Hot off the Press - Goodie Bag Winner

Thank you for all the Christmas wishes you sent through this year's last Goodie Bag contest!

DLB be is going for a little Christmas break now, but worry not, we will return next year with renewed energy and lots of new ideas, I hope. I wish you all a gloriously glittery Christmas!



As always, the winner of this week's Goodie Bag was drawn randomly, and this time lady luck smiled on cubicalgirl! Congratulations! :) (p.s. Can you please email me your address so I can post your goodies to you.)

Psst... Fashion World end of season sale

Bag a bargain at the Massive End of Season Sale at Fashion World, now on. The are discounts of up to 60% to be had.

Psst... dp winter sale

The Dorothy Perkins winter sale kicked off today with up to 50% off everything. And if you order before midday today you can still get your stuff for Christmas!

Psst... 70% off shoes and boots at ASOS

There's still time for some last minute xmas shopping. Get 70% off selected shoes and boots at ASOS. For example, these leather gladiator sandals are now £24.

Look Book - Little black dresses

Look Book feature is the backbone of DIVA Look Book. It's where I pull together workable looks for different occasions from clothes that can be found in most plus sizes. There's no excuse for every girl not to look, and feel, fabulous!



Christmas, and pyjama time, is almost here! But there is still time to pack in some Christmas parties and other opportunities to glam it up in the hopes of brightening the dark nights. Here's a selection of six of the hardest working little black dresses on the high street. Any of these beauties would be an investment that will see you through plenty of 'I've got nothing to wear' panics.

1 - Metallic lace dress from Anna Scholz.
2 - Purple drape front dress from Dorothy Perkins.
3 - Knot front brooch dress from Evans.
4 - Izzy sequin dress from Monsoon.
5 - Black V back & front dress from Yours.
6 - Black ruched jersey dress from Next.

Psst... H&M sale starts tomorrow

The H&M sale starts in stores tomorrow, with up to 70% off selected lines. Bargains to be had include:
Ladies knitwear from £5
Jackets from £15
Underwear from £3

Visit www.hm.com for store locator

Goodie Bag - Christmas wishes

The Goodie Bag feature is where I host little contests and promotions, which give you a chance to bag yourself something nice and add some cheer to your day.



In this week's Goodie Bag are:

• Thorntons orange & cardamom chocolate
  
• The cutest notebook for your shopping list, plus a matching pen
  
• Funky cherry necklace from Punky Pins
  

Good morning and happy Monday to all of you!

This week's Goodie Bag will be the last one this year. DLB is going for a well-deserved Christmas break at the end of this week, after the winner has been announced. And because I'm already well and truly in the Christmas spirit, there's no difficult questions to answer this time. Just use this opportunity to wish whom ever you like a Happy Christmas!

To be in for a chance to win this Goodie Bag, comment on this entry with Christmas wishes to whom ever you want to send them to. As a bonus, if you link back to this entry, you will be entered into the draw twice.

This contest closes on Friday 19th December at 5pm GMT. I'll draw the winner later on Friday night, and will aim to announce it by Saturday.

PSST... 20% off a New Look

Take time out from buying other people Christmas presents and treat yourself with 20% off all purchases at New Look! To collect your discount, print out the voucher and use it in store before 20 December!

Psst... 65% off lingerie

Get 65% off all orders placed before midnight tonight at Brastop with free UK delivery! Just enter the code CRUNCH at checkout.

Psst... 20% off at Bombay Duck

If you still haven't finished your Christmas shopping, now's your chance to load up on some of the cutest stocking fillers around, at discount prices. Bombay Duck is offering two days of crazy savings, during which you'll get 20% off all of their lovely items. Just use discount code XM08E at checkout. Offer ends midnight 12 December.

Psst... £10 gift card from H&M

From today until Sunday 14th December 2008, you will get a £10 gift card when you spend £50 & over at any H&M store. Sounds like a great excuse to hit the high street!

Psst... Win a coat from Dorothy Perkins

Dorothy Perkins is giving away 50 of these cute pink military coats. It's a great example of the masculine/feminine trend and comes with a cosy funnel neck and a belt to cinch in your waist, giving you an hourglass silhouette even with your coat on! If you'd like one, enter your details here.

DIVA of the Week - Coco

DIVA of the week is a feature that showcases people with an inspirational personal style. DIVA of the week is someone who's not afraid to have fun with clothes and who dresses to please herself, and in doing so, brightens up everyone else's day.



Coco 35
Vancouver, Canada

How would you describe your personal style?
My style is fairly eclectic, but I would say that I put a lot of emphasis on vintage from the 70s and 80s, classic rock and roll comfort, and a healthy amount of experimentation with shapes, proportions, patterns and colours. Joan Jett, Ann Wilson, and Stevie Nicks and my friend Tina are all personal style icons of mine, as are 80s metal music video girls, crazy, bold fashion insiders like Anna Piaggi and Vivienne Westwood, Victorian Goth, Riot Grrl and post WWII swing era. I like being feminine, but I always make sure to toughen it up with some kind of rock and roll edge. I like metal shirts with 70s a-line skirts, flowy dresses with gobs of cheap gold necklaces and tight jeans with tall boots and leather jackets. I also like my outfits to be somewhat comic bookish, so I make sure to add bright, sometimes conflicting colours like electric blue or primary yellow to up the humor and fun. Mostly I feel like I am finally getting to interpret the style that was in when I was in grade school, but was too young to actually wear.

What are you wearing today?
I'm wearing a vintage dress with a Japanese crane motif on the skirt that I found on ebay. I'm accessorizing with green tights from UK tights.com, a wide belt from curvygirlclothing on ebay, a tiny leather jacket from a friend's vintage shop - almost identical to the one I had at age 14 - and tall, chocolate brown Pirate boots from the 80s that I also found on ebay. The red 80s bag is thrifted and the gorgeous fuschia Pashmina was a gift from my boyfriend.

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If you want to be featured as DIVA of the Week, send a good quality photograph, preferably taken outside, and answers to the questions: 'Name/Age/Location', 'How would you describe your personal style?', and 'What are you wearing today (in the picture)?' to diva [at] divalookbook.com.

Hot off the Press - Goodie Bag Winner

In the middle of celebrating the Finnish Independence day I suddenly remembered I hadn't announced the winner of this week's Goodie Bag contest yet! So this is going to be a very brief announcement!

It was tricky drawing the winner this time as it seems quite a few people hadn't really read the question properly. :D What I was after, was actual links to inspiring websites. In the end I decided to draw the prize between just the people who had actually gone to the trouble and provided links instead of generic 'blogs' or 'magazines' answers! Sorry to those who missed out, but I did try to clarify the question in the comments box as well.

As always, the winner of this week's Goodie Bag was drawn randomly, and this time lady luck smiled on Low Cost High Style! Congratulations! :) (p.s. Can you please email me your address so I can post your goodies to you.)

Psst... 20% off at Evans

Get 20% off everything at Evans when you buy online at evans.co.uk. Offer ends Sunday 7 December.

Hot off the Press - Twilight Fever

With the movie adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight making huge waves in cinemas across the world, and with Robert Pattinson fever taking hold of more and more ladies out there, you can now show your support and dress like a true fan with the new Twilight collection at Torrid.

Psst... 30% off at Monsoon

Get 30% off everything at Monsoon. Just print off this voucher to use in store, or buy online and enter the code mon30 at checkout. Promotion ends Sunday 7 December.

Unique treasures - Retro crunch

Unique Treasures is a feature that showcases unique hidden gems and celebrates all things hand-made. It's where I'll try to bring you everything from the most beautiful vintage clothes to hand-crafted accessories and custom-made dresses from places like Etsy and eBay.



While the credit crunch continues to bite, it's becoming more and more desirable to invest in good quality handmade items, and vintage clothes, which give you a unique look and don't break the bank either. With this look I was going for retro, but fresh student look, the perfect weekend antidote for serious weekday work clobber.

• White Congratulations it's a recession T-shirt from Isotope.
• Dusty blue wide brim beanie hat from Savannah Lane Designs.
• Indigo South stretch flared jeans from eBay.
• Teal 80's vintage suede converse tennis shoes from eBay.
• Turquoise messenger bag from ALEX - Original Handbags.
• Silver and bronze ceramic pendant from Fired Rocks.

Psst... 20% off everything at dp

Get 20% off everything at the Dorothy Perkins Christmas Event, in stores Thursday 4 and Friday 5 December, and online from today until Friday 5 December.

DIVA of the Week - Fig

DIVA of the week is a feature that showcases people with an inspirational personal style. DIVA of the week is someone who's not afraid to have fun with clothes and who dresses to please herself, and in doing so, brightens up everyone else's day.



Fig 49
London

How would you describe your personal style?
Colourful, dramatic, eclectic, playful and comfortable. I love feminine dresses with a vintage vibe; big, loud, obnoxious prints; brogues and ballet flats; floaty chiffon teamed with denim; coloured tights; bangles, baubles and big shiny beads. I also think the shrug is quite possibly the greatest invention of the 21st Century. While I’m passionate about clothes, I’m more ambivalent about fashion. Being plus-sized in the UK makes one something of a fashion outlaw by default. In order to find your style you learn to be inventive and resourceful. I’m an unrepentant hoarder, snapping up clothes that make my heart sing when I see them – regardless of when or where I’m likely to wear them or whether I have something to wear them with. Sometimes a garment might not make its début for a year or two, which can make for some pretty idiosyncratic combinations – but, to be honest, that suits me; I’ve never liked following the herd.

What are you wearing today?
The 80s coat is from Oxfam and the velvet and plaid taffeta snood-like hat-type thingy from a late, lamented hat store Dyzrhythmia. Bag is H & M, bought second hand; pink thermal gloves, pink tights and vintage Liberty’s scarf were gifts. Vintage brooch on coat, and Scandinavian silver and enamel daisy brooch on sweater, belonged to my friend Jude’s mum. The red and pink dichroic glass earrings were bought at a craft fair aeons ago. My black patent brogues are from Clarks, about 15 years old. Red wrap-around sweater, Monsoon, as is the turquoise top underneath. Tweed skirt, Windsmoor.

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If you want to be featured as DIVA of the Week, send a good quality photograph, preferably taken outside, and answers to the questions: 'Name/Age/Location', 'How would you describe your personal style?', and 'What are you wearing today (in the picture)?' to diva [at] divalookbook.com.

Hot off the Press - PLUS Model Magazine

Go check out the December issue of PLUS Model Magazine, out now. It's packed with fresh features and curvy girls.

Goodie Bag - Online fashion inspiration

The Goodie Bag feature is where I host little contests and promotions, which give you a chance to bag yourself something nice and add some cheer to your day.



In this week's Goodie Bag are:

• Sweeties from Topshop
  
• Cute pink ladybug purse
  
• Funky casette player necklace from Punky Pins
  
• A skulls and crossbones leather bangle from Torrid
  

Happy Monday to all of you!

This week's Goodie Bag question is an easy one. I just want to know where in the world of the interwebs, you find your fashion inspiration. I am of course especially looking for plus size fashion inspiration, but that doesn't mean only sites specifically catering for plus size girls will do - inspiration comes in all shapes and sizes.

To be in for a chance to win this Goodie Bag, comment on this entry and let me know your favourite, most inspiring fashion sites and blogs. As a bonus, if you link back to this entry, you will be entered into the draw twice.

This contest closes on Friday 5th December at 5pm GMT. I'll draw the winner later on Friday night, and will aim to announce it on Saturday.