Daily Wear: Occasion Wear for Everywhere!

Hi guys,
If you have a special occasion coming up this summer then you're in luck. The high street is filling with occasion wear, and you're spoilt for choice when it comes to finding something to wear. I have two weddings to attend this year, including one very special one: my sisters! But when it comes to weddings and other special occasions there are so many more than one outfit you have to buy: you also need something for the hen 'do, the day before the wedding, for heading to breakfast on the morning afterwards...the list goes on!

Another important thing to think about when you're choosing your occasion wear is whether you'll be able to wear it again: those fancy wedding frocks are far too expensive to only wear once! That's why I've taken one dress from the Marks and Spencer occasion wear collection (which I'm completely in love with) and styled it for another equally as important occasion: a casual day of bridesmaids fun with my sisters and mum (incorporating setting up the wedding and then enjoying afternoon tea) the day before the wedding!




You can buy this dress for yourself here for £89. I've teamed it with a hat that's also from M&S, contrasting pastel yellow polka dot pumps and an over body bag. Whereas I would go for heels and a clutch if I were wearing this for the wedding, the flats and easy bag make the dress much easier and more comfortable for running around in, but still fancy enough for a sophisticated afternoon tea.

The thing I love about this dress is that it is quite clearly an occasion dress (thick luxurious fabric, gorgeous lace overlay) but its on trend pastel colour means that you really could wear it anywhere. Meaning it's cost per wear will be significantly better than some of the other frocks I've bought for weddings and other special occasions over the past couple of months!

Are you going to any weddings this year? And have you started thinking about what you will be wearing for them yet?

Love Tor x

Discount: Get £10 Off at Dorothy Perkins!

Hi guys,
Two posts in one day? It's been a while since this has happened! But I just got an email from Dorothy Perkins that was too good not to share! Dorothy Perkins are offering £10 off when you spend £50 or more online until midnight Saturday. To take advantage of this offer, all you have to do is follow THIS LINK and enter the code YOUR10 at checkout.

This offer couldn't have come at a better time for me: we are going on holiday in 8 weeks tomorrow, and so far I haven't actually bought a single item of new holiday kit for myself (despite the fact that I've brought Wilbur everything he needs. and more!) I love Dorothy Perkins, so I'm seeing this as a sign that I should start my holiday shopping right now!

On my list are a light denim jacket (I'm usually a blazer wearer, but I figure a denim jacket will go with everything), a couple of floral maxi dresses, a lace blouse to travel in that can double up as a beach cover up, and some light wash jeans for wearing when we take day trips. I already have some gorgeous sunglasses and a lovely pair of leather flip flops, so at least my side of the suitcase won't be completely empty!!

Have you got any holidays coming up, and have you started shopping for them yet? I always think planning a holiday is half the fun, and I just love packing my suitcase before we go. Bring on the shopping!!

Love Tor xx

The most important thing to happen to Blogging this year?

Hi guys,
There are two things I look for when I'm reading a blog (and deciding to keep coming back again and again) Interesting content and great pictures. Now having the latter will be infinitely easier, thanks to Getty's announcement today that they are making the full spectrum of their images free to use for bloggers and other non commercial users. This is HUGE! In fact, I'm going to call it the most important thing to happen to blogging this year (Yes, I know it's only March)

All you have to do is visit the Getty website and find the image you want to use, then when you use the new Getty embed tool you can add that image to your site completely free. Because Getty is home to tens and millions of different images, this will be a complete game changer for bloggers: particularly celebrity and fashion bloggers that rely on instant access to relevant imagery to enhance their content! To prove the point, I've illustrated this post with a couple of images of some famous folks arriving on the red carpet for the Oscars on Sunday night.


As an additional note, I'm sure it takes hours to look that effortlessly beautiful, but Naomi Watts is my new beauty icon based solely on how incredible her make up looks in this picture! Embedded images will include photographer attribution and, when clicked, will link back to www.gettyimages.com where the image can be licensed for commercial use.(You can click it and see for yourself if you like!)

Of course, many blogs are using images that originated from Getty on their sites already: it's easy to find the image you're looking for on google, and simply modify it and add it to your site yourself. But such practices are not only illegal (although there is yet to be a case of an unpaid blogger being taken to court for doing so) they are also making it much harder for the average photographer to scratch a living, thanks to the onset of fast and accessible digital images. This new tool is at least an attempt to readdress that balance. To try the tool out for yourself, please visit www.gettyimages.com/embed That's what I did, and I couldn't believe how easy and quick it was to do! Like I said, it's a complete game changer! Will you be using Getty's free images on your blog?

Love Tor x

Introducing the Caroline Blomst collection for Deichmann

Hi guys,
I've always had a huge soft spot for Deichmann. Because I grew up in Germany it's the shop my parents used to take me to every season to pick new shoes. Even then I loved shoes, and I loved picking out a new pair from the array of styles and colours. I had a dark raspberry pink pair of T bar pumps I remember stomping around everywhere in! More recently, I've liked the Halle Berry collaboration with the brand so much that i've picked up two pairs: a pair of tan faux suede wedges, and a rich berry coloured court shoe.

Now shoe giant Deichmann have collaborated with uber-blogger Caroline Blomst to bring us a brand new shoe collection just perfect for spring. The capsule collection of seven pairs of shoes is cleverly created so that whether you want shoes for work, play, or Saturday night seductions you'll find something fabulous to wear. The stand out pairs, for me, are the graphic print slippers in a bold monochrome (an absolute bargain at £17.99) and the low pointed strap heels. So I had them sent over so I could give them a closer look:


The slippers shoe has spent the past couple of years being at the top of the style stakes, and these give the style a hot twist by giving it a pointed toe: not only do point toed shoes make your legs look longer and thinner (a definite bonus) they're also bang on trend, and were seen on the AW13 catwalks across the biggest fashion weeks by designers such as Marc Jacobs, Burberry Prorsum and Mui Mui.

I was surprised by how much I loved the studded pointed toed kitten heels, which are the perfect marriage of elegance and edgy style. I have been lusting over a pair of Valentino Rock studded and buckled shoes that look very similar to these, but of course at more than ten times the price tag: I know where I will be spending my hard earned money!


Both pairs look so much better in the flesh than they do in the press shots, and even the photos I've taken don't do them justice. All of the shoes in the collection stick to Blomst's trademark monochrome, and with gorgeous details such as lace panels, buckles, and studs. The shoes are stylish, comfortable (because of course I couldn't resist trying them all on) and seriously affordable. I'm convinced, and I think you will be too.

Want to see the rest of the collection? Then you're in luck! Here it is:

1. Pixel print sneakers, £22.99    2. Pointed multi strap heels, £24.99  3. Peep toe with drop side and metallic heel, £27.99     4. Peep toe lace shoe boot, £27.99 5. Peep toe cut out shoe boots, £27.99     

How gorgeous are the high multi strap heels? As soon as I saw them I knew they'd been inspired by Gianvitto Rossi's beautiful multi strap creations, and they're just perfect for teaming with skinny jeans (or leather trousers if you're brave enough) and a soft cropped teddy jumper. Finally, although they're not to my taste, the clever addition of the trainers was a stroke of genius at a time when every blogger and fashionista I know is rocking a pair of Nike hi tops or a utilitarian DKNY yoga shoe: buy these now and you'll wear them all summer long, with no blisters in sight!

The Caroline Blomst collection for Deichmann is available in store and online from today. I predict that these will be selling out fast: particularly the bargain-priced slipper shoes. Which pair do you want to get your hands on first?

Love Tor x

Shoes: Turned on to trainers!

Hi guys,
I am so far from a trainer wearer, it's ridiculous! Aside from the tatty old pair of trainers I wear for sports (which I've had for years) I don't even own a pair. And when I jumped onto the Converse trend I only wore mine a couple of times before quickly realising it just wasn't the look for me. Then I saw these Liberty print Gola trainers and quickly fell in love!

Gola isn't a trainer brand that's on my radar, but I think these beauties will look fantastic with light wash skinny jeans. The florals are so feminine and I love the slightly vintage feel: they'll be great for running around the park in the summer. They also come in a purple version which features a slightly darker floral Liberty print fabric, but it is the girly pink that I love.

Want a pair of these for your own? You can pick them up from Spartoo for £70.99 per pair. Form an orderly queue after me!

Love Tor x

*Post written as part of a partnership with Spartoo shoes