The One With the Tartan Skater Dress

If you're a plus size blogger, or a regular reader of plus size blogs, you'll be well aware of the hype surrounding the tartan skater dress from new plus size retailer 'Pink Clove'. Ladies have been raving about it left, right, and centre, and if they've not been featuring it in outfit posts, most have voiced their love for it in wish list posts. I know I certainly have on more than one occasion.

I set to work selling a few unwanted things on eBay to get the money together to fulfil my desire to own the tartan dress. I knew I had to have it by any means. It originally landed online for £30, but Pink Clove soon reduced the price to just £22. It seemed like an unbelievable bargain, so I knew it had to be mine. I swooped, and it arrived just a couple of days later, wrapped caringly in good quality tissue paper... but did it live up to my expectations?

Truthfully? No, it did not. When I first tried it on, I didn't feel that rush of excitement that comes from putting on a brand new dress that fits in all that right places and makes you feel a million dollars. It wasn't how I'd anticipated it to be. The colours looked duller than in the stock photos...The fabric, although of fantastic quality and very thick, was much thicker and heavier than I'd expected. The fabric was very stretchy, but I found myself constantly tugging at it, the way I do when I feel uncomfortable in something... I just didn't feel fantastic in it. I didn't understand why the bloggers who had bought one before me were so in love with it and still singing it's praises... So I took it off, popped it back in the delivery bag and... put it aside for a few days. I didn't want to believe my feelings towards it were right...

A few days passed by, and I reluctantly tried it on again. That time, I didn't feel so uncomfortable in it. I wasn't pulling at the fabric like before. I decided to keep it and hung it up in the wardrobe. I guess before I'd been too fast to judge. Maybe I'd tried it on on a bad, bloated day of the month, when, let's face it, everything sucks and I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR!. 

Yesterday, I tried it on over tights and with a decent bra, and you know what? I actually felt quite good in it!

The dress is made from viscose and elastane, but to me it feels like a very thick cotton. The fabric is so thick and the quality is fantastic, and to get a dress of this quality for just £22 is amazing. Pink Clove's price points are fantastic- so inexpensive, which makes a refreshing change in the plus size fashion world. It's the perfect thickness to wear during Autumn and Winter, alone or layered up with a jacket and / or knitwear. The sleeves make it ideal for this time of year, although the length personally makes me feel quite broad-shouldered and I quickly over heated in it indoors yesterday.

It sits about an inch or so above the knee on me, which is great, if, like me, you don't like to flash a lot of thigh. I'm about 5'6'', just to give you an idea of length.

The dress comes with a patent navy belt, which fit me just fine, but I chose to brighten my look up yesterday with a pop of cobalt instead. I kept the accessories simple, to let the tartan do the talking, wearing a few black beaded bracelets on each wrist, and a pair of studded slippers over black tights. I know there's that fashion 'rule' that says black and blue should never be worn together, but I personally love how black and navy look paired together.

I bought the dress because the tartan pattern screamed to me, and I really do love the red and navy pattern. Tartan is everywhere at the moment, and I'm finding myself going crazy for it... at least (mostly) from afar. At first I thought the colours were quite dark and dull, but I've realised in natural daylight that isn't so. The colours are quite bold.

The navy studded slippers came from New Look last year. Due to issues with my toes over the last year, I think this was the first time I wore them. I still need to break them in, but my toes are almost healed enough for shoes now... almost. I only managed a few minutes in them in the garden.

I was also wearing a nail polish I first discovered about a year ago; this gorgeous purple Max Effects one from Maxfactor. It's easily one of my favourites now.

And, here are the bracelets I was wearing... You've seen them countless times before in my outfit posts, but that's because I enjoy wearing them time and time again.

Outfit Details

Dress-Pink Clove // Tights-Evans // Shoes-New Look // Black Beaded Bracelets-Dorothy Perkins //
Black and Silver Beaded Bracelets-Gifts from the Bestie // Belt-Dorothy Perkins // Nail Polish-Maxfactor

So, I throw my hands up and admit this dress proved my doubts wrong in the end. It's a real beauty, and a great way to dip your toes in to the tartan trend on a budget. Will you be treating yourself to one of these beauties?

Clothing Shopping Haul

Don't you just love it when you come in to some unexpected money, and are able to treat yourself to a bit of whatever you fancy? I sure do!

It was only recently I confided how between September and the New Year I can't afford to spend much on myself, with Christmas and four family birthdays to think about, and how as a result, I don't really have much of a winter wardrobe. I was trying to decide which item on my wish list or need list to treat myself to... And then suddenly I found myself with a little (and gratefully received) extra cash and decided I would splurge a little, and fill a few gaps in my wardrobe.

I bought most of the clothes in this post in Sainsbury's last week, when they had 25% off all of their TU clothing and accessories. So not only were the clothes inexpensive to begin with and fantastic quality, but they were a complete bargain on sale, and my bank account thanked me for it.

I bought this adorable fox motif jumper, which is so thick and warm, and will be perfect on days when it snows or there's a heavy frost on the ground. Until this shopping trip, I didn't have any thick knitwear in my wardrobe at all (shocking, right?!), and although I over heat really easily, there are days when something thick like this is needed. This jumper was £18.75 on promo, usually £25.00. It comes up quite large.

I couldn't resist this cute Scottie dog jumper, either. I've always loved Scottie dogs, and motifs of them are far too irresistible. This jumper is a little thinner than the fox one, but still thick, warm and cosy, and will look perfect over jeans with a pair of boots. It was £15.00, originally £20.00, and you'll probably need your usual size.

I also picked up a bunch of basic cardigans in a variety of colours that were missing from my wardrobe.

I've been searching for a red cardigan for a couple of years, and I finally found one I liked in Next with a covered panel over the buttons, which I can't wait to wear. I also bought the same cardigan in a gorgeous forest green colour. They were £18 each, and they come up small, so size up from your usual cardigan size.

The black, purple, and light teal (which is much darker in colour than in these photos) cardigans were all from TU at Sainsbury's and they are just about the softest cardigans I've ever found in my life. Seriously, they're lovely. The sizing is very generous, so sizing down is advised. They cost £11.50 on promotion, £14.00 normally.

I originally went to look for a long line boyfriend cardigan, and I found one which ticks all the right boxes for a basic black cardigan. It's super soft, has pockets, and is a decent length, too. It retails for a reasonable £14, and it comes up large so size down if you can; I should have. 

Sorry I couldn't get a decent photo of it; my camera didn't want to capture it wherever I tried.

I fell in love with this lovely plum coloured waterfall cardigan, and the photo really doesn't do it justice. It was another garment that was proving a nightmare to photograph. It's a beautiful plum colour, and is flecked with pink, purple, and teal thread, which is a little different, and it may be a contender for the cosiest cardigan ever to grace the earth. Seriously, it's like a giant hug. I was surprised to see how large the sizing was; I tried on the XL and then the L, and they swamped me. In the end I bought the M but it's still really over sized on me; I could have bought the S! It will be ideal for wearing over dresses, and was a steal at £18.75 down from £25.00.

I had to treat myself to some new PJs as everything I own is on its last legs. These Scottie dog print ones just leaped in to the trolley; I don't know how that happened! They're pretty true to size, and as I'm wearing them as I type, I can tell you they're very comfortable. They retailed for £16.00 and I bought them for £12.00.

This polar bear and snowflake print onesie also came home with me because I fell in love with the print.  I love me a cute print. This is my first onesie, and the XL fits me really well, but ladies with larger chests may struggle with it as it's buttoned up from the waist band up. Still, it's lovely and not too thick, so should be great for chilly winter nights. I really wanted the daschund print version, as well. I paid £12.00 for it, and it originally retailed for £16.00

And finally, I just had to treat myself to the Pink Clove tartan skater dress that every plus size blogger and their dog have gone absolutely crazy for. I'm sure you've already seen it on many blogs. It didn't wow me as much as I hoped, but it's lovely and the quality is amazing. I sized up, but it's stretchy and your regular size should be fine. The dress has recently lowered from £30.00 to £22.00, so get in there fast, guys!

So, that's my recent clothing haul. I've managed to buy the staple pieces I've needed, and a few lovely treats for my A/W along the way. They'll all be coming to outfit posts really soon, I'm sure. I just need the weather to get colder so I can wear them!

I've also bought a few little accessories this week and some stationery, too, but I shall share those with you in a couple of separate posts really soon.

What have you been buying lately?