Products

Archive for the ‘products’ Category

Spring has sprung!

Posted by Positive Sarah on April 12th, 2013

How good does it feel to see the sun again? Weather forecasters are predicting temperatures not just in double figures but actually around 20 degrees next week. That’s right, 20 degrees. If that doesn’t tempt you out of hibernation, nothing will!

But what’s a girl to wear when she’s been hiding under big jumpers and coats since about September last year? A cursory rummage in the wardrobe would reveal that many of us are ill-prepared for the emergence of summer (at last) and we need to get to work quickly on being ready to get out there and feel the rays.

Obviously, FatPhrocks are racing to the rescue of plus size fashionistas everywhere. If you’re not quite ready to reveal your arms to the world yet, or it’s not quite as warm as predicted, you could tentatively step out with one of our gorgeous selection of Wingz? Perfect for spring when you want to be able to go out without a coat but there’s still a chill in the air…or evenings out when the temperature dips and you don’t want to be sitting outside shivering!

I adore the Green Fleurs Brilliantes Wingz – they are spot on for spring afternoons and evenings and they fit in beautifully with the bright pattern trends that are all over the high street at the moment. If monochrome is more your thing, you could opt for any of the plain black or white Wingz, in many different styles, and fabrics like lace, cotton and chiffon.

The best thing about the plain Wingz is that you can dress them up or down depending on the occasion, and they’re so versatile they can go with just about anything, a definite bonus considering our Great British Weather!

Have a great week – and enjoy the sunshine!

Weight loss and plus size positivity

Posted by Positive Sarah on March 15th, 2013

Is it hypocritical to want to lose weight if you’re a plus size positive advocate? It’s something I’ve wrestled with but I’m coming out of the closet now and admitting it – yes, I’d like to get a bit slimmer.

Don’t get me wrong, I have absolutely no desire to be thin. I mentioned in my last post (very quietly) that I’m hoping to get pregnant at the advanced age of 42, and this isn’t going to be an easy task. Buoyed up with the news that hormonally and health-wise there is no reason why I shouldn’t be able to conceive, I have to accept that lifestyle will be an issue, so out goes my love of a strong coffee (or three) and my Sauvignon consumption is going to have to decrease even more, preferably to almost nil.

The only other things I can do are get a bit fitter (hence the appointment with the hunky personal trainer at the gym today) and lose a bit of weight to see if that helps. I’m apparently ‘seriously obese’ and whether I like that or not, it does affect fertility.

Trouble is, I’m anti-diet. Really. I couldn’t face months of Slimming World or Weight Watchers and I don’t think they work anyway. They just send me straight to the biscuit tin. I have been giving Intermittent Fasting a try though and I’m tentatively hopeful that it might work, because it also improves a lot of health markers and is supposed to be generally good for you.

I don’t want to yack on about it, and I’m not interested in extolling the virtues other than to say the main reason it appeals to me so much is that you get to eat normally most of the time and only have to think about it twice a week!

But I’m really struggling with the idea of being a plus-size positive kinda girl and actively trying to lose weight. This is my life and my health I’m thinking about, plus my own selfish desire to become a mum…and my feelings on the hideous way that weight, diets and BMI are forced down our throats on a daily basis haven’t changed. It’s perfectly possible to be fat and healthy – not to mention gorgeous, fashionable (well, just look at the latest additions to the FatPhrocks range) and successful. I whole heartedly support plus size bloggers and have my own plus size positive blog Gorgeously Full Fat too.

If I were younger, I’d probably not bother. After all there are plenty of young, fat mums out there who seem to have had no problem at all making babies. But I also have the age issue against me, which there’s nothing I can do about. It’s a toughie. I feel slightly hypocritical…but I feel like I have to try. What do you think?

Image courtesy of Jomphong – FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Think Pink

Posted by Positive Sarah on January 25th, 2013

When it’s cold, wet and icy outside, my default winter setting seems to be hibernation. I’m quite happy to sit indoors in the warm with a mug of Green and Black’s hot chocolate, watching ‘My Mad Fat Diary’ or a nice drama with pretty costumes, and avoid all the ‘Embarrassing Fat Bodies’ style rubbish that they tend to plaster our TV screens with at this time of year.

The thing is, despite the average person’s social life dwindling away to plans for ‘when it warms up a bit’ in January, there are going to be occasions that call for a bit of glamour, a bit of sass, and a bit of …pink! That’s why I am in love with the pink pointe shift dress from FatPhrocks. One of our day dresses that can easily be worn to the office and then dressed up if an after work down-the-pub session calls for it, this dress is likely to brighten up any dull wintry evening.

It’s perfect for teaming with some chunky accessories and heels for a casual night out, or if you just want to wear it to the office and break up the sea of grey and black that dominates this time of the year, it’s great under a cardi or with some thick tights and boots too. It’s totally on trend with the slash neckline, flattering ruching at the front to enhance your figure, and a short side split to add an extra bit of interest.

A dress like this does beg to be seen though – so if you treat yourself to it (oh go on, it’s payday) you’re going to have to make sure you’ve got lots of occasions liked up to wear it…unless you just want to wear it to cheer yourself up as you sit around the house, drinking hot chocolate and watching the Downton Abbey box set. Come to think of it, that’s not such a bad idea…

Santa Baby

Posted by Positive Sarah on December 21st, 2012

What would you like Santa to bring you on Tuesday? Are you thinking perfume, chocolates, maybe something sparkly? I hope you get everything you want.

If you’re still looking for the ideal gift for someone, or are stuck for ideas for yourself, how about a voucher for a day at a spa? Experience days are all over the place at the moment and a spa day is a real treat that you can luxuriate in even if you’re not a size ten – just grab your swimming costume and rock up to the nearest spa to be pampered with a facial, a massage or whatever you fancy. Big hint: If you’re looking for a bargain, lots of spas are empty between Christmas and New Year so you can bag some really good deals there. Check out discount voucher websites and spa booking sites like SpaSeekers and you might find yourself a well-deserved Twix-mas treat!

Clothes are always a difficult thing to buy or ask for as a Christmas gift, but one thing that might hit the spot and be perfect for New Year’s celebrations is a set of funky Wingz. They come in so many different colours and styles that you can really funk up just about any outfit with a pair, and make an ordinary black or plain top look different with different designs. They are also available up to a size 28 and are lovely and stretchy – another retailer (*cough* M&S) have brought out a stretch version too and called them ‘Spanx for arms’.

I’d be really chuffed to find a pair of the Black Chiffon Volume Wingz in my stocking, or the stretch black ones. I’ve got lots of short sleeved black

Fatphrocks Volume Wingz

tops that I always have to wear with a cover up in winter, so it would be lovely to pop on some Wingz instead (and give my cleavage a boost at the same time).

What else do I want? Well, recipe books are always welcome, although I’m not that impressed with the latest Nigella or Jamie tomes. I tell my friends and family that if it looks pretty, smells nice, is alcoholic or covered in chocolate then I’ll probably like it. I’m easily pleased, me.

I don’t want anything remotely practical though – and I certainly don’t want what the character in my novel Viva Voluptuous (out next year) got for Christmas from her ex-husband one year…a ten week membership to a slimming club!

Whatever you get under your tree this Christmas, I hope you have a wonderful time. Eat, drink, be merry and come back in 2013!

Plus size fashion wish list

Posted by Positive Sarah on December 14th, 2012

Women want smart business clothes

I’ve been doing a bit of research into what plus sized women really want (with the launch of Viva Forever this week, maybe I should add ‘What we really, really want?)

It’s not about anything out of the ordinary. Although one frustrated plus size woman complained that there just aren’t enough places to buy fashionable clothes that have a bit of a punk style or even a bit of a hippy vibe (some of the maxi dresses on FatPhrocks could possibly be described as hippy, don’t you think?)

Alternative fashion is one thing we clearly need to be able to get our hands on in over a size 16, but the same can be said for smart work-type clothes that would be suitable for business meetings. Although our Best Fitting Wrap Dress is easy to wear to work, “Suit jackets and pant suits” were on the wish list of one lovely larger lady. She also mentioned loving the cute tees that are available these days in a plus size, but that it would be really nice if the people who made them could just make the sleeves a teensy bit longer?

It’s no secret that my pet hate is matching underwear sets…or the lack of them. Yep, you can buy knickers in my size and you can finds bras in my size but do you think they’ll match? If I find a bra I adore and that fits beautifully, the chances are that the bottoms will stubbornly stop at a size 16 and I’ll either have to buy the bra and wear it with un-matching knickers, or try and find something vaguely similar to go with it. Certain lingerie retailers that specialise in big cup sizes often don’t think big busted girlies have a bum to match…or if they do pretty matching sets you can almost guarantee they will have sold out as soon as they are available.

Along the underwear lines – how many of you hope, wish and pray for a bra that fits really well and doesn’t cost a fortune? I’m forever hoisting my straps back up as I walk, then of course there’s the dreaded ‘four boobs effect’ that some bras tend to create. I can honestly say that very few of my bras are anything like comfortable, and that the ones I wear most are just the bras that are less uncomfortable than the others!

For those of us blessed with a heaving cleavage, we don’t necessarily want to show everyone what’s underneath our clothes, so it’s a big YES PLEASE to button up blouses and tops that don’t gape and share our underwear decisions with anyone who looks. If they fit on the bust, it seems that they are quite often too tight on the hips too…so the consensus seems to be that as plus size woman aren’t all one shape, perhaps manufacturers could look at designing ranges for different types of woman. We already have jeans that suit pear shapes, boyish figures, the boot cut jeans on the FatPhrocks pages which balance out bigger legs, high-waisted jeans for women who want to cover their tummies and jeans for skinny girls, so why not adapt tops and blouses to suit hourglass or apple-shaped women too?

There’s a few ideas for those in the know to ponder over…do you have any? What would you REALLY love to get your hands on, fashion-wise, in 2013?

Top Tips for Fashion Savvy Plus Size Women

Posted by Positive Sarah on December 7th, 2012

The days of being advised to avoid bright patterns and cover up in black are thankfully way behind us, but if you, like me, get frustrated with shopping for flattering plus size clothes, there are a few good tips that might give you a head start in the style queue.

Firstly, the most important thing to remember is that wearing clothes that actually fit you will flatter your figure way more than trying to squeeze yourself into the next size down – or wearing the next size up to ‘leave room’ for that matter. Anything too tight won’t accentuate your curves, it’ll squeeze them into unnatural places and that’s’ never a good look. Remember nobody can see the label in your jeans, so get the size that fits and not the size you want to fit!

If you’ve got it, flaunt it! One good thing about being a bigger woman is that we get a killer cleavage to make the most of. Don’t hide your best assets away under baggy jumpers; try a v-neck top or a scoop neckline with a top that fits really well, draw attention to your best bits! The same applies to waists, if you have a curvy hourglass figure, make sure you don’t hide it under voluminous outfits. Show the world you have a womanly shape and work it, baby!

Get your undies in order…a good outfit starts with well-fitting underwear that supports you where you need it. You don’t have to squeeze yourself into Spanx and spend the whole of the Christmas party fantasising about taking them off so that you can breathe…control underwear can be comfy too. Again, it’s all about the fitting, I know it’s tempting to buy control undies in a size smaller than you are to ‘pull it all in’ but you know, it has to go somewhere, and after a while you’ll be in a lot of discomfort if your underwear is too restrictive. A supportive bra with just the right amount of va-va-voom teamed with control undies that support and smooth rather than restrict your breathing will make any outfit look great.

Add heels. I don’t know why, it’s probably an optical illusion, but heels make me feel slimmer and adding some sexy heels to a party outfit (or any outfit, really) can make you feel instantly more feminine and they do seem to have the effect of elongating your legs as well. The exception to this rule is the type of heel you just can’t walk in gracefully. Wobbling around on teeny stiletto heels and grabbing lampposts to steady yourself is so not a sexy look.

But when it comes to loud patterns, bright colours and even (horrors) horizontal stripes…just go ahead and wear whatever you please! Cover your arms with Wingz if you feel the need (well it’s flipping freezing at the moment) but don’t forget, BE YOURSELF!

Christmas Wingz!

Posted by Positive Sarah on November 30th, 2012

Well, the big ‘C’ Day is getting ever closer, and the pre-Christmas party frock panic is getting louder. If you missed the blog post about Wingz the other week, let me enlighten you about the wondrousness of this particular invention. big-cat-wingz

This genius piece of lingerie (is it lingerie? I’m not sure but as they magically manage to boost your bust as well as covering your arms in the most stylish way possible, I think we can call them that) is perfect for Christmas parties, in fact there’s pretty much one for any occasion. If you don’t want to completely cover your arms but do want to feel as if your shoulders and upper arms are covered, there are super-cute half sleeve lace Wingz that have recently hit the website (and are selling like hot cakes) that look absolutely gorgeous with a glamorous top or dress.

If you want to brighten up an outfit, you could always opt for red chiffon big volume Wingz – or how about some absolutely amazing purple chiffon flared Wingz? They even come in silver snakeskin flared versions – a hot trend of the catwalk for this season was snakeskin, so you can be right up there with the Fashionistas when you strut your stuff in a plain black top or dress, zinged up with some glamorous, stylish Wingz. Leopard print chiffon also provides another trend-conscious version of the sleeves, a look that will go down a storm at any Christmas soiree.

So, if you thought that sleeveless top or dress was out of the question, or that you were going to have to make so with covering it up with a shrug that insisted on falling off your shoulders every time you reached across for another glass of Prosecco at the office ‘do’ – let FatPhrocks come to the rescue with a pair of Wingz for every occasion.

Have you got your Wingz yet? Which ones are your favourites?

FatPhrocks give you Wingz

Posted by Positive Sarah on November 9th, 2012

You know how it is; you’ve spent ages looking for the perfect party outfit, and set your heart on a glamorous, sophisticated party dress. The only problem is, it’s a sleeveless dress and you don’t really want to work the bare-armed look at the office ‘do’.

Maybe you don’t like your arms, because you think you’ve got a bit of the dreaded ‘bingo wings’ going on (although I think you should be out and proud, listen to Paloma Faith’s ‘Me and my Cellulite’ and never, ever be ashamed of your body) or perhaps you just don’t think it’s appropriate to be flashing lots of bare skin at a work gathering?

It could just be a practical thing – after all, it’s not exactly warm in December, is it?

Of course, you could wear a bolero or a shrug over the top, but why cover up the beautiful frock you’ve spent all that time hunting the high street for? What’s the point of that?

FatPhrocks to the rescue!

All you need is Wingz. There are so many gorgeous styles, fabrics and designs, and as from next week there are four brand new additions to the range, the pretty stretch lace Wingz that will look absolutely spot-on underneath a sophisticated party dress. No more hitching up a cardi or shrug every five minutes, the practical and fashionable Wingz stay in place all night and as an added bonus they even give your boobs a bit of a boost as they fit under your bust.

I love these things! The brand new, just in time for Christmas range features black and white lace, half and full sleeve Wingz, up to a size 28. They are affordable too, so you can match a fab pair of Wingz to almost any outfit for under £20.

I’m getting my credit card out ready for Monday…

Just for a treat…

Winter Dressing

Posted by Positive Sarah on September 28th, 2012

I don’t have much love for winter. The rain, the cold, the hibernation tendencies…it’s not my favourite time of the year. The one thing I do like about winter though, is wearing cosy clothes. There’s something comforting about a winter coat and scarf combo, a snuggly jumper or leggings and boots.

Obviously, there’s also the bonus factor of being able to hide a multitude of Kettle Chips under a baggy jumper! Which has just reminded me of the time I went to a spa for a starvation regime, almost fainted and had to text a very good friend to beg him to visit me and bring contraband…I’ll never forget the shame and indignity of trying to sneak past spa reception with a large bag of lightly salted concealed about my person. Still, if you’re going to feed a grown woman lettuce leaves with lemon juice dressing for lunch and a clear vegetable broth for dinner, she’s going to have to get her carbohydrates from somewhere.

If you’re looking for the ideal winter trousers, look no further than the gorgeous soft draped trousers we have on FatPhrocks. Perfect for teaming up with some of this seasons glitz and adornment, they are available in black and grey and are the perfect wardrobe staple to take you from a crisp, chilly autumn to a freezing cold winter night. Dress down with a gorgeous jumper that accentuates your curves, or dress up with a funky, brightly coloured tunic top, either way you can manage several of the season’s key looks with these.

One of the major bonuses of these gorgeously comfy trousers is the luxurious material that drapes perfectly, skimming your curves without clinging or sagging. Smart enough for work or a night out and casual enough to wear when you just want to feel comfy and cosy, I think these trousers will tick pretty much all the boxes!

Keep coming back for a sneaky peek at the FatPhrocks blog and shop to see what’s coming in for Winter 2012…

Dress those killer curves

Posted by Positive Sarah on August 31st, 2012

It’s that time of year again….London Fashion Week approaches and the size zero model debate will be dragged out of the cupboard, dusted off and presented in the newspapers as if it’s something we haven’t all heard before.

The most recent comments have been from Fashion designer Achilleas Constantinou who managed to score a spectacular own goal this week when he said that Size Zero models in catwalk shows were partly to blame for women developing eating disorders…then added;

‘Women should be slim for their men – but not Size Zero… An ideal weight is the goal. An ideal weight for health and an ideal weight to appease your partner.’

I’m not even going to bother commenting on that faux pas.

You don’t have to be a size zero to look great in fashionable clothes, and what better example than this great wrap dress that will take your daytime look into evening wear when jazzed up with a few of this season’s accessories. Embellishment is a big trend this season, with over the top gems, metallics and luxe fabric touches that wouldn’t look out of place on the revamped version of Dallas. Just add some glitzy bangles, a brooch, an ostentatious necklace and this dress could take you out onto the dance floor after work.

Or dress it up casual-style with this season’s must-have fabric; leather. A leather jacket over the top gives the gorgeous wrap dress another incarnation, and as it comes in black, grey and purple, and is only £30.99, you could just buy all three and be done with it.

Wrap dresses are a fabulously flattering way to dress a voluptuous figure, clinging and skimming all at once to show off those killer curves. Work what you’ve got, whether you’re in the office or out with the girls, and you can ignore the everlasting fashion magazine argument about fat –vs- thin, because you know you look fantastic!

Archive for the ‘products’ Category

Spring has sprung!

Related Posts:

Weight loss and plus size positivity

Related Posts:

Think Pink

Related Posts:

Santa Baby

Related Posts:

Plus size fashion wish list

Related Posts:

Top Tips for Fashion Savvy Plus Size Women

Related Posts:

Christmas Wingz!

Related Posts:

FatPhrocks give you Wingz

Related Posts:

Winter Dressing

Related Posts:

Dress those killer curves

Related Posts:

Recent Posts

Categories

Recent Comments

We’re Famous!

Wingz