Wheelchair Fashion: M.E. Blue

Wheelchair Fashion: M.E. Blue

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disability, fashion, M.E., ootd, plus size, retro, spring, vintage, Wheelchair

This wasn't the post I thought would bring me back to blogging. You'll see if when I do more posts that I have some photos taken way before these all ready for me to add a blog post.
I just haven't been well enough to do it.
The contrariness of M.E. being what it is I can go out & take photos twice a month & look totally 'normal' but stringing a sentence together, even on a good day, is almost impossible. Writing the captions for my Instagram (where I post every 2-3 days) is a herculean task. Every time. I go through like two or three drafts of the posts, like handwritten in my notebook.
But for this I wanted to be slightly more unscripted, just kind of stream of consciousness-y.

So, this post is about M.E. (not about this fabulous outfit which is a dress from British Retro, tights from Snag & shoes from B.A.I.T.).

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Wheelchair Fashion: A little bit of fluff

Wheelchair Fashion: A little bit of fluff

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fashion, ootd, retro, spring, summer, vintage, Wheelchair

It feels super weird to be posting something as frivolous as a fashion post with all that's going on in the world right now. I wish I had words, words that would mean anything right now. But I really don't. What I have instead is pretty outfit photo.
I believe in the power of fashion blogging; I feel like taking the narrative of fashion back & showing that it is a place for everyone is really powerful. Perhaps it is an odd thing to say but I think of fashion blogging as my little bit of feminist activism, the little bit of good I do in the world that earns my place in it. It makes me feel better about how little else I am able to do.

Sitting here today it really doesn't feel like enough.

I don't know what else to say.

Perhaps all I can hope to do right now is provide a little bit of frivolousness.

Okay, these outfit photos were taken in a nearby park.
I had a whole concept of doing like a tea-party vibe & it totally didn't work :) I even had tea cups, scones....the whole nine yards. These are the only photos that ended up working out :)
Typical.
It's kind of nice to have outfit photos that aren't too conceptualised...although the concept was super cute :)
This is a dress I've worn in a post already, a post already this year even, but it is SO cute! Plus it was a must after I found this brooch.
I'm usually not a big fan of vintage brooches. sacrilege I know but I find them kind of...tacky? There is just something about them that reminds me too much of the old ladies in Kirkgate Market (it means something to me & it doesn't mean anything I aspire to....style wise at least).
I guess all the painsomnia window shopping on Etsy paid off though because I found this broach (which I totally forgot to take a good photo of, I'll make sure I put one on Instagram) & I am totally in love. It required instant outfit photos & this was the outfit I thought of. It seemed pretty perfect to me & it gave me an excuse to get the bolero which I have been lusting over but knew I didn't technically need. It made sense to me okay ^^

So the dress & bolero are both from Pinup Girl Clothing, the shoes are from B.A.I.T. footwear & the petticoat is from Oh My Honey :)

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Wheelchair Fashion: Aqua

Wheelchair Fashion: Aqua

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fashion, ootd, retro, spring, summer, vintage, Wheelchair

Writing my outfit posts seems so unreal sometimes, today especially. I'm not quite sure why, but there's something about sitting in a darkened room, with freezing cold feet hearing the semi-muffled voices my brother & his friend talking at the top of their voices that makes it seem like there is no way that only a few days ago I was out taking outfit photos & that it was relatively warm...or at least it felt so at the time. But then maybe it isn't all that real, the lake looks kind of clean in the photos & I can tell you from experience that it's really not (I used to kayak on it in my pre-M.E. days & it is super gross).
I guess a touch of unreality is part & parcel of the blogger's life. No-one would want to see a picture of me looking as I do right now. Trust.

Semi-philosophic musings aside this skirt is seriously amazing. It's one of the best things I have ever owned, not just based off of the print. I know I say that all the time but I am serious for this one. The only thing it is missing is pockets. Other than that, the shape, the length, the print & the quality are A++ standard. Seriously Heart of Haute are really amazing. The only place I can find it in stock is on pinup girl clothing. I would still look on heart of haute though, they may not have this one but the ones they do have are stunning.
Talking of things that are near impossible to get, the top is one of pinup girl clothing's old style of peasant blouse (they changed the underbust from straight to a curve...) so it's not instock anywhere I could find. I think they released a similar colour recently though if you were looking for something in this colour family.
The cardigan, shoes & hair bow are simpler. The hair bow is a scarf from collectif clothing (£6.50), the cardigan is from Deadly is the Female (£25 uk sizes 8-24, 11 colours) & shoes are from B.A.I.T. footwear ($72, US sizes 6-11).

Sorry if things got a little abrupt there at the end but my cat has decided that my laptop taken up enough of my time and that it's now her turn so she's taken over my lap & keep looking up to make sure I'm not doing any more work. I'm having to finish this via the voice to text feature on my phone lol. Cats are adorable but they are definitely in charge Yes, yes you are

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Wheelchair Fashion: Lilac Snowdrops

Wheelchair Fashion: Lilac Snowdrops

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fashion, ootd, retro, spring, vintage, Wheelchair

I believe in clothes much as Audrey Hepburn believed in pink & Marilyn Monroe believed in shoes. (Doesn't that sound good, doesn't mean anything but it sounds good lol.)
Seriously though I believe that the right clothes at the right time can change the world just a little bit. My world anyway & I have an 'emergency dress fund' precisely for those kinds of clothes.
I tend to be quite practical with my clothes choices, vintage style clothes can be really expensive so I can't just buy whatever looks cute. I pick separates over dresses every time because they can be worn multiple ways & I only buy anything if I can think of 3 ways I can wear it with the pieces I already have. Whilst this is sensible & means that most of the things in my wardrobe work well together, it can be a little joyless. I can't count how many dresses I adored I've had to let pass because it's not really the practical choice.
That's where the 'emergency dress fund' came in. Once a season & no more I can pull the emergency dress fund card & buy some ridiculous dress that I can't live without. Surprisingly I've only bought 3 so far. Even more surprisingly they have all become staples for days when I can't stand to wear pyjamas one second longer.

This dress is the 3rd 'emergency fund' dress I've gotten (1st & 2nd) & it may be my favourite. It's definitely the most obviously me. I mean all those pretty lilacs? I literally have a tattoo of lilacs! It's my favourite flower 100%. Plus there is all the lovely deep purple roses & the great blues...this print could have been made for me, it contains all my favourite colours. It's got that great timeless English rose floral print type look. I could have been wearing a dress with a print like this going back to the Georgian period. It probably wouldn't have been in purple but historical accuracy is not really the point, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been tattooed, in a wheelchair or showing all this much leg either. Little details.

So dress, it's a Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny Dress (capitalised with good reason, it's a title with heritage & dignity lol).
The dress cost $168 (you can see why it was an emergency fund dress...) & comes in XS-4XL. I am EXACTLY in between a 2XL & a 3XL in the Jenny Dress (the 2XL being a 36 inch waist & the 3XL being a 40 inch waist). The last jenny dress I got was in the 3XL....possibly a mistake. SUPER comfortable & great for casual wear without shape wear but it doesn't look quite right otherwise. I got this one in the 2XL, 100% by accident (I'm a 2XL in most Pinup Girl Clothing items so I didn't even think to check the size guide). I'm so pleased I did mess up though because this dress is exactly the right size, especially with a tightly laced corset (I get my corsets from Orchard Corsets & I wore a mesh one under this dress because it was the only one I had that I could zip my dress over...).

So, the jenny dress. I am a massive fan of the shape of the Jenny skirt; they are pretty much what converted me to the whole pin-up/vintage life. That should mean that I am an equally big fan of jenny dresses but I have to say I'm not 100% sold on them. They are lovely dresses, don't get me wrong, I just have a few quibbles.
My biggest quibble is the zip in the back, how the beep are people supposed to get dressed by themselves if they can't even reach the zip? It's weird, especially as hidden zips in the side are so common place now.

My next big quibble is the waist. I'm not a true hourglass anymore but I do have quite a small waist in proportion to everything else & I look best when my skirts sit on that waist (it's why I wear statement belts & cropped cardigans & big retro style skirts...it's kind of my signature look). The jenny dress has quite a long bodice, dropping a good inch & a half below my natural waist. It takes some creative accessorising to make my proportions look right, worth it but slightly annoying.
(My mum tried on the dress & the waist hits her perfectly, so I guess it's a body shape thing.)

My only other quibble is the price. Jenny dresses are pricey, depending on your budget I would say they can be worth it but they are decidedly not cheap, especially after postage to the UK.

On the other hand I am totally in love with this dress & have worn it 3 times already (which might not seem like a lot but I normally only wear non-pj clothes 3 times a month maximum, you can see how this is more than is normal for me). I would totally recommend it if you have a lot of weddings to go to this summer, or if you just really adore a good floral print. It's one of those dresses you have in your wardrobe that works for any occasion you know?

Plus I got loads of compliments on it when I was out taking pictures & I almost never do, at most one person will say something. This time I was complimented three times! It's just that kind of dress.

P.S. How nice are the snow drops? Snowdrops are one of my favourite spring flowers & it's so unusual to see more than one or two at a time!

P.P.S. Notes from my Mum. "The pockets are really handy and it looks good even on a fat old lady."

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Wheelchair Fashion: Rockabilly Cat Lady

Wheelchair Fashion: Rockabilly Cat Lady

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disability, fashion, lifestyle, ootd, plus size, retro, spring, vintage, Wheelchair, winter

I hope you don't mind but my cat kind of crashed the party a little for this ootd post. Of course you don't mind, she is totally adorable & cats do rule the internet after all. Of the many MANY things that prevented me from posting over January getting Renata (my cat) was one of them.
The last time I had a cat I was maybe 3? I don't remember her at all but I have been pestering my mum for a pet ever since I can remember. There were always so many good reasons why we couldn't get one that it didn't seem like it would ever be possible.... I guess I finally wore her down though because last month we went to the RSPCA & adopted Renata (formerly Lulu). She is a 9 year old former stray with a food allergy & the sweetest, most cuddly cat ever. She will literally snuggle up to anyone who has a lap spare & spends most of her day on the end of my footstool pushing me off 😊

I get the feeling I might be talking a little bit too much about a cat in what is supposed to be a wheelchair fashion post...that isn't even in a wheelchair. There are two very good reasons for that 1) it was -2°C & raining & 2) my chair is broken again. Also inside I can put my pjs back on as soon as I've finished. Which I did.

Not that I didn't like this outfit, super cute & really comfortable for being real people clothes, I especially like the jumper (collectif clothing £14.75 on sale, usually sizes 8-22). Now I usually don't pick things that aren't a deep scoop neck because I realised in high school that high necklines make me look like my boobs start at my chin & end at my waist (not a flattering look) & that I generally can't pull them off (otherwise I would have some of the miss fortune knitted tops). But 2016 was a year where I took a whole load of fashion risks, totally changing my style being one of them) & I'm trying to keep that doing in 2017 so I bought the top, it was on sale anyway so I wasn't loosing anything...I seriously love it. Cute top, cute print, flattering cut. Can be dressed down, can be dressed up. Light enough to layer but warm enough to wear on it's own. Would work in all seasons, especially spring/English summer though, you ever notice how nautical is in every year?

The skirt is also on sale btw, although I got it at full price. You know, usually I would regret that but I have gotten so much wear out of this already that I can't be mad about it you know? It's quite a long skirt, not really the length I would choose for wearing in my wheelchair usually, but it's not too long if you're not sitting down. The fabric is nice & heavy, it's cute with a petticoat & that sparkle is EVERYTHING! I don't particularly like the belt but that's a personal preference thing, not a problem with the belt.
Plus the zip is good, nice lining & the cut with the cool panelling....awesome.

The headband/scarf/whatever thing is also from collectif clothing. It's my first one, I've never had anything like it so I don't know how it stacks up to any others but it's nice & wide, long & very soft which makes it pretty multi-purpose. You can tie the bow any which way you like & I have to rate it just for that. It's a good introduction to the whole hair bow thing if nothing else.
I am totally hooked, I already ordered a whole bunch more on etsy.

So you don't think the whole look is from collectif clothing, the belt is from modcloth (too old for a link I'm afraid). I'm truly not sponsored by collectif clothing, their store is just in the UK & has a good range of well made clothing so when I am being brave I tend to pick them as I can always return something if I hate it. Only one return so far & it was my mistake not anything wrong with the item.

How was your January? Do you have any pets & any advice to a new pet servant owner?

P.S. I call this 'wheelchair fashion' because it is what I would have worn in my wheelchair if I'd been able to use it.

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Wheelchair Fashion: Lavender Vision

Wheelchair Fashion: Lavender Vision

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disability, fashion, ootd, plus size, retro, spring, summer, vintage, Wheelchair

I am ridiculously obsessed with lavender. Purple in general is pretty awesome but lavender is my favourite...hence this outfit. I started off with the shoes, they were so perfect I couldn't but get them.....and then I realised I had nothing to go with them. Since then I've gotten a lot of lavender pieces, the crowning glory of which is this Lavender Jenny Dress from Pin Up Girl Clothing.

I try not to buy dresses because, whilst they are beautiful & easy to wear, it's only really possible to wear them one way. Ideally I would have liked to get this as a skirt, it would have been a super cute skirt, but it's a pretty awesome dress.

I am in LOVE with the colour although it's more of a lilac than a lavender. I also love the skirt, it's got that great Jenny fullness & the quality of the fabric is again amazing.
I'm not sure about the bodice yet. It's comfortable but I'm not sure it's 100% flattering on my body. The first time I tried it on (without shape wear) the bodice made me look like I was straight up & down & kind of dumpy... I'm still working on how it works best on my body.

I hadn't really meant for this outfit to be so very lavender but this was the best cardigan I had available & I like it so much more than what I had planned.
Mostly what I had planned was leaving the house, I wasn't even planning to take outfit photos I just wanted out of the house & wanted to put this on (finally! it had been hanging in my wardrobe for too long!!!) I hate how the best outfit posts are the unplanned ones, it's so frustrating sometimes lol

In other news my Mum & I cut my hair. I normally get my hair cut at the hairdressers but recently it's been using WAY too much energy so I decided to have a go at doing it myself. My mum shaved the back & sides & I did as much of the rest that I could.
I'm calling the result okay but I recommend having thick hair, it masks a lot of the mistakes :) Hopefully we'll get better at it as we go on ^^

P.S. the necklace is from BooTeeq on Etsy. It's a super adorable spoon necklace, it's got a great vintage-y design. The shop is run by a fellow spoonie who is raising money for a much needed electric wheelchair!

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Wheelchair Fashion: Heat Wave Style

Wheelchair Fashion: Heat Wave Style

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disability, fashion, plus size, retro, spring, summer, vintage, Wheelchair

Gosh this weather is crazy. I mean it's lovely & everything but it's exhausting too. Weirdly though my pain is less & I have more energy. I'm going with it & am trying to make the most of it (mostly by playing Pokémon Go). So when my brother needed to go to a museum like an hour away for like 10 minutes research I decided to go with them. I mean I didn't just go to the museum, we also had lunch & went to one of my favourite places in the world (lavender world), but it's still not something I would normally even think about doing.

It's pretty unusual for me to pick bright colours. I'm pretty much a pastel/jewel toned kind of gal but the hot weather made me gravitate towards the brightest item in my wardrobe, this top. It's yet another peasant top by Pinup Girl Clothing but I really struggle for tops so when I find something I actually like I get it in every colour (or at least every colour I like...I'm totally fussy).
The hat is also from Pinup Girl Clothing, I have a straw boater I got from H&M ages ago which I love but is totally falling apart so I totally ordered this hat. It's got a much bigger brim & ribbons in the back...I'm not sure if I like it more than my old hat but it's pretty cute & much better colour.

I got the skirt from Modcloth so I have no idea who made it :( The skirt is nice, good pockets & everything but the zip is super cheap, it's a bit of a pain. Such a cute skirt though.

So guys how have you been spending the heat wave?

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Wheelchair Fashion: Victoriana Pin-up

Wheelchair Fashion: Victoriana Pin-up

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disability, fashion, ootd, plus size, retro, spring, summer, vintage, Wheelchair

Oh my gosh this outfit post was a pain in the ASS to get done! For some reason whatever I did 99% of the photos didn't work out. I tend to get about 200 photos per outfit & of those 10% are up to my standards (lighting, pose & my face tend to be the main issues) & then I narrow down from there. This time I took outfit photos on two separate days making nearly 600 photos total & I ended up with about 10 maybes.....
The behind the scenes of outfit photos is super glamorous lol

White dresses with a delicate blue floral print hold a special place in my heart owning to a book I read as a teenager (Magic Flutes by Eva Ibbotson). Ever since then I have always had at least one dress like this in my wardrobe so it's kind of unusual that I come across a white & blue print that is really exciting to me.
This skirt kind of blew me away though. The cut is an incredible A-line shape but like super full rather than boxy like I'm used to which was special in and of itself. The key thing though was the
pattern. It kind of reminds me of the kind of old school willow pattern china but like the really old school stuff before they were mass producing it. It's the more grown up sophisticated version of the endless blue & white dresses I have owned.

Technically this isn't a dress so I'm not really filling that empty spot in my wardrobe yet but I actually preferred the skirt to the dresses that came in this print (all on Collectif which is where the skirt is from) but it is more versatile in the skirt, even though it's the wrong blue & the wrong white to go with my pin up girl peasant tops (no-one else sees it but the microscopic shade difference bugs me ludicrous amounts).
This skirt feels to me more 40s or possibly 30s than my other vintage repro pieces although the print makes me think of Edwardian tea gowns hence it being Victoriana Pin-up...

Do you have any absolute wardrobe staples? Has your style ever been inspired by a book?

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Wheelchair Fashion: Summer Ice-Cream

Wheelchair Fashion: Summer Ice-Cream

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disability, fashion, ootd, plus size, retro, spring, summer, vintage

Wow, I've been AWOL for a while. Things went a little nutty there. I had a....dip I guess I'd call it? I hesitate to call it a flare because those are usually short & dramatic for me, followed by a few days/weeks of recovery. This felt almost like a natural progression & at several points in the last few weeks I was worried that that was what it was.
I was bedridden, completely, for a while & I kept drifting in & out of an almost delirious sleep. Focusing, even on eating & drinking was hard & even when stuff started to get easier I struggled with stuff that wasn't hard before. I'm still struggling with things like Instagram & blogging. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it again but I really miss staying in touch with my friends.

It was so glorious at the beginning of this I pushed myself to get out & take some outfit pictures. I was so scared that going out would instantly be too much (I'm sure you guys know the feeling) but guess I'd left it long enough & it was actually magical. I didn't do much obviously but just being out in the sunshine hearing the birds & feeling the breeze nearly made me cry, I'm a total wuss lol :)

I'm not really sure of words to say or things to put in this post. I feel like I owe you all a post with lots of information, interesting anecdotes or at least something more than "my top is from pin up girl clothing, my skirt is from lindy bop, my shoes are from B.A.I.T. footwear & my hat is old from H&M" but I'm not really sure what to add. I've been so out of it for so long & my foster brother is using so much brain space at the moment that I'm totally muddled.

It's stupid to think that 6/7 years ago I would have looked at what I am doing right now - sitting in pjs at 2 in the afternoon on a weekday desperately trying to write a blog post - as nothing. The me I was back then would probably have thought it was a waste of time & she definitely wouldn't have been happy knowing that at 23 she would still be living in her mum's house having achieved none of her goals.
The me I am now just feels unbelievably lucky to be able to sit up in clean pjs, having had a wash (including my hair!!!) & think clearly enough to write this. I feel so lucky that I was able to go out when it was sunny & that it hasn't put me back into bed.
I feel sad for the me I used to be sometimes, she had so much (her health & all that energy for one thing) & she was so busy getting ready for the future that she didn't really make the most of the time she had.

P.S. I know it sounds weird to think of myself as two separate people but I really have very little in common with the person I used to be. That person had the potential to be me but she was so busy worrying about where she was going that she forgot to enjoy the journey. Knowing that all I have is the journey I'm a much happier, more fun person.

How has everyone been? Did you get to enjoy the weather?

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Wheelchair Fashion: The Flower Queen's Daughter

Wheelchair Fashion: The Flower Queen's Daughter

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chronically ill, disability, fashion, lifestyle, M.E., ootd, plus size, retro, spring, summer, team princess, vintage, Wheelchair

Do you guys remember last year when I took part in the team princess M.E. awareness event organised by Queenie Sian? Well it's coming up to M.E. awareness month again & I'm taking part again.

The idea behind team princess is that we M.E. sufferers have a lot in common with the fairy tale princess, many of us are trapped in our castles, sleeping for a thousand years or 'just' cursed. There isn't a cure for M.E. or even a treatment but you can help with our isolation.

Like last year I'm not having a individual team princess fundraising page but the charity I am recommending is the Smile for M.E. charity who specialise in sending happy mail to M.E. sufferers, I can't even explain how much of a difference happy mail can make.
You could also donate to Gemma who is raising money for a wheelchair she desperately needs.

On to the look. So I had this crazy idea that it would be super cute to name all my Team Princess looks after fairy tale princesses & not just the Disney ones but cool, lesser known fairy tale princesses. After a lot more reading than I really had the energy for (fairy tales are really interesting, particularly the Eastern European & Scandinavian ones) I realised that fairy tale princesses are mostly pretty lame, they barely do anything in the stories! However I did find the story of the Flower Queen's Daughter which I thought totally fit with this look. There is a bit of a Persephone thing going on at the end of this story, like the Flower Queen's Daughter brings Summer with her or something & in this dress I literally feel like I am wearing Summer. If I looked behind me & there were flowers growing in my tire tracks I wouldn't even be surprised.



So the dress was my reward to myself for coping with some pretty shitty body & life stuff & I am so in love with it. I was kind of convinced that it would be something I wore maybe once (the pattern is kind of out there for me) but I have already worn it 3 times & I've only had it a few weeks! I've even worn it when I wasn't leaving the house & I usually just stay in pjs so I'm not wasting energy.

If you are wondering where to get it, this is the Bernie Dexter Paris Dress is Serenity Walk & you can get it from either the brand's website or Unique Vintage (where I got it). I got it in the largest size just so I was certain it would fit & I would actually say it was a tiny bit large on me (only just) despite having a waist of 41 inches & my waist being that & bigger depending on the day. It makes it super comfortable so I guess it depends on how you want it to fit.

The skirt is slightly shorter than my other vintage inspired pieces hence my petticoat showing at the bottom (& at the side apparently, I wish I'd noticed that when we were taking photos!). I actually love being able to show off the bottom of my petticoat, this malco modes petticoat has the most amazing detailed edge & I never thought I'd get to show it off ^^

The straps on this dress are wide enough to cover bra straps if you want to wear it without a cardigan. I choose not to because my I'm pretty sure my arms are pale enough to glitter in the sunlight...plus it is Yorkshire & it rarely gets warm enough to go without sleeves of some kind :)



I could write an essay about why I love this dress, seriously there are so many amazing things about it, there are pockets, the details are so pretty, it's is so comfortable & I feel like a ray of sunshine in it. The ONLY thing I don't like is the zip is in the back but you can't have everything lol. (Did I just spend a whole blog post talking about a dress? I'm super weird lol)

What is your favourite fairy tale, Disney or story book princess?
I'm not much of one for princess stories, my favourite fairy tale princes was the one in East of the Sun, West of the Moon, my favourite Disney princes is Princess Dot in A Bug's Life & my favourite story book princess is Princess Meryl in the Two Princesses of Barmarre by Gail Carson Levine.
(My taste in princesses may be a little unconventional).

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Wheelchair Fashion: Mint Leaves

Wheelchair Fashion: Mint Leaves

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disability, fashion, lifestyle, retro, spring, summer, vintage, Wheelchair

Hello everyone. I've had the worst cold for the past few weeks, if a hideous cough, tonsillitis, an ear infection, a fever & extra fatigue count as a cold. Worse still my Mum (who is my primary carer) also caught it so we've had an incredibly dull & tiring few weeks...

These pictures were taken probably two days before the cold started when we managed to have a day out at Harlow Carr Gardens in Harrogate. It was seriously windy & generally not very nice weather but in the green house it was actually quite lovely, warm & full of spring flowers.

This outfit was almost an accident. I had planned the pinup girl clothing skirt & top combo but the best part of this outfit, the thing that makes the whole thing work as an outfit, is the mint cardigan & that was a last minute addition because the day was so miserable & cold. I swear all my best outfits are accidental.

As I said before the top & skirt are from pinup girl clothing - the Doris top in white & the Jenny skirt in Leaves Print.
The cardigan is an old one from Next, the belt is old from French Connection & the shoes are from B.A.I.T.

I'm not one to favour practically over fashion (pretty much ever) so I am ADORING retro/vintage/pin up fashion & the full skirts, petticoats & corsetting that comes along with the style. Well my corsets haven't arrived yet so I may hate them but I loved corsets when I was an emo/goth wannabe in my teenage years so I'm looking forward to getting back to wearing them for real this time (with tight laceing & waist training if my body is willing to cope).

Does your style lean more to the practical or the pretty? I'm seriously useless for practicality, I used to wear dresses & ballet pumps to powerchair football, I even once wore heels lol

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Wheelchair Fashion: Spring Tartan

Wheelchair Fashion: Spring Tartan

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chronically ill, disability, fashion, ootd, plus size, retro, spring, vintage, Wheelchair

Hi. If I'd realised this was going to end up being my April Fool's Day ootd post I'd have come up with something a little more interesting. I don't know though, April Fool's Day seems to be about right for the outfit photos I took whilst freezing, sinking into the mud & showing too much side boob.

Before I forget, I totally recommend  this amazing blog post (translated link) by Jacqueline on what style of dresses work best for her in her wheelchair. I would have loved to have found a post like this when I first started using a wheelchair, it seriously would have helped me avoid so many fashion mistakes :)

This outfit is another vintage inspired look (like all of mine at the moment) & I think the first time I've blogged an outfit wearing a full 50's style petticoat.

The top is a peasant blouse from Pinup Girl Clothing & it could not be more different from the peasant tops of my tween years! For a start this one is tailored to with in an inch of it's life, offering shape & structure. I think I got mine in a size too big as I have a tendency to...'spill out' of the looser, top part.....all in all though I love it. My only gripe is that the zip is in the back which can make it difficult to sort, I need help getting dressed so it wasn't any more awkward for me than anything else is (especially not more awkward than tights) but I know I would have struggled with it in years gone by.

The skirt is from Vivienne of Holloway & it's their standard circle skirt. I find it to be very comfortable despite (in theory) being about 2 sizes too small for my seated shape, although it is a little long for me in the wheelchair, hitting near my ankles without a petticoat. I think I'm going to end up getting it shortened by at least an inch, although stood up it is a much better length.

The petticoat is from Malco Modes (bought from Deadly is the Female) & insanely soft & really REALLY full although I understand that you can get fuller ones (!?!). I have the peggy? in white & it's weirdly not that impractical in an electric wheelchair (I would not recommend a petticoated skirt to a manual wheelchair user, I'm not sure it would be safe). I have to swing the skirt like a bell before I sit down so that the fluffiest part is not underneath or behind me when I sit down but it's not that much more difficult than sitting down in a large skirt without a petticoat & I really like the way it keeps the skirts looking the way they were supposed to look.

I really like this vintage-y style look & the way it helps me maintain the illusion of an hourglass silhouette so I am willing to put up with the compromises I have to make to get that (i.e. trying to transfer to the car in a petticoat, in the rain) but this would also have looked cute with no petticoat & a skirt 5 inches shorter...

The top really is awesome though, I totally recommend it.

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Wheelchair Fashion: Spring Breakthrough

Wheelchair Fashion: Spring Breakthrough

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disability, drag race, fashion, ootd, plus size, retro, spring, vintage, Wheelchair, winter

A few things happened this week that made me think about who I am as a blogger. Firstly Rachel of Happy Little Syllables listed me as one of her 5 favourite spoonie bloggers, and honestly I think my heart sunk a little bit. That is utter craziness, it is amazing to be recognised for my blogging, I was totally honoured & I still am but it kind of made me feel the way you do when you get praised for a piece of work you don't feel happy with. There was an essay I did in high school when I was trying to get through my A-Levels after I had developed M.E. (which I swear to goodness I could have done if they had just given me text books, coursework & left me too it rather than insisting I went to class & did exams) which I was not happy with. I used to be really good at essays but I just couldn't get this history essay to flow the way I wanted it to & I HATED my teacher & wanted to show him that I was still just fierce as I had always been. Eventually I ran out of spoons & had to hand it in as it was. I got an A for that essay & to this day that makes me want to scream & being one of Rachel's top 5 bloggers felt like that.

The second thing that happened was Season 8 of Drag Race. Now I don't know how many of you have been able to watch it so I am not going to give any spoilers but WOW! Drag Race is kind of my therapy, I love the idea of "we are all born naked and the rest is drag" and I really try to live that but drag is more than clothes, it's a persona, it's an energy & an openness... Season 7 was full of queens who were serving the drag race visual (some of them better than pretty much any other queen ever has) but there has to be more than that to make someone a drag QUEEN you know? When I'm watching season 8 & I'm seeing queens like Kim Chi, who are just as visual, you start to realise that you have to have the whole package.... I'm rambling massively, I'm trying to take you through my thought process I guess.
There is this one queen, Kim Chi, who is struggling to own her body & that's impacting on her drag & that, whilst I've learnt to own my body, I'm struggling to own my brain & that's been impacting on my blog. I've been focusing so much on my photography & how my looks because I hate what the M.E. has done to my brain & I'm scared that I can't match up to who I once was.

Fashionable & confident in front of a camera is someone who I have become so I don't have anything pre-M.E. that that person has to live up to. Seriously the girl I was in high school would have killed to be so happy in her skin & so confident in her style, even if that meant she had to use a wheelchair.

The person I am now though remembers the brain I used to be & I mourn her. I feel incredibly vulnerable trying to do anything verbal, or academic because it is so difficult for me now & more than anything else that reminds me how much I've lost. When I first started having problems with thinking & logic I could honest to goodness feel the spaces in my brain I had to think around to do things. My brain must be like a gosh damn assault course for thoughts at this point because it gets harder & harder all the time.

But that's not a reason not to try. If Kim Chi could turn out a dance challenge I can turn this out. So from now on I will try harder to be more than just a blog full of pretty pictures, I will try to be more open & chatty & I hope you will cope with any incoherency my I end up typing.

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Wheelchair Fashion: Spring Colours

Wheelchair Fashion: Spring Colours

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chronically ill, disability, fashion, lifestyle, ootd, plus size, retro, spring, vintage, Wheelchair

This is not going to be the most coherent post ever but honestly I needed something to distract myself with & I really wanted to share these photos.

Things are high drama at home atm & I'm not able to escape from the stress or get as much rest as I need so my energy levels are rock bottom low & my pain levels are sky high but I managed to get out to take outfit photos in one of my better moments earlier in the week.

I had this crazy idea of maybe entering Miss Pin Up UK & I was convinced I would need new outfit photos to do that....I'm pretty sure that's not something I'm not going to do (I'm not I've got the energy to do it) but these photos are still pretty cool.

The skirt is from Lindy Bop, the top is from Pin Up Girl Clothing (totally worth every penny), the shoes are from B.A.I.T. footwear and the belt is from Hell Bunny.

Anyway, I hope you like these pictures :)

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