Daily Wear: Oh those summer nights!

Hi guys,
We got back from our holiday to Kos on Sunday and we had a great time. Swimming and splashing with Wilbur for most of the day, and overindulging with food and cocktails every evening. I've come home tan and happy, despite the fact that my nose is a full five shades darker than the rest of my face (If anyone has any tips for fixing this embarrassing sun bathing disaster I would be eternally grateful!) I've also come home craving some more British summer sun, so that I can wear my new favourite maxi dress:

So much of my holiday wardrobe came from H&M, who just seem to have gotten tropical beachwear 100% right this season. This dress was a bargain at just £19.99 and I wore it a couple of evenings during our stay because it was so lightweight and easy to wear, whilst providing enough cover from the cooler evening breezes. I loved the gold detail at the neck, which meant that I didn't have to worry about adding any jewellery: it was a great throw-on dress for when I only had a few minutes to get ready:


I teamed the dress with the Steve Madden sunglasses my parents gave me for my birthday, my tan Pucci saddle bag (c/o TKMaxx) which was the only handbag I took with me for the week, because it went with everything, and simple studded tan flip flops I picked up from Spartoo.

I will definitely be wearing this dress again, teaming it with heels and a skinny gold belt for summery nights out. How do you feel about maxi dresses? Do you have any favourites you keep coming back to year after year? I suspect that's what will happen with this one!

Love Tor x

Daily Wear: Winter neons

Hi guys,
I think you have to celebrate the small victories. On Sunday, Wilbur let me get dressed without crying, and then go out for lunch and eat three full courses whilst he slept: the first time that's happened since he was born!

For the occasion I wore bright neons, but in an uber traditional way. A typical Sunday lunch outfit. I would say the format of this outfit is boringly stereotypical for this time of year: knee high boots, floral dress, blazer. Yawn. But the colours mean that it looked a little more interesting, and although it's not the best or most fashion-forward outfit I've ever worn, I was pleased with how it looked.
Dress - Warehouse. Jacket, belt and necklace - all H&M. Handbag - Betsey Johnson. Boots - Next.

The jacket and the dress were both January sales purchases. The dress is from Warehouse for just £15 and the jacket was from H&M for £10. With hindsight, I'm not that keen on how this jacket looks with the dress. But it will look amazing teamed with simple t-shirts or blouses and jeans when spring arrives.

My husband told me (once we'd already left the house!) that the outfit was too bright and garish. But I'm not sure I agree. What do you think of wearing neons to brighten up gloomy snowy days? Are you a fan of neons at all, and will you be wearing them this spring?

Love Tor x

Daily Wear: Feeling Foxy!

Hi guys,
Well it's snowed. Which is nice/terrible, depending on whether you have to trek to work or not. But it's also leading to some interesting sartorial decisions from the general public: it snows and I'm always amazed by the things people think it's OK to wear!

Meanwhile, I have obviously been watching too much Jeremy Kyle, because writing that title immediately made me think of the foxy bingo ad at the start of the show. (Sign of a woman watching daytime TV on maternity leave, methinks?) I am, in fact, not referring to bingo but to my gorgeous new Topshop fox scarf: a Christmas present from hubby. Simply put, it's a scarf that looks like it has a cartoon fox-fur stole on it. And it's just perfect for wearing in this terrible weather:
Fox scarf, mittens, and studded boots - all Topshop. Cocoon coat - H&M. Jeans - Miss Selfridges. Snakeskin blouse - French Connection.

I've teamed it with my new studded boots (which will be getting their own post shortly), cozy knitted mittens, and my rust coloured cocoon coat, which coincidentally matches my foxy scarf perfectly.

I love winter accessories: they're so much fun! When else can you wear faux fur on your head, mittens on strings like you did when you were a kid, or a hat scarf and glove set that all look like pandas?! It's like winter arrives and all bets are off: child-like colours and patterns become the norm. I think the snow brings out the kid in all of us, and I love it!

How are you keeping warm in this terrible weather? What are you wearing, and are you wrapping up in any unusual winter accessories?

Love Tor x

Maison Martin Margiela with H&M: coming on 15 November!

Hi guys,
It seems like the H&M designer collaborations are coming thicker and faster than ever! Mere moments after the Anna Della Russo jewellery collection landed instore, we're now eagerly awaiting the arrival of the newest fashion collaboration: Maison Martin Margiela with H&M.

I actually really really like this collection, although I can't imagine myself wearing a single piece of it: it just isn't made for my body shape. But oh if it was how I would wear that red dress! I also have a slight obsession with the leather bags that look like gloves: the burgandy glove-strap bag will be mine!! Here are some of my highlights from the collection:



The full collection launches in store on November 15: just two weeks before my due date, so sadly I'll have to sit this one out. But I do wonder if the queues and the buzz will be as dramatic as it has been for previous H&M collabs: or if people have just stopped caring. What do you think? Is there anything you'd queue to buy? And what do you think of the collection?

You can view the full lookbook over at Vogue.com

Love Tor x

Daily Wear: A Casual Saturday

Hi guys,
I haven't posted an outfit post for weeks; mostly because over Christmas, all of my outfits have consisted of pajamas or hubby's cozy oversized jumpers. I defy anyone to look fashionable whilst watching movies and stuffing their faces with Quality Street!

Today is another casual day (no hair, no make up, no effort!) but at least I'm wearing clothes, as we popped out to check out the sales:

Today I'm wearing my orange cocoon coat from H&M, Topshop leather panel leggings, Moschino shoes, blue Primark blouse, Friis & co handbag, and beloved Marc Jacobs watch. I'm delighted by how well the new Moschino shoes match my studded handbag: a dream combo.

I love this coat, which I picked up from the H&M in Selfridges just before Christmas. I love their H&M concession: they pick all of the best pieces, which means I always want every single thing, and don't have to sift through the rails looking for the good stuff!

Love Tor xx

PS - I've just added more items to the Fabfrocks Shop, and will be adding some more items tomorrow.

In the changing room: H&M's new season ruffles

Hi guys,
I really loved the new season ad campaign from H&M when I saw it. And I have seen it everywhere: on buses, in magazines, on the tube....
So when I walked past today, I couldn't resist popping in and trying on my favourite pieces from their new collections:

Ruffles everywhere! H&M have really gone overboard with lots of nudes and creams and lots of ruffles. The fabrics were all silky and super-fine, and the ruffles were made of even lighter chiffon; they felt and looked great, and would look fab (and be more practical!) teamed with an oversized aron cardigan or chunky knit.

These were my favourite two pieces: the knit of the horsey cardigan was super soft, and it was a long and drapey fit. I only tried on the dress because it matched my shoes and handbag, but I loved it once it was on: the sleeves were really flattering and the trapeze shape looked much nicer than I expected.

These were my least favourite pieces: the black dress looked nice enough, but it was made of such a thin cotton it would have needed a slip underneath not to be completely see through! I only tried on the tiered dress because it featured so heavily in the ads, but I know it would look ridiculous on my bust, and I was right!

The winter knitwear is also worth mentioning: gorgeous print scarves, and very cheap gloves too: I picked up two pairs for just £2.99. I also bought a super-long oversized knitted mexican print scarf, perfect for wrapping around my neck a hundred times when it's really cold! I'm a big fan of H&M: the pricepoint is great, but the quality isn't sacrificed. Have the new H&M campaigns tempted you instore? And if so, what did you think?

Love, Tor xx

Latest H&M collaboration: Will it be Lanvin?

Above is the cryptic video campaign H&M have unveiled today for its latest designer collaborator. However they won't be revealing who the collaborator is until 9th September. Rumours are rife though that it's Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz (a popular choice in the twittersphere)

Lanvin, France's oldest couture house, teaming up with high street staple (and affordable option) H&M may just be the most exciting designer/high street collaboration to date. I know i've made my feelings about designer collaborations pretty clear in the past, but I think even I would be joining the round-the-block queues for this one.

According to Handbag.com, aside from Elbaz, other names being mentioned in online forums and blogs as to who the designer could be include Tom Ford, Burberry's Christopher Bailey, Carolina Herrera and Tommy Hilfiger. However, many believe that the quotes used in the viral video clips are typical Elbaz and that the voice used has been digitally altered to keep everyone guessing.

H&M always seem to get the best designers on board for their collaborations, including Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Roberto Cavalli, Matthew Williamson Jimmy Choo and Sonia Rykiel. I am yet to buy a single piece (although I did try to get the Jimmy Choo pumps) because the collections always sell out so quickly.

What do you think? Who are you hoping it is? (My vote is for Lanvin) Would you be tempted by a Lanvin/H&M collaboration, or is the collaboration concept too overdone for this to be interesting?

Love, Tor xx

Question of the day: Can curvy girls wear hareem pants?

I don't have the best legs in the world: they're short and curvy. From the knee down I am prepared to share them with the world, but from the knee up? Forget about it! This makes dressing when it's really warm difficult. I don't want to wear dresses without leggings but it's too warm to wear leggings. And jeans? Way too warm! So I got it in my head that the answer to my problems was a nice slouchy pair of cropped hareem pants. However i've tried on hundreds of pairs in Topshop and Zara and can't find a single flattering pair. Front pleats made my hips look big, the waists were too high or too low, the bump clung and sagged at the same time (not a good look!!) The Topshop denim ones were the worst of all and looking at them in the mirror made me want to start crying in the changing room. I'd read articles on the subject before and decided to agree with the experts for a change: hareem pants weren't for curvy girls. And then, whilst looking for leggings, I found these one's in H&M:

I honestly didn't think I was going to find a pair of hareem trousers that looked good on my body, but I love these. They're slouchy and comfortable, will be perfect for work or play, and they're light enough that I can wear them all summer long. I think they look good because they have no pleating and fit like normal slim-leg trousers in silhouette. The only traditional hareemfeature is the dramatically lowered crotch. These are hareem trousers for everyone!!

H&M price points seem suprisingly cheap at the moment too: The trousers were £14.99, the slouchy tees i'm wearing in both pics were just £2.99 and the sequinned cardigan was £29.99. I especially love the trousers with the stripey Tshirt and think it will look amazing teamed with one of my many hundreds of blazers. I also love the sequinned cardigan, so glam! I can't wait to try out my new outfits!

Love, Tor xx

Jimmy Choo for H&M: What do you think?

Hi guys,
.
Just over 3 weeks to go until the collection launches (14th November. Put it in your diary. Now) and the first pictures of the Jimmy Choo for H&M collection have been released.
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I have been excited to see these, because up until now Jimmy Choo have never released a clothing line, and I was interested to see how their famous shoes would translate. Especially given that on the Grazia website Jimmy Choo MD and all round gorgeous fashionista Tamara Mellon chose four of the dresses as her top picks from the collection. Dresses over shoes? This I had to see:

Turns out Tamara was right: I do prefer the dresses to the shoes, although the bracelets and belts are also on the must-have list. There is one belt which is designed to wrap around the waist 3 times: yum!! The clutch bags leave me feeling pretty underwhelmed. The buttery soft looking fringed leather dress is definitely on my must have list though. And not pictured here, but definitely just waiting for me to pick up are the zebra print ballet pumps. And at just £49.99 they're a snip: watch this space and they'll be on my feet!!
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Overall I'm expecting this to be a fairly sound collection and (quality depending!) I will definitely pick up a piece or two. I am very much over the celebrity collaborations, but the H&M designer collabs keep going from strength to strength. What do you think? Will you be buying anything?
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Love, Tor xx

Matthew Williamson @ H&M

Hi Guys,

Before the collection is released to the shops on Thursday (Vogue.com is predicting shopping hysteria which I, frankly, am taking with a pinch of salt!) does anyone else find the majority of the Williamson collection we have had "sneak previews" of,a little bit blah (and dare i say it, a little bit dated!?!)

Maybe i'm being bitter because the pixellated rose pattern I love and covet so so much hasn't been represented at all, but i'm really not that into the Miami vice 80s feel of the whole collection. It takes a truly brave woman to pull off an electric blue suit!

I'm pretty sure my mum has thrown out similar that even I (the ultimate hoarder) have rejected. As my nan would say; "I wouldn't give it house room" I also won't be rushing out for this utilitarian jump suit, the frightening circa 1995 butterfly top or the cheap looking cardi with ill thought out peacock feather shoulder.

I would, however, give this sequinned dress plenty of house room:I looks like a grafitti artist was given one too many cans of spray paint and decided to go totally insane! This would look great over denim-look leggings teamed with horrenduously uncomfortable (but very very beautiful, its a thing!) skyscraper heels.

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It's a bit worrying that there's only one thing that made me take notice though: One dress does not a collection make, and although there are some belts and a leather jacket also being released that look very very wearable, there is no piece in this whole collection that makes me want to stop and say "wow!"

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It's difficult to sum up. Some people i'm sure will be talking about the recession; that people are turning to safe pieces they can wear over and over again rather than the showstoppers they'll wear once or twice. So maybe this was a canny move, and the collab will be a massive success and i'll be proved wrong. But I suspect people will also go the other way- Matthew Williamson is famous for his amazing party dresses - if I was to buy a Matthew Williamson collaboration dress that is up to 3 times the normal store price, I would want it to be a bit bloody special. In fact, i would probably want it to make people gasp on awe as I passed by (even if I did only wear it once every couple of months!) !

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I know this: I won't be one of the predicted crowd of hysterical women. And unless you're anxious to get your paws on mediocre H&M clobber thats been insanely marked up because there's a name you probably recognise on the label, I wouldn't recommend you do either!!!

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Lots of love,

Tor x

The pixelated rose: coming to a wardrobe near you?

Those that you who read this blog regularly know that although my finances, and therefore fashion spending, has perked up over the past couple of months, I can't really afford to buy designer clothes. However, if I could have had anything this year, it would have been one of these Matthew Williamson dresses. I love the colour (on a black base, naturellement!) and the modern computer geekiness of it, juxtaposed with the vintage handicraft/homely nature of the original print. I loved this dress so much that I rejected the very good replica Mango did of it, because it just would have felt so inferior every time I wore it.

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Imagine my joy then when I read that H&M has unveiled Matthew Williamson as the company's next guest designer, with women's wear and men's wear collections due for launch next year.

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The Williamson revolution will begin with an exclusive women's fashion range in selected stores from 23 April next year. (bold for emphasis!) Further women's pieces, plus his first men's wear collection, will follow for the summer. These will be available from mid-May in all H&M stores around the world.

"Matthew has such a good eye and a way for working with prints that he mixes up in a new way," said Margareta van den Bosch, creative advisor at H&M. "When he combines these things, you get a very contemporary London look."

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Mixing up prints in new ways? Please Lord let that be a hint that the pixelated rose print is coming to H&M alongside its inventor. I don't think i've ever crossed my fingers and my toes this hard in unison in my life!

Love, Tor x

Comme de Garcon - Polka What??

(OK, just advance warning that yesterday was quite a shopping day, so what is flying towards you now is part 1 of a 3 part mega posting session!)

Hey y'all,

Well, on the Comme de Garcon front I write to you a disapointed lady; everyone was right when they posted yesterday that all the stuff I wanted had gone. And (not that i'm sad or bitter!) but what was left really wasn't worth leaving the house for. This is the sight that greeted me when i arrived:

No crowds, no high fashion; nada! And although I was reserving judgement on the discussion that has been raging in the blogosphere of late, i'm prepared to say now that to my mind you really didn't get a lot for your money! However, for anyone desperate to get their hands on anything, the topshop Oxford circus store is having another big delivery today apparently. For now, this is as close as I got to the good stuff:

The window display! In the store there were only 3 things left in my size. In fact, there was only about 6 different items left altogether. But here they are:

1) Painful dress

How it should've looked:

How it looked on me:
Ouch ouch ouch!!! My poor boobs shouldn't look this flat and squished - damn you curves!! Actually this dress looked nicer on than on the hanger (if you ignore the flattening effect) and I really liked the cut out waist detail. I can see this looking really lovely on someone who isn't me!

2+3) Polka dot madness!

At £29.99 I scoffed at the cotton polka dot shirt - H&M quality for double the price? Why, I asked myself! I did however like the £14.99 pajama pants: i've never been able to resist decent pajamas! But what worried me most is that teaming them with the shirt looked way too much like a house suit set. What does that say about the shirts I wonder!?
Oh yeah, and even though it was a little baggy everywhere else, the central button gaped. Story of my life! (although nothing that couldnt be fixed with a needle and thread and a strategically placed popper!)

So there you have it! Painful dress and pajamas - not exactly what I was getting excited about really was it? Oh well, at least I had a worthwhile evening in the end, but more about that later.

I'm teasing you like the end of a dramatic episode of your favourite soap opera (please tell me you watch soap operas or i'm just not sure we can still be friends!)

To be continued.....

Tor x

Comme de Garcons for H&M - Before

Today my day is split into 2 distinct sections: before and after I view the Comme de Garcons for H&M collection. Unfortunately, unlike half the bloggersphere, I had to get up and come to work this morning rather than get up and wait in line for a chance to try on/buy some of the range. So while everyone else is battling it out on Oxford street, I’m sat here with fingers itching, waiting for 5.30 to come, and praying that there will be something left by then (and that the queues wont be as bad as they were in Tokyo!)
I’ve been admiring the collection from afar for months; I need the shirt with ruffled sleeves and the circus master-type jacket in particular. (see below!) But often these things are so much more disappointing in the flesh, so I’m trying not to get too excited (she says as she scours the web for more pictures-again!)

However, provided everything looks and feels as good tonight as I hope it will from my computer screen, these are the things I will be looking out for:

And here it is up close:

I need this jacket! I need it more than I think I can express in words right now! I think I also need this models platinum hair....

Oooh! Ruffly sleeves! Like jewellery attached to your clothes - I want to wear this under a little black dress for work and team it with (it's an urge I cant control) boots and legwarmers!

Comfy and practical - not cool but things I love anyway!! I can see me slouching to work in these on hangover days and still feeling lovely!

For more pictures and the prices of everything check out the H&M website (it goes without saying really, but just in cases!)

Obviously, in true fabfrocks fashion, my take on the whole thing will appear hours after everyone elses, and I know in the back of my head that all the 'good stuff' will be gone but still, I can't help being excited!

Roll on tonight!

Love Tor x

Hide my eyes, make me pretty

I admit it, i'm one of that rare breed of horrible (potentially pretentious) people that wears sunglasses in the winter. Cold sunny days make me happy because they mean I can protect my eyes stylishly from the bright white light.

I don't hate myself for my winter sunglasses wearing ways too much though, because i'll have you know i'm in good company (no,dear reader, i am not thinking of Victoria Beckham!)

Jackie Onassis, widow of the former US president JFK and all round style-icon was famous for wearing her statement shades all year round and even today "Jackie O glasses" is a phrase used synonomously with "oversized glasses". Sigh. And noone before or since has ever pulled off the look so effortlessly. All hail queen Jackie! We oversized shades enthusiasts salute you (whatever the time of year)!

Now even if you don't subscribe to the "i'll wear sunglasses with everything goddammit" philosophy-and if you don't you should really think about it- with summer just around the corner (I promise it is, you can almost smell it) now is the perfect time to invest in a brand new pair of super cool-because no other kind of cool will do- shades. With this in mind, Miss Becky and I set out to find the finest of the finest sunglasses for your viewing pleasure.

Our first stop was H&M, as they are one of the only few highstreet stores to have their new summer sunglasses range in stock already:

Help! Our noses seem to have disapeared! Bad, bad H&M.......

For these fine oversized offerings in a variety of different shapes and colours, H&M deserve a ginormous thumbs up. And with each pair coming in at under £5, they represent extrordinary value for money (particularly if, like me, you sit on and therefore break at least 3 pairs every summer regardless of price or quality)

With this minor eyewear victory under our belt, we headed jauntily (because Becky had brought a new hat from H&M, and jauntily is the only way you can possibly walk sporting a new hat) to the House of Frazer.


As you can no doubt tell from my scrambled enthusings above, I am somewhat of an oversized shades obsessive, so I didn't think I was going to like the Rayban wayfarers worn by such celebs as Kelly Osbourne and Sienna Miller (just in case you don't look at any gossipy celeb blogs now and again!) I usually much prefer Rayban aviators. Especially the dark brown ones. But these glasses were suprisingly comfortable and flattering: particularly as they cut under my (relatively new) fringe- a problem I have been having with the bigger styles.


Becky looked particualry glamourous in these Spitfire offerings, but we both agreed that given their dark colour and shape, they were just too big for her lovely face. In fact, the House of Frazer sunglasses department was a bit of a disapointment, particularly for Becky, with this Dior shades making her pull her saddest and unhappiest face:

Poor, poor becky! If you promise to stop pulling that frog face I shall turn you into a princess to make you feel a little better:

*** Original picture taken from talented charicaturist Killia Llano

Oh Miss O! You really are!