Everyone likes to look nice on Christmas Day. Seeing friends and family, hand celebrating the day, you want to look your best.

But then it comes to the favourite part of the day, Christmas dinner.

Suddenly trousers are too tight, belts are in need of loosening and everyone wants to pull on a pair of pyjamas to get comfy.

So why not try a pair of leggings instead of jeans or trousers? They have elastic waistbands, which will expand right along with you. Pair these with a dressier dress or longer top, which is slightly baggy, and no one will know how many helpings you’ve had.

Dress them up with some jewellery or heels, or keep the comfort theme going with a pair of cute flats or ballet pumps. Either way, you’ll be comfy and chic for Christmas.

X-Factor Fashion

For anyone who watched this series of the X-Factor, they will know there has been many a fashion faux-pas this year.

From Cheryl’s elaborate dresses,

to Dannii’s weird and wonderful hair-do’s.

Cheryl Cole couldn’t sit down properly in most of her dresses, dodgy ties were handed out to the likes of Olly Murs and Louis Walsh, and Simon’s chest rug was peeking out of his shirts most nights.

There were also Olly’s too tight trousers, that were always about an inch too short.

And the worst culprit’s of all, were a serious joke, one word sums them up...Jedward.

Neon suits, PVC suits, dodgy trainers, and let’s not forget the matching quiffs reminiscent of Cameron Diaz in ‘There’s Something About Mary’.

By far I think this year’s line up have been an the most oddly dressed bunch in the final run.
What were the stylists thinking this year?

Birthday Blast

Birthdays are fab. Spending time with family and friends, eating cake, celebrating another year passing (or cringing in my case) and if you’re lucky, a few nice presents. And usually, for those interested in fashion, this means clothes.

So for my upcoming 20th (gah), my gran couldn’t find anything nice to get me, so took me shopping. We wandered around the town with my mum, enjoyed dinner in Union Square and eventually ended up in Fat Face. This is a shop I usually like, the clothing is comfortable and looks effortless but trendy at the same time. A lot of their tops are quite flattering for fuller figured ladies like myself, I haven’t had much luck with anything for the bottom half in the past though.

So when I spotted a cute, red denim mini skirt, I initially thought ‘I like it, but will it like me?’. With encouragement from my mum and gran, I decided to try it on. However, when I went to get my size off the rail, there was no size 14 in sight. I reluctantly lifted the size 12 and dragged myself to the changing rooms. As I began to try it on, I expected it to get to my thighs, and J.Lo-esque booty, and go no further.

But as the denim slipped over the curves and the button fastened with no strain (with room to spare I might add) light descended from the heavens and the hallelujah chorus sounded.

I managed to get into a size 12! That sold it for me, the skirt was bought and taken to be wrapped up as birthday gift.

After this pleasing experience, I tried on another skirt in the store that I liked. This also fit in the size 12. Granted it was a wool skirt and stretched, but it was still a 12, and I was still on the high from the denim size 12 fitting.

So with a big smile on my face, I treated myself to the wool skirt and waited patiently until my birthday for my red one.
One positive aspect of reaching the big two-oh, becoming a size 12.

Bah Humbug

Christmas nights out. Sparkly outfits, yummy meals, a few drinks and a lot of laughs. That’s what the Lingerie team from Debenhams, plus myself, were expecting.

Firstly, if you’re wondering why I went on the Lingerie night out, it’s because it was my old department, and all my mates work there. Secondly, it’s was not the best day of my life.

The day started off like any other Friday. I woke up and began trying to fix yet another of the problems arising within my student accommodation hellhole. My door, no longer locking or unlocking, for the hundredth time.

Of course, the office doesn’t open until 3pm and, of course, I can’t get hold of anyone at any of the other locations scattered throughout Aberdeen. So, I make the most of the time I have until the office opens, while not being able to leave the flat for fear of the insurance company, and what they would say, heaven forbid, something went missing.

Eventually, I got someone to look at the door, only to make it worse, then give me a temporary fix until the weekend is over. Oi.

Anyhoo, to add to the misery, by the time all of this had occurred, I had exactly 45 minutes to get ready for said night out. So, I primped and preened, donned my uniform for the night, my glitziest heels and bejewelled dress, and headed out.

Now when I say glitziest heels, you probably can’t comprehend how much glitz I mean. I’m talking shoes practically made of glitter. Picture these Nine West beauties, only all purple. Fabulous if I say so myself.

My cotton jersey, Julien MacDonald dress looked nice enough and the sparkly purple heels looked amazing, but they certainly aren’t designed for warmth.

And damn, was it cold!

But I expected the well needed merriment to warm me up.

In the end, we all sat in our glad rags, filling ourselves up with festive fancies, planning where to head for our Christmas cocktails. Kareoke was ruled out, with the majority of the group being tone deaf, and the clubs such as Liquid also bit the dust as a few of our number were over 35. So we headed out of the restaurant, and stood at the crossing deliberating the plan of the evening, when all but four of us, WENT HOME!

Feeling slightly disgruntled and less festive, the four of us remaining headed to a university bar to drown our sorrows, before calling it a night at 1am. Poor show.

Ah well, at least we looked fabulous and my door worked when I got home.

Was it the cold? Was my bad day jinxing the evening? Were my heels just too damn fabulous for everyone to handle? Or has everyone suddenly turned Scrooge on us?
Oh Bah Humbug!

Size Matters

I don’t know whether this can be counted as a proper entry, it’s more of a rant to be perfectly honest.

Why is it that every shop you go to seems to have a different opinion on sizes? A size 12 in Topshop is more like a size 8 in River Island, for example. Trying to find clothes can be a nightmare because of this.

Searching for a pair of grey skinny jeans, I tried the likes of Oasis, New Look, Topshop and Miss Selfridge. Only to find that not even one of the thunder-thighs would fit. In the end I managed to find a pair which fitted perfectly, but I had to spend so much more to get them. Not very fair, I say.

The same can be said of one Personal Shopper customer, since I can’t exactly use real names, let’s call her Jones. Jones came in with the desire to look fashionable and sexy for Christmas. She was looking for a fabulous top and, of course, skinny jeans. But by being of the curvy girl mould, she, like me, was struggling. Everywhere she tried, the jeans all fitted poorly. Especially New Look, according to Jones, even though they used to be rather good for jeans. They were either too tight, too baggy, too short or too long (even when labelled as regular length). Eventually, I managed to find some classic black skinnies which fitted Jones, with minimal bulge or gape, and although they were slightly longer, were better than anything else she had tried.
Debenhams Red Herring collection kicks New Look’s butt!

Really, who can tell which comes from where?

This process could have been made so much simpler if only stores/manufacturers/designers, whoever is to blame for this gross misconduct, would use a UNIVERSAL size guide. One set of measurements that equals each size! How hard would it be? Really?! Rant Over :)