Now…..the final installment on our top party pieces for the season. Marisota have come up with some fantastic partywear collections to suit you. The Marisota cocktail partywear range is perfect for evening wear somewhere in between glamour partywear and our value range. Cocktail partywear is perfect for office Christmas parties, nights out with your friends and (especially) anywhere cocktails are involved.

To me, cocktail party clothing is all about selection. Choosing one key piece and accessorising accordingly, for example a signature dress teamed with subtle but coordinating shoes, bag and underwear is far better than lots of key pieces that clash. For example, this stunning lace dress with wrap front detail.

This dress would look fabulous with these platform heels

they’re discreet enough, and well coordinated enough to add to the look without overpowering the stunning dress. Plus they’re great if you need wide fitting shoes as they’re available in E fit and EEE fit. Perfect for women who find that “standard” fit shoes pinch.

Many women forget that the secret to perfect partywear is supportive and comfortable underwear. A good bodyshaper is the perfect base on which to build your party wear look.

It will give you great support whilst smoothing your curves and defining your waist. Plus, it even has handy suspenders for keeping those stockings in place!

Now you’ve only to add the finishing touches, like this Crystal pendant necklace and Crystal elasticated cuff, perfect for adding a little sparkle!

So…. those are my top tips for the party season, and enjoying the festivities in style!

Sophie

We’ve been getting some great weather recently, and many of you will be going on holiday soon (as will I when the holidays finally arrive) so I thought I would let you know about the range of swimwear here at Marisota.

As you may know I have had issues in the past with finding bras that fit properly and look good, if so, you may also know that Marisota has been fantastic in that department. But now they are also my saviours in terms of swimwear!

Their underwired swimsuits are perfect for those of us who need that little extra support. I love this underwired swimsuit, which is priced between £32 and £36. A definite bargain for a gorgeous swimsuit in a timeless style.

But…. it wouldn’t be fair if I only gave recommendations to people with the same problems as me. We Marisota girls need to stick together.

For those of you who need a little more volume then this bright graphic print swimsuit is perfect!

And even better news is that this one’s in the sale. Down in price to between £20.80 and £23.80.

If you want to give your cleavage a bit of limelight then look out for v-neck swimsuits. My personal favourite is this silhouette v-neck swimsuit…

Or if you have a more boyish figure and need to create some curves then look into a strapless suit (I envy you, I could never pull it off!) This Beach2Beach bandeau swimsuit is perfect for accentuating your shoulders and creating a more hourglass shaped figure.

And of course there’s always the miraclesuit, but I’ll tell you more about that one next week!

You can find all these swimsuits and many more on the Marisota website, in the swimwear section.  Plus, have a look about; they have a sale on so there are some real bargains to be found.

Sophie

Well, the weather certainly doesn’t look like it’s going to cheer up any time soon. So it makes the next big fashion trend for spring a particularly appealing one just now - Brights! The brighter and bolder the better. From fiery red, to sunshine yellow and rich magenta these Marisota plus size clothes are sure to lift any mood - whatever the weather.

It’s impossible to feel neutral over this fashion trend - I love it! Usually I go for big and bold colours but there is something so pretty and feminine about these muted colours, and just perfect for warmer spring days. Don’t forget nude coloured underwear to wear underneath -it’s a much better bet than white lingerie which can show through pale colours.

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!

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!

What a busy month! Honestly, trying to get three kids back to school is no easy task. As soon as they are safely dropped off at the school gates I’ll be straight back to Marisota online. As a part time supply teacher I need back to work clothes too! Only I want to get myself a lovely new dress and some cardigans or shrugs to go over them. I do need larger size clothing, which is why I always go back to the Marisota catalogue.

It can get chilly in our school sometimes because it’s more than a hundred years old. Wide-fitting shoes are important too, I’m on my feet all day and a comfy pair that’s both pretty and practical is just what I need.

Thinking about it, I might treat myself to some new underwear too. I need the right support with my bust and I just think it flatters my shape better if I get the right size. Not forgetting it’s mine and Pete’s wedding anniversary soon and we’ve already got our hotel booked in Florence. We go to the same one every year and I always get some special plus size lingerie for that weekend.

I think I’ll treat myself to come cropped trousers too, to enjoy the streets of Florence. Holiday clothes can be such a struggle to find when you’re a larger size, but not anymore. I’m counting the days until I go away!

After having three children, it goes without saying that it’s taken its toll on my figure. Obviously I love the kids to bits, but sometimes I can’t help wishing I had the flat tummy I had before I was a busy mum. Like most women in their right mind, the thought of surgery scares me to death, so I have got a brilliant tip for anyone after an instant tummy flattener without going under the knife. You need to try Spanx – a lingerie range at Marisota that smoothes your curves and really holds you in. You’ll have seen them on TV, it’s those shapewear slips and shorts. Not the sexiest looking underwear but it really works. My Hide and Sleek Slip gives me such a boost whenever I wear it. Get yourself one, I promise you wont regret it!

Finding plus size lingerie that still looks pretty can be really tricky. That’s one of the best things about Marisota. Although the plus size bras are really supportive I still feel gorgeous when I wear them. Homeshopping is so much better for buying underwear too. Hurray! No more changing rooms!

Sophie x

I adore shopping for holiday clothes. However, one of my pet hates has got to be deciding what to wear for the airport. Some women over dress for the occasion, remember what Victoria Beckham wore on her flight to Los Angeles? She couldn’t even walk in that black dress, let alone sit down! Not that you shouldn’t make some effort. You wouldn’t catch me in one of those tracksuits Madonna has taken to wearing whenever she travels. I know she’s fabulous, but she has a team of stylists and make up artists at her beck and call. Surely they could have come up with something better? But for us mere civilians finding the perfect mix of casual, comfortable and stylish plus size clothes for a flight is quite a tall order.

For our ‘girls’ break to Barcelona I wanted an outfit to travel in that looked fresh when I arrived, ready to hit the shops. I decided to go for white linen trousers with a little added stretch and elasticated waistband (in anticipation of tapas and cava later!)  and a cool cotton gypsy top with pretty embroidery in my favourite colour – attention seeking red! It can get pretty chilly in the cabin so we all made sure we wore our dressy cardigans. Perfect for popping into my handbag when we stepped out into the Spanish sunshine. I’m convinced I’ve hit on the perfect look for the plane – but email me if you have any better suggestions!

Going strapless

Friday nights are made for dancing as far as I’m concerned, but in this heat I don’t want to be wearing anything with sleeves. I’ve recently bought a new strappy top that looks fabulous with my pencil skirt; problem is wearing it with a plus size bra. I don’t want bulky straps spoiling the line, and as a curvy lady to go without just isn’t an option! But this plus size strapless bra from Marisota is an absolute godsend. Their plus size lingerie is structured enough to give you support but pretty enough to feel special. And after an entire evening of strutting my stuff, my bra didn’t budge an inch!

The sights

Can there be anything worse than a days’ sightseeing in shoes that pinch? Well luckily for me that will never happen again thanks to these little beauties! They really are the perfect holiday pump, comfortable, pretty and they come in lots of different colours. But the best thing? They are part of Marisota’s wide fitting shoes collection. They start at a D and go right up to EEE, so even after climbing all the way up La Sagrada Familia there wasn’t a blister in sight. My friend Anne wasn’t quite so lucky though. I get the feeling she will be shopping at www.marisota.co.uk soon too!

Our last night

I used to think glamorous clothes for large ladies just didn’t exist. I’d had years of trying to squeeze into tiny frocks in snooty dress shops and I’ve had enough. That was before I started homeshopping with Marisota. Curvy girls love women’s fashion too, and finally I found a plus size catalogue that lets me indulge my passion for fashion!

On Saturday night we put on our best eveningwear and headed down to Las Ramblas for dinner. I wore my black beaded dress with beautiful detailing, it’s one outfit guaranteed to make me feel a million dollars. And what can I say? When you feel confident on the inside, other people notice it too, and a romantic dance was the perfect way to end a wonderful holiday (just don’t tell Ian!) Plus in my wide fitting high heels I didn’t even need to wear gel pads to tackle the cobbles!