Outfit Post || AX Paris Curve scuba midi dress

Hello pickles,

I bought myself a new dress from Very.co.uk a few days ago. I tried it on and looked in the mirror and my first thought was to send it back because it's very tight.

Honestly, thinking of sending it back was a knee jerk reaction because of what other people might say. I like the way I look in it and so does James. It feels lovely on - the scuba fabric supports my body as closely as a hug, and I like the look of my body in it. It shows off my shape.

AX PARIS CURVE SCUBA MIDI DRESS

But still, my first thought was of what strangers might think of me in a fitted dress and that nearly made me send it back. That would've been such a shame. I've been off the diet bandwagon for about 5 years and have inhabited body positive places for at least the last 2 of those, and I still have these thoughts occasionally. Women's thoughts are so polluted with worries about what a random stranger *might* think or say about us in certain items of clothing. It can spoil our enjoyment of our lives, clothes and bodies.

I refuse to let what ifs and maybes affect my clothing choices & my feelings about my body, and stop me from wearing clothes I would otherwise enjoy.

AX PARIS CURVE FLORAL SCUBA MIDI DRESS

I don't junk in 'all the right places' to borrow a line from that song. My stomach usually sticks out more than my boobs, which makes me the 'wrong' fat according to society (you know, because hourglass fats with flatter stomachs are 'OK' on this arbitrary scale upon which women's worth is judged on.)

AX PARIS CURVE PLUS SIZE SCUBA MIDI DRESS

But does that negate the glorious rounded swell of my tits, the dip in the small of my back contrasted wildly by the fullness of my arse? No.

AX PARIS CURVE SCUBA MIDI DRESS

Should I cover up because my stomach goes out instead of in? Society might say yes but I say hell no. I'll enjoy my ins and outs in all their places, and so will my husband. (Ooer!)

AX PARIS CURVE SCUBA MIDI DRESS REVIEW

I had a breakthrough moment on New Years Eve. My bravery concerning my clothing choices varies sometimes according to the company I keep. If I'm going on a shopping trip with a bunch of other plus size bloggers I might wear something very form fitting, but if I'm going out in the presence of people who aren't body positive I'll usually dress more conservatively. On New Years Eve I went to a pub with James, his parents and my brother. I wore a fitted red knit dress which shows off every inch of me, assuming as it was freezing cold I'd probably be keeping my coat on in the pub. The pub was packed out and roasting hot, so I took my coat off. My curves were let loose and I didn't care because I was comfortable. It's very freeing to care more about having a good time than what someone I'd never see again might think of my body. No one gave two shits about the fat girl wearing a tight red dress, except an admirer who couldn't stop sneaking glances at me.

AX PARIS CURVE SCUBA MIDI DRESS

I'm wearing:
Coat, very old Simply Be
AX Paris Curve scuba midi dress, past season Very
180 denier tights, £18.95 Big Bloomers Company
Boots, past season New Look wide fit
Handbag, £4.83 eBay
Hair flower, eBay

I'm wearing a 26, hence the tightness. The material is beautifully soft and stretchy, and quite warm. There is zip to the rear, which goes down to the small of my back. There's a small vent to the rear of the skirt as you can see in the last couple of photos. There's an extra inch of fabric around the entire neckline on the inside of the dress which tends to pop out at the front, so I might have to use iron on tape to stop it moving about. I bloody love this dress and am so glad I gave it a second thought.

Have you ever had a turnaround like this with an item of clothing?

Thanks for reading,
Leah xoxo

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