Today's Work OOTD

A couple of weeks ago I attended the Manchester pop up shop arranged by +Marisota where I had a look at their Shapeology collection and Mark Heyes was also there with his gorgeous Ava Collection.

I tried on various outfits while I was there (see my previous post Marisota Pop Up Shops) but the one I was thinking about when I got home and decided to get, very surprisingly for me given that I am a dress girl through and through, was a pants and top combination.

I am loving the printed trousers that are everywhere at the moment and I am drawn to anything with a beautiful cobalt blue colour so here is my outfit which I was wearing today at work.

Tribal Print Jacquard Trousers * £39.00

Mark Heyes Jersey Top with Mesh Insert * £35.00

Shoe Tailor Low Wedge Sandals £30.00

Necklace - Primark

* I was gifted a voucher for Marisota with which I purchased the above noted items.

Marisota Pop Up Shops

Last week I was invited to attend the preview night of the +Marisota  Manchester Pop Up Shop.  Mark Heyes would be there with his beautiful Ava Range and also other items would be available to have a look at from the Marisota Shapeology range.

A new report undertaken by Marisota has revealed that more than two thirds of women in Manchester now shop by shape,preferring flattering clothes to designer labels (83%).

It's Shapeology study, which targeted 100 women over the age of 45 in Manchester, suggests that out of all occasions from graduations to first dates, women from the city found it hardest to shop for outfits for weddings (46%) and summer holidays the worst (21%) for wardrobe dilemmas.

More than one third (31%) struggle to find clothes that suit their shape, with almost half (47%) wanting to hide their flaws, while 51% want to enhance their best bits.

Marisota has used a new technology called Shapeology to ensure every garment has some sort of hidden paneling and support, as well as clever colour blocking throughout the range.

Upon arrival I was immediately offered a glass of champagne (a good start off in my books!) and was made to feel welcome from the start.  Mark was on hand to greet everyone and I was lucky enough to be given a guided tour of the clothing after which Mark picked out some items for me to try on.

Now at this point I have to say that I am an idiot.  I had my camera with me, all ready to snap pictures of the clothes, only to find after a few photographs that I had somehow forgotten my memory card.  Silly silly girl.

Here are a few of the pictures I did manage to take along with a photograph of myself and Mark. 

Edit Scuba Print Dress

You can find the dress above as well as some other favourites that I found below in the Ava Collection by Mark Heyes

I have already ordered the blue jersey top with the mesh stripe detailing and the aztec trousers and have a feeling that they will be worn a lot over the Summer!

Ava Collarless Coat Review*

Hi all!

Last Wednesday I was invited to the launch of the Ava Collection for Marisota in Soho.  I was lucky enough to be allowed to take a couple of pieces away with me on the day and as a result, I have this gorgeous coat to show you!

This collarless coat is available in black, dusty pink or red and is priced at a not at all unreasonable £49.00.  Now me being me, I went for the red and immediately fell in love with it.

The simple lines of this coat are effortlessly classic and the just above knee length (on me, I’m 5ft 4) is just at that right length that will go with both dresses and trousers.

My original idea was to show you this coat in a simple black dress so as to show off the beautiful red but then I changed my mind.  Rather than use the coat as a colour pop to finish an outfit, I wanted it to add to an outfit instead, give it a little extra zing.  Just because it is a classic style, doesn’t mean that it can also be versatile.

So here I am, complete with blue leopard print dress!

This coat will fit into my work wardrobe perfectly and will also, as shown in the above pictures, be added to some more fun outfits for nights out and weekends.  All in all, a very hardworking coat!

What coats have you been buying lately?

*This coat was gifted to me however all opinions are my own.

Ava by Mark Heyes Launch at Marisota

This week I was lucky enough to be invited to the exclusive launch of the AVA Collection by Mark Heyes for Marisota. 

One thing that I love about Marisota is the fact that they listen to what their customers want and they actively promote fashion inclusivity.  There are quite a few brands on the market now that offer a plus size section along with their regular collection.  Now I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to be sectioned off in this way.  I love fashion and want to be able to buy what I want to wear, without restriction or being told that I “can’t wear that”.  

That is what I love about Marisota.   Their new AVA Collection runs sizes from 12 – 32 with as much availability at size 12 as size 32.  This is across the board on their website.  They understand that women want to wear the latest clothes, in the current trends no matter what their size.

This Autumn they have launched their Shapeology collection, designed to enhance your assets and give you the silhouette that you want, without compromising on style.  Their new designer Mark Heyes who you will no doubt know from his appearances on Lorraine on the television was at the event to greet us along with his new collection of 17 pieces for Autumn Winter.   Here's what he had to say about it:

"I've always wanted to design my own range, so when Marisota presented me with the opportunity I jumped at it!  Ava is my take on this season's trends such as clashing prints, dusty pink, winter florals and the ever flattering illusion dress combined with Marisota's cutting edge Shapeology technology that ensures you look your best no matter who or where you are.  I hope the range will give the Marisota's customers the confidence to know that they can wear the latest looks".

The launch of the collection with held at Kettners in Soho.  We were warmly greeted with champagne and canapes after which I got my hands on the clothes.

We were then treated to a scrumptious three course meal and I indulged on cured salmon, sea bass and a chocolate marquise dessert.

After the dinner myself, the gorgeous Caroline from CurvyWordy and the lovely Hanna from The Wardrobe Challenge decided to go and have another look at the clothes and have a trying on session.

Here are my favourites from the collection.

Collarless Coat available in black, red or dusty lilac

Floral Print Jeans

Lace Trim Tunic

We were allowed to choose something from the collection to take away with us and I chose the red version of the collarless coat, blog post to follow.

Overall I had a fabulous time with Marisota at the launch of the Ava Collection.  I love their ethos when it comes to clothes and their belief that fashion should be available for all, not just certain sizes.  I would definately recommend that you check out Mark Heyes' new collection as well as their other ranges.  There are some definate wardrobe staples that will carry you through the Autumn/Winter season with style and comfort.