As seen on....me: new asos shoes!

A fortnight ago I went to a very interesting website workshop for Catwalk genius (don't worry, i'm not going to bang on about how much I love that site again!) and was duly rewarded with a £30 gift voucher to spend at asos, as well as a very welcome 15% off at the catwalk genius site. So what did I do? Why, I immediately went to the asos shoe department, of course!

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I was looking for something transitional; I already have my winter boots and more pairs of summer sandals that any girl in her right mind needs (especially given our summer has been such a wash out some of them still have the labels on!!) and I wanted something light and airy, like a sturdy version of a sandal I suppose, for warm Autumn days (and cooler ones teamed with tights!)

These studded flat cage shoes fitted the bill perfectly, and they're so comfortable that I don't think there has been a single day I haven't worn them since they arrived last Wednesday; which obviously is why i'm sharing them with you! The T bar immediately makes me think of back to school shoe shopping with my mum!

They are from the asos premium leather range and at first I was worried that the sole was too flimsy for endurance but they're so comfortable i'm just crossing my fingers and hoping for the best! So thank you catwalk genius for your generosity, and thank you asos for making these lovely shoes: please have made them strong enough not to fall to pieces around my feet!

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Love Tor xx

Stick it on my head!

Hi guys,
I think I have a problem, and there seems to be no cure. Recently I have become rather obsessed with headwear, and more specifically, with bows.

It started off small, with this glitter covered cartoonesque bow I wore for New Year. But since then the obsession has grown.....
....Next I found this rather wonderful pink number in Topshop and I knew that I wouldn't be able to rest until it was on my head. But before long, even that wasn't big enough.....
.....So last week I bought this enormous verging on the ridiculous number from Johnny loves Rosie; golden yellow satin to clash with my hair and make me feel fabulous. Plus it has the added bonus of embarrassing the boyfriend whenever I insist on wearing it out! .
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Now i'm frightened I can't stop. I have been lusting and lusting after a Tour de Force headpiece, so imagine my delight when my catwalk genius newsletter landed in my inbox with news that a selection have been reduced to up to half off!!

I can't decide between the Nautical Feast (reduced from151 euros to 69) or the puff bow (reduced from 140 euros to 69). Now i'm left puzzling; would it be wrong to buy both? PS - theres loads of other stuff in the catwalk genius sale, so if your idea of fun isn't wearing a hairpiece bigger than your head (and shame on you!) then it's definitely stuff worth checking out!)
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Love, Tor x

Snow White and the seven layers of chiffon

Well as the theme of the day seems to be reintroducing you to websites i've already told you I love, who am I to break the habit? Catwalk genius has a small sale on their website, and as I can't seem to resist the summer sales this week I decided to take a peek. However, once more it wasn't the cute and quirky garments I might actually be able to afford that took my fancy, but the couture that I most certainly couldn't. If you have the money and an eye for a bargain then this Aimee McWilliams dress is for you. And although E2241.75 is an eyewatering amount of money, given that it was E5781.35, that is quite the reduction.

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Regardless of the reduction, it is quite the dress...

The gown is made up of over 60 metres of French chiffon in a variety of colours. And if you're interested in celebrities, then according to the website this cut has been ordered by Sarah Brightman and Christina Aguilera amongst other stars. To me it looks like a very fancy couture version of Snow White's wedding dress. Although i'm not that sure how I feel about the panto style padded cups (it fits into the Snow White theme I guess!) that raw edged skirt and I could talk all night. I love the vibrant clashing colours and that in spite, or even because of them, the dress looks very very well made and perfect for a Cinderella style ball. Wow, i'm really channelling the Disney today, arent I? Its a dress made for a wind machine, a bold personality, and a flounce.
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I'm not sure i've ever flounced before, but for one night in that dress, i'm certainly prepared to give it a go!
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Love, Tor

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.

Oh my God!

This is just a teeny tiny very quick post to say thank you to the wonderful folks at Catwalk genius, courtesy of whom I have just been awarded tickets to several LFW shows (yeah baby!!!) I'm so excited I don't know what to do, I just feel like jumping up and down (and up and down and up and down...you get the idea!)

See look how happy and excited I am! And how chubby my cheeks are when I smile....dammit!! Thank God I was already dressed up a little more than usual for work today, because i'm going to the launch of the Summer Rayne Oakes style naturally book tonight! All this excitement is too much to take!

Now I know its obvious to say that I look a little Luella here, but I was actually channelling SS09 House of Holland. What do you think?

Anyway I have to scoot if I want to get to that first show! After i've jumped up and down a bit more to get all the excitement out of course! I'm taking my camera and my notebook, so expect gossip and photos galore when I get back!

Lots of love,

Tor xxx

PS - I shall be tweeting often throughout the day and weekend, so if you want to follow me in "real time" and endure the randomness that often pops into my head then i'd love you to!!

Crown Me, Immediately!

I read about the work of Camille Roman, creator of Tour de force, on the stylebubble blog last month, but didn't really take it in. Then this morning my catwalk genius newsletter arrived (did I mention i'm slightly in love with catwalk genius?) and they were waxing lyrical about Camille's work.

Such praise from two highly trusted sources meant that I had no choice other than to check it out. And now i'm totally obsessed! According to Catwalk genius Camille produces "hairpieces which allow people to make an impact with a high-end statement, but be easily adorned comfortable at the same time." And i'm quoting directly because I really couldn't but it better myself!

This is the image gracing the homepage of tourdeforce.com and the one attracting all the attention on the bloggosphere (I really hate using that word!) And you can see why: it really is a statement piece! At £140, it's also the most expensive thing on the site. And I would love to own it, and sit in my living room sporting it and feeling glamorous whilst I watched eastenders with a can of lemonade. I really do live the high life, don't I? But, like most people too afraid of attracting the attention, I don't think i'd be brave enough to wear it out. I'm not letting that put me off though. That doesn't mean tour de force isn't for me. Or for you. Because, for a wedding or a party, this is a hairpiece I would love to wear day in and day out:

It's called the butterfly crown and I think it's beautiful. Its soft floppyness reminds me of a cartoon bunny, and it has something of the anime princess about it.

And the thing that suprised me most? Actually, it really isn't that expensive! As the CG website shows prices in Euros, the weak pathetic pound is working against us at the moment, but even bearing that in mind, the butterfly crown of my dreams is only 76.96, which works out at a nicely rounded £69.91.

These hairpieces are quickly going to become my new obsession. I'm picturing everyone around me wearing them- here's a gold lame turban rose for Becky and monochrome pleated flower that would look amazing set against my sisters dark hair:

You can tell that Camille gained her experience at at Johnny Loves Rosie and Lulu Guinness. Looking at her designs makes you think of last seasons oversized (and I really mean oversized) floppy bows from Johnny Loves Rosie. But bigger and more intricate: they did the mini episode and she wrote the whole animated movie. Her work reminds me of 80's cartoon characters crossed with gorgeous mysterious 1930's film sirens travelling via Japan. And I love it.

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Oversized glamorous attention grabbing wild hair pieces. They're going to be the new black!

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You read it here first.

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Love Tor xxx

Genius. Pure genius.

I heart catwalkgenius.com. In fact, I HEART catwalkgenius.com. Caplocks for emphasis.

This morning I was looking for the perfect T shirt dress. Inspired by my pvc leggings that I still haven't worn, but am determined to, I thought that what I probably needed was something casual (to counteract the killer heels) that was short enough to show off my leggings in all their glory, but long enough to cover most of the horror show that is my thighs. Enter then the T shirt dress. Answer to all my ills. All the usual suspects were attacked, and I found nothing that would make my boat float. In a bid of desperation I typed in my desire to google and they came up trumps.

Enter catwalk genius. Hundreds of beautiful covertable items at seriously affordable prices but made from wool and cashmere and luxurious cotton, rather than the cheap polyester of topshop for practically the same price (well, if you squint a bit and you cant really count!)

Here then are the things I covet:

Owl tshirt, Otswald Helgason, 177 euros.
Wow dress by JoJo and Malou, 94 Euros

Handcuff sequin jumper, Markus Lupfer, 227 Euros
Shark attack dress, Jojo and Malou 116 Euros

Dodecahedron necklace, Fred Butler, 383 Euros (First I saw Fred on Channel 4 making pin wheels, then I saw Susie Bubble wearing her necklace and fell in love. Oh how I covert one of my very own!)

These are my five favourite things, but there's so much more! And the real "genius" of the project (who am I to miss such an obvious pun?) is that the site enables young and new designers to sell there stuff at no risk, as well as giving users the opportunity to support them; you can buy shares in their next collection, and the site encourages you to spread the word about the designers you like (which I realise is exactly what i'm doing now!)

I still haven't found that T shirt dress of my dreams, but do you know, just for a moment, I think i've stopped caring.

Lots of love,

Tor x