Big Girls Browse http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog Bridging the size gap with a woman who's in between. Shopping & style for women with curves Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:25:11 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Shoots, Skiing, Sunshine and Shopping… http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/04/shoots-skiing-sunshine-and-shopping/ http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/04/shoots-skiing-sunshine-and-shopping/#comments Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:25:11 +0000 Gemma http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/?p=2603 You know how this one goes. It's been a while, I haven't been around much, sorry it's been weeks since my last blog, etc etc. I'll spare you the usual empty apologies. The truth is I don't see the point in blogging for the sake of it, which is one reason why you don't see dozens of new posts here each month. But on top of that I've been away a bit recently, and also I'm trying desperately not to get home from work every day and instantly jump on my laptop - not only is it killing my eyes (wrinkles! I have wrinkles at 28!) but it's doing nothing for my social life either! However, a few things have happened that deserve a little catch-up, so read on for holiday gossip and the first time I've worn a white shirt since I left school...]]> http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/04/shoots-skiing-sunshine-and-shopping/feed/ 3 In My Wardrobe: Lady V London bird print green sundress http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/04/in-my-wardrobe-lady-v-london-bird-print-green-sundress/ http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/04/in-my-wardrobe-lady-v-london-bird-print-green-sundress/#comments Sun, 01 Apr 2012 17:59:21 +0000 Gemma http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/?p=2593
I've written about a lot of beautiful dresses in my time, but I don't think any has received such a huge (and fast) response as the Lady V London dress that I put in my 50s sundresses feature earlier this week. My twitter feed and blog comments were full of people telling me they were either buying it or thinking of buying it, and by Friday I even had twitpics of happy customers thanking me for introducing them to the label. In the end, I couldn't resist ordering one myself, if only to report back on whether it really could be as good as it looks when it retails at only £30!]]> http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/04/in-my-wardrobe-lady-v-london-bird-print-green-sundress/feed/ 5 Ten Fab 40s / 50s inspired sundresses for Summer! http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/03/ten-fab-40s-50s-inspired-sundresses-for-summer/ http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/03/ten-fab-40s-50s-inspired-sundresses-for-summer/#comments Tue, 27 Mar 2012 22:27:49 +0000 Gemma http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/?p=2549
Watching the new Mad Men tonight, I felt a little bit let down at the lack of lovely frocks. Don't get me wrong, I love the 60s looks - Jane's amazing maxi and Trudy's killer swirly Pucci-esque number - but I miss the earlier episodes, with the wiggle dresses, fifties full skirts and Betty's amazing sundresses and shades. For me, it doesn't get better than the 40s and 50s when it comes to clothing, so I've put together a list of ten fab fifties-inspires Summer dresses for my fellow retro fans. So what if Sterling Cooper has moved on, it doesn't mean I have to. I'll be snapping up at least one of these dresses in the next few months...]]> http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/03/ten-fab-40s-50s-inspired-sundresses-for-summer/feed/ 11 A date with Vivien of Holloway part 3: The ‘Peggy Lee’ day dress in green http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/03/a-date-with-vivien-of-holloway-part-3-the-peggy-lee-day-dress-in-green/ http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/03/a-date-with-vivien-of-holloway-part-3-the-peggy-lee-day-dress-in-green/#comments Sun, 11 Mar 2012 14:50:03 +0000 Gemma http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/?p=2521 I'm finishing up my Vivien of Holloway dress reviews today with the third and final dress. This is the Peggy Lee day dress in green (£69), a cotton number with an A-line skirt and contrasting white collar and pockets. Of the three I've tried, this is probably the most costumey. The other two can easily be modernised, but as far as I'm concerned, you may as well go the whole hog with this one! So I pulled out my retro glasses, put my hair in a mock-bob with some roller curls and hunted down some hair flowers so I could give this dress the 40s style look it deserves!]]> http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/03/a-date-with-vivien-of-holloway-part-3-the-peggy-lee-day-dress-in-green/feed/ 7 A date with Vivien of Holloway part 2: The ‘Grace’ circle dress in Fuchsia http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/03/a-date-with-vivien-of-holloway-part-2-the-grace-circle-dress-in-fuchsia/ http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/03/a-date-with-vivien-of-holloway-part-2-the-grace-circle-dress-in-fuchsia/#comments Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:40:30 +0000 Gemma http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/?p=2499 We're on to my second of three Vivien of Holloway dress reviews, and this time it's the turn of the positively fabulous 'Grace' dress, a silk, full-circled version of the Jezebel I tried last time. It's the most expensive VoH dress at £110, but there's definitely a reason for that. The fabric is really nice quality, very heavy so it hangs well, and there's loads of it in the dress - though there are side seams, this is a nice full skirt, not an A-line masquerading as a circle!]]> http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/03/a-date-with-vivien-of-holloway-part-2-the-grace-circle-dress-in-fuchsia/feed/ 12 A date with Vivien of Holloway part 1: The Jezebel 50s wrap dress (black / polka) http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/02/a-date-with-vivien-of-holloway-part-1-the-jezebel-50s-wrap-dress-black-polka/ http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/02/a-date-with-vivien-of-holloway-part-1-the-jezebel-50s-wrap-dress-black-polka/#comments Mon, 27 Feb 2012 21:37:09 +0000 Gemma http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/?p=2471 If you're one of the manypeople who found this site via my vintage reproduction clothing shopping list, you'll know I'm a fan of the 50s look. So when one of my favourite reproduction vintage brands, Vivien of Holloway, got in touch to see if I'd like to try out some of their dresses for this blog, I obviously jumped at the chance. I already own five Vivien of Holloway dresses, but these ones are newer styles, away from the classic halter neck shape the brand is known for, so I was intrigued to try the new shapes and see how they looked...]]> http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/02/a-date-with-vivien-of-holloway-part-1-the-jezebel-50s-wrap-dress-black-polka/feed/ 7 What I wore to London Fashion Week Feb 2012 http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/02/what-i-wore-to-london-fashion-week-feb-2012/ http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/02/what-i-wore-to-london-fashion-week-feb-2012/#comments Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:46:57 +0000 Gemma http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/?p=2453 last Fashion Week in the sidebar to your left! But that fashion week coincided with moving to my new (old) job back at the helm of Catwalk Queen, which has taken up most of my time of late, and I don't believe in posting here for the sake of it. I'm hoping now I'm well and truly settled there that I'll have more time to dedicate to Big Girls Browse and can ramp up the post count a bit for March...so if there's anything you'd love to see me talk about, now's the time to speak up...]]> http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/02/what-i-wore-to-london-fashion-week-feb-2012/feed/ 4 Buy less, wear more: Frugal February 2012 is here! http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/01/buy-less-wear-more-frugal-february-2012-is-here/ http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/01/buy-less-wear-more-frugal-february-2012-is-here/#comments Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:52:06 +0000 Gemma http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/?p=2436 For the second year running, I will be cutting out all necessary spending in February as I challenge myself to save as much money as I possibly can. I have so much stuff that I don't need any more, and I also have plenty of reasons to save this year. So for one month only, I'm on a spending ban. No clothes, no accessories, no undies, no magazines, no makeup or beauty products, no DVDs, books or music, no pricey bottles of wine or boxes of chocolates, and definitely no shoes. The only things I'll be spending on are food and drink, travel, and the occasional bit of socialising. If you have trouble saving money, Frugal February is the perfect way to kick-start your saving. This goes for absolutely everyone regardless of what you tend to spend your money on, but because I'm a fashion writer there's obviously a fashion spin on my challenge. For me, it's time to stop shopping and start wearing! ]]> http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/01/buy-less-wear-more-frugal-february-2012-is-here/feed/ 7 Dressember Shoe Saves…a little late! http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/01/dressember-shoe-saves-a-little-late/ http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/01/dressember-shoe-saves-a-little-late/#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:01:49 +0000 Gemma http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/?p=2379 I'm massively behind with Amber's Shoeper Challenge, and having to face the fact that I'll be waving goodbye to fair number of my shoes in mid-February. That said, I've saved most of my must haves by now, so anything else is a bonus, and I knew I needed to cut down my shoe collection by quite a dramatic amount, so I don't regret taking part in the challenge in the first place. If I haven't worn these shoes in the last 12 months, the chance I'll wear them in the next is very slight. And thought I may end up granting immunity to two or three pairs of occasion shoes or Summer sandals that I didn't wear because I didn't go on holiday last year, I am going to try as hard as I can to stick to the rules and get rid of everything I possibly can when the challenge ends on Valentines Day. In the meantime, I have worn a good few pairs of shoes in the last month or so. And here they are...]]> http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/01/dressember-shoe-saves-a-little-late/feed/ 1 (soon to be) In My Wardrobe: What I bought in the January sales http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/01/soon-to-be-in-my-wardrobe-what-i-bought-in-the-sales/ http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/01/soon-to-be-in-my-wardrobe-what-i-bought-in-the-sales/#comments Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:50:04 +0000 Gemma http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/?p=2365 2012 is going to be quite a frugal year for me financially (I'm saving for more important things than shoes for once!) so spending my Christmas money in the January sales is basically my last hurrah. After these purchases, I'm battening down the hatches and sticking to an 'only what's necessary' approach to spending. I'm not saying I won't buy anything this year, but I'll definitely be reviving Frugal February and after that I'll be sticking to those good habits at least 80% of the time, putting as much as I possibly can in the bank at the end of each month. Even with the sales I've tried to stear clear of the shops and only buy a few things online. Of those, I'm sure at least one or two will get returned. But while I wait for them all to arrive...here's a look at what I bought!]]> http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2012/01/soon-to-be-in-my-wardrobe-what-i-bought-in-the-sales/feed/ 7