Halloween Costume Inspiration Without Looking Like A.....

Hi guys,
Whenever I start thinking about what to go as for Halloween that infamous quote from Mean Girls always pops into my head: "In the real world, Halloween is when kids dress up in costumes and beg for candy. In Girl World, Halloween is the one day a year when a girl can dress up like a total slut and no other girls can say anything else about it."

I am not much of a slut: I like to keep myself covered up so I'm not very good at it! That means that my Halloween costumes require a little more imagination. As I mentioned in a previous post, we are throwing a mixed child and adult Halloween party for Halloween this year, so I need a costume that won't scare small precocious children but that feels adequately 'Halloween-y'. I turned to my go to site for all of my one stop fashion needs: ASOS, And I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by some of their Halloween offerings. Here are my picks:

SKELETON FUN

I love this skeleton look because you could wear the pieces individually again - It's a good way to justify the extra expense of the costume's component parts and means that you won't have to wear horrible polyester all night. Those leggings would look cool with a simple t shirt dress and the tee is perfect for pairing with jeans.

PUMPKIN PRINCESS 

This is a great outfit if you want to wear your favourite black dress whilst still looking like your wearing an awesome costume. Accessories are also cheaper than buying a full costume, which in an added bonus if you're only going to one party and then won't be wearing the outfit again! This is definitely what I would wear if I was going to a fancier evening party.

GHOULISH GHOST

This is probably closest to what I will end up wearing: a super casual sweater so I can run around after kids all afternoon but still with a distinct costume-y feel. Wilbur is going as a super-cute (and not at all scary) bat, and Mike is toying between being a zombie or a vampire. Decisions, decisions!

Need a little more costume inspiration?
Here I am as Madonna in 2011
Here I am as Lady Gaga in 2010 
Here I am as Alice in Wonderland's White Rabbit in 2010 

Have you chosen your Halloween costume yet? Do you have any fantastic ideas or inspiration to share? I'd love to hear it!

Love Tor x

I Heart Flatforms

Hi guys,
I used to say that if I wasn't wearing heels then I didn't feel like me. Well, motherhood has quickly put paid to that foolish notion! Now comfort is key. Luckily, fashion seems to be moving with me because this spring/summer the flatform is still going to be bang on trend: yes, flats are back!


Image 1: Zoe Jordan SS14.
Image 2: Bodice SS14. 

No more do we have to teeter around in stilettos and wonder how our feet will stay in barely-there straps. Instead pared back flat platform shoes are the heels of the day: if even that seems like too much height for you then embellished flat pumps are going to be just as popular.

Looking forward to the next season and feeling inspired by all these comfy but gorgeous shoes, I just ordered two new pairs of flatforms to build my new spring/summer wardrobe around. The sensible part of my brain said I should choose a classic black pair, but the part of my brain that loves shoes opted for these more interesting beauties instead:

Vagabond Berlin from Sarenza, £60
Shelly's Sasha from Spartoo, £59.99

I choose the coral pair to wear with skinny jeans in the spring, and the basket sandals to wear with dresses and skirts in the summer. That is officially my on trend footwear for the season sorted! What do you think of my picks, and of the flatform trend? Is it for you, or one that you'll be giving a miss?

Love Tor xx

Shoe inspiration: Check out the SS13 Sarenza Look book

Hi guys,
Now that fashion week is behind us, I'm so excited for spring to finally arrive: and even more so now that I've seen the latest spring/summer lookbook from Sarenza! I'm a massive shoe addict (I just can't help myself when it comes to shoes) and checking out the sandals and pumps I'll be wearing this summer is making me itch to get my feet out of my boots and into something light and breezy pronto!

Leopard print, sugary sweet pastels, and African style tribal prints are all the order of the day when it comes to key trends. Slipper shoes are another trend- they were hot last season and they aren't going anywhere for spring summer this year either! I have a pair of leopard print slipper shoes- so that's two trends in one for me!
Finally neon for both shoes and handbags are a huge trend- another winner for me as neon makes me happy! There is a gorgeous neon yellow Betsey Johnson bag I have my eyes on.

Other pieces I just can't resist are these black Miista court shoes with the space age clear crystal heel: gorgeous statement shoes, but low enough that you could wear them comfortably! I will definitely be picking those up for wedding season as the great way to make a subtle statement that will go with everything.
Sarenza are adding some new brands to their rosta for this Spring/Summer. They include Guatemalan brand Osborn where each item is handmade by local artisans, Mocks (who make surprisingly lovely plastic boat shoes), Mila Louise who makes beautiful on-trend leather bags, and Mohekann: patchwork leather accessories. The buyers at Sarenza are amazing: when it comes to footwear they always have their toes on the fashion pulse (do you see what I did there?) and pick the most on-trend shoes from the very best brands: I can't wait to get my feet on some new season shoes immediately!

So tell me, all you show addicts out there: what shoe trends will you be trying this Spring/Summer? Have you picked up any new season shoes yet, and if so, what kind have you gone for?

Love Tor x

Fabfrocks at Home: Visit the creepy circus

Hi guys,
Having moved house (and city!) less than a month ago, we are currently busying ourselves with painting, decorating, and themeing all of the rooms in our new pad. I love a themed room, as much as I love a themed wedding, outfit, or party! It's the theatre of it that appeals, as well as knowing exactly what to expect when you open a door. It means you can create some sense of order from the vintage junk yard my rooms tend to look like by the time I've finished with them.

Once of the rooms in the house (which one will be revealed later once it's finished) is going to be circus themed. That means I've been trawling all of my favourite haunts (Ebay, Etsy, Car boot sales and junk shops basically) looking for as much vintage-inspired circus paraphernalia as possible.


My first stop was eBay, where I have been picking up old repro Barnham and Bailey circus prints and postcards for less than £2 each (I got the set of six postcards for £2.50). I've put them in RIBA photoframes from IKEA in the sale, which were reduced to £7.20, from approx £14.99.  I have two more frames, and am trawling the listings daily waiting for two more perfect posters to pop up.

For the soft furnishings my mum and I are making a lot of them ourselves, but I just couldn't resist the following options from Etsy:


Barnum and Bailey cushion cover, Spooky Shades, £22.37
Victoriana Animal cushion cover, StevieBhandmade, £30

And there's more! Not on the high street is also a cavern of wonder when it comes to finding old-school circus treasure. There is literally circus stuff everywhere I turn at the moment!


These wooden blocks from Chippernelly would make great paper weights, and they're only £10.95.  And I can't work out what I want to do with these carnival/fair tickets, but for just £3 a roll I'm sure I can think of something! Use it to trim paper bunting perhaps?!


The best thing about this room theme is that it will and can work for literally every room in the house. Imagine how much more fun it would be to work in the circus themed office? Or eat in a circus themed dining room? Hell if you found the perfect red and white striped wall paper you could even make this work for a seriously cool bathroom! The possibilities are endless!

Do you theme your rooms/interior decor, either intentionally or unintentionally? And what do you think of the circus theme? Is it something you'd be tempted to try?

Love Tor xx