In which it is my birthday and I get engaged!

Yesterday I turned 26 and my boyfriend of over 4 years asked me to marry him. I couldn't be happier.

I don't want to tell you why Mike is the most wonderful man in the world, and about my initial crazy ideas for our wedding (but I do know flamingos will dance on the lawn!)

At the end of the day, this is a fashion blog, and you don't come here for my romantic, often vomit-inducing, fantasies. However if you are interested in my wedding plans, i've started a new blog: fabfrocksgetsmarried, for much the same reason I started this one: so I can think and talk about my passions whenever I want, without driving those around me absolutely crazy!! You'll find the soppy proposal story there. I do know that there, like here, etsy will fast become my best friend (a friend has already emailed me cake toppers shaped like owls!) and I know that no matter what happens on the way, marrying Mike will be the happiest day of my life. (Cue sick buckets!)

From a fashion point of view, I can't tell you how glad I am that I decided to paint my nails yesterday morning! And for those of you that want to know about the ring, it's a vintage green saphire with diamonds set around it. The band has been engraved with hearts.

Love, Tor x

Louise Gray for ASOS in the sale!!

Morning guys,

With just two days until my birthday (i'm turning 26 and feeling old!) I decided to spend an hour trawling the internet looking for something special to spend my birthday money on; I have to make myself spend it on something lovely, or it gets frittered away on nothing so easily!

Whilst browsing through asos I turned to the designer collaboration section and noticed that the colourful textured Louise Gray dresses I had coveted a while ago had been reduced to half price making them a very reasonable (they were reasonably price to start with!) £30 to £45.

Left to right: Fringe dress (was £80 now £42) Stripe sleeve dress (was £80 now £42)

Left to right: Panel dress (was £75 now £30) Tshirt (was £45 now £18)

I absolutely love the top two dresses, particularly the purple one with the fringing and the green panels. It's made of 100% silk, so it will feel like a dream, and I really love T shirt shape dresses: this would look amazing dressed up or down. The yellow dress is also appealing, particularly it's awesome dennis the menace sleeves! Again this is 100% silk, but I find it a bit off putting that you can see the models black slip underneath the dress: maybe with a nude slip (and if I promise to be really careful with the obviously delicate fabric!) I could make this dress work for me. I'm thinking of picking up one of them as my birthday treat, it's just hard knowing which one to choose!!

Have a great Monday!

Love, Tor xx

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

Daily wear: Layers and lace

Hi guys,
Sorry for the post gap yesterday: my new job keeps me soo busy, and it's taking a while to get into the groove of my new routine! However I have post ideas ready (all written down and everything, i'm practically a pro!) for the rest of the week, so I promise it won't happen again - I feel like a naughty schoolgirl!

I'm really enjoying the new wardrobe possibilities brought by the changing weather: that's a fancy way of saying isn't it great not to have to wear boots and coats any more?! It's still cold in the mornings though, so layering is my new best friend, but I have stopped wearing thermal black tops under everything, which i'm finding strangely liberating! Today I am wearing:

Lace dress and cardigan: from the TKmaxx haul. Belt: River Island. Leggings: George at Asda. Shoes: Faith sale. Bag: Betsey Johnson. Necklaces: Various.

This is my favourite bag, which is why I don't use it too often: I realise that doesn't make much sense, but I don't want the leather to get damaged. My hair is a crazy mess: i'm having it cut and coloured next week, but I can't decide whether to grow the fringe out (see above mess!) or have it cut back in again: any suggestions are very welcome! Does the summer make you want to do something different to your hair? I can't shake off the feeling that the changing seasons demand a new style!

Love, Tor xx

Crazy spending spree: TK Maxx

Would you say that spending four hours shopping in TKMaxx was a productive or an unproductive way of spending a Saturday afternoon? I'm hoping the answer is productive, because that's how I spent the integral hours of my weekend!

As a thank you for taking part in their dress challenge, TKMaxx sent me a lovely note and gift card, and so obviously I went out to spend it: guilt-free shopping is my favourite kind! However what started as a browse with intent turned into a major shopping spree! I ended up buying: 3 dresses, a Moschino t shirt (which i'm totally in love with!)two cardigans, a Moschino cheap and chic silk scarf, a pair of crazy clog shoes, six pairs of Betsey Johnson socks (for my holiday), Betsey Johnson sunglasses, Mickey Mouse pajamas, underwear, House of Holland tights, some T shirts and socks for the boyfriend, a present for my dad (it's his birthday next month) and a very cute leather purse. And here are pictures of some of the pieces to proove it:



The Tshirt looks really simple but its so soft and it fits like a dream: I think i'm going to slouch it over a nude skirt. I also love the shoes: these will be my nod to both clogs and double denim (teamed with either jeans or my denim jacket) this summer. I was also really pleased about buying the two cardigans; cardigans were on my list of things I definitely needed, and now I have plenty!

I'm aware that this is a bit of a vapid self obsessed post, but I had such fun on my shopping spree that I just had to share! I haven't photographed the dresses because they look better on than laid out flat, but I will point them out in future daily wear posts!

Love, Tor xx

Self indulgence: Aussie Angels photoshoot

At the end of last month I wrote about the Aussie Angels photoshoot I went on, and told you I would share the pictures when they arrived. Well, they're here so I suppose it's time to share! It seems very vain to post loads of pictures of myself (hence the "self indulgence" in the title) but bear with me:

The theme of the shoot was new season nudes and florals. I wore two outfits: my peach lace blazer over a scalloped top from Primark and a black body con dress from Topshop. Then a dress from Topshop with my Topshop Trophy jacket on top. The shoes are from Office (they are the only light coloured heels I own, which makes me think I might need a new pair of heels for this summer) and the leggings are George at Asda. The oversized cameo jewellery was a Christmas present.

I much prefer the second set of pictures (with the trophy jacket) Being cutesy suits me much more than trying to be sexy, and I think I felt much more relaxed that time. Plus the deer is adorable!

At the time I felt like I was wearing far too much make up (a lot more than I would normally wear!) but I know you need more for the camera and I trusted the lovely make up artists and I was right to: the make up has photographed really well and makes my skin look flawless. Normally I have dark bags under my eyes that are so big you could carry shopping in them! It's also weird to see my eyes without their obligatory ring of black liner around them, but these photos could persuade me to try something new. I especially enjoy the vibrant green under the eye line.

My hair is very sixties (my favourite decade of them all) and was beehived at the back and curled around my face. I was amazed that they got the beehive to hold all day without causing any damage to my hair: like I said in my last post, I didn't even realise Aussie did hair products other than shampoos and conditioners, and i'd never tried them but they really seemed to work their magic, and they smell incredible (obviously!)

And here I am with some of the other lovely Angels: they're all such great girls, and we had a really fab day!

Its so nice to have a professional picture of yourself: it's like looking at a better more well groomed version of you, and it makes you feel a bit better about yourself if you're having a bad day. It's also a great momento of the Aussie Angels experience - and something to show the grandkids when they think their Nanna is old and uncool!

Love, Tor xx

London Fashion Week and the ethics of blogging

London Fashion Week is something that should be attacked with military precision if you want to attend all the shows you're invited to, write up your reviews on the go, and meet some of the other lovely bloggers attending too. My flat looks like a bomb's hit it with my invites all over the floor (organised into piles by day - it's an organised chaos!) and laundry hanging everywhere.

Sometimes i'm too domesticated for my own good, which meant that this week has been full of laundry, bathroom cleaning, fridge filling and linen changing; i'm so far from glamorous it hilarious, and my normal weekend chores had to be done sometime!!

I've also organised all my outfits in advance. What I wear to fashion week actually isn't a main priority for me. Obviously I want to look nice, but realistically noone is there to look at me, and so as long as I feel good and i'm comfortable, that's all that matters. I've organised my outfits so that when i'm tired and late (I always seem to start late for everything but make it just in time!) I don't have to panic about what to throw on. I will be updating you on my outfits with daily wear posts though: comfortable doesn't have to mean boring!

Finally, it makes me kind of sad to have to justify this, but as debate amongst bloggers around this issue has gone crazy in recent months I feel like we have to justify everything we do: I am delighted to have acquired a sponsor for my London Fashion Week coverage! I have done this for a number of reasons which I will outline below:

1) The sponsor is Style Compare: a brand I have worked with before, like, use, and respect. I would recommend the site to a friend, which is why I feel comfortable recommending it to you guys.

2) Unlike bogger corporate blogs or magazines I pay for everything to do with this blog myself. Attending Fashion Week isn't free when you add up all the bits you spend, and this blog is a hobby. I don't feel like it should cost me (personally) a small fortune to share my coverage with you guys. And a girl's got to eat!

3)How individual bloggers feel about sponsorship is a diverse spectrum. I can feel good about having a sponsor (and I do!) and someone else can think that sponsorship is wrong for their blog. I think our diversity in this debate is as important as our diversity in what we post about and what we like or don't like.

Retro chick has written a great post about the ethics of blogging, focusing on sponsorship and free gifts. How do you feel about the issue?

Love, Tor x

Style Compare has over 6,000 dresses by more than 350 labels.

Sneak peek: Wish Upon a Star Boutique

As I think I have mentioned in previous posts, myself excluded, I come from an incredibly crafty family. My sister always makes homemade cards for every occasion and my nan can knit almost anything. But noone is more crafty, or talented than my mum. Which is why i'm delighted to announce that we have finally persuaded her to start her own business selling a variety of homemade wedding crafts.

Mum will be selling silk flowers for the whole wedding party (I especially love the fairy wands and headbands for the flower girls), individually made favour boxes, hand stitched ring cushions: if you need it for a wedding she can make it, and (in my opinion, without bias) it's all so beautiful it takes your breath away.
Whilst the website and wedding fair schedule is finalised, here is a sneak peek of just some of the beautiful things she creates:
The silk flowers my mum buys are so realistic that its hard to tell the difference, and I think it turns what is an expensive waste that would die in five days into a perfect momento of your special day that you can keep forever: either as a dressing up tool for a wannabe-fairy bridemaid or a table centrepiece for the bride.
I'm sure she'll tell me shes not ready for me to post this but i'm just so so proud of her I wanted to share. I'll let you all know when the online shop is launched. She's even thinking of setting up her own blog too! In the meantime if you have a wedding coming up and you'd like to be put in touch with my mum, just drop me a line.

Love, Tor xx

Make up: What's your workspace state of mind?

I was thinking today about blogging, and more specifically about the situation in which I write my blog. I am lucky enough to have a home studio complete with sewing machines and space, desk and shelves and shelves full of fashion books. Yet I always write the blog with my laptop on my knees on the sofa (yes, that is where I am now!)

Creativity-wise, where I blog isn't that important to me. And yet, when it comes to putting my make up on there is only one place I can be: my dressing table. Chaos it might be, but it's an organised chaos and everything has its own special place. It's an oasis of products and quiet, where one stroke with the right brush could turn me into Cinderella (it hasn't yet, but i'm still confident it could!)
I'm sure this sounds superficial, but I feel like my dressing table is a tiny reflection of me; complete with its shabby chaos and its birds and bird cages everywhere! I love perfume and layering scents on top of each other, so i'm lucky to have a boyfriend who indulges my whims and gifts me with lots of lovely smells. The latest two (both to be recommended) are the Marc Jacobs Lola (a Christmas gift from my parents) and the Anna Sui from the bf
On days when i'm running late I put my make up on on the tube, and even though I don't actually wear an awful lot of make up, it leaves me feeling all out of sorts! I think its the calming affect of having ten minutes at my dressing table that makes me feel good about myself, rather than the actual make up itself!

What about you: do you have any routine you couldn't live without, however trivial?

Love, Tor xxx

Obsession of the day: Wedge ankle boots

Like most people that like fashion I have obsessions; little fixations, if you will. They are pointless and shallow and mean nothing in the grander scheme of things, when earthquakes can take everything you have. But when I have one of my little fixations i'm like a dog with a bone: I can't let anything go!
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For the past couple of months I have been fixating on wedge ankle boots. Everytime I get dressed, everything I wear, I mentally tell myself it could look better if I had those boots on my feet. I especially wanted the Ashish @ Topshop ones and now I am seeing them everywhere, and the more I see the more I want.
I want them high and severe: even the Rick Owens ones I used to lust after seem too tame to me now. In dream money shopping world these Acne ones (above) are the ones I will stomp about in (these boots are made for stomping!) and I like the unusual white sole detail and the laces. These are sleek shoes. On the highstreet I would plump for these instead:
I can only find a picture of the tan one online, but they do have these in black instore. Of course, they're from Topshop.

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Someone emailed me saying it was "awful" that I could be so shallow as to sit here and write about clothes after what had happened in Haiti. Like it was my fault (it wasn't, by the way). I won't be responding to that email but I will say this: Isn't it amazing that we can sit at our computers and be so selfish and so shallow? I feel good about that today because of all the people that can't, not in spite of them.

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Kate @Make do Style had the fab idea that we bloggers should ask any PR types that get in touch we should ask them to make a donation to Haiti in exchange for promoting their products (if we wanted to promote them anyway of course, i'm not suggesting we write about stuff we don't like!) I've already done this once this week, and thought it was such a good idea I would share: it's a particularly good way of giving if you're too broke to dig into your own rent/food money!

Love, Tor xx

PS - The Principles review is coming, it's just taking me longer to work on than I thought! Sorry!

Everyone's talking about: V magazine's "Size issue"

Everywhere I turn today I am accosted with posts, pictures and articles about V magazines size issue. And it hasn't even been released yet!

Overall I have read postive posts and comments, but I have also noticed how many people spew hatred about having to look at pictures of someone who might be a little bit fatter than them: is it really that big a deal? But of course it is a big deal, if for no other reason than that we aren't used to it. Most magazines only feature what I refer to as "standard" catwalk models: tall, thin, flat chested. But (and I say this as a curvy girl myself) I can understand why.


When i'm flicking though a magazine or catalogue I rarely notice the models: i'm looking at the clothes. I don't know if this is normal or unusual, but I never know which model has appeared in which catwalk show, even if I was there. I don't look at the models at all, only what they're displaying. And androgenous women are the perfect clothes horses; boobs and hips are sexy and appealing and they get in the way when i'm focusing on looking at a dress!

Now if i'm reading an editorial it's a different story, and some clothes hang better on bigger women; so I think that magazines should have more versitility in the models they use. And I think it's nice to see a women who looks like you wearing a dress you quite like; hell, it might even encourage you to go out and buy the dress! But I don't think this should become a big "versus" argument: there is no war! I'm not sure why some articles are giving big ticks to plus sized models and then in turn, subliminally perhaps, putting a big cross next to the standard ones. "That's one for the big girls" "The big girls are taking over" Isn't there room for everyone?There certainly is in our society, where I wouldn't dream of pitching women against each other based on their height or weight (except, perhaps, if I was organising some kind of wrestling tournament) I understand the fashion world is different from the "real world" and not all shapes and sizes can or will be embraced, but I just can't believe that a few inches on a waistline can cause these kind of headlines.

I would also like to point of that the "Size Issue" featured plus sized and petite women. So why are we only reading stories about the plus sized models? I know it's a slow news week, but maybe some of the tabloids need to take a step back and get some perspective.


I won't be deciding how I feel about the success or otherwise of the issue until i've actually seen it: a few widely distributing pictures does not an opinion make!


Love, Tor xx

PS - I would also like to point out the only positive of all this debate: I seem to be having a girl crush on Crystal Renn!

Fabfrocks loves Victoria Shearing Millinery

With the news of my sisters engagement spreading through the family camp like wildfire, all family talk recently is of weddings: what to wear, what she should wear, where, when......you get the idea!

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So it struck me as funny when a press release about Victoria Shearing Millinery Launching her Debut Bridal Collection landed in my inbox this morning. Out of curiosity I clicked on the link: One look at the designs and I found them so beautiful I knew I had to share:

I love the third one especially (the veil crown) which is very much to my sisters taste: the feathers and the flamoyance are more for me really!!

Victoria Shearing (http://www.victoriashearing.com/) creates stunning and unique couture head pieces, fascinators and tiaras for special occasions. Designed and hand crafted in her studio, Victoria uses her creativity and knowledge of millinery and haberdashery to create both seasonal collections and bespoke pieces.

All head pieces are hand blocked, individually hand trimmed and lined to a high specification not found on the high street.

I initially clicked selflessly thinking of my sister, but that didn't last long! I might have Victoria design our headpieces for the wedding, and then I (and other bridesmaid/sister Amie) can steal the show!! (Insert evil laugh here!)

Of course i'm joking, but if you do have a wedding to go to then I think you could do a lot worse than one of these beautiful handmade headpieces, for not much more money than a mass produced one from the highstreet!

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Love, Tor xx

2009: A round-up of the bloggy year!

I think 2009 has been a pivotal year for the blog; I have been trying to post more frequently and consistently, and this has started to feel like more than just a hobby to me. It's the year i've started to really feel a part of a blogging community, rather than sitting in my room writing for myself! It's also been the first year PR agencies have started to show an interest in what I write (I think this is true for most bloggers) meaning I can (hopefully) bring better content and more competitions and news and stuff to you guys.

The most special memories I will take from this year are threefold:

• London Fashion Week; feeling inspired by the shows and excited to be a part of something that I think is so important. Within days i'd even forgotten about how tired I was and how much my feet hurt, and I can't wait to do it all again in February!

• Working with Aussie; The Angels project has been one of the best and most well thought out blogger-projects I have worked on. The 1000heads team have put loads of thought into making it special, and the project has also enabled me to meet lots of bloggers I wouldn't have otherwise met and make some great friends too!

• Discovering twitter! Who knew that you could share so much in 140 characters, and I have found that twitter is the best and easiest way to engage with a vast community of bloggers and readers!

Other highlights include the Arcadia group bloggers day, Graduate fashion week, meeting Fearne Cotton at the launch of her collection for Very, sitting next to Christopher Kane at the ballet (even though I was too scared to chat!) discovering Catwalk Genius (one of my favourite new websites) and the amazing Kurt Geiger shoes that have been in my wardrobe for 6 months, but that i'm yet to wear!

On a personal note (because it can't all be about fashion!) finally moving in with Mike, graduating from my Masters degree and watching my baby sister graduate from her BSc were all highlights too!

The end of 2009 has also seen me make a realisation I probably should've made a long time ago: that loving fashion doesn't have to mean loving shopping and bankrupting myself for it, so that's something that will change next year. I'm looking forward to the new challenges that will bring, and experimenting with the wardrobe I already have.

Sorry if this has seemed a little self indulgant, but I think the New Year is the perfect time for self-reflection. I hope you like what i've been doing too, and that you have a wonderful New Year!

2009: The fabfrocks stats

Posts written: 266

Competitions run: 7

Fun had: Plenty!

Love, Tor xx

Perfecting the classics: The little black dress

A recent worry about my severe lack of savings coupled with a new 12 months plan for the bf and I to stop renting and start buying and my decision to get the phd I have been planning since I finished my Masters nearly two years ago (breath!!) means that I have had to reassess the way I shop and spend.

I think about a third of the new things I buy every month are featured on the blog, but I guestimate that around £400 a month disapears from my purse to the British high street. That's around £5000 a year! Not only is this silly and unrealistic, it is also impossible to maintain that and have all the other, more important, things I want. So I have made the unprecedented decision to (drum roll please) buy quality not quantity, purge my wardrobe of all the things i've bought and never worn, build a solid wardrobe of classics (hopefully in the january sales) and by January 31st to have STOPPED SHOPPING. I don't know if i'll be able to do it, but i'm really determined to give it a go. I don't need to buy half the things I buy, so i'm just going to stop. Having you guys monitor my spending and shame me when I shop will also be a good incentive! (unless of course I win the second best job in the world, in which case I will be shopping, guilt-free, and noone can stop me!!)

The first thing I decided my wardrobe needs for its new harder working ways is a perfect little black dress. I love black, and wear it nearly every day! There is a reason the LBD is a classic and that's because its easy, flattering, and so versatile.

A closer inspection of my wardrobe however revealed that I don't need to shop for a little black dress at all: I have 5 really great ones, and once I get out of the frame of mind that it is a bad thing to wear the same dress twice, they can start working for me harder than ever before. Here they are:

They range in quality from vintage to Topshop to a self-modified Primark number too. The cut of each might not be "in vogue" but I think its more important to dress for your figure, so almost all of my dresses are high necked to minimise my bust and nipped in at the waist because my figure is fairly hourglass. The exception is the 80s dancing dress which I rarely wear because it's so dressy, but I love the way it looks!

I have also kept half a dozen other evening dresses, but my favourtie 3 are: a white sequinned French connection one, an electric blue low cut one from Dorothy Perkins and a black and gold sequinned one from Miss Selfridge. Obviously I would love to own a beautiful timeless designer lbd, but I think these ones will be perfect, so that I can save my money for other things on the list that I don't own at all. I know a capsule wardrobe demands only 1 evening dress, but i've kept 11 and got rid of around the same number: I call that progress!!

Next thing on my list I think is a flattering breton tee: perfect to clash with another pattern or wear simply with my favourite colour: black! What are your wardrobe staples? What things do you think I need in my wardrobe that I will wear and wear again?

Love, Tor xx

More help needed!

So, you may or may not have seen my video last week, vying to get the (Second) best job in the world. Embarrassing though that video is, I really really want this job!

There were over 10,000 entries. (10,114 to be precise!) Day by day this has been and will be whittled down until the winner is announced on the 21st December. I am in the final 100, but I won't get any further without your help!

Please could you go to http://job.letsbuyit.co.uk/ find my "little chipmunk face" (these are Becky's words, not mine!) and click on the green arrow next to my name: no need to comment this time, just one little click!

I will be eternally grateful, and if I win and get to go on a shopping trip around the world (!) I will kiss each and every one of you!!

Love, Tor xxx

Please help me to get the (second) best job in the world

When my friend sent me the ad for the (second) best job in the world I thought it was too good to be true: which of course it is! But I decided to apply for it anyway! Letsbuyit.com are looking for an International shopping consultant for one month. What does the job entail? Being paid to travel around the world shopping, and then blogging about it. Could there be a more perfect job for me?!

So I applied. The serious CV bit is done. The making of the accompanying video bit is done: very badly as it's my first attempt but I think at least you get a glimpse of my personality - we just have to wait and see if that's a good or a bad thing!! Who know I had such a sof and pathetic girl voice! It doesn't sound like that in my head!

And now I need your endorsement: please please recommend me for the job by voting for my video. All you have to do is click on this link and it won't take a minute: http://job.letsbuyit.co.uk/TorBrierley


As an extra incentive, here is my truly truly terrible video: if you ever wanted to see me embarrass myself on camera then please don't look away now!


Help me now and you will all be greatly rewarded with love and eternal thanks...and maybe pixie dust!

Thanks guys!
Tor xxx

NB: Apparently Youtube is experiencing a delay in processing the videos so you might not be able to see this right now. Grrr - its always when you dont need it isnt it?! Please check back!!

Aussie girls night out and competition winner

Last night I enjoyed one of the best events I have ever been to thanks to this blog. But before I tell you all about it, i'll get "the business" out of the way first: the winner of the Aussie competition is Make do Style Kate. Aussie will be in touch next week to let you know what the prize is; I hope it's a good one - I haven't even been told what it is yet! Those guys are so mysterious!

So back to last night: Aussie organised a Girls Night Out at Mayfair club Mahiki. As always, my sister Amie accompanied me as my VIP guest and we spent our night partying with all the other Angels, particularly Jenny (the Style PA) and her wonderfully entertaining VIP guests.

The entertainment

When we arrived we found a make up artist setting up, preparing to either touch up our exsisting make up or compltely reinvent our looks. This was incredibly well received and although I didn't have my make up done (due to wearing hideously long false lashes that I didnt want to fall off!) Amie did, and the results were really fantastic! About an hour later and a magician arrived: his fast hands had us all squealing and trying to work out what he'd done, and he was also very very funny and wonderfully entertaining.

The drinks

The best question would probably to ask what didn't we drink and the drinks flowed liberally all night! A treasure chest full of Champagne cocktail, a canoe full of shorts, and beautifully presented cocktails with great names! I especially enjoyed my lovers cup (though I chose to drink it myself rather than find a lover to share it!)

The goodie bag

As if the drinks and entertainment wasnt enough, the Aussie gang also gave us goodie bags: a lovely vanity case filled with Max Factor make up, and lush Aussie hair products!

The fun

OK, so the pictures for the drinking and the fun are very similar, but the drinking was fun!! We also danced until the wee hours to some very bad cheesy music. Finally, the outfits: Amie is wearing dark denim jeggings with a sequin top from Primark. I'm wearing a velvet skater dress from Topshop with a feather and suede wasitcoat and a feathered headband.

Thanks to Aussie and the 1000heads team for a very enjoyable and well planned night!

Love, Tor x

PS - The official photographer for the evening was Sam Whitney: I think you can tell which photos here are his and which are mine!!

PPS - Sorry this post wasn't very faaashion, but I had so much fun that I wanted to share!

Jewellery: Keeping it in the family

Today, I am feeling very special and important (make do Kate might say superior!) I am feeling this way because I am wearing a beautiful necklace, bespokely made just for me and presented to me yesterday, quite by suprise. No other necklace like this one exists in the whole world, and that's enough to make anyone feel pretty great. My incredible crafty and talented little sister Lucy made this necklace just for me. It is silver and the beads are glass; each bead is a slightly different colour and shape, making it even more unique. She is making a range of increasingly bautiful and complicated jewellery in her back bedroom, and I anticipate her gifts with glee.
She also made the festive little box the necklace was presented in. Although she doesn't sell her jewellery (I keep telling her she should!) you can check out more of Lucy's crafts on her fairly new blog, Munyip Makes. I know that I will be keeping this safe, and that it feels even more special knowing not only that it was made just for me, but also because it was made with love.
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Sorry for the posting gap, but I took a break to spend some time with my family, who all came to London and gathered in my house for some wonderful family fun! Normal service will resume now though!
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Love, Tor xxx

Daily wear: The new old dress

Hi guys,

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Two important things happened in the FabFrocks house this weekend; the first is that we put up our Christmas decorations (it's the first Sunday of Advent next Sunday and my whole family is coming round for a feast!)
They're looking so pretty, and are making me feel really festive! I've even started taunting Mike by leaving wrapped presents under the tree! The second exciting thing is that I fit into this dress:

A couple of months ago the boyfriend kindly ordered me this dress from ASOS. I loved it, especially the unusual panels. However I was devastated when it was too tight and it just didn't fit.
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Mike packed it all up to send it back, but I just liked it too much to let it go. So I resolved to lose a little bit of weight and have used it as a measuring stick because I don't like scales; and this weekend it fit!! I still want to shed a little more weight, especially off my upper arms and legs which are looking particularly chunky in my coloured tights experiment. But this pretty dress made my day, because it means i'm making steps in the right direction!

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Now i'm going to ruin it all by sitting in front of my Christmas tree and eating a mince pie!

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Love, Tor xx

A little festive interlude

Hi Guys,

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Sorry party dress week has gotten off to such a shaky start- I will definitely rectify that this afternoon! On Tuesday night my mum came to town for the day (she left last night) and i've been so busy having fun with her and my sisters that I haven't had time to post!

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Before we went to have a wonderfully decedant afternoon tea (i'm ashamed to say that I ate 2 clotted cream laden scones and 3 cakes!) we took mum to Harrods to buy us Christmas presents (shameless!) to buy her a hamper from the foodhall -a pre-Christmas gift from me, and to check out the Christmas wonderland on the second floor. That is what this post is about.

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If you ever have an hour to spare and want to start feeling festive then I suggest you visit Harrod's winter wonderland. It's beautiful, luxurious and extravagent. Decorations and trinkets hang as far as the eye can see and you can marvel over the beautifully decorated trees and the contents of the £300 box of crackers. For enthusiasts like myself, there is even a full stand of hello kitty tree decorations. At this time of year, it really is one of my favourite places to be:

*The 2 youngsters are my sisters - you've seen them before. The beautiful lady in the pink is my Mum - I know i'm a bit biased, but she really is the best a girl could ask for!

What you can't see if the massive bags i'm carrying - only I would be stupid enough to buy a giant hamper and a huge perfume gift set at the start of a shopping trip!

My next party dress post will come to you in a couple of hours! Sorry again for the delay, but i'm sure it will be worth it!

Love, Tor x