Tokyo, baby!

If you follow me on the Twitter.com, you’ll have seen that I was in Tokyo earlier this month. And if you don’t follow me, then let it be known that I was in Tokyo earlier this month and it’s now become one of my favourite cities. Much as I love the countryside, big fields and wide open skies, my heart belongs to skyscrapers and metropolitan hustle bustle, which are things which Tokyo has in spades.

We stayed in Shibuya which meant I got to walk across (and occasionally lose my husband in) the world famous crossing every day while we were there. We also explored the neon wonderland which is Shinjuku, saw someone driving around Harijuku in a soft top blasting out ‘Since Yesterday’ by Strawberry Switchblade and ate extremely fancy chiffon cake in Ginza while listening to yacht rock.  And that’s before I go into detail about all the incredible food we ate, highballs we drank, skincare we* (*I) bought and karaoke classics we murdered. It truly is the most incredible, awe inspiring city and I’m already plotting ways to return there one day soon.

Its residents also happen to be exceptionally stylish. So it would have just been rude if I didn’t bring my clothing A-game to the city too.

LEATHER JACKET: River Island Plus (size up if you have big boobs!)

SHIRT DRESS: Universal Standard

TIGHTS: Heist

SHOES: Kin by John Lewis

NECKLACE: Tatty Devine

I love it when a good outfit comes together and this shirt dress from Universal Standard provides the perfect, casual canvas to build a look around. It may not look like much, but take my word for it, it is gorgeous. Everything from the colour to the tulip shape to the person who designed it is extremely my jam. I’m wearing a Medium (US size 18 – 20/UK size 20 – 22) here and it fit perfectly with just enough stretch to cover my boobs with minimal gaping. Universal Standard are an American plus size brand who I absolutely adore and who I would order much much more from if my order hadn’t been hammered by customs charges (I had to pay an eye watering £30 to get my package, so if you do buy anything from them, I’d suggest seducing someone who works for the Post Office.)

I have – as much as it pains me to admit – also become a fully paid up member of the Heist tights club. Let it be known, these bad boys are not cheap. (I actually cried when I laddered my first pair during a drunken night on the town). However, they are the first tights I’ve worn in a long time which a) don’t fall down over my fat ass and hips and which b) I can run for a bus in. If you’re a fellow chub who’s fed up of wearing cycling shorts over their ill fitting M&S 80 denier specials, I can’t recommend these enough. Just make sure you’re super careful when you’re whipping them down to take a whizz.

If you thought I wasn’t going to conclude this post with a selfie, then you would be badly mistaken my friends. This picture combines three of my current loves – Charlotte Tilbury’s gorgeous ‘Secret Salma’ lipstick from her ‘Hot Lips’ collection (which – trust me on this one – goes with everything), my new favourite Tatty Devine planet necklace and a fantastic grumpy cloud badge which I received from 3 of Cups Press as part of their ‘On Anxiety’ anthology. As an aside, an essay of mine all about my boobs will be featured in their next book, ‘On Bodies’, which is currently raising money via Kickstarter. So, if you like my writing (and my tits), you should definitely hop over there and pledge some sweet sweet cash towards it.

Crete Cutie

What I did on my holidays, by Christina McMc aged 34 3/4

I desperately needed a holiday so I packed my bags, grabbed Mr. McMc and headed to Crete for a week. I swam in the sea, I sunbathed on the beach, I read many many awesome books while sitting on a balcony in my bikini, drinking icy cold beer and stuffing my face with crisps (which goes some way towards explaining the interesting pattern of suntan/sunburn on my body.) I made friends with a wide variety of cats, ate many delicious things and drank far too much Raki. It was utterly blissful and I was left with a golden glow (and a serious bout of Raki-induced indigestion) which is only just beginning to fade.

JUMPSUIT: New Look Curve

BELT: Joanie (taken from one of their dresses, so can’t be purchased as a separate item)

EARRINGS: Topshop

BAG: YSL (vintage)

SHOES: New Look (old)

One of my favourite elements of being on holiday is dressing up to go to dinner. Even if I’m just going to a kebab shop at the end of the road, I’ll have great fun in rummaging through my suitcase attempting to find the most appropriate outfit. I wore this gorgeous ruffled New Look jumpsuit out for a walk along the beach, followed by drinking cocktails while watching Scotland win the football and a plate of utterly divine stuffed courgette flowers.

I’ve got a few issues with New Look (I often feel as though they don’t treat their plus sized customers with the respect or the fashion forward clothing that they deserve), but it would churlish of me not to give props to this ace jumpsuit. Obnoxiously large ruffles are very much my jam this season and I’ll even forgive the one on this garment for being caught in a gust of wind and repeatedly smacking me in the face while I was just trying to have a walk and get on with my business. On the plus side, it did allow me to conveniently and discreetly blot my lipstick. So it’s not all bad.

Speaking of make-up, I tried to keep it simple while I was away mainly because I was terrified of it all sweating off my face in one huge oil slick. Most nights, I went out looking like this. A swish of NARs’s Sugarland on the eyelids, a smudge of Charlotte Tilbury’s Velvet Underground on the lips and a swoop of Pat McGrath highlighter on the cheeks. Followed by the most important product of all, a huge spray of Urban Decay’s All Nighter setting spray. Well, I was on holiday after all.

The Brightest Bird in Bootle

When Bethany announced that she was launching her very own collection of clothing for navabi, I – like most of the plus sized world – did a little scream of delight. In the interests of full disclosure, Bethany is a good friend of mine. But even if she wasn’t, I’ve long been a fan of her distinctive style, and I knew instinctively that the pieces she created would be bright, bold and beautifully cut. When the collection was launched, it didn’t disappoint, providing a capsule wardrobe of simple, elegant clothes in an array of gorgeous colours.

One of the things I love most about this collection is its versatility. You could easily throw on the tapered red trousers with a simple white t-shirt to wear to a meeting, or do some serious colour blocking by teaming with it with the (gorgeous) pussy bow pink shirt. It’s a middle finger raised to the idea that plus sized women shouldn’t dress in bright colours or don’t want to wear tailored items. As someone whose personal style has veered away from the super femme vintage styles that seem to dominate plus sized fashion as I’ve grown older, it feels – and looks – like something that the industry really needs right now.

Somehow I managed to exercise some control and limited myself to three pieces – the hot pink blazer, the (immensely Instagrammable) gingham shirt and the tailored red trousers. All of the pieces will make an appearance on this blog over the next few weeks, but so far, my favourite of them all is the blazer, which I wore on a trip to Manchester this weekend. Popping it on made me feel like I was channelling Pat Butcher, David Byrne (in his big suit) and Don Johnson from Miami Vice all at once.

JACKET: Arched Eyebrow x navabi

T-SHIRT: ASOS Curve

JEANS: Marks and Spencer

SHOES: Marks and Spencer

EARRINGS: Mango (old)

NECKLACE: Oliver Bonas (old)

Now, lets be honest. I will never receive plaudits for my ‘understated, effortless style.’ Everything about me feels designed to be obnoxiously large and loud, from my hair to my dulcet Mancunian tones. But throwing this jacket on made me feel even more vibrant, like I was made to stand out from the crowd. Everyone who saw it, loved it (in fact, my Dad loved it so much that he even tried it on for himself.) It’s designed to be worn with everything from casual skinny jeans to a tailored peg leg trouser and is sure to become a staple in my wardrobe (particularly when worn with my favourite gold mules.)

While I’m here, allow me to introduce you to my new favourite lip colour, ‘Fly’ by Tarte Cosmetics. Tarte are an American brand who I always see getting a lot of love on American beauty blogs and podcasts, not least because they’re vegan and cruelty free. I picked two of their quick dry matte lip paints when I was in Sephora in Boston and I love the pair of them. While they’re not quite as long lasting as my beloved Beauty Bakerie Lip Whips, the colours are out of this world. ‘Fly’ is a wonderfully vivid shade of fuchsia which I can see working on all sorts of skin tones.

After some extensive internet research (read: ‘doing a Google’), I’ve discovered that UK residents can purchase most of Tarte’s range via QVC. Seeing as I can’t be trusted around cosmetics, I’ll probably be doing a big splurge on their range soon (I’ve heard great things about their Maracuja Oil) and will report back. And if you know of anywhere else in the UK where you can purchase Tarte’s range, please let me know in the comments!

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

Two outfit posts from me in a week! You lucky, lucky people.

I’m currently coasting on the wave of happiness (and exhaustion) caused by the best weekend I’ve had in ages. It’s amazing how much of a tonic it can be to drink wine with friends, play with adorable dogs, dance to techno in sweaty clubs while watching hooded women dance with pyramids (long story) and then sit around drinking pints in dive bars with your favourite person in the world.

I’m also still buzzing over my new hairdo. It’s wild just how much more confident I feel with turquoise hair, like it’s opened up aspects of my face I didn’t know existed. I’ve experienced some major issues with my body image recently and while they haven’t been entirely eradicated, I feel like I’m becoming more capable of navigating the world with my best – and bluest – foot forward.

TOP: Joanie Clothing

SKIRT: Joanie Clothing

EARRINGS: Topshop

NECKLACE: Little Moose

SHOES: Converse (via Office)

I’m also really digging this cute and casual outfit from Joanie. I’m always slightly wary of wearing anything with vertical stripes due to my gigantic boobs causing an effect which is akin to the cover of Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division. But this one was just too adorable to pass on, particularly when paired with their scallop denim skirt. As with everything I’ve bought from Joanie so far, I had to size up with both of these items. The top is quite form fitting, meaning it rides up over my tummy (I’m a fairly standard size 20 with a bit of a pot belly), therefore, I feel it works much better when tucked into something like a skirt or jeans. I finished the look with my beloved gold Converse – the comfiest (and coolest) pair of shoes I’ve ever worn. Seriously, I’ll probably end up being buried in these.

My favourite piece of jewellery at the moment has to be this delightfully quirky face necklace by Little Moose. Like all of their stuff, it’s super cool, super unique and always makes me smile when I wear it. Add a swoosh of Glossier’s Boy Brow (they’re coming to the UK very soon and I cannot wait) and Beauty Bakerie’s (amazing) Cranberry Stiletto liquid lipstick and it’s impossible not to feel utterly charming.

Treat yo’self: April Pay Day edition

Let me get real for a moment here readers. April was a gold plated turd of a month. Work was rough, my Mum broke her hip quite badly before Easter, I got stranded (ish) in London after a fire at Euston station and – to top it all off – I was treated to some chronic insomnia. It felt like I spent most of the month crying from exhaustion, stress, or both. Part of me is blaming it on Mercury in retrograde, and another part is just blaming it on a year which seems to be far too bloody keen on seeing how far it can push me before I finally snap (to which I say, ‘do your worst, bitch.’)

So, allow me to indulge in some good old fashioned capitalism in the form of payday retail therapy. Fashion brands have embraced spring big time, which means lots of pastels, pleats, flounces and frills (arguably Spring/Summer is the only season where we’ll let them off for their obsession with cold shoulders.) You don’t have to look far at the moment to find some really unique, fun, plus sized items. I’m particularly smitten with the mules shown above in that perfect shade of parma violet. They’d look fantastic when paired with a super cute nautical themed t-shirt from Joanie (just one piece in a sailor themed collection which manages to be cute without veering into the costumey) and a metallic pleated skirt from Marks and Spencer – an item which I could see myself flouncing around in on both an office floor and a dance floor. Just add this great 80s-esque Laura Slater designed leather clutch bag from Kin at John Lewis and Bob’s your drag queen.

Then there’s this kimono from Monki which appears to be the Twitter-cool-girl uniform item of choice at the moment. I’ve seen a remarkable amount of babes wearing it (and looking amazing while doing so) which means I’ll be forced to pick my own up soon – after all, I do hate to be left out of trends. And besides, just look at that print! Imagine how many selfies you could take wearing it while posing on a sandy beach next to a palm tree. Or, just in your bedroom standing next to a cheese plant if you’re on a budget.

Suede Cross Strap Mules (£65.00) – And Other Stories

Frankie French Nautical Tee (£18.00) – Joanie

Laura Slater Leather Clutch Bag (£55.20) Kin by John Lewis

Metallic Pleated A-Line Skirt (£49.50) – Marks and Spencer

Long Caftan Dress (£30.00) – Monki

 

 

Pink to make the girls wink

It’s been a while.

For various reasons, this blog has been on hiatus over the past few weeks. I didn’t have the energy or compulsion to write about what I was wearing when everything around me felt like it was on fire. During this time, my Dad left hospital, got pneumonia, had to go back into hospital but is now home and back to WhatsApping me bad jokes on the regular. I started my own business, won some work and celebrated by dying my fringe pink. I ate a lot of cheese. I met some great cats. Life continued.

But I miss blogging. When you spend your whole day working with words, sometime it’s nice to just write for yourself. And it’s not like I’ve stopped wearing clothes after all.

JUMPER: Marks & Spencer

PLEATED SKIRT: Marks & Spencer (old, but this is similar)

LEATHER JACKET: ASOS Curve

SHOES: Primark (old)

HANDBAG: Osprey London (old)

EARRINGS: Toolally (old – but these are exceptionally similar)

I’ve never really been one for convention and – despite his love of all things blue – I’d like to think that Yves Klein would have appreciated the coordinating ensemble I wore to go and view an exhibition of his work at Tate Liverpool last week. Not least because of this truly awesome Marks and Spencer jumper. It’s so delightfully femme – the colour of blushed cheeks on a cold day, super soft (pulling it on makes me feel like I’m wearing a hug) and, best of all, has some incredibly silly sleeves.

An old selfie, but I just really wanted to show you how good those sleeves are.

Despite not really being one for frills and flounces, I was drawn to these sleeves like a moth to a puffy flame. They are ridiculous. They get into everything and they’re a bugger to wear with my leather jacket. Yet, they’re the type of frivolous design quirk that makes me brim with joy. To be honest, it’s nice to be able to see something that’s fun for people of most shapes and sizes and which doesn’t involve the dreaded ‘cold shoulders’ (probably my least favourite plus sized trend of all time.)

I found these awesome earrings from Toolally on sale at my local branch of John Lewis and immediately snapped them up. As a lover of the 1960s – and gigantic earrings – I adore all of Toolally’s stuff. These just happen to go perfectly with my hair which is remarkably handy. Add a touch of Beauty Bakerie’s ‘Take me for Pomegranate’ and you’ve got a look which is guaranteed to make both the girls – and the boys – wink.

Gold, Frankenstein and Grrr

‘That’s a lovely dress,’ said the woman at the till. ‘Off to the office Christmas party?’

‘Nope!’ I replied. ‘I’m a freelancer. We tend not to get invited to office Christmas parties.’

‘Oh. Well, that’s a shame love. Going to wear it to any other Christmas parties?’

‘To be honest, I’m probably just going to wear it around the house while watching The Sure Thing for the 100th time and drinking pints of Baileys’

‘Are you taking the mick?’

When no one else wants you to attend their party, the best thing you can do is throw your own. Which is what I did on Friday. In fine Christina McMc tradition, I donned my gay apparel, went for a slap up lunch, got my hair done and then sat around my house wearing this dress with a mud mask on and an Aperol Spritz. It was better than 90% of the office parties I’ve ever attended, plus I didn’t need a taxi to cart myself to bed.

TOP: Marks and Spencer (old, but this is very similar)

DRESS: Primark

WATCH: Daisy Dixon (which was a very lovely gift from Yours)

EARRINGS: Accessorize

SHOES: Doc Martens

I didn’t mean to buy this dress. In fact, I’d only popped into Primark to pick up a pair of tights (‘I only meant to buy a pair of tights’ will probably be written on my grave.) But, then I caught it winking at me out of the corner of my eye, and it appealed to all my tackiest, most Magpie like instincts. I never could resist a good metallic item, particularly one with such a ridiculous split up the thigh.

As it is, this dress has turned out to be way more versatile than I initially envisaged. In the past two weeks, I’ve worn it for a wintry wander around Regent’s Park, to a friend’s birthday party and while undertaking a walk of shame through King’s Cross after the aforementioned birthday party. (NEVER drink absinthe readers. Learn from my fail.) Not bad for something which cost me a fiver.

For my make-up, I kept it simple. Red lips, gold eyes, dab of highlighter. One of my greatest achievements of 2016 was finally overcoming my fear of eyeshadow. For years, I’d veered away from it as I could never make it look ‘elegant’. Turns out that all I needed was a decent palette, proper brushes (as opposed to my former technique of mushing it all onto my face with my little finger) and roughly 100 YouTube tutorials. Who knows? Maybe at this rate, 2017 will be the year I overcome my fear of false eyelashes. Merry Christmas everyone.