VIP vintage style fashion at Dollydagger in Brighton

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be invited to the gorgeous Dollydagger boutique in Brighton for a taste of their VIP shopping experience. I’ve been a fan of the brand for years so I was very excited for an excuse to head down to the seaside for the evening. The event is all about the full-on retro experience. Think vintage-inspired shopping with a personal touch – small groups (hen dos, birthday parties etc) can book in with the store for a night of bubbly, pampering (hair and makeup to complete your retro look) and plenty of retro fashion fun, with a goodie bag at the end of the night. The shop specialises in 1950s dresses (own brand and hard-to-find labels like Bettie Page Clothing), rockabilly style and quirky gift ideas, so it’s perfect for a retro fan like me…

The Evans Shape Studio Event

I’ve been to loads of great events over the last few weeks that even finding time to write them up has been difficult, but I’m playing catch-up now, starting with the first, the Evans shape studio event. It was a brilliant chance to catch up with the fab ladies from the Evans team, plus the new models for the latest Swan by Clements Ribeiro collection (coming soon) who just happen to be five fabulous plus size bloggers – Georgina, Callie, Bethany, Marie and Nicolette. By now you may have seen *that* Liz Jones article (and the usual bile-filled comments on the Mail online) relating to this campaign – if you haven’t, congratulations for avoiding it. You’ll get a far better idea of what this is all about by reading the thoughts of the people that matter – their consumers, the plus size bloggers and the people who SHOP at Evans, not a bunch of unimaginative trolls who think they’re being clever. What I saw at the event were five incredible women having loads of fun and perfectly representing the people this brand is trying to target. And who can argue with that…

Wishing a Happy 3rd Birthday to Curvy Kate

A couple of weeks ago I took some time out from unpacking at my new flat and melting in the heat to head over to Curvy Kate HQ in West London for a blogger party to celebrate the lingerie brand’s 3rd birthday.

It’s safe to say there are very few brands I love as much as Curvy Kate, and this was exactly the kind of fun night I’d expect from them. There was pass the parcel, ‘pin the bra on Lauren’, bubbly, party food and a sneaky peek what’s to come from the brand. It was a chance to meet or catch up with loads of amazing bloggers – some new faces like Kitty, Callie, Hanna and Jess, some gorgeous girls I’d met before like Lilla and Cheryl, and Becky, who I’d virtually adored for a very long time and couldn’t wait to meet in person…

A Fortnight in Pictures: Fabulous Frocks & Saving Shoes

It’s been a bit of a mad couple of weeks in terms of events and night’s out, so I’ve been a bit quiet on the blogging front as a result. Even this is going to be a bit of a quick post, mostly made up of various photos from the last ten days or so. If you follow me on twitter you’ve probably seen most of these already so sorry for the repeats! In the last fortnight I’ve been to blogger meet-ups, shop openings, photoshoots and parties and at one memorable moment even found myself listed alongside some of my fashion idols as I was placed at number 3 in the top fashion tweeters according to The Telegraph. Their cheque is in the mail…

Exclusive Sneak Peek: Simply Be SS11 ‘Angel Ribbons’ Collection

The team at Simply Be have always been really supportive of Big Girls Browse and I was really happy to be offered a bit of an exclusive on one of their Spring / Summer ranges. The ‘Angel Ribbons’ collection won’t be available until next week, but you can have a little sneaky peek at some of the pieces right here. I saw some of the samples a month or so ago at the launch, and this was definitely one of the ranges that really stood out for me. I do love a bit of girly glam! Keep reading for all the pics…

Big Girls Browse at BNTM Live

I have to admit that when I was invited to take part in the Style Icon Workshops at Britain’s Next Top Model Live, my first thought was “Me? At a modelling event?” Judging a plus size modelling comp is one thing, but turning up to an event chock full of tall, slim wannabe models is another. Especially as I chose to talk about learning to embrace your body and enjoy clothing whatever your size.

But I learned some really interesting things talking to people between workshops. Women of all shapes, sizes and ages were at the show, and some of them gave me a much-needed reminder that it’s not just curvier women who have trouble knowing what to wear!

Come and see me at BNTM live!

It seems like everything I’m doing right now is related to models in some way. This is not a regular occurance, but I’ll enjoy it while I can! Next weekend I’ll be making an appearance at Britain’s Next Top Model Live, the fashion and beauty extravaganza that celebrates the top rated TV show of the same name. As part of the Style Icon Workshops, I’ll be taking to the stage to do two presentations per day on a subject that’s very close to my heart – dressing for your body shape…

Judging the Simply Be plus size model competition

This week I left London for a couple of days and headed to Manchester for the long-awaited final of Simply Be‘s ‘Face Of Plus Size Fashion’ modelling competition. I was absolutely honoured to be asked to join Alison and Natalie from Simple Be, Jackie from Best Magazine and Sarah from 12+ UK Model Management as one of the judges, though I don’t think I realised until I got there just how difficult it was going to be to pick just one woman from the group of amazing ladies who made up the final 16!

The rules of the competition were left wide open, with no restrictions other than the fact you had to wear size 14+. The finalists (who’d been preselected by the team at Simply Be) were a really wide range of sizes, heights and ages, which I thought was fantastic. It was so wonderful to see women of all shapes and sizes looking gorgeous – and not shying away from fitted shapes, tricky trends and bold colours – but it also made choosing an eventual winner really difficult, because I loved so many of the girls for different reasons…

London Fashion Week gets curvy with All Walks and the LOOK show

Three cheers for Caryn Franklin, Debra Bourne and Erin O Connor’s initiative ‘All Walks Beyond the Catwalk‘ which bought some much-needed diversity to the catwalk at London Fashion Week. For the third season, All Walks bought us models of varying age, size and skin colour, who posed this morning for a photocall with top photographer Rankin to launch their latest campaign, SNAPPED.

All Walks was the reason Hayley Morley so famously stepped out in skintight knitwear for Mark Fast a couple of years ago. This season, Hayley’s already been spotted at the LOOK show accompanied by fellow plus size models Laura Catteral and Crystal Renn…

Are you the next face of plus size fashion?

Just a quick note to say that I’m honoured and excited to be involved in the latest project from UK-based size 14+ retailers Simply Be. I’ll be helping out as one of the judges of their search for the new Face of Plus Size Fashion.

This is an amazing opportunity for all those women who feel they could give the current crop of plus size models a run for their money (and I know there are a lot of you). There are no height or weight restrictions except that you need to be at least a size 14 (and over 18 years old). The prizes are amazing; you’ll become the face of Simply Be’s Style Files, you’ll win a massive £10,000 to spend at Simply Be and you’ll get a consultation with 12+ Model Management.

Click here for everything you need to know to enter. And good luck!