I know I know, I know what you're thinking... 'oh god is she banging on about Scarlett & Jo again?'. Well yes, yes I am. Yet again I've tried on one of their dresses and instantly felt super confident and sexy and amazingly happy with my curves, so I just had to tell all of you about it!
If you saw my post earlier this week from when Leah and I went to the new Evans store opening at The Highcross you will know that I tried on this and a few other S&J pieces there and couldn't resist purchasing this baby.
So this is S&J's classic Powerfit style dress in purple but there are lots of other colours and prints that you can choose from - I'll be very happy if I can collect them all! It features their famous Powermesh lining which is basically a fantastic piece of shapewear built right into the dress. It really is fabulous and really helps smooth you out - I very rarely wear things without a cardigan over the top to hide my less than smooth back area, but will happy wear this dress with nothing over the top as the Powermesh sorts that out for me. Also, as the Powermesh is stitched in place in the dress it means you don't have to worry about anything moving or riding up which can happen if you're wearing seperate dress and shapewear.
I absolutely adore the neckline of this style and the illusion style with the central hourglass shaped panel works so cleverly with the bold colour against the black to help slim you and give the impression of a real bombshell curvy figure, even if you aren't naturally shaped that way. The sleeves are also a fabulous feature at a comfy 3/4 length that cover up that upper arm area that so many of us prefer to keep under wraps.
You can always count on S&J for a good quality fabric and this dress is no exception, being made of a lovely soft heavyweight polyester that washes beautifully and doesn't need ironing if you hang dry it. The thickness of the fabric lends itself perfectly to the ruching detail just under the bust and over the tummy - another flattering detail that works wonders at giving a smoother appearance to that troublesome area. For the £45 price tag you really are getting a great quality dress!
I also thought I'd show off the handbag I bought when in Leicester at the weekend too. It was from New Look and features one of my favourite things - a mixture of leather and suede giving contrasting textures that I just can't get enough of. The only downside is that there aren't any compartments or pockets inside as I do tend to carry an awful lot of 'stuff' around with me so need a little help organising it, but then again it is a tote bag so I can't really complain! It is priced at £19.99 and you can find it in store or buy it online here.