Friday, 30 October 2009
What's in the window: Primark Christmas edition
Pay particular attention to the electric blue fur in the first picture, for I bought it! I will be showing you pictures of myself dressed up like a big blue yeti (or Sully from Monsters Inc) early next week. Also note that the woman sat down in the second picture looks like she wants to kill me. I was frightened by her angry demeanour - i'm such a wimp!
I know in my head that it's too early to be in the Christmas spirit, but with the gifts on the shelves and most of the stores having their windows decorated, my heart is telling me that it's time to feel festive!! The boyfriend and I are doing our first Christmas shopping trip tomorrow: I have a lot of presents to buy. Please don't judge me!
Love, Tor x
Thursday, 29 October 2009
ASOS Black Christmas range launches on Monday!
It launches on Monday, so sadly you can't leave me here sharing my thoughts to pop over and buy it now. But if you are planning to log on to click-and-buy on Monday, please form an orderly line behind me. I want that cage skirt! And to those of you wondering how practical it is, think on this: you're standing in a bar trying to get a drink. Drunken christmas party goers are crowding around you getting lairy. As you're friends jostle and groan whilst elbows hit their ribs and drunks step on their shoes, who is having the last laugh? Why, it's you with your instant personal space creator (ie the cage skirt) of course! I am aware that it could also be a hinderance to sneaky snogs under the mistletoe, but I say you're too pretty for kissing non princes anyway!
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I also adore the feather cape which I am already slotting into my wardrobe as I type. I envisage wearing it over layers of black, and throwing it over my coat to add volume (and a little extra warmth) for the above mentioned glam nights out. Don't let it be said that you don't get practical tips from me!!
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Monday can't come fast enough for me - and I just got paid too!
Love, Tor xx
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Kate Moss @ Topshop 12th collection launches tomorrow...
Kate Moss Topshop Christmas 2009 presents a collection of luxurious yet sophisticated oriental-inspired pieces, perfect for day and evening festive wear. Influences of traditional Chinese and Japanese clothing run through the collection.Continuing from the previous season, Christmas embraces chic, smart tailoring.Underwear makes a prominent return this season, with the debut of nightwear. Beautiful printed chiffons in triangle shape bras and teddies are feminine, whilst a leopard print balcony bra with an eyelash lace trim has instant sex-appeal. Floral printed silk pyjamas are adorned with an embroidered ‘K’ and come with a drawstring bag in the same material making it the perfect gift for Christmas.
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Etc until you enter a deep sleep.
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Love, Tor x
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
Etsy obsession of the week: teeny tiny skulls
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Monday, 26 October 2009
Where did they British textile industry go?
Marks & Spencer now manufactures only 5 per cent of its clothing in the UK.
Another great British brand, Jaeger, which as recently as 1983 manufactured 95 per cent of its garments in the UK, has since allowed the number of its British manufacturers to dwindle to precisely zero.
Burberry, too, which is fond of trumpeting its British heritage, oft repeating the fact that its trench coats were designed to keep our soldiers dry in the trenches of World War I, and which was welcomed back into the fold of London Fashion Week last month, closed yet another UK factory in January this year - in Rotherham, South Yorkshire - with a loss of 170 jobs.
It made me think about where my own wardrobe was produced, and whether that was something I felt comfortable about. Not just because of the often young workers in these far off countries being paid an unliveable wage (something we are all aware of and have all read about) but because of the decline of skills and jobs for British fashion workers. Because the heritage and reputation we have for our skilled tailors, precise seamstresses and accurate machine workers will die when these people have to retrain, because there isn't a job for them in fashion anymore.
Before he joined the army my dad had an apprenticeship to a tailor. Amongst his many stories (my dad is fab and full of stories!) is one about the ageing tailor who taught him who would skimp a quarter of a centimetre off the seam of every suit he produced until he had enough spare fabric to make my dad his first bespoke suit. The admiration in dad's voice when he tells this story speaks volumes. During the 80s my mum had a different dress for every ball she attended. They were hand made by the seamstress she used for my dads entire career (the only one she trusted with her dresses!) I distinctly remember sitting at the bottom of the stairs, aged 6, and watching her descend in acres of polka dot tulle. I gasped and declared her a princess. For years that dress stayed in her wardrobe, always referred to as "the princess dress". It stikes me that in this day in 2009 my mums seamstresss and my dad's tailor would probably be out of a job.
Today I am wearing head to toe Topshop (my new day of the dead skirt, a black silk top, oversized necklace and leggings) A faux pas I know but it looks pretty great! As you know, a lot of my clothes come from topshop. But looking inside the tags of these I see "made in Romania" "made in India" and "made in China"."Made in England" is a label I see now only in vintage and charity shops.
And this makes me wonder whether looking great is a big enough reason to keep buying these things. I'm certainly no activist, but maybe if we all pulled together and only brought clothes with that elusive "made in England" label on it then the stores would have to sit up and take note. In New York the fashion industry pulled together with a campaign to use and preserve their garment industry. Isn't it time for London designers to do the same thing?
Sorry for the rant!
Love, Tor xx
Sunday, 25 October 2009
Saturday morning shopping haul
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Topshop
Skirt £15, Headband from £8 to £4, Necklace from £15 to £7. I love the pattern on this skirt which fits incredibly well; skulls and skeletons dressed to look like pretty ladies. Yum! The bow headband is another for my growing collection; more subtle than the rest. However the piece that I am most impressed with is the necklace. Only last week I mentioned how much I love cameos and you can have no idea how much it excites me to have this oversized one dangling from my neck!
River Island
Reduced from £34.99 to £12. This tunic is a funny length between a top and a dress but i'm going to style it with leggings and worn over a slightly longer line vest.
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There are sales everywhere at the minute, I just wasn't really feeling like shopping this morning (I know, not like me!!) and so I only went into two shops and was in and out of the mall within an hour. However anyone smart who likes to plan ahead should be thinking about their Christmas presents whilst the prices are reduced. Thats my advice anyway! You can guarentee they won't be in December and the half price topshop jewellery really will make great gifts for girlfriends!
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While I'm talking about Christmas I was disconcerted to hear today that my sister has now finshed her Christmas shopping. Finished! I haven't even started yet. How are you guys getting on with yours? Or is it still too early to think about it?
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Love, Tor xx
Saturday, 24 October 2009
Great competition, but only if you're quick!!
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The overall winners will be announced after the competition close on 7th December. On offer is a Grand Prize of the ultimate Jimmy Choo VIP experience – the winner will be invited to spend a day of luxury and the Jimmy Choo HQ and choose 7 pairs of shoes and 2 handbags to keep. Plus over 100 exclusive Jimmy Choo prizes will also be awarded.
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Friday, 23 October 2009
Fabfrocks reviews: Christian Lacroix absynthe
The official line on the product is that the scent is a mysterious green-oriental, inspired by "the green faerie of absynthe", with notes of absynthe, anise, saffron, floral touches of freesia and narcissus, on a bed of smoked woods, ebony, musk, myrrh and a smidgen of amber. However I had important things to do last night (like shout at the TV during question time) so I didn't open and smell until this morning.
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
Jimmy Choo for H&M: What do you think?
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Just over 3 weeks to go until the collection launches (14th November. Put it in your diary. Now) and the first pictures of the Jimmy Choo for H&M collection have been released.
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I have been excited to see these, because up until now Jimmy Choo have never released a clothing line, and I was interested to see how their famous shoes would translate. Especially given that on the Grazia website Jimmy Choo MD and all round gorgeous fashionista Tamara Mellon chose four of the dresses as her top picks from the collection. Dresses over shoes? This I had to see:
Turns out Tamara was right: I do prefer the dresses to the shoes, although the bracelets and belts are also on the must-have list. There is one belt which is designed to wrap around the waist 3 times: yum!! The clutch bags leave me feeling pretty underwhelmed. The buttery soft looking fringed leather dress is definitely on my must have list though. And not pictured here, but definitely just waiting for me to pick up are the zebra print ballet pumps. And at just £49.99 they're a snip: watch this space and they'll be on my feet!!
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Overall I'm expecting this to be a fairly sound collection and (quality depending!) I will definitely pick up a piece or two. I am very much over the celebrity collaborations, but the H&M designer collabs keep going from strength to strength. What do you think? Will you be buying anything?
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Love, Tor xx
Monday, 19 October 2009
Daily wear: Back to the day job
Going back to work after a break at this time of the year had a decidedly "back to school" feeling, so I opted for work-uniform black, but with a twist. I wore a military style black dress (primark) with a black and gold studded belt (matalan) and black leggings (topshop) I went for a black studded body bag (miss selfridge) simply for one handed ease, and broke up the black with my vintage lace up boots (which I picked up at a boot sale for £2, and which my sister refers to as victorian pedophile boots) and my favourite leopard fur coat (river island) which the boyfriend brought for me last Christmas.
I didn't have anyone to take the pictures for me, so I experimented with my self timer for the first time and didn't quite get the angles right; I hope that explains the dodgy self-portrait shots, but I do look forward to getting better at it! Here are some of the outfit details set in the great outdoors- I was so excited not to be stuck in the house that I couldn't resist:
I collect brooches and adore cameos: I have loads of them! This particular lady was an MA graduation gift from my boyfriend
Bag from Miss Selfridges. £10 in the sale. Bargain!
This ring is so oversized it fills my whole hand!! Also Miss Selfridges. £9.
Looking at these pictures has also made me realise how long my hair is getting; it really needs colouring, and hasn't been cut for ages. However I don't dislike it the length it is. What do you think? To leave it to grow, or to cut it back into its usual bob? Decisions decisions!!
Love, Tor xx
PS - It's good to be back, and usual daily blogging should now resume (albeit typed slowly!!)
Wednesday, 14 October 2009
I'm an Angel once more!
Saturday was the second in a trilogy of Aussie Angel events (I wrote about the first one last month) and it was a really good one! Myself and two guests (I took my two younger sisters Amie and Lucy) were invited, along with a group of other Angels and their guests to have our hair washed and blowdried at Adee Phelan's very fancy salon in Covent Garden, all with yummy sugar-smelling Aussie hair products, of course! Adee was the best hairdresser from The Salon; did anyone else love watching that show (it was on channel 4!)? Anyway, back to the event. We truly were pampered, and had our hair washed and massaged (that was the best bit) then blow styled however we wanted it to. I looked bloated and rather pasty (the result of not being able to exercise or leave the house) but my sisters looked gorgeous:
Lucy had a high volume Rachel-from-friends 'do and Amie looked sleek and glam with her rock-chick headband.
Sneaking a glass of champagne on top of my tablets wasn't smart or clever. I just couldn't say no.
After the blowdrys and champagne and nibbles, the rest of the angels went on for cocktails and gossip and fun. But I had exhausted myself so much with getting to the salon, avoiding being bumped into on route and generally leaving the house that my sisters took me straight home. Still, definitely not a bad way to spend my first afternoon out of the house since my operation. And its always nice to meet the other Angels and their guests; Kristabel brought her lovely mum; don't they look alike?!
Everyone's hair looked great, and more importantly (for me at least!) smelled truly fantastic and it was a great evening - thanks Aussie!
Love, Tor xx
PS -Here is a gratuitous pic of the hairdresser that did Amie's hair. He certainly wasn't hard on the eye, and I believe my sister was seriously contemplating asking him to marry her! An added bonus of the evening!
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
If only: Fashion Thursday at Dorothy Perkins
If only I were feeling better you wouldn't be able to stop me from getting down to Fashion thursday at Dorothy Perkins, in association with Look magazine.
If you spend more than £40 (which will be easy given the 20% discount!) then you receive a goodie bag containing make up, chocolate, and an exclusive Daniel Merriweather CD. There will also be hair and beauty advice and make overs courtesy of Benefit and Toni and Guy. And if that's not enough, there will also be a chance to win a years worth of shoes and free drinks flowing all night. And for once, this isn't just happening in London, but in 10 stores across the UK, so everyone has the chance to get involved:
Sadly I expect it will be far too crowded for me incase my arm gets bashed. But it's not often you get something for nothing, and the chance for a girly fun night out. So if I could be there then I would!Love, Tor xx
Friday, 9 October 2009
And the winner is......
..comment leaver/follower #6. As determined by the random number generator on random.org. That's SARAH ROSE.
Congratulations, the gift will be making its way to you shortly. (i'm still stuck on the couch in bandages and my PJ's, so shortly really means whenever the boyfriend will take it to the post office for me!)
For the rest of you curious monkeys, as well as the glitter and VIP (that's very important poem) the package also includes a necklace from accessorize, a fabric brooch from topshop, aussie shampoo and conditioner, a gorgeous sequinned mirror, lots of different lipglosses, and various other sample sized things. No pictures though, or it wouldn't be a suprise!!
Sorry to everyone who didn't win, but I will be hosting a similar competition at the end of next month to distribute more trinkets: it will be a fabfrocks christmas present!! I hope you all have a great weekend.
Love, Tor xx
Thursday, 8 October 2009
Fab Frocks reviews: Gok Wan shapewear
Rest assured that unfortunately I look nothing like this sexy lady in this one-piece, but it certainly is this sexy!!
One aspect of the detailing I didnt like was the little bell between the cups: it looks and sounds like a cat bell, and people can hear you coming from yards away; not an attractive look! The bell was only secured with one stitch though, so it was very easy to remove. Unless the tinkly cat thing is for you: each to their own, as my mum always says!
Sunday, 4 October 2009
Sharing the love
Le blog de Big Beauty
This woman is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen (plus size or otherwise) and reading her blog leaves you feeling in awe of her. The photography is beautiful and she is very witty, both about her size and her life (even in translation from her native french)
Garbage Dress
I sometimes think that if I could be anyone for a day it would be Zana; she's funny, she has amazing style, and she's so cool that it must hurt. She's also started selling her belts and harnesses in an etsy shop. I want the harness with the wings so bad!!
Daddy Likey
We all love Winona. We all wear trousers and leggings for fear of being called out about "showcha-ing our chocha". We all only know what that word means because of her. (or is that just me?) But anyway, in case you missed her, check her out!!
Make do style
Stylist Kate is also mum to the super adorable petit garcon, studying for her MA in fashion and film, and updating her blog every day. She's a super woman!! She's also witty, full of information you probably won't find anywhere else, and always knows where to find the best things. Always one of my daily reads!
Love, Tor xx