New Years Eve

Merry Christmas

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone! Be safe and enjoy the time with your family and friends. xxx

Swimsuit time...again...

So its that time of year and for many years I have put off getting a good swimsuit. It was always "I want to lose weight first" or "I can't fit anything nice".

I wore my good old cheap tankini in our pool the other day and noticed how badly fitting it was. The shelf bra has always been far to small for the size it is and the pant were too big, but the shape at the front was not enough to allow for having a tummy. I looked awful.

I know I am big, but enough is enough. I have always wanted a MiracleSuit. If you haven't heard of these, you have to have a look.

They even have swimdresses! Yay. I had a hard choice of deciding between a plainer style or this pretty one and you guessed it, the pretty one was my choice.

If I had my way, it would go to my ankles, but this is a pretty good compromise.

I would love a Leopard print one, but black it is for now...

I will make sure I order this and let you know. It's supposed to make you look 10lbs thinner, but I will just settle for it fitting right.

x

Pretty Pants

New this week...

New this week is our Tia Maria skirt, in a gorgeous red and turquoise printed silk. Above are some ideas for dressing, from our website.

Copying is the sincerest form of flattery...or is it?

I typically don't really care about other labels copying my designs...all in all there is no true original idea. In fact I often am flattered when they do...as long as they do it in their way.

Which brings me to my topic. I often see labels that claim to be "designers" when they really don't have any creative ideas of their own, and copy styles directly. Nothing changed, just "knocked off" a picture or garment. Not so nice, especially when they aren't doing a good job of replicating them well.

It really makes me wonder why people label themselves a designer, when they don't have enough creativity to come up with their own styles or at least something that isn't directly copied. They really are just merchandisers. It seems anyone can be a Fashion Designer these days, even if they have no talent.

I am proud to say I don't copy other designers. I have my own process and have no interest to copy another designer that puts so much effort into the label and overall look.
I am sure there are instances where coincidentally designs are really similar, but nothing is original anymore and it is completely unintentional.

So, if you are labeling yourself as a designer, (but really just copy other designers directly) stop kidding yourself, you aren't one.

x

Love this Look

Vintage Inspired

Pop of Florals

1. Esmeralda Tunic
2. Medusa Pant

Plus Sized Lingerie at FOH

Cold Shoulder Sequin Dress PLUS

How I wish I was off to the States! Fredricks of Hollywood is now supplying plus sizes.

I can recall walking past their shop on my last trip and wishing they had something nice in my size...

Love the pieces. Hopefully Victoria's Secret will follow suit too!

Isn't this Dress to die for. I would wear it as a top.

SIMPLE SUGAR SCRUB

I get really dry winter skin, especially on my hands and wanted to share a nice, natural way to eliminate this.

I like to do this at night and once I have exfoliated, I use a rich hand cream, or oil (I love Coconut oil especially) and pull on some cotton gloves, to help retain the moisture.

Ingredients.

1. Clear plastic jar 

2. 1 cup sugar 

3. 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 

4. Lemon juice (optional) 

5. Scented essential oil (optional)

Directions: 

1. Mix the sugar and olive oil in the plastic container. I do not recommend using a glass jar for this, since you will most likely have this in your bathroom. 

2. Add any optional scents you like. I love citrus smelling oils, like orange and lemon, which is quite refreshing, but also love lavender, which is more soothing.

3. To use: place some on a face cloth and rub in circles anywhere you need exfoliation. If using on your hands, I simply scoop some out and rub all over my hands.

After letting it sit for awhile the sugar may settle to the bottom, so it may be necessary to shake this up a little before using.

Goodbye dry skin! x

PICK OF THE DAY

Make sure you check out this months giveaway. Our cute little sequined T-shirt in grey with striped sleeves. A great piece that you can dress up or down (adds a wow factor to dressing up more casual pieces) Check out our Facebook page, if you are a size 16-22, like us and leave a comment, so we know you want to be in the draw. Good luck! See Facebook for more details.

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a Happy New Year and a fabulous break.

I wanted to take the chance to let you all know of some changes happening here.
Last year was a busy one, with the birth of my second daughter.
Juggling two children is definitely an adjustment, when trying to run a business! 

Just after Ruby was born, I made a difficult decision to take a break from selling my seasonal ranges into stores. I really want more time to spend with my daughters, while they are so young.

The good news is my label will continue, but stocked exclusively through my e boutique. 
This includes the La Belle Ami range aswell.
*My corporate suiting will still be exclusively sold by Zebrano.


I am quite excited about this new challenge, as it means more styles, limited numbers and also more from the La Belle Ami range.
Regular arrivals of styles, but as quantities are very limited, you need to get in quickly to avoid disappointment.

Enjoy Summer.

Nicki. x