Since the 2015 launch thousands of women from all over the World have descended to The Curve Fashion Festival for a full day of shopping, catwalks, celebrity talks and much more. 2018 was my first year modelling at the event and I was delighted to be asked back to walk in the catwalk shows and represent curvy women over 40. 2019's event was sponsored by SimplyBe so you just knew it was going to be a good one.
The amount of preparation that goes in to these events is immense and I take my hat off to the organisers and all those involved behind the scenes because its huge task to be ready on the day.
Serena Arthur MUA did an amazing job of my make up. It's all in the eyes.
There is no guarantee when you're modelling that you will actually like the clothes but you know the stylists and photographers will make them look good on you. However I was obsessed with the suits that SimplyBe chose for me to walk in. I am a huge fan of a trouser suit as they are so versatile to dress up or down. This Black velour Silver gem suit will now be popping up at lots of my Christmas nights out and its so comfy too. The jacket is £55 and trousers £35.
Walking in the Black appaloosa spot print collar front wrap dress from the Blue Vanilla Curve range. £22.
I am a huge fan of Hayley Hasselhoff and am constantly inspired by her body and style confidence so it was a pleasure to have a quick chat behind the scenes after her stage event. I've also fallen in love with this suit, SimplyBe have got it so right this season.
There was a good selection of stalls to cater for everyones tastes including Matalan Papaya curve range where Felicity Hayward could be found showcasing the collection and taking time to chat with everyone. The open plan of the Exhibition centre really gave the festival a more inclusive and welcoming feel and I hope it comes back there again in 2020.
This year saw more diversity than ever before, including a gorgeous model in a wheel chair and men on the catwalk. If you haven't heard of American body positive fashion blogger and model Kelvin Davis, Notoriously Dapper then I strongly recommend you look him up. His confidence is infectious and as for his smile, it speaks volumes. It's such a refreshing change for a man to be able to speak up about body confidence and he does it so well. A real inspiration.
I take any opportunity I can to be able to model lingerie and represent women over 40. If we all saw more diversity and older women in the industry I think we would all be less critical of our own bodies and learnt to accept ourselves just as we are, flaws and all. Elomi lingerie fit my 34FF was the perfect fit. Why are we all so hung up on size labels? So many question that I don’t look a size 14-16, why do we have a preconceived image of what a size looks like and want to judge people by it. We are all beautifully different in our body shapes and a size label doesn’t alter that. I am fully aware that I am one of the smaller sized models at this event but it doesn't make me less able to represent my size group and I certainly don't make the fashion industry size label rules. I salute the other models that are larger sized than I am, beautifully confident and I can also appreciate how much more difficult it is for them to find good brands that include them in the fashion industry which is why the Curve Fashion festival is so important.
My excitement was real when I saw my second SimplyBe outfit. This silver glitter lurex tuxedo blazer and trouser suit fit perfectly. Blazer £60 and Trousers £45. I was over the moon to be gifted both my outfits at the end of the show. I might even wear this to a Black tie event on New Years Eve, watch this space!
What I would say to anyone who is thinking of going to this event next year but is worried about going alone is just do it. You will be welcomed with open arms, it's such a friendly and inclusive day for everyone involved and social media leading up to the event is a great place to shout out and make new friends before you arrive. Here's to 2020!
