I love clothes. I love having a wardrobe full of options for different outfits and occasions, I like chopping and changing my style depending on my mood and I like feeling confident when I walk out of the door.
I hate shopping. I always end up hitting the high street on the search for something in particular (work outfit, wedding guest dress, new pair of jeans) and end up coming home either empty handed or (more likely) with another pair of shoes I don't need as I resent not coming home with anything. I'm also a terrible impulse buyer in the sales, meaning I often end up with items that I haven't tried on and don't suit my shape at all.
In fact I don't really know what my 'shape' actually is, which is pretty bad for a woman in her 30's. You see, my figure changed drastically post University and everything I used to wear - big baggy grunge jeans that hid your trainers and allowed water to creep up to your knees when it rained with belly button revealing tops in a silky paisley print (pierced and the gem changed to match the outfit. It was the early 2000's, give me a break!) - no longer suited me. The fact that they probably never did is neither here nor there.
I hope you realise how embarrassing it is sharing these pictures with you!
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| I'm on the right in the electric blue trousers. I was about 19 I think. |
I went from a UK size 10 to a size 14 in a matter of months the second I stopped walking to and from University every day and got a desk job. I struggled to find clothes that I was happy with and that flattered my newly discovered boobs, bum, hips, belly and arms (arms I especially hated). My confidence took a massive knock and it's not one that I have ever really bounced back from. I continued to wear baggy jeans but now teamed them with oversize tops, swamping me even more and hiding any shape I actually had.
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| Front right in the jeans and blue top. Rehearsal for a play |
When I go shopping I fall into a predictable pattern. I go into the shop, have a look around, grab a big bunch of stuff that I think looks nice on the hanger, go into the changing room, try everything on, hate the way everything looks and go home thoroughly depressed.
I then try online shopping and end up sending everything back because although the smiley happy model with her picture perfect legs looks wonderful in the dress I have just bought, on me it looks more like a tree trunk sprouted limbs and got stuck in a lost property cupboard. The majority of it ends up being returned which is even more hassle than just leaving items on the 'I Hate
It The Way It Makes Me Feel' rail in the changing rooms.
I'm sure that this is because I don't know what my shape actually is or how to dress for it properly so I don't know what shapes and styles to look for when browsing.
Well, this used to be the case!
Let me introduce you to Laura and her new venture,
Love My Figure, Love My Fashion.
This is a genius fashion idea. You shop according to your shape so you never look at anything that won't look good on you! If, like me, you have no idea what your shape actually is, you just enter your measurements into the calculator and it tells you. I may or may not have had to go and buy a measuring tape just to do this *cough*. They will send you one for free if you need one! Turns out I am a borderline rectangle, on the fringes of being an hourglass (my waist is not quite as defined as a true hourglass). All I then had to do was click on Rectangle on the website and my screen was filled with pictures of dresses that I knew would look fab on me. You know how I knew? Because the models were all girls with much more attainable figures than catwalk models, with boobs and bums and curves and they all looked fantastic. It does wonders for your own body confidence to see that actually, you are not as abnormal as magazines make you out to be and that clothes can and do look good on you!
I was hugely excited to try the
Smila dress from their website.
I must apologise for the photo's - I've never done outfit posts before and they are a lot harder than I realised! I hope they give you an idea of this dress though. The colour is beautiful, really vibrant and looks great with nudes and golds and the fabric is lightweight and floaty but still holds its structure. The skirt hits at just the right length for an above the knee dress - important for a short arse like me! It has a side zip which is a major bonus in my book as I hate doing the 'get the zip up the back done up dance', especially first thing in the morning before work! The ruffles across the chest are flattering and add interest while the belt helps to add definition to the waist. I'm planning on adding a big chunky wool cardigan to take this from the summer into the autumn or adding some killer heels for a night out with the girls.
The below is just for fun as I was trying to work out how to shoot the dress in a mirror!
Verdict? It is so refreshing to find somewhere that actually acknowledges that women have different shapes and that what looks smoking hot on one woman will not flatter another. I can't wait to see this business grow and develop and get more and more items in!
Love My Figure Love My Fashion? I Love what you are doing!
If you want to find out more about Laura and LMFLMF why not check out the below channels?
http://pinterest.com/lmflmfuk/
*This is a sponsored post*
Just jacked off to those pics
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