The team at TK Maxx recently got in touch to see if I’d like to take part in their bloggers challenge. It sounded like fun, so I threw my hat in the ring. For the challenge, I had to create three outfits around the same item, each outfit matching a scenario picked for me.

I find these kind of styling challenges quite difficult, but I’m always up for having a go! I have no problem putting an outfit together at home, but faced with every accessory on the internet I get incredibly matchy-matchy. Still, it was great fun to try creating different looks around the same dress, though I could have spent another three days looking for just the right things!

The dress TK Maxx picked was a bright coral dress with frilled trim – quite a statement frock which is totally my style. I’ve worked on the assumption that these outfits are for me, so though I’ve picked from mainstream stores rather than plus size this time around, I’ve gone for items that’ll look good on a curvier woman, so hopefully these outfits might provide some inspiration even if you don’t like the finished looks.

There’s a real temptation to just team this dress with black because of the trim, but I wanted to add another shade, and Topshop’s printed jersey blazer was perfect. I don’t think you should shy away from your own style just because you’re meeting the parents, but I thought the heart print was apt for the occasion! I then added a pretty flower necklace with some pearls (moms love pearls, right?), black tights to make the look a bit more demure, patent mid-heel shoes (this is the not the time for f**k me heels) and a simple clutch in the same shade as the dress.

Dress (throughout) from TK Maxx
Heart and spot jersey blazer £55 Topshop
Spring Romance necklace $24 LakeShoreCreations4u on Etsy
Black 80 denier opaque tights £6 Topshop
KG Erin patent Mary-Janes £45 Kurt Geiger
Metal tip clutch bag £15 ASOS

A job interview is the one time when sticking to simple black with such a bright dress might be a good idea. You want them to remember you for your answers, not your outfit (unless it’s a job interview for the fashion industry). To make the dress interview-safe, I went for a smart tailored jacket from Reiss with a double hem, thick black tights and a classic pair of court shoes. I then finished the look with a classic handbag – the Mulberry Bayswater – and just one piece of jewellery. I decided on some coral earrings because I’d probably wear my hair up for an interview, so they’d be on show.

Otis formal double hem tailored jacket £179 Reiss
Black snake court shoes £35 Dorothy Perkins
Black 120 denier tights £12 Oasis
Chunky teardrop earrings £8 Accessorize
Bayswater handbag in black £595 Mulberry

A night out for the girls is a chance to go all out, so my first find was an absolutely killer pair of shoes. I like my going-out heels to be completely ostentatious and over the top, and you don’t get better than Nicholas Kirkwood for that! I’d team with suspender tights, which would just peek out from below the hem of the dress. The embellished jacket adds a splash of another colour but still pulls through the coral from the dress, which is also picked up in the bag. Finally, some funky jewellery – a vintage style necklace in the same burnished gold as the threading on the jacket, and a brooch in coral and pink that I’d pin on the bag.

Embellished jacket £95 Miss Selfridge
Vintage style pendant watch £22 ASOS
Heart suspender tights £10 ASOS
Coral suede clutch bag £99 Karen Millen
Comet bas relief brooch £105 Vivienne Westwood at My Wardrobe
Snakeskin and black shoes by Nicholas Kirkwood

So there you go – I hope you like the finished outfits! TK Maxx will be putting the entries from the bloggers onto their facebook page, so if you want to see what others came up with, take a look there in the next few days, or see the other entries I’ve located so far – from Tor at Fab Frocks and Pearl at Fashion Pearls of Wisdom.

Disclaimer: TK Maxx sent me a gift as a thank you for taking part in this challenge.

At the blogger’s preview of Beth Ditto for Evans I got the chance to see the pieces from the collection up close and there were loads that caught my eye. However, I decided if I was going to give this collection a go, I may as well go for one of the stand-out, ‘famous’ pieces. The body-con domino print dress was the item Beth herself chose to wear to the launch party, and I loved that the super-fitted shape and bold print were so unusual for a plus size range. Beth’s known for sticking two fingers up to convention so I decided to do the same. Keeping away from the pieces that were more ‘me’ (like the strapless stained glass dress) I put in an order for the domino dress. And I must say, it was a novelty to be ordering the smallest size for once!

It takes a brave Big Girl to pull off a fitted dress like this, but I was really impressed to see that Evans have done a lot to help you on your way. The dress is far heavier and of a better quality than I expected, lined throughout with another layer of quite heavy stretch fabric. This saved me whipping out the spanx slip I usually wear under anything fitted, though I did put on my trusty magic knickers – a body hugging style leaves little to the imagination around the tum and bum.

Shape wise I had my usual problem of excess fabric at the waist (I’m resigned to always being a size smaller on the waist than I am on the hips and bust!) which is good news for apple shapes…though this probably isn’t your ideal dress shape. But the whole point of Beth’s collection is about giving larger women the chance to try things that aren’t normally available to them – fitted shapes, bold prints, interesting shapes and sequins galore.

Speaking of those Beth signature elements, the domino print takes a bit of getting used to, and I have to admit I usually tend to stay away from anything with too much white in with my pale, flabby skin. I’d probably throw something over the top and put on a pair of killer heels to help streamline the look a bit.

Overall, I’m surprised to say I think this dress is a success. Obviously, I’m at the smaller end of the sizing scale when it comes to this collection, but I can definitely see this working on brave larger women.

As for me, I’ll probably only wear it on days when I’m feeling brave, and I’ll be ready for a lot of standing up straight and breathing in! I’m afraid I’m just not as confident as Beth in terms of ‘letting it all hang out’ but I’m definitely working on it!

The Beth Ditto at Evans range can be purchased here. The Domino dress is £40.

Bohemian, Homespun, Mexican…they’re just three of the trends that UK plus-size specialists Simply Be are pushing this season to their size 14 – 32 customers. Eschewing the usual elasticated waists, sack-like shapes and oversize t-shirts of most plus sized mail order catalogues, the brand has a more trend-lead approach that’ll have larger ladies in the UK giving their skinnier counterparts a run for their money in the fashion stakes.

Big Girl’s top pick comes from the bohemian boutique. The pretty blue leopard print tunic / dress has more than a hint of Lanvin about it, though at only £30 it’s a bit more credit crunch friendly, not to mention available in a few more sizes! It’s a dead ringer for the dress worn by Maggie Gyllenhaal to the Golden Globes, albeit shorter and more eay to wear off the red carpet.

Team it with the £20 wet look leggings if you dare; the long length of the tunic will cover up any lumps or bumps around the waist and bum, or go for black opaque tights for something more sedate. Accessorize do amazing, long-lasting 90 denier ones for £5 that have an almost shapewear-like slimming effect.