Family Friendly Holidays: Center Parcs Europe, Port Zandvoort

Hi guys,
Well everyone is talking about summer holidays, but we've already been on holiday twice this year, so no more breaks for us until 2016! However my mahusive hiatus means that I've yet to share my holiday snaps, which is the perfect thing to do on this gloomy evening. How is it July when I'm wearing fleecy PJs and wrapped up in a lap blanket?!

Anyway. Holiday for 2015 number one: Back in April we went to a Center Parcs parc in Port Zandvoort, which is in Holland, Much cheaper than Center Parcs in the UK, but with all the same great facilities, Zandvoort also has the bonus of being the place my parents took my sisters and I when we were kids. We loved it then, so I bundled everyone (including mum and dad) up in the car and hopped on the 8 hour Stena Line ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland: a cinema, little soft play area and restaurants on the boat meant the time flied by. The park was just a short 40 minute drive the other side. Easy peasy!

Once there we enjoyed  days out to Amsterdam (where I have an obsession with peeking into the houseboats) and Haarlem, a trip to the Efteling theme park (another one of my childhood favourites), and of course spent tons of time enjoying all the activities on the park. The swimming pool complex was amazing (Wilbur's first time in a wave pool and on a water slide!), it was a short walk away from a beautiful beach, and there was a boating lake, bikes to hire, an on-site petting zoo, mini golf and bowling. Not sophisticate five star style, I admit, but just the best family fun with so much to see and do.

If you're travelling with smalls and looking for the easiest and most hassle-free holiday ever then this one comes heartily recommended; it was so much fun every step of the way, and the most laid back trip we have been on so far. In fact, we loved it so much that we've already started looking at other resorts in holiday we can visit next year!

Have you got any nice holidays coming up? Make me jealous with your tales of sunny beaches and cocktails by the sea!

Love Tor x

Christmas time in Disneyland Paris

Hi guys,
Apologies for the huge break in posting over the festive period: working for yourself, having a toddler and organizing Christmas simply doesn't work well with being a good blogger, i'm afraid. Not to mention that we spent the first week of January on holiday to Disneyland Paris. This was Wilbur's third trip to Disneyland Paris and he, as well as the both of us, are completely hooked! Here is an unashamedly self- indulgent look at our trip, but I will follow it with some useful tips:

Tips
-Winter in Disneyland Paris is cold. Much colder than at home, and this feeling of being cold is emphasised by the fact that you're outside for most of the day. We all wore thermals (both long johns and long sleeved vests) under our regular winter clothes and wrapped up as much as possible: this kept us warm and ensured we were able to focus on having fun, not on whether or not we could feel our toes!

-Do make use of the photopass service. For just 59.99E you can have professional photos from all of the rides and at all of the character meets and greets added to your photopass card, so that you can print them and see them when you get home. All of the above are from our photopass card, and it took the pressure off me to make sure i'd captured the moment, so I could just focus on having fun.

-Meet as many characters as possible! During the Christmas season they all wear special Christmas costumes, so if you visit the park regularly during the rest of the year this is a great draw and something that will bring a new dimension to your photographs. Also look out for special seasonal meet and greets, such as our meeting with Jack Skellington in his Santa suit.

-See the parades. The Christmas parades are something else! Not as long as the regular 'Magic on Parade' parade but with an amazing festive atmosphere that will have both big kids and little kids completely enchanted. Wilbur is still talking about the fact he saw Santa in the parade and that he was sitting in the same sleigh as goofy (his favourite character). Without sounding too soppy, it's things like this that will create memories they'll never forget.

The 2015 Christmas season at Disneyland Paris runs from the beginning of November to the end of the first week in January. The earlier and later in the season you go, the quieter the parks will be. If you're tempted, you can already book this right now. 

Love Tor xx

A Day in London (AKA Holiday Post Number 1)

Hi guys,
Sorry for my long period of radio silence, but we have just returned from our holidays. As I have mentioned before, we spent the week in Disneyland Paris, staying in the Golden Forest Suite of the Sequoia Lodge hotel. And it was awesome. Seriously! A big fat post all about it will follow! Before we went though, we decided to extend our holiday by staying the night in London before we travelled in a much more humble hotel....The Kings Cross London Central Travelodge. And I was surprisingly impressed!

As our train to Paris was leaving at 6.50 the next morning, staying at the Travelodge was the perfect way for us to just 'Get up and go' the next day. If you're travelling via the Eurostar then there's nowhere better to stay: you can walk to the station from the hotel in less than 3 minutes which is pretty impressive considering we were holding the baby, a pram, and two suitcases!!

Check in was easy peasy, and the staff really couldn't have been nicer or more helpful: they even offered to help us carry our luggage up to the room because we had so much of it! And the room was great! A big comfy kingsize bed (and a lovely cot for Wilbur), a power shower I stood under for at least 20 minutes, and (essentially) everything we needed to make a nice cup of tea: what more do you want or need for such a short stay?

Staying in London the day before we travelled on holiday also meant we could do a little sightseeing with Wilbur and start our holiday early. We booked early check in (at 12pm) so that we could leave our luggage and get straight on with having a good time. And I knew just where I wanted to take him: the Natural History Museum to see the dinosaurs. Wilbur is completely obsessed with dinosaurs! He spent the whole time pointing them out (he calls them 'dinodadours') and roaring: it was adorable! We had a lovely day exploring all of our old haunts before heading back to our room for a goods night's sleep and starting our holiday happy and refreshed. It was a wonderful idea, and one I would heartily recommend.

This actually wasn't the only Travelodge I stayed in over the past fornight: I also stayed in one on Saturday night in Brighton (the Brighton Seafront) for my sister's hen do. (Obviously I will be sharing embarrassing pictures of that shortly) I think when I'm looking for a nice budget hotel for a night or two, Travelodge will be my new go-to!

Love Tor x

Holiday Guide: Fabfrocks Does Disneyland Paris

Hi guys,
I went to Disneyland Paris for the fourth time last October, and I just realised that I had so much going on when I got back that I didn't write my holiday review for the trip! This particular trip to Disneyland Paris was also our first holiday with Wilbur, so it was very different from when we went on our own (all care free!) but it is truly a magical place to take a holiday. This review will be very child-centric, but lots of the tips will be the same no matter who you're travelling with!

We stayed at the Explorers Hotel, which is a Disney Partner hotel, but isn't owned by Disney. The only real con of this is that you don't get 'extra magic hours' in the park before it opens for general admission, but we were really happy with the place. It had a huge swimming pool complete with water slides and a working pirate ship, a soft play area, a nice Continental-style breakfast offering and a free shuttle bus to the parks that only took around 5 minutes! The parks is where we spent most of our time: that's why you go to Disneyland! And it's no lie that they really are the happiest place in the world:


Make sure you grab a park guide as you arrive and check the timings of everything in it carefully. I'm a super-organised person anyway, but it really pays to be on a trip like this. For example, we really wanted Wilbur to meet Duffy bear, and I noticed on the guide that he was doing a meet and greet from 10am to 11.30am. We turned up at 9.58 (because I plan with military precision!) and we were the very first in the queue: it was lovely to be the first people to see him as he arrived, and we didn't have to worry about Wilbur fussing during a long queue:


The parades are fantastic and definitely worth catching. Depending on the time of year your visiting, you may have to queue for up to an hour to get a front row spot and a decent view (essential if you want a child in a buggy to see everything). At the beginning of October we found that we got a really great view by arriving on the parade route around 10 minutes before the parade started, but there were people arriving once the parade had already started that still seemed happy with what they could see:


If you really want to meet as many characters as possible with the least amount of queuing and waiting then I heartily recommend paying for Disney character dining. We went to the Inventions restaurant in the Disneyland Hotel, and whilst it is one of the most expensive Disney dining options, it really was worth it. The food was surprisingly delicious, but more importantly, we got loads of one to one time with the characters. They were wonderfully attentive, they kept coming back to our table for photos and to interact with Wilbur, and I would say that meal was one of the highlights of our holiday:



Finally, make sure you ride the Buzz Lightyear space raider spin ride! It's one of the best rides in the park, and it's suitable for everyone. If you're competitive (like Mike and I) then you may find yourself riding it over and over again competing to get the highest score!We had a wonderful time, and I would highly recommend this trip if you do have little ones. In fact, we enjoyed it so much that we've booked to go back again for a week at the beginning of Septmber! I'll write another review then, because it will be interesting to see how different the experience will be now that Wilbur can walk and talk and generally has a mind of his own!

Check out my previous holiday guides here:
Holiday Guide: Fabfrocks does Venice 
Holiday Guide: Beautiful Berlin

Love Tor x

Holiday Beauty: Pale is Interesting!

Hi guys,
My mum always taught me that if you don't have anything nice to say then you shouldn't say anything at all, and that's the ethos I've followed when writing this blog. So when I had a disastrous experience with Dove's summer glow lotion (a gradual tanner that left me with orange legs after just one application) I had no intention of writing about it: after all, given I've never used it before I could've just done something wrong! But then I got thinking about why I, the palest woman in the world, thought I needed to have tanned legs before I go on holiday and realised it probably would make an interesting post. Just not about the pros and cons of gradual tanning lotions.

Pretty much as soon as the first rays of Spring sunshine dapple the lawn we are bombarded with images of tanned people everywhere we turn. Lithe, sun kissed girls dance across our television screens with their big toothy grins. Women with seriously healthy tans jump from magazine pages advertising everything from razors to swimsuits to wide screen TVs. The subconscious message of all of this is that to have fun in the summer you have to have a tan, which probably explains why I succumbed and had my first unsuccessful experiment with tanning lotions of any kind! And I'm not the only one feeling the pressure not to be pale.

I read an interesting article that said in many US cities there are more tanning salons than coffee shops. Given the fact that skin cancer (in fact, all kinds of cancer) are on the rise, it seems mental to me that women are jumping on sunbeds to achieve 'perfect' skin: what's wrong with the skin you're in? It might be the norm to be tan if you live by the beach in California, but we're British! We're a nation of sun starved folks with skin that looks transluscent and grey after a long winter under wraps. Where are all our pale summer icons? I can only name a handful of pale but interesting British style icons and dozens more that turn to sunbeds or bottles to achieve an unnatural colour.

Me? I'd rather be pale than orange. And as I spend another hour in the shower scrubbing away at my seriously stripey legs I wonder whether if more of our role models and examples of popular advertising  didn't promote the need to tan, we might all feel a little more comfortable in our own pasty skin.

Do you fell better with a tan or are you happy to embrace your pale and interesting self? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Love Tor x

Accessories: A Bag on a Bag!

Hi guys,
I love leather accessories. In fact, if it's not made of soft, supple delicious-smelling leather then I'm just not interested. Pleather doesn't have the same texture or appeal and I've never really been a fan of cotton totes or purses; they seem cheap to me somehow. With our first 2014 holiday less than two weeks away though, I knew that I couldn't carry an expensive leather bag on the beach and something lightweight, malleable and (gulp) constructed in washable fabric was going to be the order of the day. Enter my new Ciryiel bag from David Jones!



I know it's been done by other designers before, but I really loved the tongue in check touch of this lightweight cotton beach bag having a print of the lovely leather snakeskin bag I'd much rather be carrying on it! I chose my version in this shade of orangey red, but the bag also comes in blue, green, beige and a metallic silver.

The straps are long enough that I can carry it over my shoulder, making it easy to tote around the pool or beach. It's fully lined in a thick black material and it has a zippable pocket inside and although it doesn't look it, this bag is big! There's plenty of room for my sun lotion, a towel, book, drink and (in my case) a spare nappy and some wet wipes too. I wasn't expecting to be that impressed by this bag but actually, I really am. And I think it's a snip at just £27.99.

What kind of bag do you carry when you're on the beach? Any suggestions for other great bag styles or brands to look at?

Love Tor x

Holidays: Packing for Paris in the Autumn

Hi guys,
I know this is a pretty niche post, but I really struggled to decide what to pack for our trip to Paris last week. Some forecasts said it would be warm, some that it would be cold and rainy. In the end, it was both! The weather was really changeable. So what did I pack for Paris in the Autumn? And what pieces would I recommend?

When I'm in Paris I always like to be as comfortable as possible (we walk a lot, rather than take the Metro when possible because that way you see so much more) and I also try to blend in with the locals rather than stand out as a tourist (It decreases the likelihood of having your purse stolen!) so I keep things muted and (dare I say it) chic. Lots of neutral colours, sensible but stylish boots (these are my Vagabond ankle boots from Sarenza) and a comfortable pair of jeans are what I would consider essentials.
We've been to Paris in October a couple of times before and the weather is different every time, so I try to prepare for every eventuality which means only one thing: lots of layers! I also packed vests, chiffon blouses, a heavy cardigan, my leather jacket, and a couple of scarves for extra warmth (if needed) and style. Of course, I also slipped in a Mickey Mouse tee too, for when we had our photos taken with the big man himself!
My suitcase came with lovely matching cotton bags, which I've used to pack my toiletries and my underwear separately. I always pack much more underwear than I need, because changing your pants and socks is an easy way to freshen up before you go out for the evening without having to fill your suitcase with lots of extra outfits!

Other Parisian essentials? My sunglasses, a couple of necklaces (to take black chiffon blouses from day to night) and of course my slimmed down make up bag, which contains my foundation and powder, a mascara, and a lovely bright red lipstick. It's worth noting that (because we travelled with the baby) we didn't doing any fancy evening dining: if you are heading to Paris and you will be enjoying evening activities, you will need to pack something other than jeans, in my experience. Leather trousers or a slim-fitting pencil skirt would be my first choices!

What do you pack when you travel to Europe at this time of year? Do you have any hints or tips to share?

Love Tor x

Holiday guide: Fabfrocks does Venice

Hi guys,
We are now officially back from our holidays, and normal life (and blogging schedule!) can be resumed again. But first, of course, I have to share some pictures from our trip, so you can see how amazingly beautiful Venice is! I was obsessed with the canals and the gondolas, so managed to take hundreds of shots of them:




Outfit-wise (because all things must be about fashion, right?!) I opted for plenty of simple and easy jersey dresses both because they're light and fold to nothing, and they don't need ironing. Perfect for travelling! My tan Pucci bag was my constant companion, as were my white, yellow and tan sandals from River Island and my Rock and Republic sunglasses. Keeping it breathable and simple was key!


My top must-sees in Venice?

-The Guggenheim gallery is top of the list, both because the art is fabulous and because it's set in Peggy Guggenheim's former house. I'm nosey-in each room are photos of how the place looked when she lived there!

-The glass island of Murano is also definitely worth a trip. It's approximately 40 minutes by boat from the centre of Venice, and if you go on either a Tuesday or a Friday you can see the artisans blowing glass whilst you're there.

-As cliche as it is, the Basillico san Marco is absolutely gorgeous: the most opulent and intricate cathedral I have ever seen. Once inside I spent so long with my neck craned back to stare at the ceiling I made myself feel dizzy!

-We stayed at the Hilton Molino Stucky hotel, and I can heartily recommend it. It has a pool on the roof with the best view of the city (which you can see whilst you're swimming) and the breakfast buffet included the usual continental and full English options, as well as smoked salmon and champagne. Delicious!

-Finally, my most favourite thing about Venice? Getting lost! There's something new to find and see on literally every street, so leaving our map behind and wandering off the beaten track to see what we would find was the best thing about our whole trip. Definitely my top recommendation!


Have you been on your summer holiday yet? Where did you go, and would you recommend it to others? I'm always looking for new places to go on holiday!

Love Tor xxx

What to pack for a holiday to Venice (Or any other city break!)

Hi guys,

Finally, holiday time has arrived! This time next week I leave dreary rainy old England and head off with my husband for five days in Venice. We're staying in one of only two 5* hotels in Venice that have an outdoor pool, so hopefully as well as soaking up some culture I will also be able to soak up some sun!

The main question now though is what to pack? Holiday packing is difficult enough as it is, but even more so when you're going somewhere as well known for its love of fashion as Italy. There are so many boxes to tick: you want to look good, be comfortable for sight seeing, and blend in without standing out as a tourist (unless of course you like having your camera stolen!)

The best think about shopping for a summer holiday now is that because we've had such a terrible summer here in the UK, the seasonal sales have started early: Everything on my wishlist is in the sale!  

Black zigzag straw hat, River Island, £2
Full gold jacquard skirt, Topshop, £10
Cross body bag, Peter Jensen @ ASOS, £135
Black cowl front dress, River Island, £15
Oversized sunglasses, Pieces, £7 
Black sandals, Chocolate Shubar @ Sarenza, £33.40
Snake print bikini, Clothing at Tesco, Bottoms £3.50, Top £5 
Black and white striped shorts, River Island, £7

Here are my tips and ideas for city break packing:

 -If your hotel has a pool, make sure you pack your swimsuit! You might be planning to spend all your time sight seeing, but if you get tourism burnout having your suit handy means you can take a break by the pool. 

-Carry a small over-body handbag. This will deter pick pockets and won't be too bulky or cumbersome to be comfortable carrying around all day. Backpacks are a major no-no: aside from the fact they're frankly ugly, they're also too big to carry into narrow shops or around narrow galleries and cafes.

-Stick to one colour palette when you're packing. That way you can pack light, knowing that all of your clothes can be mixed and matched with each other. I like to stick to a simple black and white base and then throw in one accent colour. This time I've gone for gold, but you could pick almost any bright summery colour!

-Take care of your skin: there's nothing uglier than sunburn and wrinkles caused by sun exposure! When you're going on a city break, its easy to forget you don't need the same supplies as you do for a beach holiday. But remember the sun screen, and a wide hat and sunglasses to protect your face!

- Pack one versatile dress. I always make sure I pack something (in crease free jersey!) that I can wear to dinner, the pool, or out and about for the day. Dresses like this are hard to find: if you find it, buy two and keep them forever!!

-Finally, shoes are heavy: don't take too many pairs! For a 4 or 5 night break if possible try to pack only two. Make sure both are really comfortable. I am opting for one pair of sandals and one pair of well worn pumps.


Are you going away on holiday this year? And have you packed for yours yet?

 Love Tor xx

Discover your holiday style!

Hi guys,
Easter weekend is nearly upon us (the perfect time for a long weekend away), the week after Easter Mike and I are heading to Disneyland Paris for three nights in the Disney Hotel New York and endless disney character fun, and last night we started brainstorming ideas for locations for our long summer holiday. I think it's fair to say that holiday season has officially begun!!

I love holidays and I really love the adventure of travel, but I am officially the worst suitcase packer ever! When I headed out to live in Beijing for a while my poor dad paid a small countries national debt in excess baggage for my luggage. And Mike bought me extra luggage allowance as a present before we even flew on our honeymoon. Travelling light is not in my vocabulary!

Now packing for the trip to Disneyland is easy: 4 Mickey Mouse T shirts and my comfiest pumps will probably do it! But packing for a long summer holiday is more problematic. Enter Style-Passport.com

Style Passport are celebrating their first birthday this month. And although i've only just discovered them (late to the table as usual!) I'm already slightly in love! The website offers you capsule wardrobe and beauty suggestions for different holiday options. SO for example I inputted that I was heading for a beach holiday and this is what it came up with:

You can then click to buy, shop, and explore more options. More useful than the shopping aspect though is just the knowing what to pack aspect! I'm going skiing in Scotland with my parents in the New Year, and i've never been skiing before. So I have no idea of the kind of things I'll need. Just two minutes on the ski pages though, and I had loads of ideas!

And if you haven't decided where to take your next holiday to, the site also includes recommendations, top tips, and destination ideas (as well as what to wear when you get there of course!) It's like the optimism of summer bottled up and created in website form!

I'm feeling inspired to trawl through my wardrobe and start packing some suitcases: starting, of course, which 4 matching his 'n' hers Mickey Mouse T shirts, and two pairs of comedy ears!

Love Tor xx

Packing for my honeymoon

Hi guys,
As you can see by our his and hers sunhats sat side by side (can I get an awww!) Mike and I have finished our shopping for our post-wedding honeymoon - there's just 7 weeks to go! With all the final payments on the wedding to make in the next 6 weeks, I wanted to get the expense of clothes shopping out of the way - but didn't want to go on holiday in an ill fitting bikini! So over the past couple of months (using sales, deals, and discounts) I have been hitting the shops....

As well as three bikinis for sunbathing and tanning, I also have a more sensible swimming costume for snorkelling in: it's leopard print, and it fits like a dream! Almost all of my swimwear is pink and gold (or colours that will compliment them) I have 2 pink bikinis, the pink and gold sarong, 2 pairs of gold sandals and this big brown and gold beach bag: I got it from the Monsoon outlet at Bicester village for a bargain price!

When i'm not on the beach my outfits will be pretty conservative: outside of our resort I have to keep my arms and legs covered. I've been buying up maxi dresses, pretty hareem trousers, and pashminas for easy (and cheap) arm covers. I'm also obsessed with the £2 stretch vests from Primark: i'm taking £10 worth! We have to 'dress for dinner' in our resort though, so my beloved gold D&G wedges will be coming with us, to team with simple floaty frocks.

As well as all the sensible clothes, i've also got a beautiful armoury full of new Soap and Glory toiletries (a Christmas gift from lil sis) which I have been patiently saving for our trip. I've added the Trevor Sorbie miniatures for my hair (from the Boots January sale - 70% off!) and aside from a little make up, that's everything I need!

As well as both of our digital cameras, we're also taking 2 disposables, and 2 waterproof disposables (for snorkelling/boat trips) with us: this will be one well documented trip!

The weekend after next has been set aside for ironing, folding, and packing both of our suitcases: our last weekend that won't be spent in Norwich making the final wedding preps! I don't think I could be more excited: both for the honeymoon and the wedding!

Love, Tor xx

*This is a sponsored post

Please don’t forget to buy travel insurance!

Hi guys,
Holiday season is upon us! The weather might not be screaming summer yet, but everyone I know is booking their summer breaks, and the shops are full of bikinis and sunhats. My spare room is full of bikinis and sunhats too: I’ve spent the last couple of months buying everything I need for my big trip: My honeymoon is feeling so close I can almost taste it! But I almost didn’t get to go on my big holiday this year…..why, I hear you ask? Because we almost didn’t get any travel insurance!

I’m going to tell you a little story about stupidity and tears and a conflict about Egypt (which happened at the same time as the conflict in Egypt. This isn’t a coincidence) You remember, no doubt, when the Egyptian people revolted? The joy for everyone as they overthrew their leader and demanded freedom, and better pay etc?

Whilst I was happy for the Egyptian people, this news story made me thoroughly miserable. Because all the airlines were stopping flights to many of the countries airports. And that was where we were due to go on honeymoon. And we didn’t have any travel insurance! None at all. Just a note on a to-do list that said “book travel insurance” and had promptly been ignored! I was completely distraught.

Luckily the conflict died down, and we got our insurance booked immediately. But nothing was worth that week of panic – I was in tears because I was convinced we weren’t going to get a honeymoon, and without the insurance paying out (which wouldn’t happen, because we didn’t have any!) we couldn’t afford to book to go anywhere else. It was one of the most stressful weeks of my life.

So my advice, for what it’s worth, is before you start choosing that slinky bikini or splashing out on tanning lotions, book your travel insurance! I know your 99% sure you won’t need it (we were too!) but it just isn’t worth taking the risk and experiencing the heartache is something does go wrong. Then hit the shops: there’s nothing nicer than a new holiday wardrobe! Now all we have left to worry about is the dreaded Sharm Shark….

Love, Tor x

*This is a sponsored post

Fabfrocks goes to Paris!

Lovely boyfriend has organised us an impromptu day out to Paris on the olde Eurostar on Saturday: very short notice, but i'm ridiculously excited! He's never been to Paris before, so i'm sure we will be visiting the old faithfuls like the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, but i'm hoping there will be time for a little bit of shopping too (as well as plenty of eating - the diet can go out the window!)

The problem with impromptu trips like this is decided what to wear: i've been a household slut this week and almost all of my clothes are in the laundry basket (or as I like to refer to it, the bottomless pit) Obviously I will be opting for comfort with a little style (flat shoes and an umbrella are essentials - sadly they've forecast rain) but whilst I excite myself planning a loose itinerary, i'm also looking at some Parisian street style for sartorial inspiration. Here are some of my favourites:

I'm not French or especially stylish (Although I do like to wear a lot of black, which comes as standard) so I won't be oozing a single ounce of this effortless glamour, but i'm hoping my wardrobe will assist me in channeling a little chic: whilst still allowing room for a pastry or two!

Love, Tor xxx

Super-long Holiday Post

Hello readers/anyone who found us by mistake!

Well i'm back from my jollydays, and feeling self-indulgent. Whilst Becky spent her Easter break in 'Trashford' with her lovely mummy and took care of the blog (like it was a newborn fashion baby) I just spent a fabulous fortnight in Florida frolicking in the sun, meeting Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and spending my hard earned (ie lovingly issued by my parents) cash in the plethora of cheap as chips outlet malls.

In Disney World oversized head gear is all the rage- i'm one trendy chick!

Whenever i'm in America I come home with a Betsey Johnson handbag; I have a weakness for her quirky yet high-quality leather goods and I don' t care who knows it! Despite my hour in the Betsey Johnson store with bags draped all the way up my arms and trying on every single piece of jewellery, headwear and sunglasses (all at the same time) however, I didn't quite have the mullah to buy all of the precious things my heart desired, so on this trip I moved on to cheaper but equally fabulous fashion buys.

In much the same way that Becky has been forced to view/bored by my holiday snaps (oh look! another picture of cinderella's castle! Yawn) I have an overwhelming desire to infiltrate the blogosphere with snaps of all my glorious holiday purchases. And to make it even more exciting, i'll do it in a list; because organisation is fun, y'know!

1. Cream Patchwork leather purse. Fossil.

According to last weeks Grazia magazine (and who know's more about fashion then them, right?) patchwork is set to be this summers big 'thing' for handbags. Now , I thought patchwork was big last summer (and I have the 50 quid brown patchwork bag from Dorothy Perkins to proove it) but no matter: this oversized 100% leather purse with subtle white and cream patches and bronze studs has pockets big enough to carry a munchkins head (or, ya'know, my mobile) And that makes it A-OK with me.

Those Munchkinlanders won't bother the poor witch anymore!

2. Patent leather gladiator sandals. Wardrobe Seven.

There is nothing harder than trying to photograph your own feet!

Wardrobe Seven is an awesome shop in old town Kissamee (for which, sadly, I cannot find a website) It sells a wide range of faux vintage gear ranging from 50s style cats eye sunglasses to Teddyboy leather jackets and jeans. It also stocks pretty prom style and tea dresses and a shoe buffet: the more shoes you buy, the cheaper they are: and what's not to like about cheap shoes! I fell in love with these patent black gladiator sandals at first sight. The gold buckles made them seem glam in a slightly 'footballers wife' way that I loved but the triple ankle strap lent a harder tougher feel. I can't wait for the weather to pick up so I can show them off!!

3. BCBG Maxazara Shirt

Sensible sensible job interview shirt. Or at least, that's what I told myself to justify the 'this seems like a lot of cash for a white shirt' expense. I'm slightly obsessed with ruffles and have decided i wouldn't want a job with any one who didn't hire me in this shirt: they wouldn't have any fashion sense/eyes.

4. Gold Lame Tommy Hilfiger skirt

Me: "Mum, what do you think of my new skirt?"

Mum: "Erm, well you look happy in it."

Ahh, there's nothing better than buying clothes my mum/boyfriend don't like. My boyfriend has a theory that the way to buy me the perfect gift is to go into a shop and pick out the thing he thinks is ugliest. The funny thing is, he always buys the best gifts! Ok so the skirt is a little 'bold' and its probably not the most flattering material on my 'wider than the average' hips. But look how shiny it is! Ahhhhh, shiny........

5. Polka dot floo length dress. TJ Maxx

Underneath my pile of everyday clothes (tea dresses, sensible black tops, too many pairs of jeans) i have what I like to call my "what if" wardrobe. I have"what if i go on a cruise" clothes, and "what if vogue suddenly calls" oufits. Well this dress is my new "what if I decide to go to the grad ball" dress. It's more informal than the dress I wore for my lst grad ball, but I figured I didn't need to be so glam the second time around and this had an understated, almost I dont care cool. Plus I like polka dots and anything that makes me look slimmer than I actually am. Result.

So there you have it. My 5 favourite things that I brought back from my holiday. (6 if you include the tan that my sister says (and I quote) "doesn't make me look quite so dead") Oooh I also want to mention the Dior Couture ball gown I fell in love with: rrp $22,000. Dior outlet store price: $1,800. So cheap yet so far out of my budget. Still, at least I got to fondle it (until I was dragged by my family from the store) Oh, and whilst i'm feeling self indulgent, this is Fabfrocks 100th post. (albeit an incoherent jat lagged rambling one!) Go team us!

Peace, love, and mickey mouse,

Tor