Tuesday 31 March 2009

Three's a trend!

Hello again,

My posts are like buses this week: you wait around all week for one and then two come along at once! I'm writing again because a wander around the shops at lunchtime made me have a funny thought that led to the photography of some rather lovely bags. And who am I to deprive you of lovely bags!?

I often raise a smile and wonder which high street shops have the same suppliers, as they all seem to have their stock arrive at the same time. I wonder if they all come off the same ship from China and actually land on the shelves on exactly the same day? This was all I could think about as I saw more and more of the exact same things in nearly every shop! In a future life I will shop every single day to test this theory!

Anyway. This week there has been an influx in all the stores (straight off the boat!) of fringed and studded bags, all affordable and all rather lovely actually.

River Island:
New Look: TopShop:

Despite my self-confessed topshop addiction, I actually think they've photographed worst. The new look ones look great but the faux suede fabric feels a little flimsy so I don't think they'd last long (which might not matter given that this is such a "trend"!) The best for me were the river island ones. It's just a shame they were so tiny I wouldn't even fit a third of my current handbags contents in them!!
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If you see a big leather studded and fringed bag (like the river island ones!) when you're on the highstreet then let me know because i'm definitely on the look out!
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Lots of love,

Tor

The Out-Net!

Ok, I know this news was all over other blogs earlier in the month, but in typical Tor fashion, it's only just penetrated my radar!
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I love Net-a-Porter. Despite the fact that I applied for a job there and didn't even get an interview (sigh!) I spend half of my life on Net-a-Porter drooling over all the wonderful clothes (and stealing pictures to post here of course!) but i've never actually ordered anything: the prices are a bit too rich for my purse, not to mention my pesky aversion to ordering anything online.

However I think i've found the perfect antidote to help me overcome that fear; next month Net-a-Porter is to launch an online outlet store! And we all know how I feel about outlet stores!

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On offer will be a mix of the former season's merchandise, classic pieces and greatest hits resurrected from designers' archives, all with average discounts of 40 to 60 percent. The company also plans to give some items away for free.
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"We've been thinking of doing a sale shop -- under a separate brand -- for years, and now is the right time to focus on it," said Natalie Massenet, founder and chairman of Net-a-porter. "We are no longer a start-up, but a mature, established business, and we want to follow in the footsteps of stores like Barneys Co-op and Neiman Marcus' Last Call," she said, adding the new company aims to service customers and brands alike.
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I, for one, am keeping my fingers crossed for an affordable, cross seasonal blazer and counting the days until the launch!
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Lots of love,
Tor

Friday 27 March 2009

Topshop outlet: more more more!

Okay, so I couldn't resist going back!

I had an afternoon off work for a doctors appointment (I am suffering with a very uncomfortable ear infection) and after the doc had fixed me up I ran to Edgeware to have another look in the Topshop outlet. There wasn't a lot of new stock and the shop still looked quite bare, however there were a few new gems there (proof for those who wanted it that they must get regular deliveries) including the Peter Jensen prom dress I have been coveting for just £20 (BOGOF) Sadly, they only had it in a size 12: a size too small for me, although I did try it on despite knowing my efforts would be in vain. This made me very very sad. However I cheered myself up by taking my own advice: I bought 2 new coats perfect for next winter, but because of my absolute lack of restraint, also very very wearable right now. So here they are; grey and green and perfectly practical in every way:

This is the one i'm wearing most. It's the perfect spring coat: very lightweight, gorgeous 3/4 length baloon sleeves (excellent for showing off gorgeous bracelets) and such a lovely spring colour. Its not obviously screaming "colour block" trend like a purple or pink one would, but I like it even more for that.

And this is the one i'm saving for next winter. Love the military styling but what I love even more is that it is longer at the back than at the front, folding into a lovely tulip shape; super flattering on the hips and elongating the body. Two great things in my book!

I really can't recommend the concept of the topshop discount store enough: I just wish they'd hurry up and get some more stock in store now!


Lots of love,


A greedy and impatient Tor xxx

NOTE: Sorry I haven't posted for the past couple of days. I am having a family crisis and am going away for a couple of days. Hopefully everything will turn out OK and I will be back to posting on Monday. In the meantime have a great weekend and see you soon. Also sorry for the poor quality of the pictures: I wrote the post a couple of days agp and rushed the pictures as I was getting ready to leave this morning!

Tuesday 24 March 2009

It wasn't so itsy bitsy teeny weeny a bikini!!

As I wrote the other day, most of the time i'm pretty comfortable, even proud of my curvy body. But if there's one time of year where thoughts of my curves turn me into a quivering wreck and drive me to starvation diets and exercising myself to exhaustion then its this one: Mike and I have just booked our summer holiday.

We're spending a week on the Venetian riviera. And i'm really looking forward to it, i've even started planning what I want to pack: Floaty sun dresses for wandering around Venice? Check! Perfect day to night wear for lazy days around leather markets followed by dusky evenings eating pasta? Check! A bikini for lazing on the beach and visiting Europes largest water park? Nope! Na ha! No way!!

Whilst i'm perfectly happy with my body behind closed doors and dont mind showing it off when it's covered in fabric, the thought of donning a bikini turns me into a nervous wreck! There's no where to hide! I don't have a "bikini body" and I don't think 3 months is enough time to change the habits of a lifetime and go out and get one! Besides, I actually like not feeling hungry!

But I do want to sun myself on the beach and splash in the sea; its a quandry! Maybe one of these Herve Leger by Max Azria swimsuits would help ease the pain:

It doesn't matter if you don't look thin if you ooze high end crazy fashion, right??!! Right.


Love, Tor x

Friday 20 March 2009

Roll up, roll up...it's wardrobe clearout time!!

Like the lovely queens on Kingdom of style, I have decided, or at least my boyfriend has decided, its time I have a serious wardrobe clear out.
We have 3 wardrobes and 2 chest of drawers and they are all full of my clothes (Mikes live in a suitcase under the bed due to the lack of space!) and they are busting at the seams. We've even had to buy stackable storage boxes to cope with the overflow; it isn't a spare room i'm told. It's a floor-drobe!

At Easter I will be going home to visit my parents and I will be bringing back with me the 2 suitcases full of summer clothes I abandoned there 6 months ago. I am a natural born hoader and I hate to let things go. But with these new arrivals in mind I am prepared to concede that something has got to give!

I'm not sure exactly how I will do it; although i've never used it before i'm thinking I will put everything up on ebay and then post all the best stuff here so that you guys get the heads up on the best stuff.

It will be mostly clothes (this is my vice) but also some shoes, bags and jewellry. And it will be the usual array of things you would expect from my wardrobe; lots of highstreet, especially lots of topshop and primark, vintage shop finds and lots of sparkles. I am getting rid of the Tommy Hilfiger gold lame' skirt so many of you admired, because I just don't think the shape suits me! Everything will be very very cheap,as the main priority is clearing some stuff out, and i'd rather it went to a good home than in bin bags on the street. (As keeps being threatened!!)
I'll get started on sorting this over the weekend and let you know when the shopping can begin on Monday!
Have a great weekend everyone,

Tor

Thursday 19 March 2009

Still stuck on shoes!

I think i'm running the very serious risk of being a shoe obsessive, without even meaning it - I think i've mentioned shoes in every post for the last week!

Although I actually need flats (my one pair fits all occassions black ones broke yesterday) heels are so much more fun to wear and to look at. When I saw these Jeffrey Campbell ones on the Free People website, my heart literally did somersaults of lust as I worked out all the devious (and illegal) ways I could make them mine!

My heart longs for the tan ones to make my sun kissed legs (hopefully) look long and lean-ish:
But I also love the tough bondage black:
Its a quandry- which ones to imaginarily buy!?
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They're so slouchy they're guarenteed to make even the chunkiest of legs (ie mine!) look good and slimmer. I also love the long laces and the cross seasonal height versus backless dicotomy.
They are 100% leather (in keeping with my new 'no more cheap shoes' rule) and, erm, did I mention I want want want them?!
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Jeffrey Campbell is, in my opinion at least, a bonafide genius. Just five minutes on his website had me in shoe raptures with its artsy, gorgeous, shoe filled gallery. There is also a blog where I discovered, to my endless joy, that we brits can buy the spring collection on bunnyhug.co.uk which is excellent news for all of you who, like me resent extortionate postage and packaging costs (Well! It ruins all the fun of bagging a bargain!)
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Just for the record, I also want the fringe detail platform sandals and the leather cut out whole ankle boots. Why oh why did I have to fall in love with a computer programmer, when I could've held out for a shoe maker who used me as his muse and lavished me with shoe shaped trinkets?!
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Just my luck!
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Love Tor xx

Wednesday 18 March 2009

Lesson of the day: don't buy cheap shoes!

Now I am a big fan of Primark. In fact I often think I run the risk of being their most vocal cheerleader. But I am about to give a piece of Primark advice I hope you'll all take heed of: think twice before you buy the shoes! Want to know why? This is why.... What a perfect start to a perfect day- this happened just as I got to work! I only bought these shoes 6 weeks ago. And this is the 5th pair of primark pumps i've owned that have failed to make it past the 6 week shelf like. I actually once owned a pair that I ripped the soles from the first time I wore them (although it was a drunken night out..) You think you're saving money with these £5 pumps but your really not; the way i'm getting through them I could've had a gorgeous French Sole pair by now! Of course, if you want to buy a pair of lime green shoes you know will be out of fashion in a month but you have a great dress to wear them with right now, thats different. I'm talking about shoes you're going to wear again and again. And primark is not the answer!

So what do you do instead? Well if your anything like me and you've got the time but not a lot of money you hit the sales. If you've got the time and energy to watch the sales, wait for the right time, pre plan what you want and so on (and so on!) you really can pick up a bargain.

House of Fraser have an amazing sale on at the moment. See!!Shoes for as little as £15! Its mostly on boots (you could pick them up for next year) party shoes (leave them on the shelf, you'll never wear them no matter how cheap they are!) and winter heels. It is the latter category that i'm most interested in; winter heels also make great spring and summer shoes if you get them in the right colour. I fell in love with these chunky Bertie Mary Janes that came in black, red and brown.

I ended up buying the brown pair. How much like Doc Martin Mary Janes do they look?! They're going to look great toughening up leggings and girlie dresses now, but they'll also make great summer work shoes (sadly, open toed shoes aren't really appropriate workwear) And how much did I pay, I hear you all crying? Just £15, reduced from £85. In actual fact, that's cheaper than the last pair of heels I got from Primark anyway. And these have the added bonus of being 100% leather. Which is more than I can say for their pleather (although super stylish!) offerings.

I'm converted- I shall wear primark shoes no more! My poor battered feet are in for a real treat with these real leather goods - they aren't going to know whats hit them!

Love Tor

Tuesday 17 March 2009

Round up: A moment of self reflection

The news that Kate of make do style has decided to stop blogging came as a shock, as I read and enjoy her blog every day. In the first installment of her farewell in 3 parts (2 written so far!) she wrote this, and it really got me thinking:

"Firstly I think we are all done with thrift and mending and as much as I tried to stick to make do stuff I feel we've all got the message of less is more in whatever form. And if someone hasn't got a grip on their consumption and bank balance then really I'm tired of this drum....Which also means I need to reclaim my fashion mojo and love of fashion. Studying has made me slightly cynical and having no money has made me stop consuming!"

It got me thinking about my blog. My role in the blogosphere and why i'm still blogging. Do I have a message, did I start with a message and if yes am I still following it? So I thought instead of staring blankly at my computer screen, i'd write it all down.

Unlike Kate, I dont think my blog ever filled a particular "gap in the market." I just loved fashion so much and felt like I had something I wanted to say, so I started the blog and started writing. The Becky came and wrote too and it got funny. And now its just me again! I compare my blogs to others and find my own lacking. Definitely I look at the big guns; vogue and style.com or glamour's websites and blogs and wonder why i'm still trying. But I console myself with this: Surely the power of the blogosphere isn't its similarity to other sources of fashion writing, but the opposite. Who would read two blogs that looked and said exactly the same? The blogs power (like girl power but for us!) is its ability to vear away from Vogue-esque stereotypes. I, for one, couldn't compete with Vogue in terms of knowledge or readership or photo sources; but I do know i'm not supposed to. Or at least I hope I'm not supposed to!

Blogs are an outlet for the girls who like primark and find their UGG boots essential sunday sloppy wear (I do, and I'm not even ashamed!) Blogs reinforce that it is possible to like fashion, and look good, and simultaneously regularly overindulge in nandos and chocolate biscuits.

So looking at this makes me think that in a roundabout way, maybe my blog does have a message. One of the things I like most about my blog, or at least the thing I think most sets it apart, is how far away I am from the "model norm". This isn't about skinny girls who always manage to look good when uber styled in couture; there are a stack of glossy magazines who definitely have that aspect of the fashion world covered. And although there are some really amazing blogs about model-esque women looking great, that doesn't have to be what blogging is all about. For me, its about real women with real curves (and in my case uber boobs and a very wobbly tummy) who really care about what they look like, and what they wear, and want to look pretty, but only have a tenner and a lot of imagination to do it!

I suppose when I write thats who i'm writing for: women who love fashion, who are conscious of there slightly flawed bodies, but who are trying hard to learn to love them. Women like me. (ahhh, the ego!)

When some stores size their clothes small and I can't fasten the zip, I show you the funny pictures.
If I shoe horn myself into a dress and my boobs spill out, I write about it as candidly as I can.

When I find something I like or don't like I tell you how and why and the cheapest place i've found to buy it (yup, i'm still thinking about that Topshop outlet)

So I guess my blog actually does have a message, just not a big or significant or world changing one. Unlike the wonderful Kate, I don't think I can change the way you shop or think. My blog is just me learning how to be me. Its like i'm talking to an imaginary best friend who cares about how I look as much as I do! And all the things I like about my blog, are things I like about me; what clothes I wish I could buy, what I actually wear, how I feel.

I like the sense of comaradarie I feel from readers and other bloggers: its nice to have an outlet where you can obsess constantly about clothes, collections, and what matches best with those lovely new shoes. Love me as they do, I dont think my friends and family could cope with taking the full brunt of my obsession. On the independent fashion blogger you read about clever people who approach their blog like a business. I'm not one of those people! Becky installed a stat counter on the blog over a year ago, but the buzz of checking how many people are reading has long gone; I dont care how many people are reading, as long as the people that are enjoy what they get!

And so I guess in this very cathartic and self congratulatory way, im saying that I like what i'm doing. I'm happy with the blog. And i'm going to keep writing on, until I stop caring about fashion or those flying pigs pop round again.
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If I dont care what I wear who else is going to?
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Tor
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PS - Best of luck to those who started this whole thing off! Kate and her lovely little boy, good luck in your future fashiony endeavours, and everything else you decide to do!


Monday 16 March 2009

Yo, i'll tell ya what I want, what I really really want...

OK, I realise that's a Spice Girls song, but the Spice Girls and All Saints were recording at around the same time, so that felt both topical and strangely right.

I love All Saints. Their jersey tops and dresses in particular are cut so beautifully, and whats not to love about a highstreet store whose main colour palette for every season is black?! And I really want all of their shirt dresses for a very funky update to my usual work wardrobe. But I think the vast majority of their stock is laughably overpriced; at least for my limited purse. It is, after all, Topshop quality (and I balk at Topshop when i'm having a miserly week!) at more than double the prices!
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However if we suspended reality for 5 minutes and dumped me in the middle of a nice big All Saints store, here is what i'd be waddling out with bags laden of:

Dresses
I've shown lots of dresses, because they're the thing I love most about the shop! And contrary to popular belief, they hug curves like a dream!
Left to right: Aya mini dress £140, Lindita bustle dress £125, Cleo evening dress £350

Gilet

Oh how my heart yerns for this gilet! If the tassles weren't so "a la mode" I might spring the £295 for this and call it an investment piece; I have been looking to replace my Primark pleather jacket (which looks great but feels awful!) with a quality leather piece. Definitely something to think about....

Cardigan
My favourite thing! Like the title of my post, the eyelets seem so nineties. And I love the sporty appeal of this hooded style top without the hood. Perfect for toughening up those floaty girly dresses i'm so very very fond of.
Bag


For my "and finally", a bag I admire every time i'm near an All Saints store. I feel like a stuck record, because i've already mentioned it twice this week, but I really do think a new bag can do wonders for upgrading an outfit that you love, but dont think is really "in" anymore (if you care about that sort of thing, of course!) Either way, it would look lovely with my imaginary new gilet....
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Happy fictional shopping!
Tor xx

Friday 13 March 2009

Practically perfect in every way!

Morning all,

Do you ever have those days where you just want to throw on jeans and a Tshirt but you don't want to look all "prim and proper and plain white tee" about it? Enter plastikowy. Another designer I discovered from my almost daily glance at catwalkgenius (who I promise don't keep paying me to talk about them, I just really like the site!) And now the stuff:

I am immediately drawn to these beautiful jersey tees because of the grey marl colour, which I always find infinitely flattering. But if I come for the colour, I stay for the details. Oversized jersey bows, bust minimising details across the chest, and all of the colour kept very muted and minimal.
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These are tees that would look great with jeans on a lazy Saturday afternoon drinking tea or shopping with friends, but equally Sienna Miller -style"I just threw this on" cool with leggings and heels and a shrunken jacket for an evening out.
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Want to know about the designer? So do I but i'm struggling to find much info. All I know is this: he is a young (just 19 years old!), Poland based fashion designer come graphic artist, and he makes great t-shirts!
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OK so that wasn't a lot of info, but it doesn't really matter: I am totally sold!
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Love Tor xx
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PS - I can't find a UK based stockist where you can go and try this lovely stuff on, but needless to say, you can buy most of the stuff in the pictures at (yup, you guessed it) Catwalkgenius.com.

Thursday 12 March 2009

Baby you can drive my car!

(and maybe I love you...beep beep, beep beep, yeah!)


Sorry I didn't post last night but my mind is far from the fashion of clothes and constantly pondering another fashiony question; to buy or not to buy this beautiful car?




I've wanted one since the first time I saw one, its got low milage, is in beautiful condition, and....did I mention I can't reallly afford it??

However at its low cost (a rare favour from the credit crunch) combined with the fact that I really do need a car, how can I say no? I buy shoes, dresses and bags I shouldn't, why should this be any different?!

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And yet still I ponder.... I just hope I can stop thinking about it and concentrate on dresses again tonight!!

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Love Tor xx

Tuesday 10 March 2009

Look bags some bags!

Evening all,

I'm going to start this with a quick note to say that I am going to be blogging in the evenings instead of the mornings from now on, but don't worry; i'll still be updating at least once a day!
As I had my weekly flick through Look magazine on the bus this morning I was overwhelmed by the quantity of quality arm candy: bags bags and more bags!

Mostly too small for carrying my mountains of day time supplies, these are evening bags and therefore I can't justify buying them all but oh oh oh how I wish I could:

Sadly I didn't get any shoe-piration from this weeks look, but the aztec and mexican style bags are definite purchases; i'm going to update all my fail safe black dresses (yawn as you will, I love them!) and bring them up to date for this season without spending a fortune. Or at least more than i've spent already; I have a cunning plan, as Baldrick would say, and it can't fail!

Speak tomorrow!

Love Tor x

Monday 9 March 2009

I went to Primark and I got...

Like that forgotten school game I went to market, the list of things you can and do buy when you go to primark just grows and grows. However in my bid for a sensible, coordinated, wearable wardrobe this spring/summer I have been very very restrained. I limited my purchases to a selection of wearable and fun (because at primark prices, its the place to have fun with trends your not sure about!) little dresses that can be thrown on without much fuss and worn with pumps or sandals, and not alot of effort.




So, I went to Primark and I bought....


A floral dress






I went to Primark and I bought a floral dress and....


An Aztec dress






I went to Primark and I bought a floral dress, an aztec dress, and....


A ruffled dress






I went to Primark and I bought a floral dress, an aztec dress, a ruffled dress and....


An embroidered dress








This embroidered dress is my favourite and it also comes in black with white trim and cream with black trim. Oh how I wish i'd bought all three!



I know a lot of people wrinkle their noses when they talk about primark and "fast, disposable fashion". But I think when you are having to be shop savvy (and given the current economy, who isn't?) what better way to try a new style or new trend or new colour than primark? At least you aren't stuck with a massive credit card bill for an item you can't bear to throw away because of its price tag if the trend you were trying just didn't work for you!



So I say buy quality basics if you know your going to wear them again and again. But don't feel guilty about saving a little money in Primark on the fun stuff; nobody's made of money!




Lots of love,




Tor






I found a Topshop outlet store!

Hi Guys,

I'm afraid this is another Capital-focused post for my London readers (or readers planning a visit to London), but it's just too good to miss out on: On Saturday, quite by accident, I found a Topshop clearance store! (EDIT: Which is in the broadwalk centre in Edgeware. right next to the station (northern line, zone 5) I can't believe I forgot to put that in in the first place!)

There wasn't a mountain of stock, but a quick google search shows that in the experience of other visitors, this isn't a usual occurance and the stock is normally plentiful. Despite the lower-than-normal stock levels, I did manage to pick up a bounty of treasure: 4 tops, 1 dress, and 1 pair of trousers for £27! That works out at just £4.50 per item! And when you bear in mind that the average rrp of these garments was £35 each, that's quite some discount!



By now i'm sure you're all desperate to see what I got for this miniscule price. Well here is the photographic evidence:

I am actually wearing this top as I type this post; this is what I wore to work today. The top is from last season (A/W08/9) but the tassles make it bang on trend. It is in a very delicate knit perfect for teaming with a long sleeve top for this time of year (as i've done here) or with a flimsy vest when spring and summer finally come around. This dress is billed as swimwear, for throwing over ones bikini like a glamour puss, but I think its more versitile than that! As we all know, although I advise others against it, I love wearing black and this seems like a more summery take on my usual black dress. And bird print is still very much in vogue on the highstreet, even at full price (see how i'm still not-very-subtly gloating about my huge discount!) I loved this top when I saw it at full price just a couple of months ago, but didn't think it worth its £40 price tag. Nonetheless, I love the eighties style built up shoulders, the neon fireworks pattern and the way it nips me in at the waist. Yum!

Eeek! Black bra and white top error!!! This top has obviously spent an afternoon on the shop floor (although when I went in to be fair, everything was tidy and nicely laid out) but at £5 BOGOF, I didn't let that bother me; a quick spin in my washing machine will get rid of the teeny tiny stain on the front and this top will still be perfect for me to wear to work meetings when the sun is shining (are you noticing the summer theme!?)
Although they look like demin, these trousers are actually made of medium weight cotton, making them perfect for wearing to work with tailored tops when the warmer weather comes. I know its hard to believe but these trousers were £3, buy one get one free. That means they worked out at just £1.50 to me!!
And finally this lovely specimen. Recognise it? Thats because it is the tie dye dress I picked up in the january sales in Assymetric top form.

With this my summer wardrobe ought to be complete, and yet I know as well as you do that i'm just going to keep going. And i'm still hunting for those perfect shoes.....


Love Tor x



Oh, big PS - If you saw a coat or jacket in Topshop this winter that you know would be perfect for you next winter (you clever plan-a-headers you!) then get down to the Topshop clearance centre now. There was a rail full of winter coats at just £20 BOGOF and ripe for the taking!

Friday 6 March 2009

Wash day blues, or should that be blacks?

Hi All,

You know your wardrobe contains too many black clothes when your weekly wash looks like this:
Note: the few pink items are in fact pajamas, and the checked shirt is my boyfriends!

Eeeek! As colour blocking becomes the new buzz word in magazines the nation over: Time for a colour injection methinks!?

Love Tor x

Thursday 5 March 2009

My new spring/summer wardrobe: The topshop additions

So, here is the first of the posts i've been promising you: the new things I brought from topshop! So far I have bought new items from All Aboard (a charity shop on finchley road), Primark, and Topshop ready for when the weather turns all warm and sunny. Fingers crossed. But it's the topshop ones i'm most excited about because a) I think they look great and b)I've never spent so much money in one highstreet store in one go. Hey, at least my job's good for something!

Here are the pictures of me showing off my wares. I think the bf could be a new found hidden gem of this here blog; despite the weird and in part unflattering poses, these look much much better than the ones I take of myself squinting in the mirror!!

Outfit one: "Lets get nude!"
The second, sort of porn star-ish picture is supposed to be showing off the translucency of the material and that I have braved teaming an "on trend" crop top with my leggings underneath it. At £40 it seems like a lot of money but I love this top! I think it looks especially good now that the colour of my hair blends into my skin; lots of complimentary nudes going on! The oversized pockets on either side are a nice touch too, giving the top the weight that pulls it down into such a great shape. I'm always told that bigger girls like myself shouldn't wear oversized clothes as it makes us look bigger, but i've thrown that rule to the wind and am happy to look the size I am if I get to wear such pretty clothes!

Outfit 2: "Flower power"

Love this dress, which has an amazing pattern, despite the fact it makes me look a little busty! I was feeling full on flowers here, hence the Pip Hackett hat and the floral duvet cover. I don't know if you can see it very clearly, but it has an elastic waist, perfect for giving shape and a cutsey bow just above the right breast. Its a little bit gape-y around the bust, but putting a vest underneath and letting it hang loose has kind of turned that into a design feature! The dress was only £20 and is in a nice flattering cotton jersey; this is the best summer holiday dress i've seen this year!
Here is a close up of the pattern on the leggings in the last 2 outfits. I think £20 is a little expensive for leggings, but i loved the pattern and they're good quality; the pattern doesn't distort at all, even stretched over my fat legs! Outfit 3: "Geometric headache"

This is one of those dresses that looks much better in person than it does in photographs, because of the monchrome pattern all over it. I love the Vivienne Westwood-style darting and the exagerated pockets, and find the low waist line pretty flattering. This will look great both dressed up for work or teamed with sandals for lazy summer days.
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So there you have it; new season and the start of a new wardrobe. Tommorrow i'll show you all the great Primark stuff i've picked up too (provided the boyfriend wants to play photographer of course!)
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And whilst we're talking about new things, I have one more thing to point out; New Hair! I've had the colour lightened alot and cut into a shorter sharper bob. So far it's gotten mixed reviews (ranging from "ooh very fashionable", via "nice and pretty" to "it looks like a lego man wig!")
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What do you think??
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Lots of love,
Tor x