Vintage with a Modern Twist

I love all things vintage.  Vintage clothes, vintage accessories, old pieces of furniture; I love it all.

When it comes to vintage clothing, there are so many options out there.  When you are plus size, it can be hard to source vintage pieces that work with your body; but there are out there if you look!  There are many sites now that also offer vintage inspired pieces with a modern twist so I thought that we could play a game today; which is the real vintage and which is not!

Now, I am going to share the links so that you can buy/look at the dresses if you wish, but first, comment in the comment section which you think are authentic vintage, and which aren't!

Top Left: Floral Dress Modcloth

Top Right: Peach Dress Rokit

Bottom Left: Blue & Gold Dress Rokit

Bottom Right: Red Dress Starlet

I thought that I would share a couple of pictures with a some of my dresses which I have tried to work with a combination of a modern and vintage style.

Finally, a glimpse of a closet that I always dreamed of.

I look forward to seeing your guesses in the comments section!

Fashion Is Your Friend, Not Your Enemy

Pexels At: Unsplash

There are times where even the most confident fat girl feels society thinks she’s not thin enough for fashion. Hell, we just don't feel it, we experience it and sometimes, that can really affect our confidence.

For years, numerous articles warned fat women off wearing vertical stripes, tight dresses and short skirts to make their weight less noticeable. In turn, this had led to thousands of women feeling ashamed, and alienated by their bodies as they hide impressive figures in baggy jeans, sweaters and T-shirts in a desperate bid to fool people into thinking they’re smaller. Enough is enough. We are done hiding away because that is what some in society seem to want.

Over the past few years, things have slowly started to change thanks to an army of body positive beauty bloggers, plus-size bloggers and healthy, but curvy fitness followers! Fashion is no longer about being thin or the door is closed to you, people no matter what size they are, are beginning to realise being happy is far more important than fitting into a certain dress size.

Earn Your Stripes

How many times have you seen a fashion article talk about suiting vertical, horizontal and diagonal stripes depending on your body shape? Thinner girls were given carte blanche to wear whatever they liked, while those of us with more shape we told, almost covertly, avoid horizontal stripes as they’ll accentuate your figure. Well, so what? Now’s the time to embrace your curves because it’s not just possible, horizontal stripes look downright amazing on someone who looks like a woman and if a striped knit dress clings in all the right places it can look super sexy too!

The Right Fit

There is no "right fit". If you want to wear baggy clothes, then rock them. If you want to wear a skin tight dress, you wear that dress with a swagger. I found it quite helpful to look at tips to shop for your shape. Working out whether you are an hourglass, pear, apple etc shape can assist with some of your earlier decisions when you are changing up your style.

Pexels At: Julian Jagtenberg

Stick To The One Piece

Up until very recently, even the most progressive fashion magazines have struggled when it comes to swimwear season and advising women on what to wear if they’re over a size 16. Look, it’s simple.

Wear what you feel great in.

If that’s a swimming costume great, but if it’s a fifties style halter neck bikini or tankini with flamingo fashion jewellery then that’s awesome too! Stop worrying about what everyone else looks like in their swimwear and just focus on having fun. Most people will tell you the most attractive thing about a woman is when she's just being herself and feeling confident.

Out Of Print

Who says you can’t mix colors, fabrics and prints? Sometimes the most fashion forward, on trend outfits are a color clashing whirlwind of gorgeous shades, luxuriously soft material and to die for tropical prints. Anyone who knows me, knows that I wear print every single day and I love it.

Looking for some inspiration? Just check out the #psbloggers tag on Instagram or start following plus size fashion bloggers because when it comes to amazing street style looks these ladies aren’t afraid to push the envelope!

I would highly recommend that you check out Danielle Vanier, Callie Thorpe and the gorgeous George from Fuller Figure Fuller Bust for some great style and confident tips for wearing exacting what you want, when you want.

Pexels At: Unsplash

A Shoe In

I have always loved shoes.  Specifically the Mary Jane kind.  Even when my whole wardrobe was black, I always had beautiful shoes, usually in a bright colour to detract from the black on my body.

Shoes are easy to fall in love with.  You walk into a shop or browse online and suddenly there they are, the perfect pair.  You fall a little bit in love.  The trouble is, they don't fall in love with you.  You make the compromises in the relationship.

I have always had various issues with the shoes that I wear.  My fit veers between an E and EE fitting so finding nice ones can be hard.  My balance is not the best (to say the least) so heel height is a problem.  I can't wear pointed shoes because of my issue with staircases.

That said, for the right pair of shoes I have always ignored these issues.  I have squeezed my feet into shoes that were too narrow, but were beautiful.  I have bought heels too high for my comfort because they were fabulous.

I was looking my shoe cupboard this weekend and there were so many shoes that I no longer wear or have never worn because I bought after falling in love, but in reality that just were not practical. A major clear out was in order and by the end, I have gotten rid of nine pairs of shoes.  Sob!

I decided that I needed a new philosophy when it comes to my shoe buying.  They can still be beautiful, but I need to be able to wear them in comfort.  Not in pain and not compromising what I can actually walk in without falling over.

Here are some that I am currently looking at:

I love these Vans Shoes from Skate Hut.  I would wear these on a casual weekend with jeans or alternatively, they would look great with a casual black dress.  There is no reason why you can't wear casual shoes with a nice dress.  I have seen Callie from From the Corners of the Curve do this really well.

I am just about to buy these wedges from SimplyBe as they will perfect for the summer.  Black which goes with anything, a wedge which negates some of the heel height and a good grip sole (which is it about summer sandals that have really slippery soles???)

These nude fit loafers from Evans are perfect for work and look so stylish and comfortable.  

These knee high boots from Yours and are available (like all the shoes I have featured in this post) available in an E fit.  With a heel height of 3 inches which is a manageable height, these boots with go wonderfully with a lovely dress or will style up a pair of jeans.

Those are my current picks for shoes that work with my limitations, whilst still being stylish and gorgeous.