ID: Text reads: ‘Diversity Darlings, fashion and culture tailored for disabled woman’. The text is in a deep red with a light pink dotty underline. In the top left hand corner text reads Issue 1 in cursive. The Conscious Being logo, a light and dark red rainbow with Conscious underneath, is next to this text. Surrounding the text are light purple hanging flowers in a watercolour style.
Text Reads: ‘Brand of the Month: Vanilla Blush’, with a light pink dotty underline. In the top left is a light purple hanging flower in a watercolour style.
Vanilla Blush delivers Class 1 medical grade pieces, supplied to the NHS throughout the UK and shipped off globally to over 18 different countries… but make sure these are sassy, not medical. The company provide intimate underwear for men and women, childrens clothing, and swimsuits all for those with a stoma in mind. And when you’re shopping with any sort of disability — it’s always in mind. This drastically changes the market; what happens when a stoma isn’t a barrier to wearing fashionable and comfortable clothing? A huge psychological burden for those in recovery is removed, which is exactly what we here at Diversity Darlings want.
What we love:
Their Ethos: Vanilla Blush maintain that they sell dignity — there’s no NHS sign above the door of their shop, but you can be ensured that they provide top quality, medically safe pieces which are both flirty and functional, with no hospital setting in sight. They really value people over product, and are constantly looking to improve.
Photo Credit — Vanilla Blush ID: Three pictures of Vanilla Blush clothing. The first picture, in the top left, is of a smiling woman standing to the side with her hands clasped to her chest, in red, lacy underwear and a black bra. The second picture to the right is of a woman’s torso in jeans with the buttons open to show tight black underwear — with a pocket to hold a stoma, she has a matching black ribbed sports bra. The final picture underneath features a happy woman with a red ribbon in her hair by a pool, holding a beach ball, she wears frilly black bikini bottoms and a leopard print halter neck bikini top.
Their Research — Vanilla Blush prides themselves on researching, recently partnering with a number of universities to examine the psychological impact Vanilla Blush products have on its clients, to better understand what they are or are not providing.
Their Special Occasion Collection — We can’t decide between the funky tie dye, ‘autumnal days’, or their royalty collection…Our favourite set has to be the Festival Beauties.
What We Would Love To See More Of:
Different models — the stunning redhead who currently models on their website is beautiful, but it would be great to see a wider rage of faces and body types advertised, so that we can all see a representation of how their pieces may look on! (We think probably fab?)
More of those deals— Vanilla Blush isn’t the most affordable at first glance. At £40 pounds a pop for those stunning tie dye briefs we mentioned earlier, it’s not high street prices and that can seem overwhelming at first. But they aren’t offering a high street product — all of their pieces feature VB’s signature internal pocket that runs from the left to the right, come in a wide range of styles (from a sensual crotchless style to those with more sheer material, allowing your appliance to be seen if you wish). These internal pockets allow for less trips to the bathroom, as it supports the contents of a filling bag for longer, and buying multiple sets on Vanilla Blush’s offer makes these much more affordable. When it comes down to it, they are offering so much more for a similar price to most high-end clothing brands, but we wouldn’t say no to more mix and match deals.
Expansion— We think Vanilla Blush are so great at creating adaptable fashion items, we would love to see more from them on this front.
Text reads: ‘Style Match! Featuring: Samantha Bullock, StomaStoma, Aerie, New Balance and more’. ID: ‘Style Match!’ is written in a large, cursive, dark red font. The ‘featuring’ text is in block capitals in the middle of the page in maroon. The light purple watercolour flowers are featured in the bottom right and top left hand corner.
Image Credit: The Compression Leggings are from Under Armour, all three jumpers are from Aerie, th e earrings are from Samantha Bullock , the socks are from Aerie Offline, and the sneakers are from New Balance. ID: A collection of six pictures bordered by two small, lilac lines, and two watercolour lilac flowers in the top right and top left hand corner. The first picture is a back view of light purple compression leggings, with three arrows — one connecting these leggings to a picture in the middle of the page of a smiling woman in a peach coloured oversized jumper, with text near the arrow saying ‘pair with’, another arrow connects the leggings to another picture of two friends each wearing an Aerie oversized jumper, one in stripy white and blue and one in autumn leaf orange, each holding an autumn leaf. The text near this reads: or with. The leggings have a further arrow connecting them with a picture of some sand coloured shoes with socks which have a pattern of a sun on in neutral tones, which leads on to another picture of baby pink New Balance trainers. The oversized peach jumper also connects to a pair of solid black drop earrings in the shape of “I love you” in BSL. Next to all of these images is a paint brush effects in varying shades of maroon and lilac.
Image Credit: Jumper from Scarlet Navel, Face Mask from MasksbyJaz, Bag by MoBellaBags, Pin by Irisdium, Tracieosaurus Tee by StomaStoma, featured on Abilitee, Skirt by SoYes. ID: A collection of six pictures with a lilac, watercolour flower to the left and text which reads ‘style match!’ in the top right. The first image in the top left is of a woman with vibrant orange hair posing in a light pink coloured jumper with cursive text which reads ‘It’s Okay To Not Be Okay’, next to the text is an outline is a flower. An arrow links this jumper to a flower patterned mask which covers hearing aids, with another arrow linking to a picture of a rainbow coloured heart shaped pin with a black wheelchair sign on and gold sparkles, on a soft, shaggy cushion. In the top right is a wheelchair friendly, large bag in a multi-coloured water colour design with a navy base, in front of the bag are dried blue flowers. Underneath this is a plain white tshirt with a dark outline of a dinosaur with a stoma device, underneath the dinosaur is text which reads Trachieosaurus. An arrow connects this shirt to a navy, knee length skirt paired with black boots, the skirt has a split on the side which disguises the fully opening function.
Text Reads: Instagram Stars. ID: The word Instagram is in the brand’s cursive text, whilst the word stars is in block capitals, the text is in a dark pink. Underneath is a dotty line in dark red. Light purple watercolour flowers are in the bottom right and top left hand corner, in the top right hand corner is the outline of the Instagram logo with sparkles around it, in matching dark red.
Every month we scroll and double tap our way through Instagram to find our top Instagram stars. We want to celebrate all styles featuring those that identify as disabled women — steampunk or preppy, dressed to the nines or sweat-pant swagger — tag your Instagram pictures with #diversitydarlings for the chance to be featured!
Credit goes to @gemmaadby and @ anagalvao_photography ID: a woman lounges on a tree stump, with willows in the background. She stares directly at the camera, looking wistful, as she wears a blue and orange floral dress with puffed sleeves, at the end of which you can see her missing limb in her left forearm. She rests her face on her other hand in a relaxed position. Surrounding this photo is a soft, beige background with lilac watercolour flowers in the top right and bottom left hand corner.
Account — @gemmaadby
About: Gemma is an ambassador for Models Of Diversity, a nationwide charity committed to changing the face of fashion, and aims to inspire and educate.
What we love: This woodland vibe is perfect for fall - a flowing floral dress with those dramatic off-shoulder sleeves, combined with beautiful sun-trap lighting combine to make a stunning aesthetic.
Credit goes to @hannahwitton ID: A disposable photo of a woman in a polka dot yellow wedding dress which flares in 1950’s style, at the waist is a bright yellow ribbon, with soft gauze sleeves cover her arms up to her elbow. In her left hand she holds a half full glass of wine, and she smiles joyfully. The background to this picture if a deep purple background with lilac, watercolour flowers in the top right and bottom left hand corner.
Account — @hannahwitton
About: Hannah is a huge disability and sex advocate, it’s impossible to cover everything that she does, so please check out all her work over on https://linktr.ee/hannahwitton, where you can find her book, podcasts, youtube channel and more.
What we love: This amazing approach to a wedding dress was just perfect for Hannah’s bubbly, outwardly Hufflepuff attitude — and it goes so well with that retro hair and cheeky glass of wine…
Credit goes to @danicmarz ID:A woman stands proudly with a black and white mobility aid in her right hand, she wears wide legged, faded yellow trousers with folded up hems, and a black and white cropped blouse over a plain, long sleeved white t-shirt. Her other hand rests against her face in a fashionable pose.
Account — @danicmarz
About: Daniela is a fashion model, aiming to show visability for those with spina bifida.
What we love: Everything! Those cropped faded yellow trousers, the black and white shirt with matching mobility aid, and the whole devil may care attitude is a perfect combo.
Photo Credit: www.guidebeauty.com ID: a deep green ergonomic eyeliner pen, with matching ergonomic lid and pot of dark black gel eyeliner. To the left of the photo is text in dark red which reads: Product of the Month with a dark pink swirling arrow connecting the two. Smaller text near the arrow reads: Guide Wand and Guide Luxe Eyeliner— £39. In the top left and bottom right are small watercolour purple flowers.
This wand is ergonomic in nature, with an easy-to-hold handle, allowing for an smoother way to glide on the black gel liner for anyone that needs it. The set comes with a replaceable, soft and flexible precision tip applicator that’s gentle on the eyes. The eyeliner that comes along with the Guide Wand is vegan and cruelty free. You can find this gem over on www.guidebeauty.com
Photo Credit: https://www.leuchiehouse.org.uk/ ID: Dark red text in the top left reads: Holiday Destination of the Month, with a dotty underline in the same colour. Underneath is a picture of an old stately home in redbrick, surrounded by a vast, green lawn with a large outside patio. Next to this is a location tag which reads East Lothian, Scotland with a wheelchair icon underneath and text next to it which reads: Wheelchair access,profiling beds, mobile hoists,grab rails, jacuzzi bath, accessible shower room, available care. In the top left is a larger picture showing the rolling green hills of East Lothian. Underneath is a picture of the dining room set up, with large tables ready with cutlery and wine glasses, and colourful flowers in the middle making for an inviting aura.
This months Holiday Destination is definitely one to book when it’s safe to do so. Leuchie House is a fantastic base in Scotland, specifically designed for those with MS, who have had a stroke, or who are living with a number of other neurological conditions, as well as their families and carers. Set in beautiful grounds in East Lothian, Leuchie House provides expert care, revitalising physiotherapy, delicious food, with fun activities and outings able to be organised if you so wish! They have a virtual tour on their website https://www.leuchiehouse.org.uk/ so you can check it out right now and decide what you’ll do first.
ID: A dark red cartoon like drawing of a pretend Spotify screenshot, instead of an album cover there is text which reads ‘Maisie Peters — Look At Me Now, JP Saxe ft Julia Michaels — If The World Was Ending, Nothing But thieves — Lover, Please Stay’. Underneath the text is the Conscious Being Logo, and above the text is text which reads ‘Playing From Playlist — Caring is Loving’. Underneath the drawing is dark green text which reads ‘What the Conscious Being Team are listening to. September Theme — Rainy Days’. Underneath this text is a grey sound wave, and surrounding the entire section are matching dark green pen like scribbles.
If you enjoyed this month’s issue — let us know on social media! Tweet @esioul or @ladychloestark with your thoughts, we’d love to hear from you. Conscious Being is funded by a Patreon, which we use to pay our writers. All of our contributors would appreciate it greatly if you could check that out.
If you would like to be featured on the next month’s issue of Diversity Darlings, and you identify as a disabled woman, contact Chloe either through www.wordsbychloe.com, twitter @ladychloestark or instagram @lemoncaketales.
