My Vogue's Fashion Night Out

Hi Guys,
It was Vogue's fashion night out last night, and shops all over London were holding events for the occasion. I met with Jenny from The Style PA, and we started from Oxford Circus and worked our way around the shops; it was quite a mission! We started on the high street (Oxford Street) before heading to Bond Street, where they really know how to throw a party!

Most of the high street stores were hosting instore events; Oasis were holding a night of a thousand prizes, Warehouse were giving customers the opportunity to style models and win the outfits they picked, and River Island (shown above) had make up stands, a photo booth, and nail bar.

Pull and Bear embraced social media in a popular window display in which two bloggers were pitched against each other to style an outfit on models in the window, whilst the public looked on. The crowd were then given X stickers to put on the window of the bloggers outfit that they preferred. Of all the shops of Oxford Street I think this drew the biggest crowd.


In a moment of real surreality, one minute we were wandering along eating the most delicious cake pops I had ever tasted (courtesy of the gorgeous girl in Next, above) the next moment Jedward were running passed us at quite a speed: they were so quick I could only photograph the backs of their head (and I felt like a sad teenage fan doing it!) I have no idea which event they were heading too. After this we heading to Selfridges where we drank mini bottles of Champagne, and had our photos taken in the Chanel photo booth. (Click the link to see the photos!)


Both high street and high end stores opted for "living mannequins" as their window displays, with both Zara and Daks choosing this for their entertainment (shown above). We also went to Burberry (where we lusted after several coats), McQueen (where we lusted after everything), and DKNY, where we reminisced about the terrible DKNY purchases of our youth, and drank the most delicious cocktails; however by this stage I was having too much fun to remember to take photos! It was a great night out, and i'm already looking forward to next year.

What did you guys do for Fashion Night Out? Do you have any fun stories to share?

Love, Tor xx

TU at Sainsburys: More supermarket chic?

I don't mind a look at George at Asda if I have an urge for a quick, cheap, trend fix. Clothing at Tesco have won me over with the quality and fit of their great ranges (everything i've had from them has washed like a charm) But TU at Sainsburys? Well to be honest, the only clothing my local Sainsburys stock are two packs of black/white Tshirts, cheap stone wash jeans, and the occasional pink/pastel pajamas. I didn't even know they had a "fashion" range!

But today they sent me a press release entitled "Alpine Chic" and I really liked a couple of the pieces on it, in fact, I liked them enough to look at their whole set of A/W press shots. And I have to say, I was impressed:

I like the brown shearling coat, and if the quality is good, it would be a bargain at £40. The wrap cardigan would also make a great, versitile winter piece that I would be happy to add to my wardrobe. I'm obsessed with the camel cape, despite the fact i'm not a big fan of camel, and for £45 it would be an great nod to both the camel and cape trends for this season. I also love the styling of the collection, which makes all the difference: I would wear the whole of the first shot, exactly as it is. In fact, I probably have worn that outfit!

All looking great, and id be very interested to take a closer look (Who can tell quality/fit from a photo!?) I just wish I knew more about TU: you don't read about it on other blogs - is it a dirty secret, or not worth checking out? I've decided i'd like to find out. The only problem now is to find the elusive store in NW London that actually stocks this stuff....any ideas??

Love, Tor xx

PS - Apparently because of the high holiday volumes in August, the StyleCompare competition has been extended for another two weeks! If you wanted to send an entry, but didn't quite get it done in time then work on it now, and send it over. I'd love to see it! x

For the boys: FFP at Debenhams

Hi guys,

Last week, Mike and I were invited to the launch of FFP at Debenhams; a new menswear line, the first new menswear range Debenhams have launched for years. British boxers Kevin Mitchell and Frankie Gavin are the faces of the brand, "embodying the tough, masculine ethos and performance element which makes the collection genuinely ‘Fit For Purpose.’" (Because that's what FFP stands for).

As you know, I don't usually cover menswear, but it was the first event Mike had been invited to, and I thought it would be fun for him to come along and see what I get up to on the evenings he's left at home alone with a pizza! I was also interested to see the new menswear collection, and how they would diferentiate it from their Red Herring brand, without having a designer name behind it.
I liked the range, but felt it was more appropriate for a slightly older man than Mike, despite the younger marketing; I would have brought 90% of the collection as a gift for my (admittedly very trendy) dad, but there wasn't really anything I would've picked up for Mike or any other gentleman in his 20s. It was very clean and preppy, but a little old; lots of striped polo shirts, clean functional jackets, and even a gilet thrown in for good measure. The jackets reminded me a little of Barbour jackets, and teamed with the hoodies and checked shirts, it did look a little bit young farmer! I did like some of the workman boots and distressed denim though; there is a lot of denim in the collection, and I think it will end up being one of their biggest selling points.
When asked for his thoughts on the collection (in less than 3 sentences, because the boy can talk!) Mike said: "I did like the jackets, especially the black one, but I thought the gilet was awful, and i'm not a hoodie fan, and although Tor liked the footwear, I didn't really like that either. The collection wasn't really for me. Having said that, I will go and try on some of the jeans!"

And the overall verdict? Worth a look, especially if you're looking for a present for your Pops, but i'm yet to be convinced. What do you guys think? Any pieces you'll be running to add to your Christmas shopping list?

Love, Tor xxx

Something for the weekend: A round-up

A round-up of all the little tid-bits I wanted to share this week that weren't big/important enough to have a post all of their own, so they have to share!!

- This week, I am mostly loving, River Island. I went in today and loved nearly everything I saw: I could have spent a small fortune. Instead I reinvested the money I finally got refunded from Very on two dresses (Mike refers to them as granny dresses!) and a pretty awesome scarf covered in horses, wih a pocketful of cash left over (sadly though there isn't a picture of the scarf on the website so you'll have to wait for a daily wear post to see it!):
- I cannot wait for winter, partially thanks to Clothing at Tesco! I just saw the video of the new A/W Florence and Fred collection, and it makes me long for knitwear! The three pieces that are top of my list are the cream oversized snood, the shearling coat with the hood, and the oversized black embellished dress. What are your favourite pieces?


- Don't forget to enter my Style Compare competition! You could win a £250 voucher to spend on the site. The competition ends on Monday, so get your entries in quick!!

- And I know I don't normally write about food-stuff on here, but I got a voucher in my inbox this morning that would be great for a night sat in front of the XFactor (if you're that way inclined, which I am)! Pizza Express are offering 2 takeaway pizzas for £10: Bargain!!

Anyway, that's it from me! Yummy food, new season, and pretty dresses: what more does a girl need!?

Love, Tor xx

Latest H&M collaboration: Will it be Lanvin?

Above is the cryptic video campaign H&M have unveiled today for its latest designer collaborator. However they won't be revealing who the collaborator is until 9th September. Rumours are rife though that it's Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz (a popular choice in the twittersphere)

Lanvin, France's oldest couture house, teaming up with high street staple (and affordable option) H&M may just be the most exciting designer/high street collaboration to date. I know i've made my feelings about designer collaborations pretty clear in the past, but I think even I would be joining the round-the-block queues for this one.

According to Handbag.com, aside from Elbaz, other names being mentioned in online forums and blogs as to who the designer could be include Tom Ford, Burberry's Christopher Bailey, Carolina Herrera and Tommy Hilfiger. However, many believe that the quotes used in the viral video clips are typical Elbaz and that the voice used has been digitally altered to keep everyone guessing.

H&M always seem to get the best designers on board for their collaborations, including Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Roberto Cavalli, Matthew Williamson Jimmy Choo and Sonia Rykiel. I am yet to buy a single piece (although I did try to get the Jimmy Choo pumps) because the collections always sell out so quickly.

What do you think? Who are you hoping it is? (My vote is for Lanvin) Would you be tempted by a Lanvin/H&M collaboration, or is the collaboration concept too overdone for this to be interesting?

Love, Tor xx