Wheelchair Fashion: Only 8 more Sleeps till Christmas...
The festive season is very low key in my family. The house really isn't big enough for a Christmas Tree - we used to have one when we were kids that went up Christmas Eve & came down Boxing Day - & we don't really do any other decorating. That's not that we don't celebrate in our own way but it's more 'Happy Holidays' than 'MERRY CHRISTMAS' you know? Plus I'm always extra sick over Christmas so we are even quieter than we were before I got sick.
The one, over the top, glitzy, 'MERRY CHRISTMAS' thing I go nuts for is the festive clothes. The festive season is the one time of the year where you can wear the most fun, sparkly, glamorous clothes. Or at least buy them, put them in your wardrobe & never wear them. I have totally done that, like more than once.
Christmas fashion being the best part of the whole thing (in my opinion) I was really happy to treat myself to this outfit. I had thought it was a massive splurge & that none of the pieces would be re-wearable but I actually really love them, despite their quirks.
The top is from Collectif Clothing (£53.50, UK sizes 6-22. I chose an 18). I seriously love this top, it's comfortable, easy to get on & it feels like I'm wearing shapewear even if I'm not. Plus that neck line is incredible, I wouldn't have thought it would work for me but it is super cute & is making me re-think what looks good on me.
It has a few quirks though. Firstly, it hates boobs. Seriously. I had 4 safety pins on this & it still kept moving around. It was literally impossible to keep the shawl bit at the back down without the safety pins, I was thinking of adding masking tape at one point. Now this may be because I got it smaller than my usual size based off of the size guide on Top Vintage.net. but I'm not sure that it would have looked as good if I'd gotten it any bigger though.
Also the zip is a bit tricky, after the first few times it stopped going up over the area where the ruching starts. That's pretty standard. waistbands & ruching are really hard to set a zip into but it's a little annoying. It's a pay off though, I'm happy the zip is in the side, even if it means that it doesn't totally unzip...
Don't let that put you off though, it is totally possible to hide the safety pins. Plus, I got my younger brother to try it on to see how it would work on someone with no curves. I was convinced it wouldn't work but it was AMAZING. This top creates curves, it's legitimately magic. I recommend it to anyone wanting something sparkly to wear during the festive season.
The skirt. Legitimately the best skirt I've bought all year, if not the best item of clothing I got all year.
The skirt is also from Collectif Clothing (£69 UK sizes 6-22, I wear a 22). The fullness is amazing, the fabric is stunning & there is a light layer of netting inside it that acts as a very thin petticoat. It's thin enough that you could wear a petticoat if you wanted but enough that it gives the skirt shape.
My only problem is the length of the skirt. In my chair it's not too bad, & as most electric chairs are even taller than mine it probably wouldn't be a problem for them either, but it might be one to avoid if you use a manual chair simply because it's so long & full.
The belt is from Modcloth (£29.99, sizes S/M & M/L, available in 4 colours) it's actually slightly too small for me but I extend my belts with ribbon when they are too small, yet another quirk of this outfit. The tights & shoes are old, M&S & accessorize respectively I think.
Oh & the necklace is from a small independent sell that doesn't sell online unfortunately because this is really cool, it's both a necklace & a broach making it multipurpose. It's a piece of coniferous tree (I think a kind of fir?) that has been coated in silver. Very festive no?
What's your idea of festive fashion? How do you celebrate Christmas?
Happy Holidays everyone.
