Shopping: Happy 5th Birthday, Westfield London!

Hi guys,
Yesterday Westfield London turned five! I can't believe how fast the time has gone: I was there when it opened, and it feels like yesterday! In honour of the occasion I headed down to London for the celebration, and of course, for a spot of shopping. I took my best friend with me as my travelling companion: my mum!
Yesterday evening many of the stores were throwing their own birthday parties and offering free cupcakes, glasses of champagne (or cava) and music and entertainment in stores. House of Fraser threw quite a party! As you arrived at the shopping centre, birthday girls were handing out booklets listing all of the great deals you could get as your very own birthday present (some of the stores were offering discounts of up to 25%!). There's also a lovely little pop up shop in the heart of the mall where you will find lots of different designers offering an exclusive fifth birthday sweatshirt collection, all priced at £65 each.

We went to Square Pie for lunch where we enjoyed some free champagne as we ate: I know you can't call pie and mash fine dining, but they're the best pies in London, and you can't get them in Norwich so I always make a beeline for it when I'm in Westfield!


Mine was steak and cheese: nom,nom, nom! Once we'd filled our bellies it was time for the serious business: the shopping, and making the most of all of those birthday celebration discounts! Here's a quick list of some of the best discounts you could receive whilst the birthday celebration is happening from 30 October to 3 November (That's this Sunday).

30% of at - Ecco, and Mamas and Papas.
20% off at  - Coast, Calvin Klein Jeans, DKNY Jeans, Armani Exchange, LK Bennett, and Zatchels.
15% off at - Juicy Couture, Aspinals of London, and the White Company and Little White Company.
10% off at - Laura Ashley, Models Own,and Schuh.

Loads of the stores are also offering special offers such as free gifts when you make a purchase, or free cupcakes or prosecco in store all weekend.

Of course whilst we were there I managed to buy a small mountain of shopping, including a new pink coat (well, if everyone else is doing it!), jumpers and accessories perfect for winter. And a couple of treats for Wilbur too, of course: I just can't resist popping into those baby clothes shops! I'll be writing about my shopping and showing of my purchases in separate posts. 

All of these great discounts make it the perfect time to make a start on your Christmas shopping! Will you be heading down to Westfield London to join in the birthday party celebrations?

Love Tor x

PS - Happy Halloween everyone!

*I haven't been compensated to write this post, but I did receive a gift card for my shopping trip. 

January according to my iPhone!

Hi guys,
I know it's now the middle of February, but I have only just gotten round to writing my round up of January - a sign that February so far has been a very busy month! January was a fairly quiet month, mostly characterised by sales shopping and getting the hang of this parenting lark. Here's the month in pictures, according to my iphone:
Mike and I have had an offer accepted on a house (Hurrah) and if all goes well, will be homeowners by Spring. So it's no surprise that a lot of my shopping has been for the home this month! I've also been inspired by pastels mixed with brighter colours, and had a great day out shopping at Westfield London. I can't wait to get down again and unleash myself with a major shopping spree!
Having a baby does funny things to your body: even though I'm below my pre-pregnancy weight, I still have a fat poochy little tummy: much bigger than before. And I hate it! So this month, I have mostly been eating an awful lot of salad. Luckily, I love salad and there's so many different things you can do with them they never get boring! Although I did ruin it all by having a trip to TGI Fridays - nom nom!! Wilbur has changed so much since I last shared pictures of him. It's amazing how quickly he's changing and growing up. He now laughs and smiles, plays with his toys (and loves hitting the animals on his jungle playmat). He's had his first trip to London (which as you can see, he wasn't too sure about), loves his weekly music class, and cried his way through his first set of vaccinations. My baby is no longer a newborn, and on his way to becoming a proper little boy!

Love Tor x

Daily Wear: Sale shopping at Westfield London

Hi guys,
On Thursday I went for my final sales shopping trip to Westfield London: and there were still plenty of bargains to be had! It was also my first trip into London with Wilbur, and I would say it was a very successful trip all round! I love Westfield, so it was great to be shopping there again: regional shopping to good, but you really can't beat London shopping, can you?

I hit up all of the usual high street stores, and after toying with a Balmain-style jacket in Zara, I picked up this coat, reduced from £95 to £50 in Topshop:

Coat and boots, Topshop. Jeans, Miss Selfridge. Hat, Urban Outfitters sample sale. Satchel, car boot sale.

I fell in love with the super-soft fur and the pleats at the back. There's a lot of fabric in this coat (it's soo heavy!) so it was a damn bargain! I also picked up a dress and some towels in Debenhams and two Little Marc Jacobs outfits for Wilbur. Westfield London hands down has the best selection of children's clothes shops I have ever seen: definitely worth the drive down just to dress the little man. And definitely worth it for my new coat: I love it!

Have you had any final sales bargains this weekend? If you're nearby and looking for something to do, I heartily recommend a trip to Westfield London. I'm hoping to get down again before the sales are over: I didn't get to check out nearly as many of the stores as I wanted!!

Love Tor x

*I received a gift voucher from Westfield London to help me write this post


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Daily wear: A night at Westfield London

Hi guys,
Last night, Mike and I went on an amazing date night to Westfield London. Not a place I'd normally think of to go for a date (nights out in shopping centres remind me of being a wayward teen) but actually it was fantastic, and much more grown up and sophisticated than I had expected.



I didn't dress up (as we were rushing there straight from the office) and instead wore my Topshop black jeans teamed with my Primark leopard print blouse and H&M orange coccoon coat. I accessorised with my Friis & Co satchel (c/o Sarenza), Marc Jacobs watch, and a tangle of necklaces. It was a casual and fuss-free style that suited the nature of our fuss-free date (I added make up though: even I wouldn't go out with my face looking that pale!)

We went to the Meat and Wine Co. which is an incredible steak house. The only UK branch of this restaurant is at Westfield London, and it's well worth making the visit for. Our meal was incredible! I had steak and ribs with chips which was an absolute mamouth sized portion (even I couldn't finish it) whilst Mike opted for kangaroo fillet and potato gratin. We finished off with chocolate and pistachio melt-in-the-middle chocolate puds served with pistachio icecream. It was unbelievable!



When we were stuffed to bursting point we headed to the Vue cinema in Westfield to catch a movie: The Iron Lady. As Mike and I are both staunch lefties, a friend suggested this would be like a horror film for us, but actually it was incredibly moving. Meryl Streep is one of the most amazing actresses I've seen for a long time. All in all, a well-recommended date night location: we had a fantastic time!

When was the last time you went out on a date? And more importantly, what did you wear?

Love Tor xx

Trend spotting at Westfield London's Car bootique

Hi guys,
My love of all things car boot sale related is a well-documented fact. So how could I resist popping down to Westfield London to check out their car bootique sale, which is taking place in the atrium from today until Sunday 2nd October.

It's a great event! As well as the car bootique sale, there are also catwalk shows on Saturday and Sunday, and blogger tutorials by blogging superstars The Style PA, Disney Roller Girl, and Fashion Foie Gras. Definitely worth checking out!

The car bootique sale features cars from French Connection, Coach, House of Fraser, River Island and many more.


So what trends did I notice from all of those top stores? Well Heritage is still very hot. The Ted Baker car looked like a walk through a huge English country garden (complete with coat wearing dog) and padded jackets in the barbour style were the order of the day. At the River Island car the heritage trend took a more elderly eccentric turn (my favourite kind) with a mishmash of pussy bow blouse, tweed jackets, and fitted skirts in a variety of clashing patterns and a riot of autumnal colours.


Animal Print is massively popular, and although leopard continued to dominate at House of Fraser and Twenty8Twelve, I think the more luxe and subtle snake print seen on the very understated French Connection car will prove more popular. I adored the biba at House of Frazer collection that was showcased, and just wanted to swath myself in their gorgeous selection of faux furs.

Finally, and my favourite trend of all, is the Modish Sixties trend. Again, I saw this on the River Island car: lots of monochrome and simple clean lines. I also loved the Aline mini dress in mustard, which is just ripe for teaming with black tights and patent black accessories.

Another part of the Car Bootique event is that the team of Westfield are looking for three bloggers to help write their Stylenotes blog. In order to win the chance to write for their blog, you have to show off your unique blogging superskill. (The suggestions were mega videos and hand written poetry). The problem is, I think my blogging skill, or maybe un-skill, is that I'm completely normal: I'm just like everyone else. I'm the same as the girls reading this blog (that's you!) and the girls I saw shopping at Westfield London today.

Admittedly sometimes I get to meet and interview celebs (but I always get star struck!) And I pinch myself at every London Fashion Week show I attend, because I can't believe they let me in! The important thing is though, I never take for granted any of the amazing experiences I get because I write this blog.

But I do love fashion and I want to look good. I want to make the trends work for my body shape and fit in with my lifestyle, just like every other girl you see in Topshop on a Saturday afternoon. And isn't that what a trip to a shopping centre is all about? About normal people finding something they fall in love with (then in my case justifying the expense of buying it for themselves!) and that little bit of fashion magic making them leave the shop feeling really special? That's what I love about fashion and that's the skill I'm showcasing, not clever odes to hemlines , because that's what keeps me writing this blog everyday!

Anyway, enough rambling from me. If you're heading to Westfield London this week, check out their Car Bootique sale: I promise you won't be disappointed!

Love Tor xx