Hollie-Anne Brooks dresses for booking her tattoo.

Oh my god, can you believe I just typed that? Can you believe I'm getting a tattoo on Tuesday at noon? My word. But speaking of believe, that's exactly what my tattoo shall be. Perfectly inked on my wrist, the word 'believe' will sit there as a reminder of the ups and downs of life and the most treasured phrase repeated by my mother: "Believe in yourself and believe things will get better".

Now, as I sit with my happy ending in the form of the most beautiful man alive and a career I totally adore, I trust her words more than ever. I do realise I'll always have a struggle with BPD but now- several months after feeling content and calm and as if BPD never existed- I know how to deal with it. I take every single minute as a treasure- I shouldn't be sitting here today- and I adore life, even if that just means reading the newspaper on my journey home.

I think self belief and belief in those around you is the most important value in life. You give up when you stop believing and, in an evening last June, I really did give up. But with the help of my mother, best friend, my darling man and those other people around me, I am now the most content girl alive. Perhaps this entry comes across as me gushing with happiness, even being smug, but I know a lot of you who read this blog can really understand what I mean by all this.

But, as many of my friends are thinking, what is this typical middle-class girl getting a tattoo for? Surely, the girl who votes Conservative and cannot wait to get married is against inking herself up? It's surprised me too, I must say, but it was my mother who suggested it and I want to give something positive back to my body which has dealt with so much psychical abuse in the past.

Finally, before we get onto the outfit, I'd like to say a HUGE thank-you to all who read the comment and contact with such lovely words. This is the 200th entry and Dressing For is my baby. The blog means a lot to me and the best thing is hearing all your sweet comments. I'm glad a lot of you get a lot out of Dressing For, I certainly do too!

Fashion o'clock? Go on then! I've picked this sweet 3/4 length sleeve striped dress from French Connection- it would really show off my little addition to my wrist. With it, I've added an Yves Saint Laurent chunky gold necklace, a ring by Forever21 and a rope bracelet from ae.com . The red sunglasses featured here can be found at fredflare.com , the cute nautical inspired bag is by APC Madras and costs £91 and, finally, these classic sandals are designed by the wonderful Sigerson Morrison.

It's booked! by hollieanne featuring Forever21 rings

Hollie-Anne Brooks dresses for late night shopping.

Well, not so much late night but 6pm onwards. There's something I adore about going shopping "after hours". I love taking the car journey to the shopping centre and seeing all the cars in a jam going in the opposite direction as they fight their way through rush hour traffic and try to get home. I love the stress of the day vanishing as soon as I have a shoe store on my left and a lingerie shop on my right. I love seeing people in office wear hurrying to pick up a few things before heading home as I take my time and enjoy every second. I basically love to shop!

I've had a blissful day. I woke early this morning and baked my heart out in preparation for my father coming over. And he did. On time. I fear if I blog about it, it'll sound more and more like a dream and the acceptance he gave me today will feel like a scene from a movie. But it was perfect.

This evening, as a family, we went out in search of some pretty purchases, or perhaps it's more fair to say I dragged them out so I could try on heels! Now, I made a purchase tonight that I've had my eye on for ages. And, I think I'm right in saying, it may well be a controversial buy.

I bought a pair of white jeans. I know, I know, I'm not a size 8 and I bought white jeans- they look vile on everyone, right? Well, it actually appears that that fashion rule may be wrong. With the right cut and confidence, white jeans are actually easy to pull off. I love my pair, they're comfortable and fresh and I feel it's one step forward for all those women with wobbly tummies and jiggly thighs- we can look good in most things, it's all about confidence and knowing your boundaries!

So, in joy of said white jeans, I've gone for this Roberto Cavalli pair. I've teamed them with a simple black vest from Dorothy Perkins, a purple Crumpet cardigan and purple flats from Charlotte Russe. The bracelet beads and sweet earrings are from Forever21 and the cross body bag adds a splash of clashing colour and is available from Topshop. Hope you've had a great day, everyone!



Late night shopping. by hollieanne featuring Forever21 earrings

Hollie-Anne Brooks dresses for a new hair colour.

I am the biggest fan of ginger hair. Auburn, copper, apricot, deep amber...if it's anywhere near ginger, I heart it. I'd love to look like Nicola Roberts (although I'd opt for bigger boobs and a little more padding all over, really) or have naturally flame red hair that just makes a statement of pure unique beauty. Until I can change my DNA, I'll have to stick with a lifetime worth of hairdressing bills and home dye jobs.

Today, I had my hair coloured a shade called amber and I have never been happier! With the darkest of dark brown hair, I'll never get a bright ginger shade but I can currently be seen with a lovely deep ginger shade with little flicks of my past dark brown.

There's really something about having your hair coloured, isn't there? OK, so I'd never go blonde or pink or anything or the sort but I enjoy staying safe for a really healthy look that makes me smile as my newly coloured hair bounces in the wind full of shine and softness.

Therefore, the outfit pictured is all for co-ordinating with my new shade. I've gone for a bright blue and super pretty dress from Forever21 which would create a clashing but striking look with my hair. I've added some Miu Miu sandals, a bright blue bag from Pauric Sweeney and a little white rose ring from Wet Seal. Finally, a beautiful piece from one of my favourite designers, Alex Monroe.


New hair. - by hollieanne on Polyvore.com

Hollie-Anne Brooks dresses for a surprising dress find.

In 11 days time (not that I'm counting), I have one of the most important events of my life. Of course, like a few other events of late, I cannot reveal a word about the exact details as of yet but it's huge to the point that I'm already feeling the adrenaline kick in.

Every exciting event need a new outfit, right? I have to admit that I was starting to panic as to what to wear- it's one of those weird events where one doesn't know exactly what the dress code is. I'd seen a pretty orange chiffon skirt in Monsoon but my pale legs would have classed and I don't trust myself with a bottle of fake tan under any circumstances. As I have a busy week and will probably have plans this coming weekend, it was pretty much a case of finding something today or sticking with my Paul Smith-a-like rose print dress. But the high street came up brilliantly today in the form of a rather plain but super flattering dress.

My new dress is the same shape as the one featured below and, as a girl with decent size hips and not so fabulous legs (although MYB would disagree, I'm sure), it really shouldn't work on my figure but I'm not sure I've come across such a flattering dress. My boobs are reduced in size, my tummy is hidden and my legs looks rather great in it. I'm impressed and, with the plain colouring, it's going to be so much fun to style up with red tones, perhaps flashes of bright white and my favourite vintage silk scarf.

I'm sure the dress is rather recognizable to a lot of you as being the Patricia Field for M&S dress which featured in stores a little while back. Added to the dress is a simple waist belt from Miss Selfridge. I've gone for some fab Forever21 heels and a Patricia Field Barbie necklace which I am now totally lusting after. Topshop provide the super fun accessories with a heart bag, striped ring and domino earrings. Hope you've had a great weekend!


Dress shopping. - by hollieanne on Polyvore.com

Hollie-Anne Brooks dresses for being the fat best friend.

My BFF failed to call me yesterday which is massively unusual considering we chat about five times a day. As you may have noticed, I wasn't 100% sober when blogging last night so this prompted a silly phone call to my BFF at around 1am. Well, well, well, the little minx was with his new girlfriend- never expected that!

As a lot of you know, my BFF and I split over 2 years ago after a 2.5 year relationship. My BFF has never really had a serious relationship since we split but was always happy for MYB. But now that L has come onto the scene, it's weird for me to consider how our friendship might change and how L will take to me.

This evening, once L had finally gone home, my BFF called me and we had a little chat. As I'm a typical girl, I asked all about her hair style, dress sense and the like. L had left her cardigan in my BFF's bedroom and I pushed him to look at the size so I could build up a better visual image of L. My BFF looked (rightly or wrongly) and she's a ten. Fine, OK, wonderful. But that has left me wondering if I'll always be just seen as the fat best friend to her? Will L wonder what my BFF ever saw in me?

I know I'm being insecure, my BFF and I are best friends because we're two total idiots who have such a laugh and I hope L will see that. I'm not a size out of the ordinary, but I'm certainly not a 10. And as much as I have a wonderful man who adores my curves to pieces, I'm sat here doubting whether my BFF ever fancied me. Jesus, I'm being well silly.

I've dresses for meeting L tonight. When the day comes, I'm sure she'll like me but I know she'll think of me as that slightly odd and fashion obsessed magazine writer best friend of her bloke- and I quite like that! This pretty yellow top is from Milly, I've featured skinny pants by Alexander Wang and then gone all coral with accessories. The ruched coral bag is from Dorothy Perkins, the heels are ASOS and the earrings and ring are both Miss Selfridge.


I will always be the fat best friend. - by hollieanne on Polyvore.com

Hollie-Anne Brooks dresses for shopping for jeans.

All women will admit that the perfect jeans don't exist and searching for a pair that are just right can take hours. I'm sure you'll all agree on the power of the perfectly cut pair of denim jeans; dressed with flats for weekends, heels for work and a pretty top for dates. For me, it's vital I find a pair that are going to flatter my decent size arse, wrap around my hips just right so they look more like Beyonce and not beach whale (whales don't have hips, right?) and my jeans need to be long enough for my silly long legs.

So today my mother and I embarked on finding just the right pair. For a little over a year now I've been wearing a pair from a popular high street store that do just the job and I've wore them for work with a blazer and felt really great. But would they still exist? And even if they did, would they still look decent on me? Losing weight has change me from an apple shape to much more of an hourglass shape (yippee!). I love my figure right now but I find myself becoming nervous that the usual things I'd normally pick out just won't look the same.

But today was a success. I'm the girl who never wears trousers and I only tend to wear jeans once a week with the rest of the week being filled with skirts, dresses and tights. I found the right jeans today, though. They're actually the pair I've always worn but in a slightly darker denim and a two sizes down from normal. I bagged some lighter denim wide-leg jeans from H&M this week for a fiver and although they're fine, I think they'll just be my Sunday jeans for wearing when I'm just popping to the shops for the papers and milk.

My mother, the sweet little cuddle bug that she is, picked me out a nautical over sized tee with a red sequin anchor and I adore it. Thanks, Yummy Mummy. Oh, and whilst I'm onto thanking people, I think I should apologise for the post yesterday. I feel like I came down on MYB too much regarding silly Valentine's Day. We made up last night which was super gorgeous.

Anyway, outfit time? Go on then. Clearly I've picked the perfect jeans shopping outfit! The jeans featured here are hot new label Current/Elliot whom I've heard such great things about. The pretty hippy vest is See by Chloé and I've used an Alexander Wang blazer so it would be easy to visualise how the jeans would look for work and weekend. I think heels are important when shopping for jeans as to get the right leg length so I've used orange Miu Miu wedges for that extra height. I had great trouble today- 34 inch leg is apparently the largest stocked and they're just say fine, I could do with a longer length though. Accessories come from the wonderful Marc B with this orange bag, a sweet Nine West necklace and a Topshop ring that I have officially fallen for. Finally, some Tom Ford sunglasses because posing is fun!

PS/ How incredible was the Alexander Wang A/W show? STUNNING!


Shopping for jeans. - by hollieanne on Polyvore.com

Hollie-Anne Brooks dresses for conversations about curves inspired by Jourdan Dunn.

Marks and Spencers often provides a source of inspiration for me. I heart their clothing and would much rather dig around their stash of clobber for an hour and purchase a £79 trench coat than spend the same amount of time in Oxfam only to come out with a granny batwing jumper with gold sparkles on that all the 18 year old girls of Birmingham are sporting.

But today, as much as their clothing was yummy, it was the location of the sandwich fridge area that caused a rather fabulous conversation. At one side of me was a stand of magazines (everything from Heat to Top Santé to Woman's Own to Cosmopolitan) and at the other side was a fridge featuring calorific lunchtime treats. I opted for a copy of Vogue and a banoffee dessert.

I was VERY happy to see the gorgeously gorgeous Jourdan Dunn on the cover of November 2008 British Vogue. She's beautiful, enough said. The banoffee dessert is beautiful. Ahh, if only there was some sort of Jourdan Dunn dessert invented and then I'd be in Heaven.

My mother commented on how young Ms. Dunn looks and how skinny she is. After watching Channel 4's tear inducing "Dana: The Eight Year Old Anorexic" last night, she had a point but I wish not to debate the fashion industry and their ill looking clothing models. I'm a fat bird, I'm always going to think they're too skinny, aren't I? My mother smiled at my bootylicious bottom (covered by grey wide-leg pants today) and then looked at the chosen dessert. This then sparked a conversation about when I was interning at a women's magazine some time ago and came across two women in the (AMAZING) company restaurant. The two women, dressed like Topshop and Marni had thrown up on them after too much vodka, shared a plate of lettuce. I wish I was joking.

So today we celebrate beauty- whether you're a very thin supermodel or a round apple shape like moi. Personally, I'd rather miss out on a Primark tea dress if it means that extra slice of four cheese pizza at Pizza Hut, but each to their own.

Today I've selected a curve loving dress available from Net-A-Porter, some yellow tights (why not?!), Marni shoes to make sure the only wobble in my legs is because I'm struggling to navigate said heels after four glasses of rosé, a cute Topshop owl brooch and, for the hell of it, a brocade vintage bag.