Pink Ladies Who Lunch

Earlier this week I caught up with my dear friend Emma from itsemchannel and happened to remember that I'm a blogger so actually took a few photos (I know, I feel I deserve a medal) 
I've known Em for a few years now, having met her at a fashion blogging event back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and only a few fat ladies were daft enough to share pictures of themselves on the world wide web-its a different time now kids. 

how cute does Emma look-I'm vaguely crossed eyed-standard

Anyway I digress, Emma is always lovely and the best company so when she mentioned that her and lovely husband Chris  were going to be in Scouseland a date was made.

How amazing is this place!

Ems husband is a whiz at finding cool places to go to and suggested we check out Archies which is a camp pink burger joint in the city centre.

Take more selfies-leave out more apostrophes

 As a vegan I wasn't sure I would find sustenance but was happy to exist on a diet coke and Barbra Cartland inspired lighting if it meant spending time with my lovely pal.I needn't have worried as they served a falafel wrap and sweet potato fries that I'm about 90% sure were vegan so I was fed and watered.

This just needs beauty school drop out as the background music

Archies is so cute. Very retro with pink vinyl seats, lots of neon signs and staff in 1950's style caps and bowling shirts. I loved it. 

yes but was it?

After we had taken a ridiculous amount of snaps and had lunch we headed on over to Simply be in Liverpool One for a cheeky trying on session. 
Since cutting all my hair off I am tending to favour slightly more 1960's inspired clothes and different shapes so thought I would have a try on. Em tried on some fantastic stuff too (and is planning a haul vid so keep your eyes peeled)

trying on uber vlogger Sprinkle of Glitters range-Baba was very impressed

I was really impressed by the Sprinkle of Glitter range. Its very cool, good sizing and a nice mix of pretty but not too sugary.This wrap top reminds me of one I wore to ballet class as a little girl especially when paired with the jacquard skirt (which matches my hair-perfect)
I also tried it on with this#bestylish tee which I ruined by being #unstylish having a loud red bra underneath-story of my life.

The irony

I also loved this Joe Browns denim dress. They didn't have my size (I'm wearing the 18 here but it was a bit tight around the owd boobs but would definitely consider getting it, particularly loved the bandanna belt detail.Might steal this idea.

My fave dress of the day though was this 1970's curtain fabric nightmare (or Floral print shirt dress)-I felt like I should be in a Pulp video, this is a very good thing indeed.Reduced in the sale too-perhaps because its incredibly ugly. I brought it of course.

I want to live like Common people

Overall it was a splendid day, good friends, pink cafes and migraine inducing  dresses. Bravo.

Don't forget you can subscribe to this blog via bloglovin and get my blog straight to your email-perfect if you are giving social media the swerve.

I am  filming more videos for my Youtube channel so if you would like to see more of my fashion and beauty choices as well as my family vlogs and product reviews hop on over and subscribe. 

           Having trouble viewing this embeded video-click here

   

Brand New Limited edition Design  over at  Nicky Rockets
Fuller Figure Fuller Bust is the Amazing Rat Girl

This is our latest collaboration design, and features the awesome Georgina Horne as her alter ego 'The Amazing Rat Girl' with her little furry friends. THIS IS ON PRE-ORDER AT THE MOMENT, AND WILL SHIP APPROX 14 DAYS FROM DATE OF ORDER

All content (text, photos and other) are the property of 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

Vegan Resturant Review-The Portrait House Hoylake

 Finding somewhere to eat that can accommodate my family's Veganism  and also accommodate a vegetarian and a meat eater seemed like a bit of a big ask. So when I needed to find that exact setup I did the only sensible thing. I consulted the facebook hive mind and was quickly pointed in the direction of the Portrait House Restaurant in Hoylake.

I was really surprised that the Portrait House which is a lovely little restaurant a mere stones throw from where I live, offered a separate vegan and vegetarian menu. Being able to look at the small but fairly decent selection for non meat and dairy eating customers was a real treat.

A separate menu just for vegetarians and Vegans-well I say

For starters I had a mushroom and sweet potato brochette with a Lime Pickle and Baba and Nicky had Asparagus tempura with a chill dip. Both of which were absolutely delicious.

This asparagus in Tempura was delicious

Sweet Potato and lime pickle-yum

 For mains me and Baba opted for a risotto with peas and rocket with parsnip crisps on the top. This was creamy with just the right amount of firmness to the rice-very yummy indeed.

Vegan Risotto

Nicky went for a stirfy with ginger, sweet potato with rice noodles. This is definitely a big portion so good if you are very hungry and contains chilies as well as ginger so offered a good kick of heat.

The Vegan desert option was corn tortillas with blueberries, Mango and a raspberry coulis. Absolutely delicious.

These Corn tortillas were so food

 The waiting staff were friendly and knowledgeable about the menu and the service was pretty quick considering it was a busy Saturday night which included a 60th birthday party. 
The atmosphere at the portrait house is nice and relaxed but it is lively and a bit loud, this didn't bother us and I'm sure its quieter in the week but worth knowing if you are after somewhere quiet and intimate.
Price wise with a few round of drinks it worked out at about £25 a head so great value. I will definitely be back again.

Thanks Portrait House.

*This isn't a sponsored post-just a review from a happy vegan customer. If you would like me to check out the vegan options at your restaurant email me here

Don't forget you can subscribe to this blog via bloglovin and get my blog straight to your email-perfect if you are giving social media the swerve.

I am  filming more videos for my Youtube channel so if you would like to see more of my fashion and beauty choices as well as my family vlogs and product reviews hop on over and subscribe. 

           Having trouble viewing this embeded video-click here

   

Brand New Limited edition Design  over at  Nicky Rockets
Fuller Figure Fuller Bust is the Amazing Rat Girl

This is our latest collaboration design, and features the awesome Georgina Horne as her alter ego 'The Amazing Rat Girl' with her little furry friends. THIS IS ON PRE-ORDER AT THE MOMENT, AND WILL SHIP APPROX 14 DAYS FROM DATE OF ORDER

All content (text, photos and other) are the property of 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

Yenna be Good

Today's outfit post features a lovely hand printed top by the ethical brand Yenna I met the girls who run it at an event recently and fell in love with their cool surfer inspired designs and ethically conscious ethos.

Whilst the Yenna website currently only shows sizes S-1XL they are happy to order bigger sizes if you contact them (they are able to do this because they hand print) They said they can definitely print up to a 5XL in most designs so do drop them a line if you like anything. They are also really open to printing on clothing you already own which is an idea I adore.

This recycled Stag Head sweatshirt is £25, incredibly soft and feels beautifully made. This is the size large which say 16/18 but as you can see fits me fine. I have cut the neck out just because I don't really like normal necklines and I know once I wash it a few times it will roll under.

This sweatshirt is printed using water based inks and is made from old bottle tops-how crazy is that but also how wonderful.Something cool and quirky (and made in the UK) made from stuff destined for landfills. 

I spoke recently in this post about trying where possible to source ethically made plus size clothes. Its not easy.I'm trying to be realistic about availability and also think about my attitude to buying clothes in general and balancing my love of fashion with my desire to not be constantly buying fast fashion.

I'm quite inspired by the whole idea of the "Wear it 30 times challenge" which a lot of people are doing following the documentary "The True Cost" which is on Netflix. I will include the trailer below-its very powerful.
The idea being that we simply need to get into the habit of wearing our clothes more, at least thirty times. I do have some clothes I wear a lot more than that but there are definitely items in my wardrobe I've forgotten. So I've chucked on this sweatshirt with some superhero tights from ebay and an old pair of shorts from Matalan. Both items are at least three years old. I'm planning  a few more posts around this idea too so keep your eyes peeled.
The eagle eyed among you may have noticed I've also chopped my hair off and changed the colour. It feels so perfect for spring.

Don't forget you can subscribe to this blog via bloglovin and get my blog straight to your email-perfect if you are giving social media the swerve.

I am  filming more videos for my Youtube channel so if you would like to see more of my fashion and beauty choices as well as my family vlogs and product reviews do subscribe here is my latest Plus size Lookbook

           Having trouble viewing this embeded video-click here

   

Brand New Limited edition Design  over at  Nicky Rockets
Fuller Figure Fuller Bust is the Amazing Rat Girl

This is our latest collaboration design, and features the awesome Georgina Horne as her alter ego 'The Amazing Rat Girl' with her little furry friends. THIS IS ON PRE-ORDER AT THE MOMENT, AND WILL SHIP APPROX 14 DAYS FROM DATE OF ORDER

All content (text, photos and other) are the property of 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

The Politics Of Compassion

When I started this blog five years ago I was largely preoccupied with body positivity. The feeling that women over a certain dress size were belittled, refused correct medical care and on a really basic level unable to buy clothes to fit enraged me (it still does) not only did I feel I wanted to write about these things but also by virtue of being a visibly fat woman show that size and shape were no barrier to leading a full, fashionable, happy life.

Wearing a top by One of One an ethical company from the UK

I like to think I succeeded in some small part. I have received many messages over the years from women, telling me that the simple act of me putting  a photograph of myself on the internet wearing beautiful clothes had giving them the confidence to also start enjoying fashion.To take up space, to no longer feel they must try and become invisible.
The promotion of body positivity and plus size fashion kept me very busy for years but over the last year I have started to feel there should now be more to this conversation.
When a group of people have been marginalized all their lives the first task is to give them a voice. The huge growth of plus size blogs and the increase of plus size clothing lines being added to brands tells me this voice is certainly being heard more than before. 
Yes fashion lines still often end in a size 24, excluding thousands of women and labels still continue to use body positivism as a marketing gimmick but the landscape is much improved from where it was even five years ago.This makes me very happy. 
Do we need to stop focusing on able bodied white chicks, oh for sure, would I like to see more over a size 24/over age thirty bloggers used by brands hell yes but this is a drum which is already being banged loudly including by many  high profile bloggers who are keen to include fellow sisters in the action. There is a lot of good work going on. 
What for me is slightly missing from the conversation is this:  
If we are to create a brave new world where prejudice is unacceptable, where to abolish discrimination or marginalisation is deemed the cornerstone, can we be comfortable making it just about the clothes we wear. 
When so few stores offer clothes in our size its not surprising that we have mostly just breathed a sigh of relief when a brand opens the door for us but have we let this relief blind us to how most of these clothes are created?
 Do we put our empowerment above the needs of women in other parts of the world who face a completely different fight, the fight of having to work in terrible conditions to simply feed themselves and their families. 
Beth Dittos recent collection really opened up this debate for me. Created without the use of slave labour, the price point was deemed by many to be completely unacceptable. Women already feeling ostracised by fashion felt the double betrayal of having one of their icons create a range that they simply couldn't afford. This is where this conversation gets hard.
Why do we as fat women have to take on board all the worlds problems?  isn't it enough that we are largely ignored and shunned by society?  why do we need to start giving  a crap about other women in other countries. I totally get it, I also just want a frigging Beth Ditto dress without having to sell a kidney.I also know that I am lucky that I am able to choose clothes at a fairly varied choice of outlets, a luxury unafforded to many of my friends over a size 26 but I still find the idea of mass produced cheap clothing troubling.
 I know taking on board the provenance of clothes will reduce my buying options, I know that my love of fast fashion will suffer but now the genie is out of the bottle I'm finding I cant ignore it.
 170 million children are said to employed in slave labour with many involved in the making of textiles for fast fashion. Yep little kids are helping make my plus size fashion dreams comes true. This really sucks.

Child labour-probably responsible for many of the clothes I own

A conscience is a really awkward thing. It makes you feel like a killjoy, it makes you feel separate but it also makes you feel awake. 
I feel confident enough in my body positivity journey now that I feel I can start to ask hard questions of myself, the clothes,food and products I choose to purchase. 
I'm at heart a really frivolous person. I love pretty shiny thing, cuddling kittens, playing with make up. I don't want my life to become some worthy crusade where I'm a bit smelly from using a lump of salt to deodorise my pits and all my clothes are a bit shit and ridiculously expensive and made of hemp. What I cant do though is continue pretending that my choices don't  have consequences.
The items I wear, recommend and promote all have a footprint, and when I do an outfit post that contains a dress that isn't ethically made I need to acknowledge that. To accept that the footprint may be of a child, that it might be bloody.

I have no grand finish with this post, I don't expect others to follow me or agree with me. I have always used this blog to discuss how to challenge inequality and  this is no different.
I realise this is  a much harder fix than simply encouraging women to show off their VBOs or rock stripes but I still think its a conversation that should start to be included in debates about plus size fashion. When we demand more should it just be for ourselves?

Don't forget you can subscribe to this blog via bloglovin and get my blog straight to your email-perfect if you are giving social media the swerve.

I am  filming more videos for my Youtube channel so if you would like to see more of my fashion and beauty choices as well as my family vlogs and product reviews do subscribe here is my latest Plus size Lookbook

           Having trouble viewing this embeded video-click here

   

Brand New Limited edition Design  over at  Nicky Rockets

We have a new tshirt available from the shop today "Rocket Rider" Our very first design on a baseball shirt - It's limited edition, so if you want one, hop on over to www.nickyrockets.com and get yourself one

All content (text, photos and other) are the property of 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

Lavitta Plus Size Range

The sun is shining, a few perky little daffodils are poking their heads above the soil and I finally feel able to leave the house without a big coat, hat and scarf.Cue a quick outfit post, today featuring Lavitta.
I've reviewed some of the Lavitta range before (see that post here) They sent me a faux fur coat last year which I adored but not as much as Nicky loved it as he has basically stolen it and wears it almost constantly like the dandy he is. 

The Lavitta brand is definitely a classic one, so perfect for separates and really nicely made work wear. That said if you ignore the less than edgy looking product shots there are some great pieces to be found.

Today I'm wearing their black drawstring jersey trousers  which are such a useful item to have in your wardrobe. They are perfect for when you want to look smart but I've also worn them loads with my trainers and a Breton striped top and they are so comfortable. 

A word on sizing Lavitta only goes up to a size 24 and in the trousers they run small. I've sized up to a size 22 and they fit perfectly which suggest the size 20 would have been far too tight. the block print top though is true to size. 

I really like this over sized top-it comes in two pieces with a long sleeved black top underneath which is nice and long (great for when you want to minimize your VBO) making it perfect to wear with trousers or pencil skirts.
I've worn a floppy Faye Dunaway inspired hat and some black and white wedges by Boohoo. My bag is by Balanciga.

It feels so good to get some sun on my face-and OK this outfit is an exercise in Monochrome but the absence of  a fur gillet or jacket still make it feel a lot less wintry then my recent outfits.

* I never lie to you dear readers-this outfit was gifted for review purposes but the opinions are my own.

Don't forget you can subscribe to this blog via bloglovin and get my blog straight to your email-perfect if you are giving social media the swerve.

I am  filming more videos for my Youtube channel so if you would like to see more of my fashion and beauty choices as well as my family vlogs and product reviews do subscribe here is my latest Plus size Lookbook

           Having trouble viewing this embeded video-click here

   

Brand New Limited edition Design  over at  Nicky Rockets

We have a new tshirt available from the shop today "Rocket Rider" Our very first design on a baseball shirt - It's limited edition, so if you want one, hop on over to www.nickyrockets.com and get yourself one

All content (text, photos and other) are the property of 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