I don’t know about you but I just love Nigella Lawson. She has such a gorgeous curvy figure and always looks so happy and healthy. And hey, I love a woman who loves her food! (Girl after my own heart.)

It seems, like fashionable first lady Michelle Obama, Nigella’s also well aware of the joys of a really good plus size red dress.Doesn’t she look fabulous?

Gorgeous as she looks, I was probably more interested to read about her failsafe formula for every day dressing to work those stunning plus size curves. It certainly really works for her and it’s a look that’s really easy to achieve.

First things first – good underwear! Nigella swears by a bit of shapewear, especially good old ‘magic knickers’. Try these plus size pants from Gok Wan’s shapewear range at Marisota – available in size 8-32.

Then Nigella goes for a full black skirt – black is great for your bottom half if you want to minimise it. This plus size black skirt from Marisota should do the trick:

Then she goes for a sexy scoop neck top to show off her best bits. Go for a red plus size top for maximum sex appeal (you can match it with your lippy!)

To get the true Nigella hourglass shape, tuck your top in to your skirt to keep your waist line clean, then nip in that waist further with a wide belt, like this plus size belt from Marisota:

If you want a little more help achieving that cinched-in look then the Gok Wan wonder waspie really will work wonders!

Then Nigella adds a cute cropped denim jacket like this one (keeping that nipped in waist on show).

So there you have it, every day plus size fashion made simple!

I love hearing about the traditions of other countries and cultures, and obviously I love lingerie (who doesn’t?) so I was very interested to read about the Brazillian tradition of wearing different coloured underwear at midnight on New Year’s Eve for different New Year wishes.

According to the tradition, red underwear is for passion, pink lingerie is for love, white underwear is for peace, and green lingerie is for luck! Yellow underwear is worn for money, and in these tight times it seams that yellow underwear is the big seller this year instead of the usual red and pink lingerie.

I wonder whether it works?

Marisota’s plus size lingerie range has plenty of pretty colours to choose from if you want to see for yourself!

How about this lacy plus size bra and briefs set in yellow for money:

Marisota plus size yellow lingerie set

It’s a lovely pale lemony colour - not in your face yellow!

Or you could choose this sweet white plus size lingerie set for peace (I think the world could do with some!)

Marisota white plus size lingerie set

Or if you’re looking for lurrve you surely couldn’t go wrong with this pretty pink plus size bra and briefs set:

Marisota pink plus size lingerie set

It’s not quite so simple as just wearing the underwear or your desired outcome though - you also have to wash the lingerie in the new year and then wear it inside out on the first Friday!

So what colour lingerie will I be wearing this New Year’s Eve? Well, that’s for me to know and for Pete to find out!

Yes, that’s right it seems that the big and well-developed human brain could only evolve into being thanks to the development woman’s broad child-bearing hips. Without those curves we could never have evolved much past the level of chimpanzees. Or looking at it the other way round, women’s curvy figures came about for the good of the human race. Read the full story here.

I’ve not actully seen any evidence yet that curvy women have bigger brains themselves, but I’ve sure that conclusion is just around the corner.

One woman who loves to celebrate the curvy woman’s shape is Caryn Franklin. Her designer plus size clothing collection at Marisota was created to work with a woman’s curves - not hide them.

Check out these sexy Caryn Franklin plus size dresses and plus size coat from Marisota - now that’s what I call curves!

The US election may be over, but as always in this world, the men get noticed for their policies and politics and the women get noticed for… what they wear.

And whilst Sarah Palin has to hand back her $150,000 campaign wardrobe, Michelle Obama is making waves with hers for all the right reasons.

She’s clearly got a thing for red dresses. She divided opinion with the red dress she wore on election night but the latest red dress that she wore when posing with Barack and the Bushes has gone down a storm. It’s nice to see bit of glamour in the White House, and nothing says glamour like a red dress!

In fact I’m thinking of taking a leaf out of Mrs O’s book myself this Christmas. I do love a little black dress but I like to stand out from the crowd, and there’s something just so Christmassy about a red dress.

I think I’ll go with a plus size red dress from Marisota for Pete’s work’s Christmas party… but I’m not sure which…

I love this plus size red dress:

But then I also really like these red dresses:

Which is your favourite red dress? Help!

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It seems the tide is turning somewhat on the super skinny phenomenon – something I’m only too glad to hear. I’m very proud of my plus size figure thank-you very much!

Lots of gorgeous ladies have been speaking out about how they love their curves. Take the stunning Scarlett Johansson:

“There are a lot of actors around Hollywood who are just too thin for my taste.”

“I don’t understand this obsession for being stick-thin. I could never be like that – it’s just not my body shape.”

“I would never want to lose my curves, because curves are what make women look like women. They are what make you sexy.”

Then there’s Jodie Kidd, who in my opinion looks much better now she’s not so model skinny. With all that exercise she’s doing on Strictly Come Dancing she’s obviously much fitter and healthier now too. And it’s not just the ladies that love it – it’s their other halves too!

“He absolutely loved my new cleavage”, she said of her partner Thomas George. “I’d never seen my boobs like that. And I don’t think he had either.”

And let’s not forget everyone’s favourite songstress Adele. I love the way she’s sticking to her plus size shape.

“I’m really mouthy about not having the Hollywood look. Everyone asks me ‘Why don’t you feel pressured to get the Hollywood look?’ and I’m like, ‘Because I don’t',” she told Heat.”I mean, I quite like my eyes and my lips. I don’t like my double chin or my gut, but I don’t not like them enough to do something about it.”

That’s the right attitude if you ask me. If you are happy and healthy – and in Adele’s case beautiful to boot then what’s the problem? Life’s too short! Especially when there’s fab fashionable plus size clothes out there to suit you like at Marisota. Marisota’s plus size clothes are made to work with your curves.

I can see Adele in one of these stunning plus size tunic tops from Anna Scholz at Marisota:

Bold and bright like her big and bubbly personality - and so flattering for plus size women.

According to the Telegraph this week, a top accountancy firm has sent about 400 female employees on a course to be taught how to dress appropriately for work. Some of the things they were told to avoid included strong perfume, low cut tops and evening bags for daytime meetings, as well as bright make-up and very high heeled shoes.

I think their ‘Head of diversity’ has a point when they say workwear is easier for men than women. What to wear for work can be a minefield! You’ve got find just the right balance of clothes that look smart and presentable but that still complement your shape and retain a little bit of your personality. But you don’t want to go too far and look too sexy either.

As a speech therapist I need to look approachable but still retain that air of professionalism – I find Marisota’s mix and match plus size suits just perfect. With a few key pieces I can wear the suit in many different ways and just add a colourful, feminine top. That’s my formula and I’m sticking to it! Makes dressing in the morning quick and easy. And what I love best is that Marisota’s tailored skirts and trousers are available in short leg lengths – perfect for petite people like me!

For example take these suit separates (I always go for black as it goes with everything but this camel colour is a nice alternative)

Trust me, with this plus size workwear you can’t go wrong!

Claire x

The other night I finally caved in to Chloe’s pestering and took her to see High School Musical 3 with a couple of her pals. Pete had taken the boys to the footy so I thought we’d have a girls’ trip out. Chloe and all her school friends are obsessed with the whole thing. Or actually no I’ll rephrase that. Chloe and all her school friends are obsessed with Zac Efron.

Who? I hear you cry. Well he’s the heartthrob of the whole thing (and quite tasty too I might add. I hope Pete’s not reading this. He’s FAR too young for me anyway!). It was a nice feel-good film – and the girls gazed at Zac Efron to their heart’s content. (Whilst I pretended to be much more interested in the popcorn. Ahem. Actually I hope Chloe isn’t reading this either.)

Anyway whilst doing a bit of research for work/ googling Zac Efron I found out something that made me like him even more. Here’s a quote I found from Zac:

“I don’t know the exact measurements but I like curvy girls - girls with hips… I don’t always find myself dating super-skinny girls. It’s not all about what you look like, it’s so much more. I know it sounds really cheesy but it’s more about what’s on the inside when you’re dating a girl.”

It’s so refreshing to hear that he likes curvy girls (and I don’t mean because I fancy my chances!) Girls these days are under so much pressure to be skinny, even girls as young as Chloe. I want Chloe to grow up knowing she can be whatever size she is – I don’t want her starving herself. Plus size girls often look so much healthier to my mind anyway – and I’m very proud of my plus size curves thank-you very much.

There’s so much choice of plus size fashion around these days too. There used to be nothing! Marisota always has something to fit the bill for me: it’s plus size fashion that’s neither frumpy nor fashion victim!

Anyway got to go now, got more ‘research’ to do…

I stumbled across this article today on the history of high-heeled shoes. It seems Christian Laboutin’s next creation is going to be a pair of 8-inch high heels (that’s over 20 centimetres to the metric minded – about two thirds of one of those long rulers you had in school that didn’t fit in your pencil case).

Good grief. Now while I admit I’ve got a bit of an addiction when it comes to high-heeled shoes I think 8 inches is just a tad too far. I mean, how are you supposed to walk in those things? Although it could be worse, apparently the first high-heeled shoes ever invented were anything up to 20 inches high!

There’s some pretty interesting info in that article (not sure I agree with all of it mind) including the effect that high-heeled shoes have the wearer – and the watcher. That bit is definitely true. I always feel so much more confident (and more sexy) in a nice pair of high heels. You can’t just slouch along in high-heeled shoes. They make you walk tall – literally!

I know a lot of people find high heels painful to walk in but I’ve always found them quite comfy – especially after discovering Marisota’s wide fitting shoes. I’m convinced that once you find shoes in your correct width fitting you’ll find them so much comfier.

I think I’ll be giving those 8 inch heeled shoes a miss – Laboutin’s a little out of my league anyway! And who needs designer shoes when you’ve got Marisota’s fab footwear range? I’ve got my eyes on these wide fitting peep-toe shoes for the office Christmas party. They’re such a snip at £25 I might just get them in both colours!