At the end of last month, I was over the moon to have been contacted by Simply Be to write a post reviewing some of their clothes.

The premise of the post was to be talking about clothes that plus size women are told by society that they shouldn’t wear. Now, bearing in mind that I am a vintagey kinda girl, this clearly was going to be something slightly out of my comfort zone.

However, I am certainly one to buck the trend, and swing dresses and 50 year old hats are not the norm for most plus size girls, so I spent a couple of hours perusing all the amazing fashions and options that I could use in my post. I decided to try and make several outfits using one main item, styling it in several ways, all things that big girls shouldn’t or won’t wear.

I finally settled on the core piece, this amazing PU High Waisted Midi Skirt in Black. There were a couple of reasons as to why I chose this piece. Firstly, I am only 5ft 4, so midi skirts do not always work on me. They look like I am wearing my much taller friend’s clothing. However this skirt fell to mid-calf on me and was perfect.

The fact that the skirt is high waisted can again be another “no-no” for plus size women. It can either make you look like you are Simon Cowell, with no definition between chest and waist, or give you an epic muffin-top. I am happy to report that this didn’t happen with this skirt.

It is beautifully made, with a slight A-line design to it, so it skimmed over my hips, rather than cling to them. It was very soft to the touch, and I loved the matte look to it.. At £40 it is a great purchase that will last you for a few seasons depending on how you style it.

I teamed the skirt up with a stunning Teal Tie Neck Sleeveless top now in the sale at a bargain price of £23.00. This top really challenged my comfort zone for two main reasons.

One, I am extremely busty. High necked clothing is something that apparently shouldn’t be worn by anyone with even a hint of a chest. But I fell in love with this delicate material, and colour. So I was more than happy to put it to the test.

The fact that it is sleeveless can cause some issues for people. Bingo wings are a genuine concern for us larger ladies. This is not something I have ever been too worried about, (let’s face it, I have bigger issues to contend with) but I understand why it is such an issue for so many women. This top really could challenge the most confident of ladies, however it is just too pretty to not wear it.

The top is just beautiful. Really lovely and floaty, but equally perfect if you wanted to tuck it into the high waisted skirt. I decided to team this up with some lovely Teal suede high heels that I already owned.

Using the same skirt, I went for a totally different style for look No2. I decided to team it up with a classic white boyfriend style shirt. I love the difference between the crisp white cotton, and the matte leather look skirt. I wanted to mix the look up a little, so added a hot pink “Goddess” Necklace in honour of my blog name. Wearing suede wedge knee high boots really finished the whole look off.

I chose the blouse as another item on the “what NOT to wear list”

Pockets on a large chested woman have always been something I avoid. Mainly because my breasts are large enough without having something drawing the eyes to them even further. Also, if the pockets are placed slightly off, it can look extremely odd. I didn’t notice this happening with this shirt.

This shirt is so well made, and fits like a glove. Of course, it is a staple piece of clothing in itself, which can be worn with jeans, or even leggings as it has a lovely shirt tail to it. Whilst I have worn mine done up, you could easily wear this open with a camisole or t-shirt underneath for a casual look.

The shirt itself is made of the softest cotton, but is also very thin. I wore my white camisole underneath, as my bras are very bright and colourful and I felt they would show through the material. With the camisole, this didn’t happen.

Look No3 involved this bargain little number a scuba printed jacket which comes in a snakeskin style print. I always avoid any clothing with an animal theme. Leopard print, Zebra stripes, or snakeskin like this, as I literally detest it.

I know there are a lot of people out there that absolutely love it, but for me, it takes me back to the Bet Lynch days of Coronation Street. I immediately think brassy blonde with a heart of gold.

Plus size companies have in the past, tended to use animal print. I think this may have been an attempt to make clothes that were funky and fun, instead of the usual big, black, tent like and plain items of yesteryear. But as I said, I am just not a fan.

So, when I saw this snakeskin scuba printed jacket, my immediate thought was “urrgh animal print”. Then I looked at the cut and design of the jacket and started to see positive points to it. The little lapels, and pointed front really give it style. The neutral colour palette mean it can be worn with many other colours and styles of clothes.

Twinning the jacket with a plain white camisole, the statement skirt gave me a smart, yet funky outfit which could be worn for any occasion. Worn with flat boots for a more casual look, or my black patent high heels as in this picture means that I can adapt the look, giving it more versatility.

My fourth look involved a simply be top I already owned – This bright pink peplum top. Plus size ladies can sometimes be put off by a peplum. This might be because it highlights the hip and waist area, which is an area that people are nervous about.

I however love a peplum! I think they are a lovely little feature that makes a top more than just plain looking. Using it with the PU skirt gave me a transition outfit, one where I could easily go from day to night with the addition of a necklace and some heels. I added a thin black belt with a bow accent and a pair of black earrings and a bright pink hair flower to finish it all off.

In this picture I have used  some black and pink dotty heels, which would be great for the evening, and a flat pair of boots could be utilised for during the day. Perfect for that straight after work drink or casual meal.

My last look is a little more daring. One I would wear for a night out, or special occasion. Just before Christmas I purchased this lovely Magisculpt Angel Bodyshaper but had yet to wear it out. I absolutely loved the style of it, but didn’t quite know what to wear it with.

It has a lovely mesh covered in polka dots, and as my undergarments would be on show, I decided to wear my Ewa Michalak Tanya Bra.  As it is a harness style bra with diamante accents, it was the perfect item to wear under the see-thru mesh of this bodysuit.

Teamed up with the A-line PU skirt pulled the outfit into a perfect night time look. Whilst I was initially a little self-conscious due to the see-thru nature of the bodysuit, once I  was out and about, I was really comfortable in it.

It goes without saying the see-thru tight clothing is definitely something a plus size woman would be advised to stay away from.

I can honestly say that all of the outfit combinations I have shown here,  were things that I really liked. Simply Be is amazing at making clothes that you really want to wear. In fact, I didn’t want to take some of these outfits off at all!

So, just throw the rule book out of the window and ignore that well meaning advice from people about what you should wear and look like.

Simply Be Brave. Simply Be YOU.

**Whilst two of these items were gifted to me – The PU Skirt and Teal Tie Neck Top, the rest are all my own purchases. As with all of my blog reviews, the views contained within are all my own**