I know to many, Claire has portrayed a slightly muddled message in the past about how comfortable she is with her weight but to my mind she seems a nice woman who should be allowed to turn up at a red carpet event without expecting a torrent of abuse about her size in the papers the next day.
So when plus size clothing brand Fashion World announced they have collaborated with her on a clothing line I was quite intrigued to see what it was like. I think it would be fair to say that Claire is not known as a particularly edgy dresser and I'm sure I'm not the only plus sized hottie who wondered if she had played a real design role or was just the "face" of the campaign. So when the fashion world PR team asked me if I would like to chat to Claire about the collection I jumped at the chance to get the low down on her input and to ask the lady herself how it feels for complete strangers to discuss your BMI. Here is the interview.
Betty-First
of all congratulations on getting into the final of Big Brother. You were great
to watch especially your relationship with Rylan the Steps
superfan. Will you be keeping in touch with
him?
 |
| Claire and Rylans relationship was very sweet to watch. he is such a Steps superfan |
Betty-Which are your favourite pieces from
the collection you have launched with Fashion World and why?
Claire-I like the pieces that allow me to wear
something pretty but comfortable during the day, there is a pretty dress with a
bow print that I love and also I love the chunky knit cardigan that I wore
everyday in the big brother house.
 |
| Claire's favourite-this actually looked much nicer when she wore it inside the house |
Betty-How does the process work? are
you acting as a muse/consultant or are you involved with designing any of the
collection?
Claire-I've had a huge amount of input and taken
inspiration from a lot of different areas, including some vintage pieces of mine
that work really well for a plus size. I've also tailored a lot of the pieces to
hiding or correcting the areas that I and other plus size women are perhaps not
so comfy with when it comes to
clothing.
 |
| Jumpsuit from the Claire Richards Collection £40 |
Betty-How much of a fashion maven are
you? Do you place close attention to current trends or prefer classic wardrobe
staples?
Claire-Being a plus size I tend to try and stick
with classic shapes that I know suit me, and I keep up to date with fashion
using prints and accessories oh and shoes.
 |
| Black and pink dress from the Claire Richards Collection £60 |
Betty-Your weight has been a source of
regular scrutiny over the years, how do you handle that?
Claire-It still baffles me why everyone is so
bothered by my weight. I'm kind of over it now, it's just boring how some people
insist on going on about it all the
time.
 |
| Jacket £35. Dress £45 from the Claire Richards Collection |
Betty-Any tips for women out there
struggling to accept being plus size?
Claire-I think the key to accepting yourself is to not
worry what other people may think or say about you. And it's also educating
yourself in how to dress the best way for your size and shape. Something that I
think I have finally done.
And here is what I think of the collection.
 |
| Plait trim dress from the Claire Richards Collection £35 |
Overall I'm liking quite a few of the pieces. The jumpsuit is quite fashion forward and I like the red trousers. I'm also completely in love with the blue sparkly dress. At the launch event Claire wore a flowered prom dress which was one of the stand out pieces in the collection for me so I thought it might be fun to see how it looked on a real life fattie.
 | ||
here is Claire looking rather fabulous
|
As its the middle of winter I wore a black long sleeved top underneath. I really liked the sheer panel at the neckline which I'm not showing to its best advantage, but sorry guys its freezing at the moment!
At £70 this is definitely not an impulse buy but it feels very well made. It has netting underneath the skirt to give it some fullness and its all finished well with piping around the edges.
I don't usually wear autumnal colours but Ive decided its quite nice to wear brown and cream with black for a change and if I decide it needs a pop of colour I can always team it with a bright cardigan.
Ive cinched it in at the waist with a wide belt and worn it with tights and an old pair of converse sneakers. its my usual take on punk princess chic but it would look equally lovely with a pair of ballet flats and a cute cardigan.
So there you have it, the Claire Richards Collection for Fashion World. What do you think? does any of it tickle your fashion pickle?
Remember feeling good and looking great has nothing to do with dress size and everything to do with attitude.Never wait to be a certain weight to start enjoying clothes and never reject anything thinking it wont suit your shape. Try it on-you may be surprised.
For more plus sized fashion check out my Curvy Girl Style page
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