Jewellery: Keeping it in the family

Today, I am feeling very special and important (make do Kate might say superior!) I am feeling this way because I am wearing a beautiful necklace, bespokely made just for me and presented to me yesterday, quite by suprise. No other necklace like this one exists in the whole world, and that's enough to make anyone feel pretty great. My incredible crafty and talented little sister Lucy made this necklace just for me. It is silver and the beads are glass; each bead is a slightly different colour and shape, making it even more unique. She is making a range of increasingly bautiful and complicated jewellery in her back bedroom, and I anticipate her gifts with glee.
She also made the festive little box the necklace was presented in. Although she doesn't sell her jewellery (I keep telling her she should!) you can check out more of Lucy's crafts on her fairly new blog, Munyip Makes. I know that I will be keeping this safe, and that it feels even more special knowing not only that it was made just for me, but also because it was made with love.
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Sorry for the posting gap, but I took a break to spend some time with my family, who all came to London and gathered in my house for some wonderful family fun! Normal service will resume now though!
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Love, Tor xxx

Lust-have item of the day: Sophie Hulme cardigan

I saw it. I need it. I randomly saw this cardigan on the New! magazine website this morning and fell in love. It is from the Asos designer collaboration section (called, i believe The Hub) and is by British designer Sophie Hulme. Sophie Hulme is one of a handful of young, emerging designers who have been hand-picked to design an exclusive collection for the range

Her collection, inspired by all things British, includes teapots and kitsch caravan prints. Apparently it comes in at £65, which isn't exactly cheap, but I don't think it will break the bank either. However I can't find it - the asos site is loading unbelievably slow and I can't seem to locate this cardigan on it. Has it sold out? Does anyone know anything? I want to snuggle in this over Christmas. Help!!

Love, Tor xx

Wonderfully impressive stocking fillers for under £20

*If you are either of my sisters then please click away now!

I don't normally enjoy christmas gift guides, because I struggle to pen my loved ones into magazines pre subscribed boxes (if they're a boy look on this page, if they're sporty look on this page, etc) However I have very nearly finished my Christmas shopping (Martin Lewis the money expert would be proud, as I wanted to pay for my presents with October's salary leaving me November's for partying and December's for the January sales)

And whilst completing my shopping I have found (and bought!) some really pretty gifts that won't break the bank, so I thought I would share them with you. So here is the fabfrocks Christmas stocking gift guide. 6 great things to suit any under £20 budget and perfect for every single girl I know!

Next week i'll be bringing you another 6 items for those with a bigger budget; under £35. And if anyone is reading this looking for gifts for me then those gloves have particularly taken my fancy; I couldn't believe they were only £18!

Enjoy your Christmas shopping everyone!
Love, Tor xx

New competition: From brief to bra

I hate shopping for underwear - finding something pretty that I can wear smoothly under my clothes and that actually looks right is a nightmare, because I have a heavy chest but a narrow back. Wouldn't it be amazing if you could take the pattern from one bra, add it to the shape of another, and then embellish it to your own special requirements?

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Well thanks to this new competition from SimplyYours, you can!! Simply Yours, the plus size lingerie specialist (and producers of the genius Gok Wan shapewear) is running its first ever design competition "From Brief to Bra".

If men designed bras....

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They want to find out what you look for in a lingerie set - and what better way than to ask you to put your ideas to paper and submit a design? They want you to let your creativity flow and design a lingerie set perfect for curvalicious women. The winning design will feature in the Spring/Summer 2011 catalogue and be sold at SimplyYours.co.uk!
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The competition is being run through their Facebook page and I for one will be giving it a go; it would be easy to find the perfect bra if i'd designed it myself!!
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Love Tor
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PS - Don't forget to enter my fantastic Aussie competition - it ends on Friday!!

Daily wear: The new old dress

Hi guys,

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Two important things happened in the FabFrocks house this weekend; the first is that we put up our Christmas decorations (it's the first Sunday of Advent next Sunday and my whole family is coming round for a feast!)
They're looking so pretty, and are making me feel really festive! I've even started taunting Mike by leaving wrapped presents under the tree! The second exciting thing is that I fit into this dress:

A couple of months ago the boyfriend kindly ordered me this dress from ASOS. I loved it, especially the unusual panels. However I was devastated when it was too tight and it just didn't fit.
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Mike packed it all up to send it back, but I just liked it too much to let it go. So I resolved to lose a little bit of weight and have used it as a measuring stick because I don't like scales; and this weekend it fit!! I still want to shed a little more weight, especially off my upper arms and legs which are looking particularly chunky in my coloured tights experiment. But this pretty dress made my day, because it means i'm making steps in the right direction!

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Now i'm going to ruin it all by sitting in front of my Christmas tree and eating a mince pie!

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Love, Tor xx

What Aussie would look like if it were a frock!

Ok, so here are the things I know about Aussie: It smells really good. It makes my hair incredibly soft and shiny. It contains Australian ingredients. Did I mention it smells really good?

This means that when putting together an Aussie outfit it has to be sweet (but not sugary sweet!) lightweight (i've never seen a picture of anyone in Australia wearing a far coat) and full of lots of different textures, like all the different hair textures the brand looks after.

There are lots of different Aussie girls (from goths to glamour models) but i've decided to style the outfit to what would suit me because a) i'm an Aussie girl and I use their products and b) i'm constantly at my own disposal! So here it is:


The outfit is a party outfit because I reckon the Aussie girl is a party girl: so first off she gets killer heels. Office £50.
Then i've used the feather skirt I tried on last week because the colour reminds me of the colour of the Aussie conditioner I use (could I be more literal!?) Topshop £75
I've teamed it with wet look leggings (wet like my hair after a shampoo, you could say!) Topshop £20.
Then i've added a simple rock-chick top from River Island £34.99, and a sparkly clutch from New Look.
For jewellery I went simple with earrings (to draw attention to the hair of course!) from New Look as well.
Oh, and dont forget the obligatory kangaroo and pint of Fosters: I couldn't do an Aussie outfit without it!

This was fun! Think you can do better? Then enter my competition here to try this yourself!

Love, Tor xx

Aussie Competition: Enter now, you know you want to!

Being an Aussie Angel has been so much fun, and i'm so glad they asked me to get involved! The best thing is the little suprises, like this biscuit tin that arrived in the post this morning.

In it was a Tim Tam (which I am munching on as I type!) and a personalised card inviting me, and all of you guys, to take part in a competition!

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I think this could well be one of the most fun competitions I have run on this here blog, because it involves us all getting creative! Here is the blurb, from the Australian horses mouth itself:

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"We know you're really a clothes horse (not a hair horse) and we want to know what Aussie really means to you. What beyond the Mmmmm, the Aaaaah? What if Aussie were an outfit? What would it look like? What would the care label say? Show us what an Aussie tailor would produce. Ask your community (that's you guys!) to do the same. Revel in your collective awesomeness"

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So there you have it! All you have to do is be a follower and let me know what an Aussie outfit would look like in the comments. You can either describe it in words or upload a link to a picture; i'm working on mine now and will reveal all this afternoon. I think this could be a whole lot of fun!

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In the usual Aussie cryptic way, I have no idea what the prizes are, but they're sure to be awesome! The competition closes on the 30th November, so get creative now!

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Love, Tor xx

UPDATE: Most prizes will be UK based "experiences", BUT further to a bit of discussion, International readers are invited to join and if they are chosen as the winner, we'd be able to substitute the "experience" prize with a gift we could send in the post.

Shoes that are good for the Sole

Although expensive (so expensive I don't actually own a pair!) French Sole pumps are the most comfortable, prettiest shoes I have ever had on my feet. Because I am more of a flats than a heels kind of girl (comfort is king!) I have lusted after a pair for a very long time- and in Tor world lusting means frequently trying on! I was thinking about them because of this gorgeous pair I saw in Look magazine today:These ones however say "I love you" across the heart, where the ones in the magazine simply say "French Sole". Perhaps they're too new to be on the website yet?
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I really am trying to have more investment pieces and less Primark in my wardrobe (although I still love Primark very much!) But I am trying to have Primark for my trend-led buys that I don't expect to last more than a season or two (sequinned party dresses for example) and spend a little more on 'the classics' that I know I will wear over and over. Like new pumps. The problem is I am always drawn the crazy colours and patterns rather than the cute patent black pair that I could actually talk myself into buying as an investment piece.

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Here are the ones I fancy:

Maybe this means that i'm just not ready to be sensible and buy investment pieces yet. I still fancy a pair of these pumps though - here's hoping the January sales will be kind to me!

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That's definitely what I will be looking for in the sales: decent shoes are always a sensible investment even if I never go for the sensible pattern! It's a discussion I have everytime another pair of Primark pumps has to be thrown away. "I could have had a really nice pair of pumps the amount i've spent on these over and over again". The problem is, of course, that you can find the fiver needed to replace the above mentioned shoes, but finding £100 all at the same time for the nice pair is more difficult.

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Love, Tor xx

Love of the day... Soap and Glory

So the whole of the soap and glory range is one 3 for 2 at Boots at the minute, and their gift sets are also on 3 for 2 in the Boots Christmas gift range. What better excuse did I need to buy 3 things (paying for only 2 of course!) when I popped to Brent Cross on Sunday afternoon??

I got the body scub, the anti-cellulite gel (it's nearly Christmas - time to panic!) and the convenient spray on moisturiser. Except of course they all have much better names that that (thing no1 I love about Soap and Glory) such as Mist you Madly, The righteous butter, clean on me, and my personal favourite, sexy mother pucker. The lovely man at the counter also gave me 2 of the free gift bags (it must be my winning smile!) which the bf is going to use for my sisters Christmas presents: he isn't one for wrapping paper!

I was given two wonderful Soap and Glory gift sets last Christmas having sampled some of the shower gel ala Becky's house, and I have been hooked ever since.

The packaging is amazing and brightens up your bathroom with its witticisms and vintage bathing beauties (thing no2) and thing I love about Soap and Glory no3 is that each item in the range has the same rich distinctive scent. This means that the more of the products you use the more that smell is layered, and once on it lasts all day. It also compliments every fragrance on my shelf. Oh, and to answer the most important question, in my opinion at least, it works! I user the sexy mother pucker lip gloss on every night out for a magnificent pout and the body butter and moisturiser soften and moisten my skin. If it wasn't so close to Christmas I would be heading down for another 3 for 2 bargain, but i'm hoping santa has another gift set in his sack!

In other news:

• There is no Jimmy Choo @ H&M post because by the time I got there on Sunday nearly everything had sold out
• I saw a poster this morning saying that Brent Cross had started their Christmas opening hours: they're now open until 10pm on weekdays. Woo!!
• Watch this space, because in the next few days I will be launching a competition in collaboration with the lovely folks at Aussie hair.

Have a great day!

Love, Tor xx

PS-I just realised that the pictures I used make this look like an advert but it isn't! I paid for all the products and just wanted to share!! And I felt too lazy to take pictures of my own products - my laziness will be my downfall!!

Need to do some Christmas shopping? Head to Debenhams!

Now I must confess that the only time I ever go to Debenhams is at Christmas because I like their Christmas gift range. And now they've added even more incentive. Debenhams has today announced that is launching a £250 million Christmas spectacular price cutting campaign a massive 6 weeks before Christmas. Tens of thousands of items across all stores and the online site will have their prices slashed.

A similar pre-emptive strike by Debenhams last year was so successful that it forced many big name retailers to cut Christmas prices: I'm sure its not good for the economy, but it is good for me getting the hundreds of presents I have to buy every year without going bankrupt!!

In the press release they sent over they included some examples of the discounts on offer, and I have to say I was impressed:
Vera Wang Rock Princess Eau de Toilette 30ml reduced from £32 to £16
J by Jasper Conran fur trapper hat from £20 to £10
Guess polished diamante bracelet from £100 to £50

I am hoping there will be discounts on the jewellery boxes because I was going to buy one for my sister this weekend! And so that all this shopping doesn't interfere with my very busy and important life (ha!!) stores will be open from 8.00am until midnight on Wednesday and Thursday (18 and 19 November) from 9.00am to 10.00pm on the Friday (20 November) and 8.00am to 7.00pm on the Saturday (21 November).

I can only actually think of one thing to say: On your marks, get set, go shopping!
Love, Tor x

Party dress week. Day 3: Topshop.

No self respecting party dress week would be complete without a trip to Topshop; it is the place most 20-somethings head to when they know they need a new party frock, and i'm no exception to the rule.
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The theme of the Topshop Christmas collections seems to be a luxe rockchick. Everything is either black or nude with feathers, shaggy faux fur, sequins, and stud embellishments. The black sequin detail dress may be quite understated, but it is the favourite one i've tried on this week. I felt very pretty and also very thin! Here they are:

The black dress is actually from the tall section, which seemed to work because it meant there was a longer bodice for my bust. The feathered skirt is gorgeous although not neccessarily with the lace waistcoat I teamed it with. At £75 though, it doesn't come cheap and its cost per wear ratio can't be good! I adore the floral dress and although not dressy enough for a Christmas party, for £35 I think I will pick it up for other dinners and drinks that always pop up around the festive period. The nude dress was beautiful, but didn't work on me at all.

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I'm hoping to get to Brent Cross for a peek at the Jimmy Choo for H&M collection tomorrow - if I do i'll report back!

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Have a great weekend.

Love, Tor xx

Party dress week. Day 2: Dorothy Perkins

On the recommendation of Make Do Kate, today's picks of the party dresses will be from Dorothy Perkins. Like Kate, i'm a big fan of Dottie P's and although it doesn't have a reputation for being as fashion forward as its trend-led sister Topshop, I think the tables are turning. Dorothy Perkins nods at the trends without sacrificing the important things, like how the garment will fit on the body of a real woman.

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For those of you that liked Monday's little history lesson (I really am a geek when it comes to anything from the 60s!) here are some Dottie P facts. Dorothy Perkins was founded in 1909 and named after a rose. In the 1960s, Dorothy Perkins was controlled by the Farmer family and was best known for its underwear, tights and PJ's (like the M&S of the 90s, some might say!) The stores never really got to grips with sixties boutique culture. Author Margret Geraghty who worked there for a while in the late sixties remembers that all the sales staff had to wear nylon uniforms: 'They were cerise with a zip up the front. Forget dolly birds. They looked more like canteen assistants.' The exception was the store manageress, who was allowed to wear her own clothes.

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Leap forward half a century and Dorothy Perkins is a different proposition altogether. Here is my pick of their Christmas party dresses:

No trying on today, as I simply haven't had the time because of lovely mummy coming to stay. But I will be back to trying on tomorrow (I already have some pictured lined up and ready for editing)! As you can see, I have chosen dresses with sleeves today, for ladies (like me!) that aren't especially keen on showing off their upper arms; you can cover up and still be ready to party! Dorothy Perkins seem to be sticking to the Arcadia group's festive mix of sequins and jewelled embellishments, and electric blue is a key colour on their pallette, complimenting the obvious choice of black.
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Definitely a stongly contending collection from Dorothy Perkins. Tomorrow I think I will step away from the Arcadia group (although Topshop will get a mention as well!!) Where would you like to see me go now?

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Love, Tor x

A little festive interlude

Hi Guys,

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Sorry party dress week has gotten off to such a shaky start- I will definitely rectify that this afternoon! On Tuesday night my mum came to town for the day (she left last night) and i've been so busy having fun with her and my sisters that I haven't had time to post!

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Before we went to have a wonderfully decedant afternoon tea (i'm ashamed to say that I ate 2 clotted cream laden scones and 3 cakes!) we took mum to Harrods to buy us Christmas presents (shameless!) to buy her a hamper from the foodhall -a pre-Christmas gift from me, and to check out the Christmas wonderland on the second floor. That is what this post is about.

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If you ever have an hour to spare and want to start feeling festive then I suggest you visit Harrod's winter wonderland. It's beautiful, luxurious and extravagent. Decorations and trinkets hang as far as the eye can see and you can marvel over the beautifully decorated trees and the contents of the £300 box of crackers. For enthusiasts like myself, there is even a full stand of hello kitty tree decorations. At this time of year, it really is one of my favourite places to be:

*The 2 youngsters are my sisters - you've seen them before. The beautiful lady in the pink is my Mum - I know i'm a bit biased, but she really is the best a girl could ask for!

What you can't see if the massive bags i'm carrying - only I would be stupid enough to buy a giant hamper and a huge perfume gift set at the start of a shopping trip!

My next party dress post will come to you in a couple of hours! Sorry again for the delay, but i'm sure it will be worth it!

Love, Tor x

Party dress week. Day 1: Miss Selfridge

In recent months Miss Selfridge have really up their game, and i'm impressed with almost everything in store. I used to view them as Topshop's younger, not-so-cool sister (because the clothes were always a bit too teenie) but they have definitely stepped out of the shadow.
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Funnily enough, Miss Selfridge is one of the few stores still in existence that featured in my dissertation; it began as the fashion section of Selfridges in 1966. It got its name because Charles Clore, the owner of Selfridges at the time, saw a window display in the Bonwit Teller store in New York which showed "Miss Bonwit" dresses aimed specifically at teenagers. The 60s was the birth of this youth culture when collections and stores were specifically aimed at the newly coined "teenagers". Some of the first dresses to be sold in Miss Selfridge were the famous paper dresses, which I have written about in the past.
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However the dresses in store now are definitely not made of paper. Here is my pick of the best party dresses in store now. I have taken pictures of them both on and off, because some of them look amazing on the hanger, but aren't really cut for boobs and there are some spillage incidents. Oh, and my budget went out of the window. Apparently even a £50 budget is too restrictive for this seasons party frocks:

Almost everything was very dark and black (with the occassional colour pop, as you can see) and embellishment and sequinning was massive; I suspect we will see alot of that on the highstreet this week. The tunic is the shape that suits me best and I actually quite like the first dress. The third dress is spectacular with amazing detail all over it. But like the rest of the Miss Selfridge dresses it probably looks better off the hanger than it does for me. They just don't seem to cut for boobs! But here they are:

Not a bad start to our party dress week! Any suggestions for where you'd like to see me go tomorrow? I'm very open to external influence!

Love, Tor x

Party dress week begins: with a word of warning

There is just a month to go until my office Christmas party, and with this in mind it seemed like the perfect time to start my annual party dress hunt: I will be going into a different high street store every day over the next week and trying on and reviewing the best dresses on offer. Usually I do this on a £30 budget, but as the cost of clothes on the high street has crept up dramatically I will be working to a £50 budget this year.
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But before they week of lovely dresses begins, i'd like to think about why we feel the need to go out and buy a new dress, just because it's Christmas. If you have the money then great, but if not then why the stress and worry? Why not save yourself the heartache of looking at dresses you cant (or would rather not) afford and shop your own wardrobe? I know that's what i'll be doing!

I got this dress in April to wear for my birthday party in May, and then decided to wear something else instead: it still has the tags on! I've teamed it with the Kurt Gieger shoes I wore for my graduation and a gorgeous French Connection angora shrug; all I need is big hair and lots of jewellery and i'm ready to hit the town!
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Christmas dresses are generally black, sparkly, and this year the trend is for sequins. If we're honest, party dress trends don't vary so often that your dress from last year (or the year before, or the year before that!) will look out of date. And a new bag, make up or jewellery can make the difference between an outfit that looks years old or bang up to date.

This week's Topshop newsletter said that cameo prints and jewellery will be big this Christmas, so I have thrown on an oversized cameo necklace with the black dress I wore for New Year's eve two years ago. Despite the dress not being new, I think the outfit looks modern and sexy (if you ignore the Sunday night hair and no make up!) and could take you to the party for the cost of a new necklace!

Here I have taken a normal black dress I wear for work at least once a month (i've had it for about 18 months)and thrown on a sparkly necklace I got in the topshop sale for £1 and a t shirt from primark for a fiver; the sparkle makes it perfect for post-work drinks (or a more casual party) and the shoulder detail is "this season's key trend". Everyone has a plain black dress in their wardrobe, and instead of shopping for its expensive replacement this season why not look for a sparkly clutch, chandelier earrings or gorgeous nail varnish? That way you have that special "this is new" feeling without the expense of buying a whole new outfit.
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I'm not saying that you shouldn't go out and buy a new dress if its something you always do and enjoy, and can afford, of course. I'm one of the biggest consumers I know - it would be silly for me to tell people not to go shopping! I'm just saying that maybe we should question why it is such an integral part of our December ritual, particularly this year when money is tight for so many people. I'm pretty sure noone is going to judge (or even notice) if your dress doesn't have a brand new topshop label hanging off the back! I have a wardrobe full to the brim with party dresses, and I definitely won't be buying a new one for this Christmas - leaving me much more money to spend in the sales in January!

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Having said that, party dress week starts tommorrow - all the best party dresses on the highstreet right now. I can't wait!
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Love, Tor x

What's in the window: Selfridges Christmas edition

I have had some feedback that not all of you like the "what's in the window" feature. Well actually, one specific person doesn't like the "what's in the window" feature. But I don't feel like other people should be in a position to choose what you do or don't write about, otherwise all blogs would look the same, and that would defeat the object of writing a blog altogether. I also don't see what people thing they can achieve by being nasty about a blog; haven't they got better ways to fill their days? It's a matter of personal taste. And I happen to like shop windows.

There are no shop windows I like more in the world than Selfridges, and my love of them doubles at Christmas time. This year the theme is a pantomine one, with a different panto represented in every window. One of the first things I noticed is that there is something by Vivienne Westwood in every single one; it's not really suprising though. Her style lends itself perfectly to the panto theme.

Each of the windows is trimmed with a lighted garland, like in the last photo. My overriding feeling is that the whole thing is very tongue in cheek. I am especially fond of the bold flashing slogans accompanying every display. And i couldn't believe it when I read that the dress in the third picture is by Alexander McQueen; it's so over the top and opulent that I assumed it had been "created" by the window dressers with yards of fabric and chicken wire! Oh, and what you can't see in the picture is that in the fourth window the cows trousers are pulled down to reveal stockings and suspenders.



This series of displays is my favourite so far, because although it doesn't have the extravagant "wow factor" of last year, you find more little touches and jokes to chuckle about the more you look at it. I am slightly disturbed by the pervy-creepy santa in window six though!

Its definitely worth a walk down Oxford street this month, even if you're only going to view these windows!


Love, Tor xx

Daily wear: that horrible inbetweeny weather

Yesterday evening my sister, the boyfriend, and I had dinner together, followed by a walk down Oxford street to view the festive window displays (Selfridges-wow!) and check out the Christmas lights, which were turned on on Tuesday.

Despite the cold, I wasn't wearing a coat. Why, I hear you ask? Well, quite simply, because the weather is so confusing it's hard to know what to do for the best! When I leave the house at 8am it isn't that cold. When I pop out for my sandwich at lunchtime it's warmer still. But leaving the office at 5.30 and the resturant at around 7 it was freezing. Here's how I braved the cold:

I am wearing a long sleeve black lycra top with a sparkly topshop cardigan over it (layers are key!) with topshop leggings and day of the dead skirt. Then for warmth I threw on my crop sleeve leather jacket. To make this snugger for the evening I added my black H&M snood (which is draped rather than wrapped) and my primark leather gloves. They're real leather and only cost £7; I was tempted to buy them in every colour. I didn't wear any jewellery (laziness!) but had my studded duffle bag from Miss Selfridges and my studded winkle picker boots from Office for a little bit of bling!!

Speaking of my boots, they're new; I got them on Monday! They were reduced to £45 and the cream coloured version were only £25. Office has a shoe sale on, and unlike lots of other retailers they've reduced some of their boots as well as the outdated summer stock; definitely worth checking out! Oh and on the subject, some of the sale stock isnt on the sale rack, but stored with the normal stuff. Just to confuse us! I picked these out and was suprised to find they were in the sale when I turned them over to check out the price!

Love, Tor xx

PS- I read in the paper this morning that H&M will be handing out wristbands to "prevent rioting" at the Jimmy Choo launch next week, and that they are expecting people to start arriving at midnight the evening before. There isn't anything from the collection I want bad enough to spend a night in the cold for, but if you're desperate to get your hands on some Choos then start planning now!