What's in your Handbag? Check out what's in mine!

Hi guys,
The last time I wrote about what was in my handbag was back in March 2012, and since then the contents have increased dramatically: no more tiny body bag filled with make up and basic essentials for me! But I'm not ready for a big ugly mum bag either: I want something on trend, made of buttery soft leather, but roomy enough for all of my supplies. And boy, do I have a lot of supplies! My handbag contents for today are: My Vivienne Westwood purse, house keys and car keys, mobile phone, Missoni sunglasses, Chanel lipstick and Filofax (just the same as last year). However the new additions are: rice cakes or carrot puffs (depending on what snacks the boy fancies for the day), a teddy bear and a rattle, and wet wipes to mop up any spills and snot. Oh the glamour!
With all of this stuff to carry around every single day, I require a pretty special bag. This bag from Marks and Spencer's new season leather bag range is the perfect size for just about any occasion; small enough to carry around everyday but roomy enough to stash a hearty supply of snacks and toys for Wilbur in. It feels so soft (I have a place in my heart for pony skin leather, and buy far too much of it!) and the leather literally melts under your hand as you carry it. I love the zip detailing and leopard print is another of my obsessions, so it really is the perfect bag for me.

This bag is one of the key leather items from Marks and Spencer's A/W '13 collection, and would be the perfect addition to a capsule winter wardrobe, because you could carry it all day (it's perfect for work or for Saturday afternoon shopping trips) or dress it up for the evening and it wouldn't look out of place to dinner: especially if you carry a big bag at all times, like me. Marks and Spencer are very focusing on quality with their leather offering for this season, and it definitely shows in the craftmanship and design of this bag.  Good old M&S: they always seem to know exactly what I need and they never let me down!

If you want to buy one of your own you can pick it up from the M&S website: It's available right now, and will cost you £99.

Love Tor x

Current obsession: Leather sleeved coats

Hi guys,
I always start the winter months by saying "I have enough coats, I really don't need to buy another" only to go out and buy another about 6 weeks in to the cold spell. Well this year I'm not going to say that: This winter I do need a new coat!

I had a massive wardrobe clear out, and ending up taking an embarrassingly large amount of clothes to a car boot sale, leaving me with just 5 coats in my wardrobe, and not a simple black one in sight! However I was left with enough money in my pocket (the bootsale profits) to buy myself a new coat without any guilt at all. And what I have my eyes on is something simple, slightly retro, but with leather sleeves.

In fact, what I have my eyes on is this coat, which I saw at the Oasis event last week:

I love it's sixties style swing shape, and massive pockets. However I worry that its double breasted nature emphasises my bust slightly. And the old lady in me has to admit that it's not the warmest coat in the world. Nonetheless, more than a week after I tried it on, I can't stop thinking about it.

If there's anything you've fallen in love with from Oasis at the moment, you can currently get 25% off on their site using the code GRAZIAAW11. Which, I must admit, is adding greatly to my coat temptation! What do you think? Should I get it, or keep on searching?

Love Tor x

PS - If you haven't already, I would love it if you could take just two minutes out of your day to vote for me in the Westfield Bloggers Competition. I'm currently in third place so I need your help (and probably a miracle!) to win!

Etsy obsession of the week: not really garbage

It always seems to be on a Friday that I have a little bit of time to kill and find myself trawling through etsy. I'm not especially crafty so couldn't do any of this stuff myself (unlike my mum and sister who are both about to set up their own etsy shops). I think that's what makes me appreciate it all the more: that I couldn't do it myself!

My obsession of the week didn't actually come from trawling Etsy, but from a memory doing so triggered: I wonder if Zana had added anything new to her shop! Garbage dress (http://www.garbagedress.com/) is one of my favourite blogs, and Zana has a sense of style that I most admire out of all the blogs I read: I would love to be able to dress like her! And with the contents of her Etsy shop, you can:

If I were shopping I would have those winged ankle straps. I have so many shoes they would look amazing on, and it would be great to inject a little Zana-style into my wardrobe. Obviously all the goods are handmade and 100% leather. I seem be having a real love affair with leather lately: I wear my new leather jacket everyday (sometimes under my coat if it isnt warm enough to wear alone) and am always stroking leather goods innappropriately.

Oh, I nearly forgot: here is the link to the etsy store! http://www.etsy.com/shop/garbagedress

Hope you're all having a great Friday!

Love, Tor xx