Peggy Sue, Do you want curves with that?

Do you want Curves with that?

Maybe its because I've been watching back to back episodes of Nashville but this morning when I got dressed I thought I should rename myself Peggy Sue. 
I'm working at an all day event transforming a group of ladies into 1950's inspired sirens with my hair and make up kit and I know for a fact that the venue is always like an oven, so despite being the end of September its still defiantly tee shirt weather.

Breaking news-tee shirts look great with skirts too

My Nicky Rockets "Do you want curves with that"  tee £15 is just perfect for this slightly fifties inspired look and I hope shows any plus size hottie that actually tee shirts don't just have to be worn with jeans or leggings- with a little flair you can put them with pencil skirts or as is the case here a circle skirt.Its all about attitude.

Little Wicked (not me the skirt)

This skirt  £55 is by Little wicked who I modelled for recently. its made of the most fantastic mermaid material and is a great fit as it was made to measure.
Because I'm standing on my feet all day and because my feet are firmly planted in the here and now despite my love of the vintage inspired I'm wearing my glitter high tops which are not only perfect for eight hours of standing up but also stop me looking too much like I'm going to a Grease themed fancy dress party.

Belt up

My belt really helps gives me the classic proportions that I most definitely don't possess (its just an illusion) its was £8 from ebay.I love the bright pink pop of colour which I have repeated in my hair flower.

Belt up

This is casual yes but still cute and quirky-my go to style for all occasions.

This week I found I have been nominated in three categories in the Plus size awards. If my blog or social media feeds have entertained, titillated or just made you feel smug you are not as big a loser as me then hit this button.Show mama some voting sugar 

Limited Edition "Mutiny For Her Bounty" Tee Shirts Now On Sale

My brand new "Mutiny For her Bounty"  tee Shirts cost £15 and are available to buy from here having curves never looked so good!

All content (text, photos and other) are the property of Betty Pamper (aka Perelandra Beedles) unless otherwise stated. Please refrain from copying any material without recognition of the author and a link to the source on this blog

Autumn Layering, Midi Skirts, And Hightops

Sissy that walk Mister Truffles

Today's outfit is all about comfort and autumn layering. Yes fat chicks can layer without looking bulky.Its all about putting thin fabrics with your chunkier knits.It also helps if you don't give two hoots about looking bulky in the first place which I don't.

This outfit is brought to you mainly from the recent yours sale. I had been after a midi length skirt for autumn after seeing so many of them at LFW and this one in its beautiful Mulberry tones is just perfect and it was only £3 see here

Getting some Midi skirt action

My top £3 was also from the Yours sale and is actually a nightshirt. I liked the print and decided it was too good to wear in bed. I often buy things and re purpose them if I like the print and if I need a power nap I'm already in my PJs-I feel like the Fonz in the first series of Happy days.

My cardigan is by Dolca and Rosa and was from Brand Alley. It was a while ago and it doesn't look to be in stock anymore.Asos Curve do something similar here When I brought it the sun was cracking the flags and despite being in love with its big lapels and  gold flecks even I couldn't pull it off but now with a nip in the air its perfect-can a cardigan be luxe? if so this one is.

A top, that was  a nightshirt-I won't tell if you don't

My glitter hightops are from Office and my lip shade is A Flush lip lacquer by MUA.

This outfit is fairly simple as I have a day of working, dog walking, the school pick up and loads of errands so I need to be comfortable and if possible slightly stylish.I'm not sure how interesting it is to you as an outfit post but here it is anyway.

Everyday chic

All Photos by Nicky Rockets

Yours Discount Offer

Yours are very kindly offering my readers £10 off when they spend £20 or more

Just put the code BLOGGER2 in when you checkout.

* This offer is for new customers and for full priced items only*

This week I found I have been nominated in three categories in the Plus size awards. If my blog or social media feeds have entertained, titillated or just made you feel smug you are not as big a loser as me then hit this button.Show mama some voting sugar 

Limited Edition "Mutiny For Her Bounty" Tee Shirts Now On Sale

My brand new "Mutiny For her Bounty"  tee Shirts cost £15 and are available to buy from here having curves never looked so good!

All content (text, photos and other) are the property of Betty Pamper (aka Perelandra Beedles) unless otherwise stated. Please refrain from copying any material without recognition of the author and a link to the source on this blog

Viva Voluptuous by Sarah Clark

Viva Voluptuous-A cheeky little read

I often have two or three book on the go at once and my tastes are eclectic. I love to bounce between the classics (still chewing through Ulysses-I think it will always remain unfinished) crime novels (weird crushing on Jack Reacher) and well written chick lit. Chick lit is many of my friends Waterloo and they just refuse but I fell in love with it way before Bridget Jones diary when I would sneakily read Jilly Cooper and  Jackie Collins when I babysat for my next door neighbours (pure filth-wonderful)
 On my nightstand currently is the book about Loki by Joanne Harries, Caitlin Moran's new novel and Rebbecca by Daphne Du Maurier (I had to crack it open with all this super moon activity it just seemed fitting )  I've also just finished Viva Voluptuous by Sarah Clark
I hadn't realised when I was sent Viva Voluptuous to review that the girl who had written it also writes one of my fave plus size blogs gorgeously full fat but I  now recognise the lovely writing style and down to earth approach that prevails in her blog and its a perfect fit for  a book.
I  won't lie I was a bit scared when I originally looked at the premise-plus size heroine, overcoming the daily fat bashing she sees with the help of her gal pals. So often fat characters in both books and films are emotionally quite under developed, unambitious or comical, always the bridesmaid never the bride and I wasn't sure I  wanted to read a whole book about a girl who struggles because she is fat because I'm fat and have a marvellous life. I needn't have worried. Its a great read, funny, observational featuring well developed characters that are totally relatable. Here is the set up:

Ellie Johnston has just been dumped by her boyfriend Mark. Being dumped by the man she calls ‘The Weasel’ has dented her ego, and not only is she sulking, but as a plus-sized blogger she’s feeling like a fraud because her confidence in her curvaceousness has been seriously dented. While she’s still feeling raw, she comes across some evil comments on a newspaper website, which fire her up with a desire to show the world that you don’t have to conform to a skinny stereotype to be happy, healthy, successful and beautiful. She’s passionate about helping other women escape the tyranny of constant dieting and body hatred, after being caught up in it herself. She enlists the help of her two plus-sized and gorgeous girlfriends, Zoe and Lauren, to come up with a plan, and seeks solace in Jamie, a gorgeous younger man with commitment issues. The ‘Viva Voluptuous’ campaign takes the girls on a hilarious journey through PR disasters, dating sites and flash mobs but will it make a difference? And will Ellie get her curvy-girl mojo back again…?

Well written fat character with lots of mates who gets laid a lot-the swines

Sounds good right? well trust me it is. Its funny, witty and just an all round feel good read. 
If you are looking for a new book I can't recommend this highly enough. You can buy it for just over £3 on your kindle, that's less than a starbucks or go old school for £8!
As an aside it also has a lovely picture of a fat bottom on the front in a basque-always a winner.
Viva Voluptuous is published by sassy Books and can be purchased here

This week I found I have been nominated in three categories in the Plus size awards. If my blog or social media feeds have entertained, titillated or just made you feel smug you are not as big a loser as me then hit this button.Show mama some voting sugar 

Limited Edition "Mutiny For Her Bounty" Tee Shirts Now On Sale

My brand new "Mutiny For her Bounty"  tee Shirts cost £15 and are available to buy from here having curves never looked so good!

All content (text, photos and other) are the property of Betty Pamper (aka Perelandra Beedles) unless otherwise stated. Please refrain from copying any material without recognition of the author and a link to the source on this blog

Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground: Textured floral midi dress from Asos Curve

Some clothes glide from season to season-brilliant in their adaptability, refusing to be tied down to rain, sunshine, snow or sleet.Others like today's Texured floral midi dress £48 encapsulate the time of year perfectly.

As soon as I saw this dress at Asos Curve I knew I needed it for my Autumn wardrobe.

Its autumn in frock form

The Aubrey Beardsley inspired smock design, the quilted fabric that's just one remove away from a bedspread and of course the glorious russet colour make this dress a a fabric declaration that its mid September. Time for falling leaves, toasting marshmallows, having bonfires and wearing jaunty scarfs.

Hattie Machattie

I've realised that I don't wear nearly enough hats and that it is time to rectify that. Lucky for me Nicky Rockets has many, many hats so I am spoilt for choice this black wicker pork pie hat (or quorn pie in my case) is just the ticket.

The sizing on this dress is a bit on the snug side across the owd bangers so I had to size up. just a tip if you fancy rust coloured dress perfection too. 

Orphan Annie chic

 With my clumpy boots and ankle socks I am feeling slightly Orphan Annie in this get up and that's absolutely fine. Give me a ginger fro and I'm good to go (ooh that rhymed, I'm a rapper who knew)

I guess the cut of this dress shouldn't work on someone with my body shape but hey would you look at that, it looks amazing. Its almost as if everything we have ever been told about what "suits" fat bodies is a lie.

*Dress gifted-Pug, hat and style all my own*

This week I found I have been nominated in three categories in the Plus size awards. If my blog or social media feeds have entertained, titillated or just made you feel smug you are not as big a loser as me then hit this button.Show mama some voting sugar 

Limited Edition "Mutiny For Her Bounty" Tee Shirts Now On Sale

My brand new "Mutiny For her Bounty"  tee Shirts cost £15 and are available to buy from here having curves never looked so good!

All content (text, photos and other) are the property of Betty Pamper (aka Perelandra Beedles) unless otherwise stated. Please refrain from copying any material without recognition of the author and a link to the source on this blog

Turning Our Little Girls Into Riot Grrls: Emma Watson and Feminism

Recently I have stepped back from constantly writing reactive pieces to everyday fat bashing. 
I have felt that the road is well trodden, constantly covered by other bloggers and writers and also I guess I was suffering from outrage fatigue. Feeling like Pavlovs dog, instead of reacting to a tinkling bell I was reacting to another load of drivel on twitter or in the daily hate.
This morning though I watched a clip of the remarkable young actress Emma Watson (most famous for playing Hermione in Harry Potter) and I feel galvanised to acknowledge how inspiring I found what she had to say.Its 13 minutes so grab a cuppa but its so worth a watch (see transcript here)

This UN Speech  also nudged me out of my drooling slumber and made me realise that whilst  I have over the last few years promoted my own brand of feminism via body politics I had  neglected to acknowledge how important it is that I am a feminist, how it informs every choice I make in my daily life  and no it isn't a scary word.
I can't pretend to have had any kind of feminist awakening, its in my DNA. I was brought up by a mother who is the living embodiment of female emancipation and by eleven I had chomped my way through The female Eunuch and back issues of Spare Rib with gusto.
I accepted the ideals presented to me as basic common sense (I am a woman so of course I want to be treated equally to men-its a no brainer) but the aesthete in me found the lack of glamour, the casting off of the more obvious garments of femininity such as make up and beautiful clothes favored by some feminists at the time  a bit uninspiring. 
I loved the politics, the denim dungarees-not so much.
As is so often the case with me I really connected with how I could stride through the world as my own version of a feminist via music and fashion. 

 I was one of the original Riot Grrls, in my ripped tea dress and Courtney Love inspired bleached hair, listening to Huggy Bear.

Bands like Babes in toyland gave me a feminism I could identify with in my teens

The idea that girls didn't have to be "the girlfriend, the muse or the groupie" but could instead form their own bands, write their own music was to me the embodiment of action over words. Naomi Wolfes beauty Myth which I read alongside this was also a big influence.I had this quote scrawled on my wall-how sad that it still resonates as much today as back then.

Roll on twenty years and the landscape of femininity has changed beyond comprehension. It some respects we have never had it so good but in others, particularly in terms of  beauty ideals things are really fucking bleak. Young girls are subjected to daily messages about how they should look, act and a lot of it is really warped.
 As the mother of a young daughter I have wondered how different her generation will be to mine. Will they become presidents, CEOs, game changers? or will they be too busy auditioning to get on Big brother or hoping their selfies launch a modelling career?
Sure I've watched with interest the activities of Pussy Riot but so much of what they are  about is in response to the oppression of the country they live in. Im not sure that's the pathway for my daughter.
Which is where Emma Watson taking her place publicly as a young feminist comes in.

She's come a long way from Hogwarts

Emma Watson makes me hopeful that just as I did, this generation of feminists will take the cause and make it their own. And yes progress the ideas to encompass a wider ideal of how we should be looking to free both men and woman from the shackles of expected gender stereotypes. I particularly loved this in Emma's speech

"Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong… It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum not as two opposing sets of ideals"

It took a youtube clip from a UN conference to make me realise that whilst I may promote body positivity  daily I had forgotten to reiterate that the reason I feel so comfortable being a plus size body confident woman is because I'm a feminist. So is my husband, you see being feminist is about equality for all as Emma so eloquently pointed out:

 feminism by definition is: “The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes.” 

What  a beautiful belief that is to have.

Limited Edition "Mutiny For Her Bounty" Tee Shirts Now On Sale

My brand new "Mutiny For her Bounty"  tee Shirts cost £15 and are available to buy from here having curves never looked so good!

All content (text, photos and other) are the property of Betty Pamper (aka Perelandra Beedles) unless otherwise stated. Please refrain from copying any material without recognition of the author and a link to the source on this blog

A/W Look Magazine Collection for Simply Be: I meet the fashion editors

Last week I attended a small event hosted by Simply Be at their Oxford street store in London. It was an opportunity to meet the fashion editors from Look magazine and chat to them about the new A/W collection they have designed for the brand.
I had seen some of the collection in the latest Simply Be catalogue and already loved every single piece. Last season I was a bit mixed about the collection, I adored the galaxy print dress which I wore to death but wasn't crazy about all of it.This time around I want to own it all.

The Look Magazine Team

The Look magazine team were as you can imagine all super stylish and looked very cool. All were wearing items from the collection which only went further to highlight just how fabulous each piece is.
The event kicked off with a Q and A session where we were able to ask about the different colour palette, lengths and textures they thought would be big this season. They used pieces from the collection to show how you could incorporate them into your wardrobe.

The signature colours of blue, white  and black which worked so well on the galaxy prints last season are back but this time there is an amazing burnt orange colour too.

The skirt and dress lengths are all mid ankle (which was echoed in so many designs at LFW) and whilst on their own the grid and crackle designs work beautifully, put together they are an absolute knock out.
What I absolutely loved was that all the team talked about was the look. Nothing was said about pieces being "flattering" or good for "curves" it was all about working these really gorgeous clothes into both day and night time looks. It felt like I was attending  a fashion event, not a "plus size" clothing promotion. It was totally refreshing and made me very excited about trying it all on.
Before I launch into the collection here is a quick picture of my outfit on the day. i will do a full outfit post but its so pretty its worth a look. its from the new Bespoke fit range by Simply Be  and its adorable.

Today's outfit-Purple leopard print dress with Peter pan collar, lace leggings and pink sparkly hightops

I started off trying on the Look ribbed jersey top with the Look printed skirt the quality of both these items was lovely, I particularly loved the ribbed fabric of the top which made it feel very luxurious.

The Look Ribbed Jersey Top

The Look Printed Skirt

For cool autumn style it doesnt get any better than this.

Next I tried the layer top print maxi dress having been so unsure about this style I fell in love with it over the summer when I brought the 2 in 1 neon dress by Simply be and this is a similar fit. Its also a great way to do layering which is set to be very on trend this year.

Layer Top Printed Maxi

excuse the bizare startled expression

One of my favourite pieces of the day was this orange shirt dress with tan belt. This is the kind of dress that you always hope to find in vintage stores but its never in your size or it has pit stains. It makes more than a passing nod to the 1970's and has some lovely detailing including a pearl button at the collar and slinky tan belt. I felt like a very sexy Velma from Scooby Doo.

The Orange Skirt Dress

This is actually a size too small so the buttons are gaping but I felt gorgeous in it regardless.

The grid design check coat was a big favourite and quite well deserved. Light weight, with great low pockets and a thin lapel it looked great on everyone who tried it on.

The Grid print jacket-effortless cool

I love how the grid print works against the orange 

I felt wonderful in this outfit

Another firm faveourite was the printed maxi dress It was very goth queen chic. I didn't get to try this on but lovely fellow bloggers Hanna and Bethany did so here they are looking beautiful.I love how they are looking all cool and sultry and I'm in the middle like a big satsuma-standard.

The printed Maxi dress

Fat babes

Speaking of beautiful bloggers it was also a real pleasure to meet American babes Gabi Fresh and Nicolette Mason  Both of them were very sweet and unsurprisingly looked banging.

With the beautiful Gabi from the blog Gabifresh.com-I gave her a "do you want curves with that"Nicky Rockets tee- which she later tweeted me to say she loved-that's my week made.

Nicolette who was just lovely-she got top Betty points for having a teeshirt with Johnny Depp on and being a fellow Pug lover. her pug is beautiful and called Frankie.

 Gabi gave a lovely speech where she said  lots of inspiring things including

  "I don't equate looking thin to looking good' Smart words from an awesome lady.

Gabi Fresh looking awesome and being inspiring

Which brings me neatly to the end of this piece. It was a lovely opportunity to see some beautiful clothes which have been designed to be fashion forward, inspiring and very wearable. Bravo.

Here is a little video about the collection too.

Limited Edition "Mutiny For Her Bounty" Tee Shirts Now On Sale

My brand new "Mutiny For her Bounty"  tee Shirts cost £15 and are available to buy from here having curves never looked so good!

All content (text, photos and other) are the property of Betty Pamper (aka Perelandra Beedles) unless otherwise stated. Please refrain from copying any material without recognition of the author and a link to the source on this blog