My Battle With Self-Confidence

The main purpose of this blog, besides having something to focus on during my injury, is to help myself gain more confidence with my body.

I've always been self-conscious of certain parts of my body, and dress to flatter my figure as much as possible. That means staying clear of certain styles of clothing, and not baring certain body parts. I know us girls all have insecurities about our bodies, and we all have parts we don't like and aren't very confident about showing off. For me, that's my legs, and my upper arms.

My upper arms are always covered when I leave the house. I haven't gone out of the house baring my legs in several years. I spent a week baring them in New York last August as it was just too hot to cover them, and it felt so liberating, but I haven't found that confidence at home in England. I wish I could walk around in the sunshine with a floaty skirt on and no leggings underneath, but I haven't found that confidence yet.

So, posting these photos of today's outfit is a big step for me. They're the kind of shots I wouldn't share with my nearest and dearest. Nobody will have ever seen my upper arms or legs uncovered, apart from my family.

Today was a bad pain day, so i didn't make it out of my bedroom at all, but it didn't stop me from getting dressed and playing around with an outfit for five minutes.

Skirt- Next

T-shirt- Dorothy Perkins

Denim gilet- New Look

Saddle Bag- Accessorize

Necklace- Camden Lock Market (see yesterday's post)

The toucan t-shirt was delivered yesterday. It's a very pale peach/ flesh colour, not the pink in the picture on the website, but i love the motif and the fit of the t-shirt. I'm really pleased with the bag, too. I know i will get a lot of use out of it over the summer, as it works with so many of my dresses.

Does anyone else have a complex with a certain part of their body? Do you care how strangers see you, or do you just go out with your head held high?

What I Wore | It's Summer Outside!

Another scorching hot day in sunny England! Can you believe this unusual weather we're having? This time last year we were braving the plummeting temperatures and an unusual amount of snow. Not that I'm complaining, mind, I just hope this isn't our summer.

Tuesday was a good day for me in regards of pain levels. I managed to go for a short walk around the block for a quarter of an hour or so. I know that's not news-worthy information, and it probably sounds really dull to you, but it's an achievement for me. Apart from trips to the doctors, this was my third trip out of the house since New Year's. The pain from my back injuries keeps me in bed most of the time, so every little break from the captivity is appreciated! You don't realise how important the little things are until your freedom and independence are taken away from you.

I threw on something simple and airy as it was so hot outside, and came up with this:

What I Wore

Dress, cardigan, and ruched cropped white leggings- all from New Look

Flamingo Pearl Locket- from Camden Lock Market. A hand-made piece that was part of an Alice-in-Wonderland themed collection. It's my favourite piece of jewellery to wear.

Sandals- Evans (I have annoyingly wide feet, and finding sandals to fit is difficult). But i changed my mind and chucked on my gold sandals instead, as the slight heel was putting strain on my back.

I bought the dress last summer but today was it's first public outing. I was unsure of how I looked in it last year, so it's been a bit neglected.

My coral saddle bag and toucan-motif t-shirt arrived today, too, and I'm pleased with both purchases, but I'll save those for another blog post.

Night, world.

Outfit and Haul | It's Officially Summertime!

What gorgeous sunny weather we've been having in the UK the last few days! Such a great start to British Summertime. Unfortunately I've not been able to go outside to enjoy it over the weekend as I've been pretty immobile, but it's been nice to lie under my fan looking at the blue sky watching my LOST and Sex and the City boxsets.

I've made a couple of cheeky purchases this weekend. I know I should be watching my spending as money is tight since I'm not able to work right now, but I couldn't resist.

I snapped up this lovely coral-pink saddle bag in Accessorize's sale. I'd been lusting after it since New Year, and couldn't resist it at £11 instead of £22. I hope it gets here soon! I think it'll look great with so many of my clothes over spring and summer.

I also found a gorgeous navy polka-dot midi-dress online on Dorothy Perkins. Now I must explain to you that I have a slight obsession with polka dots, and with dresses, too, so this dress just called out to me as I browsed. I do like a longer length, as I think they're more flattering on my legs than ones that rest mid-thigh. I can't wait to try it on and accessorize it!

I also chose this cute toucan t-shirt. I don't own many t-shirts anymore, but I think this will work well with my coral jeans, and with a lot of my other clothes, too.

Cute, right? I'll let you know how they both look on. I should also mention I really love Dorothy Perkins. They're so on trend at the moment, and I know that their clothes will fit my shape well. Whenever I shop online or go in store I can always find something I like and want to buy. They're definitely my favourite clothes shop on the high street right now.

Today I wore this Dorothy Perkins tea dress with teal tights (until I got too hot and took the tights off). I love the design and the shape of the dress, although it does get static so i think i might try it with an underskirt. It also has frills around the chest area, which make the area look wider than it actually is. If I could work out how to sew them flat i would! Other than that, I love the dress!

I apologise for the grainy ipod, mirror shots, but until I dye my hair i'm not allowing my face in the shot!

Have a great week!

Hey! My name's Louise and i'm new here...

Well this is my first post. I never really know what to say in these introductory posts...

My name's Louise and i'm a twenty-six year old Englander. I'm a curvy girl with a love of clothes and fashion, and like to challenge society's belief that curvy girls and larger ladies can't look good in fashionable threads- because we can, and we do!

For the last six months or so I've been on sick leave from my job in retail due to several disc herniations and tears in my spine. The injuries have left me in constant pain while i await treatment, and a great deal of my time has been spent in bed.

I've found blogs on fashion and body positivity a great distraction over the last few months, both on here and on Tumblr. I love seeing how people put their outfits together, and i've found a great deal of inspiration from them. It's inspiring how confident these ladies are, no matter their shape or size. I've always been self-conscious, and reading how comfortable these ladies are with their dress size has definitely increased my confidence in my own- although i have a long way to go until i'm fully care free- but show me a woman who is!

I'm not really confident and comfortable with sharing my face with the world just yet (not to mention my hair is in serious need of some TLC), but this is the outfit i wore on a rare trip outside yesterday. I don't often wear much black, but i love this polka dot shirt dress. I got it to wear in New York last summer, and it brings back some good memories of a day shopping in Bloomingdales and dining in Serendipity 3's, and the fun movie locations tour we took all over the city.This dress is one i like to fall back on time and time again.

I've always had a complex about my legs, and this is the first time i've worn tights outside in years! I felt quite proud of myself, as it was a big step for me.

What I Wore

Dress- Dorothy Perkins

Cardigan- New Look

Tights (Purple)- Evans

I aim to use this blog to share my outfits with you all and anything else i may get up to, too. I love dresses, colour, and polka dots so expect over-use of each! I'm hoping this blog will also help me to stop sitting in my pyjamas day after day too! I've fallen in to bad habits with being confined to my bed so often.

I look forward to getting to know some of you.