What item of clothing do I love more than any other? Outerwear. I just can’t get enough of coats and jackets. They pull an outfit together, they can make a statement, they can conceal a lazy ensemble underneath. I just adore them. So when Simply Be were kind enough to let me road-test two items from their new collection with Look magazine, naturally I went for the coat as one of them. That said, I actually had my heart set on the skirt and the shirt, but when it came to it, and when I saw the collection in person at an event at the new Oxford Street store, I had a total change of heart. I’ll post the other item I was sent next week when my regular photographer is back from New York (I miss her painfully), but for now here’s one excellent item from the Look collaboration.
I’m not exaggerating when I say this season’s Look // Simply Be collection is my favourite single plus-size offering ever. I would wear each and every piece they’ve made this season, and it’s the most cohesive, design-led selection I’ve seen marketed at fat women. Every item is perfect, and I don’t feel like any of them are compromises to please fats at the expense of pattern or shape. I got so many compliments on my coat this weekend, and I feel so comfortable in it. It’s chic, wearable, well-made, not too heavy, no polyester lining, big square pockets that I can fit a book in (currently reading: Victoria Glendinning’s biography of Vita Sackville-West). I just love it. Maybe that’s why I’m smiling so much. Or maybe it’s because my friends Laura and Leah were doing sexy dancing behind Ellie while she was taking my picture. Maybe.
Coat : Look magazine for Simply Be
T-shirt : H&M
Skirt : Primark
Shoes : Evans
Bag : Kate Spade