Competition: Win Two Pairs of Monster Slippers With #SlippersforShelter

Hi guys,
We're now less than two weeks away from Christmas and as I write is post I am sitting all snug and cosy looking at my Christmas tree twinkle in my Christmas pudding print onesie and my fluffy pnk slipper socks (don't judge it 'til you've tried it, my friends, for this is my definition of comfort). Mike is upstairs giving Wilbur his bath and I can hear giggling and splashing coming down the stairs. Soon he will be scooped out of the water and wrapped in a big fluffy towel before being dressed all cosy in his pajamas and slippers to come downstairs for a story and a bedtime cuddle with his mummy. We might even build a train track together, if there's time before bed. All of these things make me so happy.

So why am I painting you this picture of domestic bliss? Because I know how lucky I am to have it. Because so many mummies don't know where they'll be putting their babies to sleep tonight, or are having to put them to bed in hostels or temporary accomodation that they don't feel safe in. Because 90,000 children in the UK are homeless right now. And at all times of the year, but especially at this time of the year, that makes me really sad.

Christmas is a time for family, and a time for being comfortable. For putting on your slippers, for snuggling under your tree, for eating too much chocolate. But mostly for knowing that you have a roof over your head where you can keep your children safe and warm. That's what Shelter's brilliant new Slippers for Shelter (#slippersforshelter) campaign is all about. Nothing says warmth and comfort more than your favourite slippers: putting them on is the sign that your finally home after a long day. So what better way to raise money for people without homes this Christmas than by wearing that ultimate symbol of home?


And Now For the Competition!! Because this is all about all things slippers, I'm giving away two pairs of Monster Slippers: that can either be an adult and child pair (family matching is so hot right now) or two children's pairs if you'd prefer.I would choose Dick van Dyke-style penguins for myself and cheeky monkeys for Wilbur (as shown above) but you can choose any design you please: If you love oversized novelty slippers (and what's not to love) then the world is your oyster!

To enter all you have to do is head over to my twitter feed @torbrierley where you will find my slippers for Shelter competition tweet! Simply RT that tweet and follow @shelterslippers on twitter and your competition entry will be complete: it's that easy! I will announce the winner shortly after the competition closes on the 18th December.

Oh, and as well as entering the competition you can also take part in #SlippersforShelter day on the 18th December. All you have to do is wear those comfortable slippers that you love and donate £2 to Shelter. It's amazing the difference this will make to those 90,000 children who won't be waking up in a bed of their own this Christmas morning.

Love Tor x

And now for the science bit! Here are the Competiton Terms and Conditions:

1. No purchase necessary. 2. The closing date of this competition is 18 December 2014. 3. Only entries from 11 December to 18 December 2014 will be counted as eligible for this competition. No new RT made after this time will be considered. 4. The winner will be picked at random by Tor Brierley and will be announced on Twitter and Fab Frocks. The prize is 2 pairs of slippers from Monster Slippers 5. No cash alternative will be available and the donation is non-transferable. 6. Entrants must be aged 13 years or over and resident in England, Scotland or Wales. 7. We reserve the right to amend these rules at any time. Entry in this competition implies acceptance of these rules. 8. Fab Frocks reserves the right to remove comments which may be deemed inappropriate or offensive. 9. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Twitter or Blogger. By participating in this promotion you agree to a complete release of Twitter and Blogger from any claims 10. By entering this draw you agree your personal data will be used by Shelter in accordance with our data protection policy. 11. Fab Frock's interpretation of the rules and decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered in to. 12. These terms and conditions shall be governed by English law and the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction.​ 13. The employees and family of Fab Frocks, Monster Slippers and Shelter are not eligible for this competition.

Time to talk Christmas jumpers!

Hi guys,
The 12th December is officially Christmas jumper day: a new holiday concocted by Save the Children to raise money and get everyone in the holiday spirit. I love Christmas jumpers (I am the proud owner of three) and so any opportunity to wear one is fine by me. But what to choose? What was once a very niche market has exploded over the past couple of years and now you'll find Christmas jumpers literally everywhere. Whether you want something subtle, something cute, or something all-out Christmassy as hell, there IS the right Christmas jumper for you. Here are my picks of the very best you can buy right now:

Kissing robins jumper, £14, George @ Asda (Buy it here)
Red traditional jumper, £12, George @ Asda (Buy it here)
Christmas present jumper, £25, M&S Collection (Buy it here)
Green fairisle jumper, £40, Topshop (buy it here)
Seasons greetings jumper, £40, Topshop (buy it here)
Elf jumper, Florence and Fred, £18 (Buy it here)

I really like the Seasons Greetings jumper from Topshop which is super soft in the flesh and has really stylish looking sequinned embellishment. I also like that the background is such a neutral colour, meaning that you can wear it with anything: key if you like to wear Christmas jumpers for pretty much the whole of December like I do! I also like the wrapped present-style fine knit sweater from M&S, simply because I've never seen one like that before. The supermarket versions are all lovely if you're on a budget too (why would you spend alot of money on something you can only wear one month a year?)

Are you a big fan of the Christmas jumper, and will you be wearing yours throughout December? Or do you think Christmas jumpers are a throw back to the 1980s that should stay there?

Love Tor x

Lifestyle: Chime for Change With Kelloggs Special K

Hi guys,
Why am I showing you a box of breakfast cereal, I hear you ask? Because this is no ordinary box of Kelloggs Special K! In fact, only 200 of these boxes were produced. They were designed in collaboration with Gucci Creative Director Frida Giannini to help raise awareness for Chime For Change: the latest charitable collaboration that Kelloggs are supporting, and the one with the best byline: "Education. Health. Justice. For every girl. Every woman. Everywhere. Because none of us can move forward if half of us are held back."

Chime for Change is much more than pretty cereal boxes: the charity was founded in 2003 by founded by Frida Giannini, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Salma Hayek Pinault and so far they have funded more than 390 projects to support girls and women in 88 countries through 132 non-profit partners. Now Special K have come on board re-designed 18.5 million of their cereal boxes, enabling people enjoying a bowl of Special K in the mornings to have the opportunity to join in the campaign. You can support education, health and justice for girls and women by going online and voting for the projects you would most like to see funded. You literally can help to encourage change whilst eating your breakfast!


I was not paid to write this post, but I was given the opportunity to choose one of the Chime for Change charities to receive a £50 donation on my behalf. I chose a project based in India with the aim of helping to fight childhood malnutrition before it starts. I know worldwide poverty isn't a particularly current or 'sexy' issue. But I chose this charity because the idea of not being able to feed my little boy is terrifying to me. I can't imagine having to watch helplessly as your child becomes increasingly ill simply because you can't afford to give them something to eat: It makes me feel sick. It's mind boggling that this is something that still happens all of the world (including right here in this country) every day.

You can help to support the project using the hashtag #chimein @MySpecialK_UK and of course, by donating to any of the incredibly wonderful good causes the project supports that you feel passionate about.

Love Tor x

Give up Clothes for Good!

Hi guys,
Earlier in the month I was invited to a private dinner hosted by TKMaxx for a sneak peek of their latest charity campaign: Give up Clothes for Good! The campaign is being run in conjunction with Cancer Research UK, and will support and help fund research on kids cancers.

The basic premise of the campaign is pretty simple. You take a bag of clothes to your local TKMaxx store next time you pop in for a shop of bargain hunting. They give the bag to Cancer Research UK, who sell it in their charity shop. Each donated bag could raise up to £30 towards vital cancer research. Easy peasy!

Check out the video below to see what I (and all the other bloggers at the dinner) donated to the campaign, and our key picks from TKMaxx's new Spring/Summer collections:

It really is a great cause, so why not combine having a good old Spring clean of your wardrobe (something I recommend every year!) with filling a bag of clothes to take to your local TKMaxx for donation, and supporting their campaign?

Because, let's face it, it feels good to do something good! And any excuse to pop to TKMaxx to 'replace' all that stuff you just gave away, right?!

Love Tor xx

Fashion for good: Monsoon collaborates with Burts Bees

Hi guys,
I always love fashion for good. It makes me feel a little bit better about my out-of-control shopping habit if my purchases occasionally help charity! So this morning I went to the launch of 'Bee Mine', a collection that Burt's Bees have launched with Monsoon.

The special partnership has been formed to help raise awareness of the plight of the honey bee in the UK and the work of the British Beekeepers Association and the Adopt A Beehive project.




The collection is formed of two pieces: a cute bumble bee jumper and the "Bee Mine" playsuit, which has a beehive pattern, and tiny honeybees all over it. Instead of a standard label, each piece has a wild seed flower packet from Habitataid attached to it: the seeds inside have been specifically chosen because they are good for honey bees. And, if you buy either of the two pieces (or both if you're feeling especially spendy!) you get a Burt's Bees honey lip balm added to your order for free at the till.

Cute pieces, free lip balm, and the chance to do something for the greater good? You really can't lose!

Love Tor xx

What's your clothing confession?

Hi guys,
It's that time of the year again: time to put all of your summer clothes to the back of your wardrobe, pull out your tights and jumpers, and have a complete wardrobe overhaul! Two weekends ago, Mike and I even went to Ikea to buy a new chest of drawers so I could turn my floordrobe into something almost resembling order. Sadly I haven't actually filled it yet!

Ahead of London Fashion Week, and because it's wardrobe clearout time, Weight Watchers are raising money for Tommy’s charity with a ‘Clothing Amnesty Initiative’, whereby supporters can donate unwanted clothes via the clothesforcash scheme – and raise £10 per bag!

They're also asking the public to get behind the amnesty by telling them their Clothes Confession - that item that you’ve bought but have only worn once - via their new Facebook app. And in return for this Clothes Confession, Weight Watchers will donate 10p directly to the charity.

And because I can't ask you to do something I wouldn't do myself, here's mine:

Shoes are my weakness: especially shoes with high heels! However sadly, I also have really sensitive feet. Which means I am the proud owner of an army of shoes I love to look at, but can never wear (unless I'm prepared to suffer blisters and bleeding which, let's face it, just isn't sexy!)

I'll never throw them away (they're just too pretty!) but my clothing confession is that all three of these pairs of shoes still have the labels on, because I've never actually worn them and got out of my front door! Am I a tad ashamed? Yes! Does this mean I'll stop buying my beloved heels? Definitely not!

Love, Tor xx

It's tea party time for everyone!

Hi guys,

As you know doubt already know (I talk about it enough!) the theme of my wedding is Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatters tea party. We're having flowers in tea cups, tea pot favours, and all manners of other whimsical things. Which is why Marie Curie's new "blooming great tea party" campaign resonated so much for me.

Marie Curie are asking people to hold tea parties to fundraise for Marie Curie nurses who provide free care for people with terminal cancer and illnesses in their own home. Tea parties big and small will make a difference in helping terminally ill people spend their final days at home. Every £20 that's raised will pay for an hour of nursing care. 1 in 3 people in the UK are affected by cancer (either themselves or someone they love) so I think caring for those people is something we all think about/know about.

The best thing about throwing a tea party or getting involved in the campaign is, this only has to be as much hard work as you want it to be! Your tea party can be everything from a vintage high tea (the fashion bloggers dream) to agarden party, our just a cuppa and a cake in the office with colleagues. The ‘official’ tea party season lasts from June 12th to July 12th but people can register to hold one any time up to 31st July. My wedding is on July 15th, and I think i'm going to register and hold a party in my office for the week before that: that way I can celebrate my big day with my work friends that can't make the wedding, and save some money for a good cause too.

Will you be throwing a party? What theme will you have? Wedding planning has turned me into a party planning addict, so i'd love to hear all about it!

Love,
Tor xx

Kick your shoes off and make a difference!

Yesterday whilst strolling down Carnaby street I was confronted by a marching army of shoeless youths. That is because yesterday Toms didn't want us to wear any shoes, to raise awareness of, and money for, the millions of people around the world that spend every day of their lives walking without shoes.

Shoes can prevent infection and disease, and in general make life easier and more pleasant. According to the website, many children must walk barefoot for miles to school, clean water and medical help. Cuts and sores on feet can lead to serious infection, and often children are not allowed to attend school if they do not have shoes. In Ethiopia, one million people suffer from a disease cause by walking barefoot in volcanic soil, that is completely preventable with basic foot hygiene and shoes. I wish i'd known about this event before it was happening, I didn't really see it publicised anywhere which is a shame, as it seems like a really good cause.


A quarter of a million people participated in other 1600 events around the world though, so they must have found out about it somewhere - they were probably much more observant than I am! If the idea was to raise awareness though it certainly worked - everyone walking down the street was staring and taking photos, just like me!

Hope you guys are looking forward to the sunny weekend!
Love, Tor xx

Fashion Targets Breast Cancer: Check out the goods!

Yesterday was the launch of this years Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign. I thought the Mario Testino pictures looked fantastic, especially the one of Kylie, who looked gorgeous and healthy: I think she is the perfect choice to front the campaign! Last night I went to the launch party for the event to see the products that are available from all of the retailers involved, and I was really impressed with what I saw:



The pieces I especially love are the striped cardigan from Whistles (in the second picture) and the ruffle sleeved top from Warehouse (picture one) but it's fair to say they've come up with something for everyone from the Laura Ashley twin set (second picture) to M&S T shirts to underwear sets: I think the Superdry hoodies are a great addition to the FTBC family too, because they're a youth brand, and the younger someone is when you make them aware of breast cancer the better.

At the event last night I heard a really shocking statistic; 120 women a day are diagnosed with breast cancer in this country. I think hearing the numbers really brought how important the campaign is home. It was a really interesting event that gave me food for thought as well as the chance to look at some great clothes: every piece is really wearable and not obviously a 2010 chairty piece meaning you could still wear it again year after year. I was never really a big fan of the target T shirts - when would you wear them!?

Why not check out the pieces and do your bit whilst you're out shopping this weekend?! Oh, and if these pieces aren't to your taste then don't forget to buy your pins and bracelets (find out more about these here!) They're subtle but pretty: I have my pin on my red mac!

Love, Tor xx

Wear your support: Fashion Targets Breast Cancer

On Monday this years Fashion Targets Breast Cancer (FTBC) campaign will be launching, and I am lucky enough to be going along (as usual expect a full report!) This year Mario Testino will be supporting the campaign along with three of the "worlds biggest stars" from film, fashion, and music. They won't say who these mystery supporters are though, so we will have to wait until Monday to find out.

This year the campaign is called "wear your support" and its all about showing your support for FTBC by wearing a special design for the charity from one of your favourite UK brands: M&S, Topshop, River Island, Coast, Warehouse, Laura Ashley, Superdry,Whistles, Melissa Odabash and my-wardrobe.com are all getting involved. I love it when you can go shopping and feel like you're doing something to help people at the same time, and given the brands involved i'm hoping the FTBC designs will be pretty wearable too.

As well as the big money items (lingerie from M&S and a dress from Coast for example) there will also be pins (£1) and bracelets (£2) which you can buy from River Island, Topshop and Superdry and travel card wallets from M&S. I know these have been out there for years but I think they're such a good idea: not only do they show your support they also remind other people of the charity and hopefully they will want to get involved too!

It only costs a pound or two to show you care, and with 1 in 9 women developing breast cancer at some point in their lifetime you never know when you or somebody you love will need the support (although obviously I am touching wood that this dreadful desease doesn't affect any of you!) I really like the FTBC campaigns: I think its great to see the fashion industry use its powers for good rather than for evil!

Love, Tor xx

PS - I'm sure you don't need me to tell you this but please make sure you all stay healthy and have a good fondle of your boobs every now and again! Wow, I hope that didn't sound too Trinny and Susannah! :)

These are a few of my favourite things...

Close your eyes and think of a few things that are really really nice. Fashion, obviously, is top of the list. Next comes sexy boys who play guitars, puppies, and helping charity: A nice thing that makes you feel good at the same time.

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Well, those clever folks over at Ben Sherman have come up with a clever way of combining all of these nice things. Well, apart from the puppies. If only they could've done something with the puppies! This week Ben Sherman have announced the VIP, that's Very Important Plectrum, online charity auction on behalf of Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy. (Doing something for charity - check!) The plectrums are presented in a lovely frame with artwork and authenticity from the band, and are perfect for anyone interested in music. Or sexy boys in bands.

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Bands such as Razorlight, Kings of Leon and the Klaxons have contributed their plectrums (sexy boys who play guitars - check!) and you can find them on eBay from 11th October for a three week period. The auction will also be promoted in 30 Ben Sherman stores across the globe (that takes care of the fashion -final check!)
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The charity partner for this project, Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy, uses live musical improvisation to help improve the quality of life for children and adults isolated by conditions such as learningdisabilities, autism, mental health problems, neurological damage or serious and terminal illness.. It's a worthy cause, so if your looking at this and thinking my boyfriend/sister/dad/(insert relevant person here) would love that, then be sure to check it out on 11th October.
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Love, Tor xx