A bit of festive fun for you now… what kind of shoes are you?

I came out as wedge shoes (‘cool and casual attitude’)

And Soph came out as ‘classic pumps’, though I would describe them more as court shoes:

Jane hasn’t done the test yet, but I’d bet my bottom dollar she comes out as the funky ‘architectural heels’ – the more outrageous the better for her, she loves her shoes!

And the best news is that at Marisota, whatever style of shoes you love they are all available in a wide fitting. Thank goodness for wide fitting shoes!

I’ve just been on the Marisota website and it seems that if you want something to arrive in time for Christmas today is your last date to order, or if you go for their Priority Delivery you have got until noon on the 23rd December to get your order in.

So if you’ve got your eye on some Marisota plus size fashion for Christmas Day - order it now!

I just love sequins… ever since I was a little girl and you used to stick them on things in school (like calendars and Mother’s Day cards). And what could be more glittery and glamorous for Christmas than a sparkling sequin top? If you don’t want to wear a dress or think you won’t get enough wear out of it then a glitzy top is a great idea. You can team it with black trousers or a skirt, or layer it in different ways to get several looks from one piece.

Marisota has a dazzling array of plus size sequin tops, skirts and jackets to choose from which have as much festive cheer as any plus size party dress.

I love this black sequinned mesh top from plus size designer Anna Scholz at Marisota:

This black plus size sequin print top looks so glamorous yet would be comfy to wear in soft stretch jersey:

You could go for a plus size black sequin top and matching skirt, or team one of the pieces with something a little plainer, depending on how dressy you wanted to go:

This black plus size sequin tunic top has a very trendy feel, with great big sequins:

Or you could add some Christmas sparkle to any plain black outfit with this gorgeous plus size sequin jacket:

I don’t know about you but America’s Next Top Model is totally my guilty pleasure (Pete can’t stand it but I let him watch the footie so it’s just tough!) As sad as I am that the series (or ‘cycle 10′ as they like to say) has now drawn to a close, I just have to express my pleasure that the winner this time is a plus size fashion model. Hurray!

The beautiful and bubbly 20 year old Whitney Thompson beat off stiff competition from Anya in the final to claim the title and the deal with Cover Girl. Well done Whitney! They’ve had plus size contestants in the past on ANTM but none have ever got too far, let alone all the way. In fact, it sometimes feels like the plus size girls are put in as a token gesture, stunning as they are. But with Whitney’s win, and host Tyra Banks herself having a gorgeous curvy figure too, hopefully this is a sign that the tide is finally turning and we will start to see more and more plus size fashion models on our screens and magazines.

Marisota has used normal sized women as models from the very beginning – hence the presence of me and girls!

My favourite part of ANTM is the photoshoots – I love to see the transformations. I have to say I’m pretty surprised how well some of the photos turn out sometimes with the crazy things they do!

Speaking of photoshoots (and transformations) keep your eyes on the Marisota blog in the next few weeks for a sneak preview of the latest Marisota shoot, when me and the girls were whisked away to model the latest Marisota plus size fashion collection.

Here is the moment of truth for Whitney, ANTM’s first ever plus size winner:

What a ‘fierce’ walk!

Marisota’s having a fabulous sale at the moment – you can pick up some real plus size fashion bargains!

How about this little outfit – you can buy the whole lot from as little as £37.50 + P&P.

This pretty plus size black beaded top would be so useful as you can dress it up or down and it’s from only £10.

These wide leg plus size jeans have a glitter finish making them gorgeous for going out in. They are from £17.50.

Finish your outfit with some fashionable wide fitting shoes like these black patent court shoes from only £10. Again these are great all-round shoes, perfect for day or night.

So there you have it – a complete plus size outfit including shoes for less than £40!

The Clothes Show Live has undertaken some research and come back with some interesting information about how women shop for, think about, and wear clothes. Well, I say interesting – some of it probably won’t come as a surprise!

According to their findings, the average woman spends £1000 on clothes every year, but only actually wears about 30% of the clothes in her wardrobe.

A woman’s favourite item of clothing is whatever she feels the most attractive in – and favourite items, which cost on average less than £50, are kept for as long as 12 years!

Now I personally probably don’t spend £1000 a year on clothes (as much as I’d love to!). But if I include clothes for the kids as well then it’s at least that much. Chloe is growing up fast (too fast) and is getting right into fashion at the ripe old age of 11. I do like to look good for Pete though, and some nice new clothes or plus size lingerie from Marisota always gives me a confidence boost.

I used to be a bit of a hoarder when it comes to clothes – I kept all these outfits in the hope that one day I would slim into them. Well now I’ve had a big clear out and taken them all to Oxfam. I am the size I am and I’m happy with that! There’s no point clogging up your wardrobe with clothes that don’t fit you. Everything from the Marisota plus size fashion collection fits me perfectly, and it’s so nice to open your wardrobe in the morning and know that you can look good in anything in there. Also, Marisota clothes are fashionable, but not too trendy, so I know I will get years of wear out of them and they won’t look out of date – or worse, old-fashioned!

The research also returned some of those dubious statistics about how often women think about clothes shopping – apparently ¾ of those interviewed daydream about buying clothes and handbags once per minute! I’m sorry but if you thought about something every 60 seconds you could never get anything done. No prizes for guessing what men are supposed to think about every 60 seconds…

Although I have been thinking about getting this red satin shirt… I think it will be lovely and festive for Christmas day. What do you think?

I’ve not been thinking about it every 60 seconds though – honest!

Just a quick one – I don’t know whether you saw it but there was a big Marisota fashion feature in last weekend’s Sunday Express.

If you’re keen to get the look then this is the plus size fashion that was featured -

This elegant grey long-sleeved tunic with embellished diamond:

This stunning black and gold satin kimono top:

This chic black and white tunic top:

And this beautiful metallic spot blouse:

Any of these would be perfect for a Christmas party!

I tell you what, there are some strange new terms being bandied about in fashion at the moment thanks to those dread two ‘c words’ that we’re currently suffering from. ‘Recessionista’ (that’s a fashionista who manages to stay on top of the trends through wise-buying and bargain-bagging), ‘Fashiorexic’ (that’s a woman who, when times are tight, forgoes food in order to maintain her spending on clothes – oh dear that can’t be healthy!), and now the latest obsession – SLT, or Skirt Length Theory.

Again, ‘SLT’ links fashion and finance – it’s basically the theory that the financial climate and skirt hemlines are connected. The thinking goes that when consumer confidence is high, fashion is exuberant and playful, so skirt hemlines go up (like in the 60’s) but when there is a recession – depression! So women opt for more serious and sombre clothes, meaning long skirts. In the past people have even used Skirt Length Theory to try and predict the stock market!

These days though I think a woman just chooses a short skirt, long skirt or knee length skirt to suit her mood. And a long skirt can have a very luxurious feel to it – not at all sombre!

So what mood are you in?

Flout the credit crunch (oh no I said the ‘c words’) with a sexy plus size short black leather skirt:

Or go for a more serious yet stylish mood with this long black plus size skirt?

Marisota’s plus size skirt selection has something for every mood – serious, sexy, and everything in between. And if you are feeling the pinch, you can polish your recessionista shopping skills with these bargain skirts from just £9.

Don’t go fashiorexic and forgo food for fashion though – I really don’t think that’s a good idea!