Southern Yacht

My little take on plus size fashion, life, travel and smurfs

Thursday 28 August 2014

Outfit August day 28 - a pretty flouncy dress!

Hello everyone!



Well, I thought August would be a quiet month! How wrong was I? But not complaining at all, I love to be busy esp if I'm having fun as well.

To make up for my lack of Outfit August posts (oops) I'll be combining a few days into one later. But first of all, this is a dress I wore at the weekend for evening out with some friends.





I really love this dress. It falls mid-calf (despite how the photo looks) and reminds me of summer days and almost 1950's styling. It looks kind of blocky in the top photo, but is fitted on the waist. It's a dress that makes you want to swish and flounce your way into a room :-). It's from TU at Sainsbury and I'm wearing a 22.





The pink Bambi necklace is part of my haul from my last visit to Afflecks Palace in Manchester. It's from Punky Pins and looking at their website, I could spend a fortune there - they have some amazing colourful jewellery.




I even pushed the boat out and painted my nails (trust me - if you know me, you'll know this is a rare occurence) I used the Models Own speckled egg colours that were all the rage in the summer. They last really well on me and are one of my favourite nail varnishs at the moment.

I hope to be a bit more on top of things for the last few days of August! In the meantime, these are the other lovely folk taking part this month:

Nic
Charlie
Christiana
Mary
Steph

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx


SHARE:

Wednesday 20 August 2014

Outfit August - day 20

Hi everyone,


Today was a day out shopping with my mother. So something comfy, smart and easy to get on and off for all those changing room moments was called for. Some boyfriend cropped jeans from Marks & Spencer that are my current favourite, a denim blue cardie from TU @ Sainsburys and sparkly white blouse that I dug out from the depths of my wardrobe. It's so old, I honestly can't remember where it came from. The bag is a Rocket Dog one I found online in the sales earlier in the year. I love a big handbag so expect to see it again.




I seem to be having a memory issue with remembering to take piccies at the moment - so excuse the glamorous surroundings and slightly confused look. I was halfway through the day when I remembered!

These are the other lovely folk taking part so have a look to see what they're up to:

Nic
Charlie
Christiana
Mary
Steph

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx
SHARE:

Sunday 17 August 2014

Outfit August - day 17 and a denim dilemma

Hi everyone


Well, I have a bit of a dilemma today. Have you bought something that you weren't sure about but kept perservering until you found a way to make it work for you?

Well this dress is one of those dilemmas! I want to love it so much as I've wanted a longer denim dress for - well ages! It's comfy, it doesn't ride up or crease too much or do anything it shouldn't, but I'm still not sure about it. It's from TU at Sainsburys and I find their sizes quite difficult to get my head around. But as I had some vouchers burning a hole in my pocket, I didn't feel too bad at taking a gamble on it. I don't think it's in stock anymore, but you may find an odd one still in stock.

I've been trying to wear it different ways until I have that lightbulb moment. Today it's with a lace navy top from Marks and Spencer that is quite sheer. I added a belt from when I was last in the States (I think it's from Walmart or somewhere like that).




I'm thinking that maybe a long sleeved shirt, boots and a jumper/cardie may be a better option - what do you think? I'm also thinking a few extra darts wouldn't go amiss as I'm smaller on top than the bottom and it may make it more fitted.

Whatever happens - be prepared for the denim dress saga! :-)




The shoes are my current favourites from Primark. They are sooooo comfy I've been wearing them to death at the moment. Primark is fast becoming my favourite place for shoes.


Don't forget to have a look to see what everyone else is up to. I hope to be a bit more on top of things next week. This last week has been a bit of a weird one!

Nic
Charlie
Christiana
Steph

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx

SHARE:

Thursday 14 August 2014

Outfit August - day 14 and a bit of luck

Hi everyone,




Well, I seem to have lost a few more days again :-). It's been funny old week and not a brilliant one really. Started the week in A&E with my friend (not for me personally), lots of sad news in the press and TV. And tomorrow rounds up the week with another visit to the hospital - this time for me - to see what they can do about my dodgy foot!

So forgive me for being a bad blogger this week. This is me today. Not so much an outfit rather a haircut of the day. It looks lopsided - but apparently that's just how I stand (eek!)





And I just love this picture. It's a really old handbag I was using today from Claire's Accessories along with the necklace I wore today from Accessorize. I think we all need a bit of luck sometimes xx


Don't forget to have a look to see what everyone else is up to:

Nic
Charlie
Christiana
Mary
Steph

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx


SHARE:

Sunday 10 August 2014

Outfit August day 10 and being a bit silly!

Hi everyone



Day 10 already! I'm not sure I can say a lot about this photo, but this is the sort of thing that happens when you spend all day working. I work from home and love it, but sometimes, this is just how I look at the end of the day.
(no - I have no idea what I'm doing with my hair......)






The t-shirt is from Next. I find the tops from Next are generally pretty good (this was a size 22) but their skirts and trousers are a bit hit and miss in the sizing for me.

Don't forget to have a look to see what everyone else is up to:

Nic
Charlie
Christiana
Mary
Steph

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx
SHARE:

Saturday 9 August 2014

Outfit August day 9 & My Little Pony!

Hi everyone


Sometimes I have days when I remember why blogging is fun and good for me. I've had this t-shirt for ages but I only tend to wear it around the house. I think I used to be worreid about it being too young, too bright, too anything. Silly really.

Well, today, it had an outing out to breakfast with friends and all around the shops! Had I been a bit more organised I would have remembered to take the picture with me actually wearing it! But here's the next best thing.

Primark (old) - size 20
You may notice I keep a lot of my jewellery on a cork notice board. I'm planning to do a blog post on that later in the year. I love to keep jewellery out so that I can see it all the time (even if it is a dust collector!)
Have a look to see what everyone else is up to:

Nic
Charlie
Christiana
Mary
Steph

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx


SHARE:

Friday 8 August 2014

Outfit August Days 7 and 8

Hi everyone,



Another double post! Yesterday I headed up to Chiltern Valley Winery and Brewery with some friends for a day out. We all had vouchers for a tour and tasting experience and luckily we'd picked a glorious summer day. The winery is located in the beautiful Chiltern Hills near to Henley on Thames. It's not an area I know very well at all so it made a lovely change to explore somewhere new.

I wanted to look smart but be comfortable so I wore my maxi dress from Indigo @ Marks & Spencer and because I was anticipating a lot of walking - my trusted walking sandals from Clarks.



It really was a stunning location and you even stay overnight at the onsite B&B. Ideal for those who want to fully indulge in the tasting part of the tour! Unfortunately I was the driver as I'm not much of a drinker anyway.







Today was a more chilled day, so an old faithful t-shirt from George @ Asda teamed with another denim skirt from Joe Browns @ Simply Be

Top - George @ Asda (old) - size 20
Skirt - Joe Browns @ Simply Be (old) - size 22


My hair is the longest it's been for years at the moment so I'm enjoying wearing all my hair flowers I've collected over the years.





Hopefully the next few days won't be so busy! Don't forget to have a look to see what everyone else is up to:
Nic
Charlie
Christiana
Mary
Steph

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx
SHARE:

Wednesday 6 August 2014

Outfit August day 6

Hi everyone


I can't believe we're on day 6 already! And unfortunately days 4 and 5 have gone awol - they may not be the last! Anyway, today was a bit of a relaxing day after a couple of hectic days so relaxed clothing was called for.



Skirt - Indigo @ Marks & Spencer (old) - size 22
Top - Primark (old) - size 20

I'm wearing my current favourite skirt again - my blue denim one from Indigo @ Marks & Spencer. The top and the sunglasses are from Primark and the shoes are from Next.

This type of outfit is my go to outfit when I don't have time to think and was perfect for meeting friends for a pub lunch!

Have a look to see what everyone else is up to:
Nic
Charlie
Christiana
Steph

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx



SHARE:

Monday 4 August 2014

Style XL

Hello everyone,

Last week I heard from the lovely Leah at Just Me Leah that I won tickets for Style XL in a competition on her blog.

Style XL is the first Midlands Plus Sized fashion event and for me it was my first ever event where I'd have to chance to meet and chat with other bloggers. I heard on Thursday that I had won the tickets so luckily I didn't have too long to think - otherwise I might have had kittens about something so new!

So Saturday morning I ambled up to Leicester. Luckily it was an area I knew fairly well from childhood and only took me me about 2.5 hours each way (I'm a driving freak who loves to drive!).

I decided to wear this dress and my favourite 'Cathy' necklace which you might have seen on my Outfit August post for days 2 & 3.




Just as I arrived, the heavens opened! So after lurking in the car and waiting for a dry spell, I made the dash to the venue complete with my Mickey Mouse umbrella (classy...).

There I was greeted by another lovely Leah - Leah Shafik who instantly made me feel very welcome with a beautiful smile.

Now at this point I have to admit to being useless at taking photos! I went with all good intentions, then promptly got distracted and forgot - bad me! I also forgot a lot of peoples names, so if I spoke to you, please say hello. There was lots of familiar faces there fom all the blogs I follow so hopefully at future events, I'll get to speak to more of you. I also kept forgetting that I had my 'Cathy' necklace on so I often looked confused when people I didn't know called me by my name - it didn't take much to confuse me :-)




The models looked amazing and it was so good to see the clothes in person and how they looked. How some of them walked in heels is beyond me and it was great to see people's confidence grow everytime they went on stage.

The ladies from all the suppliers were lovely. I could have bankrupted myself at the Chunky Cat Cuddler stand, but I resisted. I think I'll be visiting their website very soon though! I did purchase a beautiful kimono from the Apples & Pears stand which has been put away for my holiday next month - if I can wait that long to wear it!

I was very excited to hear from the ladies at Simply Be that a new store would be opening soon just 30 mins away from me! That really did bring a big smile to my face :-)

I was a tired bunny at the end of the day! A very big thank you to both Leahs for allowing me the opportunity and for organising such a great event and making me feel so welcome.

The next event won't seem so scary now!

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx






SHARE:

Sunday 3 August 2014

Outfit August - days 2 and 3

Hi everyone



Well, it's been a busy few days so I've combined days 2 and 3.

I was lucky enough to win tickets to StyleXL on from Leah's blog Just Me Leah so on Saturday I scampered on up to Leicester. I'll write up my day in a separate post but in the meantime, here's what I decided to wear.

I opted for one of my favourite Joe Browns dresses from Simply Be. I've had this a few years now and it's seen me through quite a few parties. It's slightly big on the top half though, so I should probably have sized down. But it's a longer length and very comfy!

Dress - Joe Browns from Simply Be (old) - size 22
Shoes - Marks and Spencer (old)

I love bright jewellery. And these are two of my favourite pieces. The unicorn is from the childrens section of Accessorise and the Cathy necklace was purchased during my last trip up to Manchester when I visited Afflecks. This is one of my most favourite shops ever! I could just just get lost in there and I think I did! The necklace is from Extreme Largeness. I'm not sure if you can still get this style but they lots of others here that I already have my eye on :-)


Today was a lazy day after going to and from Leicester so a casual vest from Marks & Spencer teamed with a very old Joe Browns skirt from Simply Be.

Top - Marks and Spencer (old) - size 20
Skirt - Joe Browns from Simply Be (old) - size 22
Slippers Asda!!

The skirt originally came with bead and sequins, which I'm not a fan of. And true to form, I was finding that where ever I went - I left a trail of beads behind. So I decided to replace them all with some cheap colourful buttons from my local Hobbycraft store. I think they look prety good and I haven't lost one yet!


That's days 2 & 3 for me. Check out these lovely folk to see what they're up to:

Nic
Charlie
Christiana
Steph

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx



SHARE:

Friday 1 August 2014

Outfit August

Hi everyone,



The lovely Leah from Just Me Leah came up with a challenge for August encouraging us all to re-use what we already have in our wardrobes.
Well, as I still have clothes in my wardrobe going back 10+ years (seriously!) I didn't need asking twice. I probably won't be able to do it every day but it will be fun to have a look and see what's lurking in the depths.
So here's me today. I'm testing a new phone so brace yourself for wonky shots all throughout August. I have my old faithful skirt from Indigo at Marks & Spencer and basic t-shirt from TU at Sainsburys. I love the t-shirt as it has glitter thread so perfect for sunny days but I had to size up as it was pretty snug on the tummy! The necklaces are part of a set I got for Christmas.
But...the more observant amongst you will notice two different tops. That's a result of spilling a glass of strawberry milk over you inbetween photos - d'oh!

Skirt - Indigo @ Marks & Spencer, old (size 22)
T-shirt white - TU @ Sainsburys, current (size 22)
T-shirt blue - Marks & Spencer, old (size 20)
These are the other lovely folk taking part so have a peek and see what they're up to:
Nic
Charlie
Christiana
Steph  

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx
SHARE:
Blogger Template Created by pipdig