Driving home for Christmas...

Coming home from uni is always a bit of a double-edged sword for me. On one hand you have warmth, food, internet without having to pay for it but you also have parental rules to abide by and having to share a room with your youngest brother and sister- well I do at any rate! The weekend I got back, we went for a family meal with my grandparents who I don't see as often and it was lovely to catch up with them as we hadn't seen them since my birthday
I wore my purple pencil skirt and a sparkly top I picked up for next to nothing in my favourite charity shop. You will be pleased to hear that this was before all of the snow and ice AND I actually managed to walk in my heels! Yes, that was a surprise for me too ;) 




Apologies for the blurry photos! My youngest sister was taking them and hadn't quite mastered how to use a camera... I used my rollers to curl my hair and vamped it up a little with some purple lippy... I was really pleased with the way it turned out and I felt raather glamourous in the Beefeater :P 


This snazzy little number was also from the same charity shop and it is originally from H&M. I love the shape of the dress, mainly for the way it flares out into an A-line skirt, but also because of a rather wonderful detail...


Buttons down the back of the dress! I love little details like this and I think they make everyday basics much more interesting :) I paired the dress with my beloved brown shoeboots and another charity shop bargain; a gorgeous tweed-esque blazer...


I look a bit like I am going to a country club in this photo but it is absolutely gorgeous in real life. It is super warm but also manages to smarten up an otherwise casual outfit, plus the pink running through the pattern matched my dress perfectly- I tell you, it's fate ;)




One of the funniest things about this outfit though is the complete disparity in the sizing of the clothes. The dress is an American 12 so a UK 16 (if my calculations are correct? whilst the blazer is a UK size 10. I normally wear size 14 in clothes and yet both of these pieces fit me. I'm not going to open up the debate about vanity sizing, but it does seem strange that a sizing isn't consistent across different shops. I have an hourglass figure and I find that if a product fits my hips, the waist doesn't fit and vice versa. In addition to this, i often don't even consider shops like River Island because I think of them as shops for people who are slimmer than I am.
Yes that IS a burger and chips in front of me ;) 
When I am shopping I know 'my size' for a certain store and adapt what I pick up to fit that. Saying that, I almost left this dress on the hanger when I saw that it was a size 16- I always swore that I would die before I wore a size 16! (Saying that, I said the same thing about a 10 and a 12...) Despite this nagging worry, I picked up the dress and took it home to try on, where I promptly fell in love. And without sounding too preachy (I have more than my fair share of off days!) I think I worked it! I have worn it a number of ways since and even my mother (who is probably my harshest critic) liked it.. I guess what I am trying to do this Christmas, is find a happy medium between being healthy and happy and try not to obsess about my weight. Well, at least until I have eaten my fill of Christmas dinner!


Are you worried by the number on the label? Do you avoid certain shops because of their sizing? 
P.S. Apologies if I am absent from the blogosphere over the next couple of weeks- since being home I have been working almost everyday and the Waitrose uniform isn't the most flattering outfit I have ever worn! After NYE I hope to be back posting more regularly :) 

10 comments

Natasha said...

Ooh! I have that purple dress! And they did it in grey as well, which is prefer, because the fabric is heavier, so it drapes and hangs better. The buttons on the back are the best detail! You look lovely in it as well, really suits you and makes your waist look tiny :)

I know what you mean about going home from uni being a double edged sword, but I'm only going home for a few days - going home tomorrow and coming back on boxing day, so just a few days, short and sweet - means I'm more appreciative of the time I have with them haha :)

Maria Fallon said...

I would LOVE it in grey! I think it would probably be more versatile but so far I have managed to mix and match this quite well :) Thank you- I am lucky that I have a smaller waist, it definitely makes buying clothes more difficult though :P I do appreciate the time I have with my family, I just miss my boyfriend, my friends and most of all my freedom haha!

Glad to see you back Tash :D

Maria xxx

Leia said...

You look so pretty in both the outfits Maria! Sizing disparities are indeed odd - you never know if something fits unless you try it on :)

Leia

Sherin said...

That is such a pretty drss. I absolutely love the colour! And the buttons on the back are so pretty.

I hate that shos aren't consistant with sizes. I managed to fit into a size 0 from Hollister!!! But then struggle with a size 8 from French Connection. It does make shopping so hard.

daisychain said...

"I guess what I am trying to do this Christmas, is find a happy medium between being healthy and happy and try not to obsess about my weight."

A-fucking-men,

brilliant post x

Maria Fallon said...

Leia- Thank you :) I have taken to trying EVERYTHING on to see whether it fits as you never know!

Sherin- Thank you :) The buttons are probably the best thing ever to be quite honest :P I just wish that stores would sort themselves out as even stores such as Topshop and Miss Selfridge in the Arcadia group aren't consistent!

Laura- Thank you :) Life's too short to worry about what I weigh although if I turn into a whale over Xmas I WILL be in the gym! :P

Maria xxx

Unknown said...

I love that dress, you look absolutely gorgeous in all these photos! I really wish there was more similarity in clothes sizing between different shops though, it's so difficult to know what size to pick, especially when ordering online.

Maria Fallon said...

Harriet- Thank you! I think with certain shops you know they are going to be more generous in their sizing (M&S springs to mind!) so you just adapt to wherever you are...it IS annoying though...

Maria xxx

Joy said...

Oh gosh, I remember when I thought a size 10 was fat... And when I grew to be a healthy size 12, I swore I would OCCASIONALLY wear a 14... which turned to always wearing a 14, then NEVER a 16. Now a 16. Not good.

I wish I was smaller but I love food!

Maria Fallon said...

Joy- I love food and I think I know that I will never be a 10 unless I starve myself. Saying that, if I ate less and moved more I could be a 12 but I am happy the way I am for the time being :)

Maria xxx