Wool-lovers

 Frocks and Frou FrouFrocks and Frou Frou Frocks and Frou Frou Frocks and Frou FrouTop: Dorothy Perkins

Cardigan: Woolovers

Skirt: Asos

Tights: Sonsee

Shoes: Comfortview Regina

Belt: Closet Confessions Boutique

 

It’s been a really cold start to winter in Melbourne – the coldest in 65 years, apparently – and my staple range of stretchy cotton cardigans really isn’t cutting the mustard in the keeping-me-warm stakes.

After shivering through the last days of autumn, I thought I’d take advantage of the free world-wide delivery, and multi-buy discounts at Woolovers and get a few merino/cashmere blend cardigans to wear this winter. I’m so glad I did because they’re snuggly warm and great quality for the price.

I’ve been wearing this russetty-orange number for a couple of weeks now, and it’s still in great condition. It hasn’t lost its shape, or become hilariously pilly, and while it’s not as butter-soft as my pure cashmere cardigans, it’s still soft enough to wear against the skin without feeling like I’ve been attacked by a swarm of bees.

I’ve been so impressed with the range of colours that I have to tell you that they’re probably going to be my go-to shop whenever I’m looking for cardigans from now on. They’ve got cotton cardigans and cotton-silk blend cardigans which will be nice as the weather warms up. And they’ve got some pieces with stripes or polkadots too – yay! I like the way they’ve got actual measurements for width, length, and sleeve length. I bought L’s, and they fit my F-cups fine. You can shop by colour, which means that (just letting you know) there’s an entire section for mustard yellow cardigans.

If you’re interested in snapping up a couple then I’ll let you know that when I placed my order with Woolovers they sent me a 10% discount offer to share with other first-time customers. Just click here for the code.

Frocks and Frou FrouBelt: Closet Confessions Boutique

Meanwhile, in other news, I’ve discovered my dream belt! This classy little piece is from blogger Caitlin Bradley’s online shop Closet Confessions Boutique. Caitlin’s started the shop towards the end of last year, and has cherry picked some really cute rockabilly-styled pieces including dresses, skirts, accessories, handbags, and these OMGCUTE bow belts that I spotted on Instagram and knew I’d have to add to my wardrobe. They’re a steal at just $12, come in six different colours, and fit up to a 50″ waist, so win-win-win as far as I’m concerned.

 

Yes, Style

DSCF1355_2DSCF1360_2DSCF1354_2DSCF1362_2Blouse: YesStyle

Skirt: Asos

Belt: Glassons

Shoes: Chie Mihara

I had such success with my experience of purchasing from YesWalker, that I decided a few months ago to try my luck with the mothership store YesStyle and see if they’re prices and “plus size” products really WERE too good to be true.

I’d had my eye on this lace collar polkadot blouse for some time, and had quite fancied the idea of buying a second pair of heart-toe ballet flats this time in black. Coupled with the fact that YesStyle were one of the only sources for me to buy the BB cream that I fell in love with while I was in Japan late last year and I decided to take the plunge.

My second experience dealing with the “YesAsia” brand was much the same as the first – I placed the order on the 15th of March, it shipped on the 26th, and I had it a few weeks after that.

The BB cream was The Real Deal, the shoes turned out not to be the same brand that I’d had success with previously (and frustratingly fitted about three sizes smaller) but the blouse was well worth the $25 pricetag.

It’s made of a synthetic polyester, with no stretch, and the description of the size range as “plus size” is laughable. I bought the largest size, 47; and while it fits me well enough it’s the largest size available and it seems unlikely that it would fit the 42.9″ waist measurement the size chart suggests.

The collar’s made of a lovely antique-style cotton, double layered, and it sits flat and wide with a scalloped edge that doesn’t roll at all.

DSCF1340

The sleeve cuffs are elasticised with a slight ruffle that you don’t see because they’re at exactly the right length to get lost in the crease of my elbow. They’re quite loose and flowy, and the elastic doesn’t cut in at all.

Overall, my experience didn’t fill me with a great deal of confidence about YesStyle. It seems like the sizing is inconsistent to the point of being comical, and you need to have some familiarity with each of the brands to understand what exactly it is that you’re ordering. I fluked this top, and it cost less than the shoes which are completely unwearable. A 50% strike rate isn’t great.

That said, they have some of the cutest pieces I’ve seen on the internet. Lots of peter pan collars, colour blocking, printed fabrics, and preppy, almost cutesy styles.

The prices are great, the fashion is original and quite innovative, and next time I need to restock my BB Cream, I’ll probably take the opportunity to do another browse through their “plus size” section. BUT, it does feel like a bit of a lottery so I doubt they’ll become somewhere that I regularly frequent. (she says, before clicking through to the website & then spotting this!).

On to the Mother’s Day competition: Congratulations to Bella who’s won the opportunity to treat her Mum to an afternoon High Tea this Sunday the 12th of May.

Screen Shot 2013-05-08 at 11.29.58 PMScreen Shot 2013-05-08 at 11.30.16 PM

Thank you to everyone who entered – I loved hearing your stories about your Mums and what you remember best in the wardrobes!

Bella, I’ll be in touch about how to claim your prize, and I hope everyone enjoys their weekend!