Happy Thursday everyone, I hope you are all having a fantastic week and yeah the weekend is almost here! I can’t believe it is December 1st today. Stay tuned to the blog because there is going to be a lot going on this month!
We are going to kick things off with the feature of a new brand that I have recently discovered – JD Williams USA. JD Williams is a well known UK brand and the sister company of Simply Be. And like Simply Be, they thought it was time to take the “jump across the pond” and offer their fabulous collection of British and European styles to North America.
And as a woman who is always on the look out for more brands that carry up to a size 28, I was pretty excited to hear this. JD Williams offers American sizes 8 to 28 which is a pretty inclusive range. In addition, they are very much a one stop shop that offers not only a full range of clothing options including coats and jackets, sleepwear and activewear but also a great selection of intimates, shoes and accessories.
You should keep in mind that they are very much like a market place. That means they carry different brands as well as their own house brand. Therefore, everything on their site is not necessarily available in the full size range, it will often depend on the particular brand you are looking at. But I did a thorough review of their website and there of plenty of options available in a size 26/28.
With holiday party season in full swing now I decided to put this first dress to the test. I have always loved the designs of Joe Browns so I was thrilled to finally try something from this brand. The designs are a very eclectic mix of feminine and bohemian pieces that have very bold patterns, colours and ornate details which is totally my style. They are certainly not for someone who doesn’t like to stand out from the crowd.
I am wearing the “Fabulously Flocked Dress” in this absolutely gorgeous shade of royal blue. The colour on this dress is absolutely fantastic but it does have more of a purple undertone than what I thought based on the picture on the website. I loved the classic bodycon shape and figured if I was going to put the fit of a new brand to the test, a bodycon was the perfect way to go for my pear shaped figure. I am wearing the size 28 and the fit is amazing.
There are just so many details that I love about this dress – it is made of a heavy weight scuba fabric which gives you a good foundation and isn’t clingy, you could totally go without shape wear if you wanted to. The overlay of black patterned velvet is gorgeous and adds a level of texture and interest to the dress.
And the classic sweet heart neckline is my fave. I also love that they chose to make the straps thick so that I could easily wear a regular bra and not worry about it showing. I also am a fan of the length, at 43 inches, it hits me just below the knee.
This dress is only $82.50 US which I think is very reasonable for a high quality cocktail dress. My only complaint I had was that not all the items available on the website have a picture of a model wearing them. So while I may not be the same size as a size 14 model, it would still be more helpful then just a still shot of the garment.
So given my love of accessories and in particular Simply Be shoes, I definitely had to give their collection a try. And I have to say I was not disappointed. I was thoroughly impressed with the sheer number of different shoe styles that they carry but also the fact that for the most part they are all available in wide and extra wide widths.
I chose these cute patent leather sling backs that are a Mary Jane style from Heavenly Soles. These shoes are super comfortable and with a block heel that is only 2 1/2 inches they were the perfect amount of height but with great support. I am wearing the size 8 EEE and this is the size I would normally order from this brand. I love that the strap is adjustable with a Velcro closure as it makes them easy to get on and off too. And the price point at $40.99 US is also a plus. They also come in nude, navy and red.
I wanted to keep my accessories to black and metallic to let the blue of the dress stand on its own so I then chose this simple black clutch with a cute bow detail. It was so convenient to be able to pick it out with the dress. And the suede fabric is very on trend this Fall.
Finally I added this statement necklace from Lane Bryant in mixed metallics, a black cocktail ring also from Lane Bryant, some older black bangles that I had in my collection and this gorgeous statement bracelet from Johanna Hope for JD Williams.
I have to admit that I was never one to mix metallics for a very long time but I realized once I started trying it how much I loved it. And can we talk about how amazing these 3 bracelets look together? In the end it looked like they were meant to be together as one set. I absolutely love the large rhinestone details on this JD Williams piece, it definitely provided some added drama.
I love a good cocktail dress because it is versatile and so easy to put on and immediately look polished and ready to go. I definitely plan on wearing this one for date night. Tell me – where would you rock this dress?
This post was sponsored by JD Williams USA but all opinions expressed are my own.
Thanks to Stef of Stefanie Augusteijn Photography for taking these beautiful photos.
Dress by JD WILLIAMS USA | Shoes by JD WILLIAMS USA | Clutch by JD WILLIAMS USA | Bracelet by JD WILLIAMS USA | Necklace by LANE BRYANT |
