I'm a size 8 and this is where I love to shop
I tend to switch between size 8 and size 10 depending on how I want something to fit. I’m not a fan of figure hugging items and prefer to purchase clothes that would suit a range of occasions as I don’t buy items for specific events. I like my clothes to take me straight from work to an exhibition or gig without looking out of place.
My style hasn’t changed much over the years and I’ve had some of the clothes I wear regularly for over a decade. Overall, I love flared trousers, floral prints and turtlenecks tucked into skirts - anything exciting which adds feminine curves to my sporty figure.
Here I’ve detailed my personal favourite shops - these are the places that I find best cater to my figure and my taste.
Dresses
Pictured, Precious wearing a favourite printed dress with chunky sole boots
I own a number of patterned dresses and denim styles. My hardest-working dress right now is this Buttoned A-line midi dress from & Other Stories (£95). It is flattering as it has a loose fit, but comes in at the waist. The black floral print makes it a show-stopping singular piece that doesn’t need any extra items to spruce it up.
I also love looking in vintage shops for feminine dress silhouettes, and happily will sift through racks of mismatched clothes to find something special. During the pandemic some of these places have gone online; Here After Vintage, a London-based shop, has created a Depop account and I have my eye on their 1980s pastel checked dress.
Jeans
Cropped jeans, £99, arket.com
For jeans, I typically go for one of the two extremes: super skinnies or flares. For a comfortable everyday skinny fit, my go-to shop is Marks & Spencer. For flares I go to Ragged Priest for a grungier look, or Free People for everyday wear. My most recent denim purchase was the Flora Overalls (£118) from Free People. For jeans with a straighter silhouette I like them to be cropped like these. Arket has interesting, similar designs - next I might try their Straight Cropped Patchwork Denim Jeans (£99).
Gymwear
Super sculpt yoga bra, £50, sweatybetty.com
I make sure to do some sort of exercise each day, so my gymwear needs to be able to keep up with that. My go-to activities are running, yoga, climbing, cycling and occasionally light weight-lifting. Yoga attire is where I go for my most stylish options. Sweaty Betty has many patterned two piece sets with bras that work as a top. You can choose what type of support you need which is ideal as I need some, but not too much of it so as to feel restricted.
Workwear
I find patterned, loose-fitting shirts fun to wear. An interesting design often gets people talking too - Fiorucci does a chiffon white shirt with their signature angels printed all over it. I'd tuck it in to these high-rise flared trousers from Spanx (£130) which I love as the ponte fabric offers a smooth silhouette. If I'm going for a more casual look, I might wear this ruffled & Other Stories smock top (£75) which comes in several different colours, typically with Clae's Bradley trainers in white (£86).
One piece I bought recently…
Free People’s CRVY Love Letters One Piece (£158.00) has a beautiful, slightly retro cut. It hasn’t been worn without receiving a compliment yet. The shape accentuates all the parts of your body you would want it to, giving me an elegant silhouette.
And where I would never shop...
I’m a never say never kind of person, but in my attempt to be a little more sustainable, I try not to indulge too much in fast-fashion. As the environment is important to me, I think about not only how frequently I’m purchasing items, but also where I am getting them from. Finisterre is a sustainable outdoor brand I've recently discovered. Their Lawping jacket (£150) is light enough to be layered and is also cropped and in a stylish box shape too. I'd choose that over a cheaply-made jacket with no definition, every time.
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