BOOB SCHOOL

I have already professed my love for Bravissimo so when I was invited to their Boob School I was beyond excited. I loved school – folders, fountain pens and coursework – so settling down to learn about boobs for a morning was something I eagerly anticipated. Off I toddled to the Bravissimo flagship near Oxford Circus, London.

Boob School was hosted by a number of Bravissimo’s head honchos and boy do they know their stuff. Bravissimo surveyed 1000 women and came up with some staggering statistics:  

Only 1 in 5 women are extremely confident they are wearing the correct bra size yet 24% of women have never had a bra fitting and 21% of women haven’t been for a fitting for at least 4 years.

Time to look after your girls, ladies! 

I was chatting to Holly from Pepperberry (previously of Bravissimo) and she made a really good point – the fit of the bra depends on the make, the shape, the type. Much like I am a size 8 in M&S and a size 12 in Miss Selfridge, the size of your bra will fit differently depending on which brand you have purchased it from, much like clothes do when purchased from different retailers.

It’s funny how often we refresh our wardrobes and yet neglect what’s going on under our clothes.  Many women are on the holy grail of that last 7lbs and swear they will go for a fitting once the weight is off. The simply magical thing about a correctly fitting bra is that it can drop a dress size for you. I know! How awesome! Forget slaving away at the gym and counting calories – get a bra which fits and let that properly fitted back strap and seamless cups do all the hard work!

To spur you into action here are some pictures of some little known celebs who clearly should have enrolled in Boob School. Or just should’ve stayed indoors.

Meeting Betty Pamper (check her blog out here) and Elena of The Frivolous Mrs D fame (check her blog out here) was also a high point of the day! Those girls rock old school vintage glamour like never before.

Check back for another post about my bra fitting experience with Bravissimo and the fab bra I took home.

International Women's Day

Why celebrate International Women’s Day? I bet lots of people think ‘what’s the point?’ Well, for me it’s a matter of equality. Not all women are paid equally to their male counterparts for starters. It's 2013 for crying out loud! Watch this video starring Daniel Craig for a snapshot of some other pertinent figures:

Just over 100 years ago we didn't even have the vote and the leaps and bounds taken since then have been astounding. International Women’s Day used to be more about what was lacking, what was missing, what was wrong but hang on, lets not get down in the doldrums. What has been achieved is remarkable: there are more women than ever in boardrooms and top jobs, such as Katie Bickerstaffe CEO of Dixons Retail UK and Lea Paterson, Bank of England division head.

This time last year I was practising my moaning in preparation for an appearance in The Vagina Monologues. This is a picture of the cast on the night – me complete with ‘man legs’ in training for the Manchester Marathon:

This year I am speaking at an intimate event for women in Huddersfield and I will be focusing celebration of the self. Celebrating the brains, beauty, talent, compassion, skill and kindness of women who come last on the list of their priorities and rarely take the time to realise just how wonderful they really are. 

Fashion ComPassion

Back in the noughties Elle dedicated an issue to ethical and sustainable fashion. Bland, dull, meh it was as if all colour has drained from the pages. I think there was 1 bag I half contemplated buying. It wasn't that this side of the fashion industry had a bad rep – it was just not cool. Fast forward a few years and things are wildly different. With the curse of Fast Fashion quickly filling up landfill quicker than you can say “It was only £2.99 from Primark” more and more people are taking note of where and how their fashion is made and how they consume it. Just look at Livia Firth and her upcycled red carpet dresses for her Green Carpet Challenge, not to mention Lily Cole, Eva Longoria, Anne Hathaway all taking the upcycled plunge. 

Even Bradley Cooper took up the challenge wearing a Tom Ford tuxedo made from ethical wool at the Golden Globes this January. (Queue picture of Bradley…)

So when the invite to the FashionComPassion event dropped into my inbox it actually sounded like something I wanted to go to: clothes, art and vodka (ok, I know I don’t drink but I think I would have had a snifter – it’s made from Quinoa for Pete’s sake!)

So who are they? Fashion ComPassion is a UK-based socially responsible fashion retailer and Debut Contemporary is a renowned art gallery. The showcase will feature socially responsible fashion brands from war torn and under privileged communities together with stunning pieces created by emerging artists from Debut Contemporary. Get your monthly dose of culture washed down with fashion and check them out here on the 20th Feb:

www.fashioncompassion.co.uk