Yesterday I spent a lovely afternoon at my local Taking Shape store in Leicester. Taking Shape is a relatively new brand to the UK having started out in Australia and although I've had a look on their website a few times I've never took the plunge to buy anything so I was really excited when I was asked if I wanted to visit the store to check it out! On to a train I hopped and after a short walk I arrived at the lovely shop...
When I say lovely shop, I really mean it. It's big and bright and airy and I was so happy to see such an amazing array of colours before my eyes! I was also very happy that they had air con, because boy was it toasty out yesterday! I was met by the lovely team and was shown into a changing room where one of the stylists Liz (I do hope I have that name right, I'm awful with names!!!) had picked out some pieces that she thought I'd love - and was right! She was so helpful and friendly and helped me throughout the visit, such a nice lady!
As I was trying on I got speaking to quite a few of the other ladies in the changing rooms and they all told me how much the loved the store, the clothes and especially the lovely staff and the brilliant style advice they gave. One lady told me she had visited the Nottingham store too but thought the Leicester ladies were better with their advice - go girls! All the staff seemed to have really good knowledge of all the pieces in store and the different brands available at Taking Shape and knew most of the customers by name which was lovely. All the customers I met had come in on an off chance and fallen in love with the pieces and the staff and had become regulars which stands to show how great of a shop it is!
Another great service available at Taking Shape stores is a free personal styling experience which I think is a fabulous idea and so useful for large ladies who are unsure what shapes and styles would work best for them. There are lots of difference session available such as Find Your Shape, Travel In Style, The New You, Wardrobe Revival and you can even book a birthday styling experience or have a Style Party with a group of friends!
Now onto the lovely pieces I tried on...
The first piece that had been picked out for me was this super feminine little number. The colours were spot on for my skin tone and hair colour and I loved the fullness of the skirt, it was a nice heavyweight fabric too which meant despite it being stretchy fabric it hung really well and skimmed over my lumps and bumps. This would be the kind of dress that would be perfect for me to wear at a vintage fair as it was so comfortable and had that vintage feel with the cut and the print.
Second up was the fab monochrome number which featured some really clever panelling which had been edged in black making it stand out, a detail that I really liked along with the exposed zip to the back. I was surprised by how much I liked the square neckline with the non stretch fabric - if only my boobs were a bit bigger and the fit on that area would have been perfect but as mine are a little small compared to most other ladies of my size there was a little gaping, but nothing a few simple darts couldn't have fixed!
Now this dress was a mega bargain at only £35 in the sale and was so beautiful. The deep, rich purple was fantastic and the black lace overlay to the bust was gorgeous. The smart shape of the skirt meant you had a nicely fitted upper and flared bottom which was very flattering. I was given this very pretty sheer over jacket to try on over the top which was also so so flattering to my figure, hugging under my bust and defining my waist and again hanging beautifully. The laser cut out detail to the bottom was great too making it a little more contemporary.
This dress was fabulous for my pear shape as the stretchy t shirt like upper was fitted to my bust while the flared skirt emphasised my waist and fell beautifully hiding my tummy. What is immediately evident is that a great deal of thought has gone into the design of everything at Taking Shape, I was really pleased to notice that they add a little extra length to the back of their dresses so you have a constant length all the way round - if you're anything like me your bum can make the back of dresses ride up higher which can be very frustrating! They also don't skimp on fabric - the skirts are so full and fabulous!
This maxi dress was fabulous and the flowers were really neon in person with pretty sequin details. The heavy beading to the neckline was great too but sadly it was a smidge too short for me - I'm just under 5' 8'' so find this quite often.
Unsurprisingly this dress was one of my favourite things, solely because of the amazing print and lilacy colour scheme! I actually ended up taking this number home with me I loved it so much and know I'll get a lot of wear out of it at work. The photo realistic flowers are beautifully coloured and placed and it kind of looks like two dresses depending which side you look at because the shades change from the lilacy blue to paler pinks and yellow - just wonderful! The wrap was really cleverly designed as an overlay that was a little oversized so it hung in a really great way ending on the waistline.
Unfortunately the black dress above was only available in a size smaller than I usually take but I tried it on anyway and it did fit, it was just more figure hugging. It was a lovely damask style print with lace and chiffony overlays, really unusual and a bit gothic glamour!
Now, my favourite piece of the day and another thing which came home with me was this amazing bed jacket made from a stunning printed satin. This was another mega bargain, originally priced at £95 and down to £25 in the sale. It's a long time since I tried something on and loved it as much as this, Liz thought it was quite funny how taken I was with it! Seriously though, look how it hangs and how the tie emphasises my waist - I can imagine Marilyn swooshing around her home in something like this. I am genuinely in love!
Taking Shape sell a great little selection of gift ware too including candles and infusers, hand creams, soaps and little home accessories. I couldn't resist this super fun sleep mask and this pomegranate candle with moulded orchid lid smells divine, at only £5 it was a steal and the mask was only £3 too!
If you have a store near you I highly recommend you head in for a trying on session some time, a lot of the pieces I tried looked a little meh or old fashioned on the hangers but when put on looked amazing and I can't exaggerate the great quality of everything. Give it a go!