Dressing for Work with House of Fraser

Hey everyone!

So I survived my first week in my new office and I must say that adjusting to corporate life is not as easy as I thought. I have had to really think about my wardrobe everyday and so now I am on the hunt for office friendly outfits, in particular dresses, because they are my favourite, but that also allow me to still feel young and fresh. The chance of me wearing a pant suit is slim, as I just don't think they suit me so I like to stick to corporate friendly pieces that have fun colours and prints so I still feel like me. I thought I would put together a little wish list post of some of my favourite wants at the moment. I'm working with House of Fraser, as I love how I can find plenty of my favourite brands in one place, but also that there is a wide variety of sizing (and really good sales... shhh... our little secret!).

 

 

Linea Printed Woven Shirt Dress - I love this dress because I think it's fun and has a bit of disco vibe, but would also translate well into Fall with leggings, which is always a bonus!

Linea Flora PU Skirted Dress - This dress is just all around amazing, mainly because I can't resist a bit of pleather. I would wear this with epic statement jewelry and some fun flats or heels.

Elvi Water Colour Print Dress-  I love the flow of this dress, along with the delicate floral pattern. I also think the neckline is cute and different, making the dress a bit more special.

Studio 8 Otto Dress - I love the pattern and cut of this dress. It's both office appropriate but would also be cute for drinks out in the evening - a perfect transition piece! 

 

Do you work somewhere corporate? I would love for you to share ideas of your favourite outfits and your go to pieces that you can always count on. I feel like I'm building an entire new wardrobe!

 

Alice in Wonderful (Raues Custom Clothing)

Good morning lovelies!

Today I have a super fun post to share with you that I have been dying to put up since before I left on holiday. Recently, I was contacted by Raues, a company that does custom women's clothing that ship internationally to see if I wanted to review an item and check out their service.

I immediately loved the combination of styles and the ability to customise different items. I often get annoyed when buying dresses or tops that they have too thin straps to wear a bra with or I love the style but would prefer it with sleeves and in this case, you can adjust these things to your liking.

I had originally planned on choosing a a proper dress as I love a good and certainly custom fit dress, but when I saw the MIA skirt, I couldn't say no. I have been on the hunt for a proper pinafore for what feels like years, and this one did not disappoint. The skirt is lined and also has pockets! There is even the option to extend the straps so you can play around with the style at the back.

Raues have put together a very easy system to get custom clothing to you. All I had to do was create an account, have my partner take my measurements (they ask for a big list of measurements, but they save them so you only need to do it once and it ensures that they have the correct fit for your body), choose my item and submit my order.

The order came very quickly and was wrapped in a gorgeous little box. The fabric is of a high quality and the construction good too. All my measurements worked out and the length was just as I wanted it.

 For my outfit, I have added a petticoat because I love a puffy skirt, and then paired it with an Asos black tshirt, Spanx tights and Primark boots.

Have you guys tried Raues? If so tell me about it - otherwise go have a look and see!

xxToodalooKatie

Voodoo Vixen - Martini Style

Good morning my gorgeous friends!

So it's been chilly here in London, as one would expect for a couple of days after Christmas, and I have had my Christmas/NYE party thinking cap on as I have a few coming up. I know this is a little late but this is how I function, so too bad. I won this adorable martini print Marita dress, along with a cardi a month or so back from Vintage Life magazine and I have just now had a chance to get it out, creases and all to show you.

For those of you who weren't aware, Voodoo Vixen do pinup style dresses and cardigans and have only recently launched a plus size with some gorgeous bits. You can find them on Simply Be too!

I am wearing a 3X and the size fits well in the body, has a bit of stretch and I would say is equivalent to a 20. My only issue is the arms not fitting well on me. I can't quite tell if it's just the cut as there is plenty of arm hole fabric but it's more the finish at the end that is restricting, so take this into consideration when you buy.

I love the colour and cut and have opted to wear it with thick tights and boots in these pics. I think it works for everyday and for something more fancy, I will wear it with light tights and heels.

Have you tried Voodoo Vixen yet?

xxToodalooKatie

#French Curves - Noël sans chemise, sans pantalon!

Hello les amies! 

(English below)

C'est le 16 du mois déja!

J'adore cette période de l'année car c'est une bonne excuse pour porter toute les robes et jupes de fetes. Je sais que le challenge était censé être une robe, mais je ne pouvais pas résisté de finalement faire un poste  pour cette jupe. Quand je la porte je me sens comme un vrai cadeau de Noël.

Cette tenue est parfait pour porter au travail et puis ensuite a une fete de Noël!

It's the 16th at last and today the French Curves blog challenge theme is roughly translated as no shirt and no trousers - so an outfit made for Christmas and parties!

 I love this time of the year as it's a great excuse to wear all your most exciting and real party wear. I know the challenge was supposed to be a dress but I couldn't resist finally doing a proper post for this skirt as it makes me feel like a Christmas present.

I feel very festive and fun in this outfit and ready for all the parties that are happening this week!

Here I am next to a giant tree in Trafalgar Square. Me voici dans Trafalgar Square avec l'arbre de Noël

Chemise: SimplyBe

Jupe: Dorothy Perkins

Collants/Tights: Spanx

Flats: Primark

Collier/Necklace: Littlewoods

Headband: Forever21

Merry Christmas French Curvettes!

 French Curves est aussi sur Facebook !

xxToodalooKatie

My Yours Clothing Christmas Wishlist

Good afternoon lovelies,
So all this week I will be sharing my Christmas wishlist items from all my favourite brands, and I am starting with Yours Clothing!

(From left to right)

1. Black and Burgundy Tile Print Tunic with Crochet Hem
2. Black Jacquard Short Slim Leg Trouser
3. Black and Gold Beaded Georgette Waterfall Front Longline Kimono

4. Nude Pink Floral Lace Dress with Jewelled Peter Pan Collar

5. Sequin Front Ponti Jegging

xxToodalooKatie

The Tess Munster Meet-Up at Yours Clothing

Hello!

So just this week I was lucky enough to be able to take the day off work and go up to Birmingham to meet the lovely American plus size model, Tess Munster. I was really looking forward to it not only because I couldn't wait to finally meet Tess in person after years of following her on her rise to model awesomeness but also because I had never been into a Yours Clothing store, as there isn't one near me and I had also never been to Birmingham.

When I arrived I stood in line for a very short time before I ended up having a little chat and taking some photos of us together. The fabulous Yours girls had really prepped the event and it seemed to go off without a hitch and was a great time.

It's really nice to see someone from North America over here branching out and closing the gap between the two plus size industries. Back home in Canada (and the USA), the blogger-brand participation isn't at all the same and I will miss it immensely when I go back there so these little steps taken from brands over here make me very happy.

Over all the day was fantastic and I am so glad I went. After meeting Tess, the lovely Diane from Fat Girls Like Nice Clothes Too who I haven't hung out with properly since our weekend at Plus London 1, years ago, took me around the city on a lovely tour!

Birmingham city centre is lovely and the Christmas markets were in full swing, which made it even nicer.

Thanks to all the hard work everyone put in at Yours Clothing for making the day amazing and thanks Diane for showing me around. It really made the day trip complete and I am so glad I went. 

xxToodalooKatie

French Curves - Dentelle Mania

(English below)

Bonjour mes amis! 

Je suis de retour aujourd'hui avec mon challenge préféré - French Curves. Le thème de Novembre est dentelle mania, alors nous célébrons notre amour de la dentelle! Je ne dispose pas de beaucoup de pièces de dentelle dans mon placard, mais je viens de recevoir cette robe en dentelle Evans que j’ai choisis de House of Fraser la semaine dernière! 

---

Hello my friends!
I am back today with my favourite blog challenge, French Curves. The theme for November was lace mania, so we are celebrating our love of lace! I realised that I didn't have a lot of lace pieces in my closet, but it was just my luck that I received this Evans lace dress that I picked out from House of Fraser last week! I am in love with this dress. 

Comme toujours, le thème a été choisi par l'incroyable Vanoue de Curvy and Curly Closet et tous les blog qui sont deja poster son super! 

---

As always, the theme was chosen by the amazing Vanoue from The Curvy Curly Closet and all of the posts that have gone up look amazing!

J’adore la dentelle car ca ajoute une touche de féminité à toutes les tenues.

J’adore cette robe et je sais que je vais la porter beaucoup pendant l’hiver, sauf avec des collants.

---

My favourite thing about lace is that it has made a big come back and become fashionable, vintage chic and also add a touch of femininity to any outfit.

Robe/Dress - Evans via House of Fraser

Heels - New Look

Sac/clutch - Candy Strike

Go and check out all the other posts below! 

xxToodalooKatie