Love My Figure, Love My Fashion

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!

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.

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?

www.facebook.com/lovemyfigurelovemyfashion

www.twitter.com/lmflmf

http://pinterest.com/lmflmfuk/


*This is a sponsored post*

Shoes of Prey

You know the feeling.  You have the perfect outfit and you need the perfect shoes to go with it.  You hit the highstreet, ready to see what goodies they have on offer.  6 hours later you are tired, grumpy, your feet hurt and you are still perfect shoe-less.

I don't think I will ever have that ordeal ever again.

I saw an advert on TV the other day promoting a website where you could design your own shoes.  As someone who loves her quirky and unusual shoes (Iron Fist and Irregular Choice are my two favourite brands) I thought that this would be right up my street.

I was wrong - this wouldn't just be up my street.  This was the kind of street I would quite happily build a home, get a cat, annoy the neighbours, attempt to make jam and kiss the kids goodbye as they left to go to school every day.

This was my dream home of the website world.

Founded by 3 friends in Sydney back in 2009 Shoes of Prey have been featured in Vogue and the hype seems totally justified to me.

I logged on, searched for the website, created a profile and got designing.

2 hours later I had 40 new shoe designs and one rather miffed husband who a) didn't have the computer and b) had a grand total of 0% of my attention.  Oops.

The only issue?  Around £100 a pair. Admittedly they do hand-make them to your exact design and to your shoe size (including one shoe bigger than the other if needed!) and deliver them 4-6 weeks later.  I wouldn't normally baulk at investing £100 in a decent pair of shoes.   My problem would be deciding which ones to invest in!

Anyone got a spare £4K lying around that they don't really need?  Wing it my way if so!

You get to select the type of shoe, heel shape, toe shape, heel height, straps, trimmings and details like bows or ruffles and then play with a selection of different colours and fabrics.

You can even select the sole and the lining!  The screen rotates your designs 360 degrees so you can check out your creation from every angle.

It is ridiculously easy to do and really rather moorish.  They don't just offer heels either, there are all sorts of design options for flats.

There are 'Inspiration' pages you can use if you are running low on ideas and the system saves every design you create.  

I could be lost for days here, just designing and tweaking and playing and then quietly grinding my teeth that I can't afford them all.

I was also really impressed by the fact they offer Vegan options for people who for whatever reason are not comfortable with animal skin

I think it was quite clear from my designs that there are certain styles and colour palettes that I am drawn towards!

These shoe boots were easily my favourite design and given the option would be the first ones I would order!

Oh and for you cynics out there, this is not a sponsored post but I sure as hell wouldn't mind it being one if Shoes of Prey want to comp me a pair! :)

I'm really intrigued as to what people think?  Is this something you would do?  What do you think of my designs and what would your dream shoe look like?

Spoilt Rotten

Yep.  I know I am spoilt rotten.  

I was treated like a princess by Steve and my family for my birthday and my friends were all stupidly generous as well - it was really incredibly touching.

There was a distinct theme to my cards this year - an awful lot of them featured shoes, flowers and cocktails.  Hmmm.  

My assistant director bought a birthday cake to rehearsal the day before which  was covered in a giant chocolate shoe - more evidence.  I blew out the candles and stubbed them quickly in case the fire alarms went off and then everyone got a nice big chunk of chocolate cake.  Cue sugar high for the second run of Act 2!

Steve had this most beautiful bouquet of pink and white lilies delivered to my office on my birthday as a surprise.  I had always said that I had never had flowers delivered to work so he decided to change that.  They smell divine.

My friends were incredibly generous with me - isn't the white rabbit necklace gorgeous!  The charm bracelet has mini shoes and tea cups on it - again with the shoe thing!

My sister bought me the leopard print necklace, gold ring and earrings, all from Wallis - I have the earrings in right now.  I sometimes struggle with long earrings but these are so comfortable.

Another friend bought me the Muse (The Resistance) album - one I have wanted for a while.  I do download music but I still like having CD's, much the same way I like having a Kindle but you cannot beat a good old fashioned book.   He also bought me the brown Italian leather writing journal for blogging ideas, an incredibly thoughtful gift that I don't want to write in as it is so pretty!

The Lush box was a surprise from some friends - I am out of Lush bath bombs and haven't been able to replace them yet so this was perfect!  The Lust Gorilla Perfume stick is one that I carry around with me.  It is heavy on the jasmine and very strong at first but dries down within two hours and leaves quite a subtle fragrance on the skin which lasts for hours and can still be smelt the next day.

The owl necklace was a gift from another friend - I have a thing about animal jewellery and have a collection of frogs, owls, bees, tigers and other random creatures.  This owl has a feather body and is quite unusual - I also love the mix of colours. 

My parents and my sister both have these glasses - they are miniatures for vodka, rum, port, liqueurs, anything really!  They come in the most beautiful jewel colours and are tiny but elegant.  I seem to drink caramel vodka out of them more than anything else....

These.  These made my jaw hit the floor.   I love Alex Monroe jewellery but could never justify the expense - I have always been particularly taken by the pear and the baby bee and have spent hours dribbling over them - they are both on my Amazon wish list and my Pinterest boards!

Steve surprised me with the baby bee necklace - I absolutely love it.  He was probably sick of hearing me talk about it for the last few years!  He had to arrange for a friend who works in London to collect it from the Alex Monroe store in Snowsfield and then met them at the train station in Rainham to collect it.  So much coordination and effort for a present.  Incredibly thoughtful.  The bee is stunning- it has a textured body, highly detailed wings and is tiny and delicate.

The pear was from my parents - unlike the bee it has a smooth, cool, sleek texture and is weighty, like a nugget around your neck.  Both of these necklaces show such craftsmanship, I still can't quite believe I own them.

Finally, and I am still gobsmacked by this - I got a new camera from my parents.  I love my Nikon but it is a pain in the behind to lug about as it is so big and heavy and takes up a crazy amount of room in my handbag.

Look at this little beauty.  This is the Canon EOS M Compact System Camera.  It is small, light, easy to use, takes beautiful pictures even in extreme low light and is perfect handbag size.  I haven't had a chance to use it yet as the battery needed charging and I need to get a memory card for it but I can't wait to try it out.   I had originally tested the Lumix G in the store to get a feel for it and while it was good, this one was better.  I had walked away at that time with the intention of saving up for it - huge SQUEEE when I opened my gift!  This will make blogging regularly so much easier.

I am incredibly grateful for the generosity of the people around me and know how lucky I am.  Thank you everyone for a wonderful birthday