to finish this post here now and get on my bike. Any questions, I look forward to hearing from you in the comments as always. Happy shopping!
OMG team, it’s here. The new look book from 17 Sundays. I don’t know if the sneak peeks have been driving you as crazy as they have me, but the the AW 2015 look book from 17 Sundays is here! I popped into the studio while I was in Melbourne for a look and I know you guys are going to love this new range. I cannot wait to get my grabby little hands on it. But enough about me…
Introducing PRETTY | VACANT by 17 Sundays.
And now a few words I cut and paste from the release because I was in SUCH a hurry to share. The comments in brackets are mine. But you’ll probably have guessed that. Well, you will when you read it is what I mean.
17 Sundays designer Claire Primrose (Queen of the Girl Gang or that’s what I like to call her) expresses her thoughts on creating the perfect synergy required to tell the story of a crazy weekend in a cheap (but cheerful! It has banana’s, that’s a win.) motel room.
“Sophie (can I have her hair now please?) has a deep understanding of fashion imagery and knows exactly what is required to communicate the visual language we need to tell the story of the season. She brings a soft, sexiness to a hard edged collection and the chemistry is perfect (hear hear!).”
“We have been looking forward to the opportunity of working with Lily Cummings (sigh, legendary, I die) for over a year. The experience of working with a high end fashion photographer and true creative on this shoot was one of the highlights of our brand journey so far.”
