What's in the window: Spring is coming!!

Hi guys,
I cannot tell you how much I am longing for Spring. I think that because the cold spell came so early this year it feels long overdue: I keep forgetting that it's only January and wanting to slip my sandals on! And apparently i'm not the only one. The boring 'Sale Now On' signs are coming down (although Topshop are hanging on in, with new 'More lines added' signs in their windows). In there place are exactly what i've been waiting for: flowers, colours, plenty of white, signs that Spring will soon be here!

And to prove it, here's what's in the shop windows this week:

Stella McCartney

I walked past this window three times, admiring the flower heads, before I noticed the beautiful dresses below. How did I miss them? The screen print patterns are breath taking. And matching bags too!

Miu Miu

I love lazer cut outs, so these dresses immediately got my attention. I also loved the contrast between the nude and the neon on the shoes: if I had the money they'd be the perfect addition to my growing shoe collection!

Kenzo

This window immediately makes me think of my mum on a resort holiday. On how I long to wear crisp white shirts and not have to worry about throwing on my coat. Come on Spring: hurry up!!

Love, Tor xxx

Competition: Win £50 to spend at Brand Alley

Hi guys,
Just before Christmas, I had a mini spending spree at designer discount store Brand Alley. Each day new sales are added from new designers, so you never know what you're going to find when you visit the site: that's half the magic!

Today there is a sale on Vivienne Westwood sunglasses: tomorrow is the start of a Diesel sale. On the day of my shop their were sales taking place on designer shoes, Lulu Guiness umbrellas, and Clinique skincare.

Here's what I picked up:



Gold leather D&G shoes, Lulu Guiness stripe and cameo umbrella, and Clinique exfoliator.

I couldn't believe the amazing value for money: i'm a real convert! I've picked up all sorts of stuff from Brand Alley since discovering it: OPI nail varnish, Moschino jewellery, and their January sale was unbelievable: I got a pair of grey shoe-boots for a fiver!

Now on to the competition: The total cost of my order was £99.30. I know, I can't believe it either! Now all you have to do to win a £50 gift voucher to spend at Brand Alley is tell me how much my little spree was worth: what is the combined rrp of the three items pictured above? Pop your guess in the comments, and the person that comes closest is the winner.

The competition closes at 12 noon on Wednesday 2nd February, so get guessing now! Good luck!

Love, Tor xx

Note: Brand Alley is a wonderful fantabulous place to get incredible designer goodies at amazingly low prices. But the pay off is that you have to wait a little while for your order to arrive: these babies took six weeks to reach me. But it was definitely worth the wait!!

Note #2: Sorry for the terrible picture of the umbrella! I was too superstitious to put it up in the house, so i've used a snap of it as I was getting off the tube!

ASOS SS11 Look Book: Prepare to Lust

Light, fresh, floppy, floaty, seventies inspired......I love this asos collection. I could spend my whole summer wearing just these five outfits. I especially love the masculine rolled up camel trousers, and the oversized camel maxi dress: i've gone from hating camel to being a definite convert. And my new carboot sale hunting obsession will be boxy handbags to finish the look, just like the one in the second picture. What do you think of the collection? And if you like it, which pieces are you coverting?

Love, Tor xx

The importance of being waisted!

Hi guys,
It is often joked that I am rarely seen without a belt around my waist. And it's true: the phrase I most often mutter in changing rooms is "maybe if I added a belt." I have an hourglass figure, and my body looks really wide without something to draw the eye to my waist, so that's the main thing I look for when i'm out shopping. With a constructed dress that cinches in at the waist, or even a waist belt, your whole body shape can change. Behold:

These pictures were taken in the same shop on the same day, but in different changing rooms. Yes, i'm in my beloved Topshop again. The dresses are in the same size, and so am I. I just saw these two pictures on my phone whilst looking for pictures for another post i'm putting together, and thought that side by side they emphasise this point really well. Without the waist definition my upper body looks enormous: imagine how much better the leopard print dress would look with a belt on top too, and compare this to the vast peach mass of the other dress!

I guess this shows how important it is to know how to dress your figure, and the difference that can make to how you look and feel: in this case slim and slinky versus oversized hefferlump! And yes, I did pick up the leopard print dress: but I haven't broken my shopping ban, as I had some gift vouchers left over from Saturday. Free shopping: my favourite!

Love, Tor xx

Picture Post: Discover a Style You'll Love!

The professional pictures from my Discover a Style You'll love experience day on Saturday have arrived: they're considerably better than mine, so of course I had to share! I've been wearing all of my new clothes this week (pictures to follow, I promise!) and believe it or not, I haven't lost a single stone from my nails so far. Thanks again to Ford Ka for organising my dream day out.

Love, Tor x

Fabfrocks reviews: Sen spa @ Harvey Nichols

Hi guys,

As part of Saturday's dream day out, I had a relaxing lower legs and foot massage at the Sen spa in Harvey Nichols, and I found the experience so enjoyable, I thought I should write up a review!

When you walk into the Sen spa it just looks like a normal herbal therapy shop with rows of teas and people browsing, but when you get into the spa area at the back it's completely different: it feels weird, because you know you're in the middle of a busy department store, but it feels like you're a million miles away from anyone.

The therapy room had the obligatory low lighting and pan pipe music, and I was already feeling relaxed before the therapist even came into the room, bringing a bowl full of hot soapy water to soak my feet in. After a long days shopping sitting on a big sunken chair sipping on green tea and soaking my feet felt really amazing!

I was left alone to soak for 5 minutes then the therapist returned, gesturing that it was time to get on the bed. She didn't say a single word before, during, or after the treatment, but that didn't bother me at all. She worked wonders on my feet. I usually hate getting massages (I don't really like being touched by strangers) but this was so relaxing that I started drifting off to sleep! I didn't know you had knots and tension points in your feet, but I could feel her working them out and after the treatment my legs felt lighter and I had a real spring in my step: I also felt so relaxed that it was a struggle to keep my eyes open, so I probably wouldn't recommend this as a pre-shopping treatment!

As a post-shopping treat I would more than recommend this though: I think i'm going to make another appointment for next week to have my aching back and shoulders done too!

Love, Tor xx

Discover a Style You'll Love: Winners day out!

Hi guys,
You'll remember a couple of months ago I posted about a competition I was judging with Ford Ka and Tony and Guy, called Discover a Style You'll love. Well two weeks ago I chose my winner, and yesterday I took her on her winners day out! I don't have any of the professional pictures yet (i'll save them for another post) but I had so much fun I just had to write it up now, while it was all fresh in my mind!

The winner was a lovely lady called Lisa, and her prize was to come with me on my perfect fashion day out. So we:
-Started out in Tony and Guy having our hair cut and blow dried.
-Whizzed over to WAH nails in Topshop Oxford Circus, where our fingers were pampered and pimped up; I opted for gold studs on a pink background and Lisa had a really cool marble print

-Shopped in Topshop (You can't go in there and not shop!) We were given gift vouchers and set free to have a spending spree!
- Took a taxi to Harvey Nics, where we ate a delicious lunch (I had the most amazing scallops to start, followed by duck breast, and of course we had to have champagne!)
-And are you sensing a pattern emerging? How can we go into a shop and not shop! More shopping ensured: Lisa got a gorgeous Marc Jacobs purse, while I went a little crazy in the sales!
-We ended our day with a relaxing foot and leg massage followed by a very yummy revitalising cocktail.

It was the best day ever (though I would say that, what with it being my perfect fashion day out!) But if you don't believe me, check out these pictures of the bags, the nails, the purchases:




Like I said, my pictures aren't great, but I will post the proper pics, and the video of us enjoying our day as soon as I get them. Massive thank you's to Ford Ka for an amazing day out, and given my pre-wedding shopping ban, this much guilt free shopping was a dream come true!

Love, Tor xx

Fabfrocks at home: On the wish list!

Hi guys,
Can you believe that there are just six months left until the wedding of the year?! Yes, i'm talking about my wedding of course, not that insignificant Prince, or whatever! Things are really hotting up: vendors are booked, DIY projects are underway, and in the next couple of months Mike and I will get to do the funnest task of all: choosing our gift registry.

The hunt for the perfect gift registry has lead me to all sorts of sites that I wouldn't usually visit, including The Handpicked Collection: lots of unique and unusual gifts, and perfect for our situation because we've been living together a couple of years, so we already have a toaster, kettle, fish slice, etc. Here's what i'd rather have instead:

-Have you ever seen anything cuter than this penguin door stop? I think doorstops shaped like animals are something you can never have enough of.

- A matchbox holder with an elephant on. I didn't even know such things as matchbox holders existed, but now I do I want one for my coffee table!

-Whilst it's true that I can't bake, I think my mangled attempts would look much prettier under this retro cake hood.

-I love this little mini keepsake chest. It's a perfect place to store jewellery or little love notes. This would also make a pretty nifty Mothers day gifts (If you think that far ahead. Which I do.)

-Although the blog is all web 2.0 (*I am aware this is a horrible phrase!) I actually love writing letters and receiving proper post. So I absolutely couldn't resist these stamp mugs!

Ultimately though, the wedding gifts are unimportant. Making a fantasy shopping list for your home is fun, but (without sounding too girly) what really matters is that our friends and family can all just be there to spend the special day with us. And that someone buys me that matchbox holder!

Love, Tor xx

Valentine's Day: Romantic fun or waste of time?

Hi guys,
Someone in my office pointed out today that it is now exactly one month until Valentine's day. This was mentioned with excitement. For me, the news filled me with blah! I've never really cared very much for valentines day, regardless of whether i've been seeing someone or not. It feels weird to me that you have to set aside a day every year to remember to tell someone you love them: what a sad relationship that must be. And although i'm not the kind of gal to ever say no to a present (or two!) I don't like the idea that poor chaps are bullied into buying presents they can't afford by the media, otherwise 'they don't really love you'.

As this is (technically) my last Valentine's as a single girl though, I do intent to get dressed up and go for cocktails with some of my other single gals. I hope this is more of a reflection of how I feel about cocktails, not how I feel about Valentine's day. So I thought it would be fun to create the perfect shopping lists for Valentine's day, depending on whether you love it or hate it:

Love Valentines day:

Heart necklace: Molly Brown London, Heart embroidered dress: Topshop, Heart shoes: Vivienne Westwood at Melissa, Ruffle bolero: Topshop, Heart bag, Juicy Couture.

The heart embroidered dress, the ridiculously cute pink heart necklace, the candy pink and red colour palette: everything here screams 'I love Valentine's day' whilst also looking feminine and sexy. I especially love the ruffle bolero, and for me ruffles are the ultimate feminine and romantic statement. This would look great teamed with a sheer cream dress and towering gold heels.

Hate Valentines day:

Hate rings: ASOS, Leather trousers: Topshop, Love is the answer poncho:, Black platforms: River Island, Black cape dress: River Island,

The opposite of love is hate, and hate of course is a feeling of darkness, so for an anti-Valentine's day feel I went for lots of black rock-chick pieces, but with a feminine twist (mention of love on the Wildfox Tshirt, and that lovely pink heart necklace yet again) Anti-Valentine's day sentiment is fine, but anti-Valentine's anger is just scary: plus I can't resist including a bit of pink!

Where do you sit on the Valentines day scale? Do you get excited about another excuse for celebration, or just wish it would go away? And are you cursing me for mentioning it a whole month before it actually happens? (Sorry!)

Love, Tor xx

Inject some colour into your winter wardrobe: buy new tights!

Hi guys,
I never thought i'd say this, but I am getting seriously bored of wearing head to toe black. Black is my favourite colour to wear, but during the winter generally the only colours I break it up with are charcoal grey, or if i'm feeling really adventurous, brown. I can't wait for spring to arrive so that I can start wearing my lovely floral dresses again!

I'm on a pre-wedding shopping ban, so I can't go out and buy new winter dresses in jewel shades (my dream way to dress at this time of year) which means i'm stuck with the black dresses: classic and flattering but not always that exciting. But I did think of a cheap and cheerful way to brighten up the black and inject some colour into my wardrobe: tights.

Jonathan Aston: Yellow opaque tights. Jonathan Aston: Pink sheer tights.

A pair of tights in a vibrant colour can make an outfit look completely different. I have a wide pink leather belt which I love, but never wear: I could throw it over my favourite black dress and add these pink tights for a coordinated work wear look that would look much more exciting that my usual drab offerings! I love the amazing colour of these yellow tights, but I just don't think I have the legs to pull off yellow however they'd look great poking out of the bottom of my ankle length hareem pants teamed with brogues, and they'd keep my legs warm too: result!

Miss Oroblu: celebrity tights. Miss Oroblu: floral print tights.

I love patterned tights: they're like works of leg art! Sadly, my legs just aren't a good enough canvas for the beautiful art and patterned tights stretch out and make me look much wider. It has to be plain block coloured tights for me!

If I go out and buy 4 pairs of tights in lovely jewel colours then I can jazz up my wardrobe all the way until Spring (is it too early to think about Spring? I'm so ready for it to arrive!) and all for less than the cost of a new top I probably won't ever wear from Topshop! Now that's shopping I can justify! (Just don't tell the fiance: I promised not to shop until after the wedding. Shhhhh!)

Love, Tor x

This is a sponsored post on behalf of mytights.com

Debenhams Edition:Affordable designer collections to love!

Hi guys,

This morning I popped over for a preview of Debenhams new Edition concept: Edition is set to become a showcase for up and coming designers, with each designer committed to the collection for at least four seasons. The first three collections are by Preen, Jonathan Saunders and Jonathan Kelsey. These will land in store next month, with Roksanda Ilincic set to join them for autumn/winter.

I first heard about this new range towards the end of last year and was really excited about it. I love Preen's mainline collection, but of course I can't afford it, so the idea of Preen I could afford had me giddy! I was really impressed with the three designers collections, especially the Preen one, as I predicted. Here's how it all looked:

Preen:

The Preen leather jacket (middle bottom) is the most expensive piece from all three of the designers, at £190, but I think its worth the money: its amazingly buttery-soft and has great tassle detailing. My favourite piece from this and all the designers is the paperbag skirt with the zip: it's beautiful and attention grabbing! I also loved the zip detail mac and the sheer nude blouse. All in all, a great collection!

Jonathan Saunders:

I love acid-green, so I was immediately won when I saw this range! I loved the mix of the sheer and jersey fabrics the fluidity that created. This collection immediately made me think of summer holidays: it's clean and light and modern. I loved the white wrap-around dress with the acid green panels underneath: definitely on my must-buy list!

Jonathan Kelsey:

If i'm honest, I found this range a little dull: it is an accessories range of shoes and bags, but there was nothing I hadn't seen before. The neutral and white colour range looked a little dated to me, but having said that, I did love the black and gold cut-out detail gladiator sandals in the top picture.

I can't wait for the Edition collection to hit the shops so that I can be first in the queue to pick up that paperbag waisted skirt. Has anything caught your eye? Will you be picking up anything from the Edition range?

Love, Tor xx

What's in the window: Bruton street editon

Hi guys,
Sorry for the long gap between posts: Mike and I had the sudden realisation that the wedding is only 6 months away and we had lots of things still to book, so the last week has been spent emailing/calling vendors! Anyway, enough wedding chat and more fashion! About three months ago my company moved offices into Mayfair. This means that every day on my way to work I have to walk down Bruton street, admiring all of the shop windows and galleries as I go. So I thought it would be nice to write a 'what's in the window' about the windows I am currently enjoying everyday, rather than hitting the high street.

Diane Von Furstenberg:


Matthew Williamson:


Stella McCartney:


Juicy Couture:


I'm not a big fan of Juicy Couture (either the window or the brand) but had to include this picture because I love the beautiful filigree entrance: it's gorgeous! My favourite window, by far, though is Matthew Williamson which is like a beautiful exotic Eygptian holiday (but i'm probably being influenced by all the Eygpt books i've been reading for my honeymoon!) I love the turquoise and its so refreshing to be thinking of spring/summer rather than dreary winter, which i'm sick of!

Rather predicatably, I love the knitted sale sign in Stella McCartney: I also love the vibrant orange dress with the unusual length at the back: if only I went to parties where you could wear dresses like that!

Love, Tor x

January Sales 2011: More from River Island

Hi guys,

I know this is no surprise, but I just couldn't resist popping back in to River Island for another peek at the sales. I approached them with a different attitude this time though: instead of looking for stuff I could wear now (because there definitely isn't much of that in their sale) I decided to look for summer clothes I could wear for my honeymoon, as well as for the summer when the weather finally perks up a bit.

With this new shift in attitude (driven by my new found obsession with forward planning) I found plenty more dresses I wanted to add to my (admittedly rather large) collection:

From top to bottom the dresses were: green dress (£10) Spotty dress (£10) Grey smock (£15) Cream ruffled dress (£10) Black dress (£20) Nude lace dress (£10)

I picked up the first two dresses: the green ruffled mini dress and the nude and gold polka dot dress. I loved the gentle draping from the hips of the nude dress, and have never been able to resist mint green or ruffles! Everything else, in my opinion, looked pretty terrible. The black dress was the one I was most excited to get into the changing room, but it ended up looking the worst: it's always the way!

Have you guys had any sales bargains? Are there any sales I haven't checked out yet that you think have been fantastic? Share you're secrets, I need to hit the shops!

Love, Tor x

PS - I just had a funny thought! I show the Apple iPhone more in these blog posts than they do on their own website! Free advertising or what!?

Latest obsession: House of Harlow jewellery

Hi guys,

Do you all remember when Victoria Beckham announced that she was launching a fashion line? Do you remember how we scoffed and laughed. Well the sullen posh lady plodded on and proved us all wrong anyway. And I think that's what another unlikely fashion designer, Nicole Richie, has done with her House of Harlow jewelry line. Because despite myself, and the fact that i'm not a big fan of any celebrity collaboration or involvement in fashion, I actually like it. In fact, there are several pieces of it that i'd like to own:

The style of the range is really art deco: one of my favourite eras for jewellery. I love the black and gold colour combination: I know it's been everywhere this season, but I don't think i'll ever get bored of it. It's a shame there are no brooches in the collection (although good for my wallet: i'd probably bankrupt myself!) but I love the oversized tribal House of Harlow necklace in the first image, in its deco style. I also love the more modern horse shoe necklace in the second image.

I'm still not sure if i'm put off by the celebrity name attached to the range, but I think to pretend I don't like something I actually do like because of that would be pretty superficial. Or would it. What do you guys think of the House of Harlow range? And have you been put off by it/dismissed it as another celebrity fad?

Love, Tor xx

Belated Christmas post: Behold the make-up!

Hi guys,
I meant to write this in the lull between Christmas and New Year, but instead I found myself spending that time very constructively: and by constructively, I mean eating Quality Street straight from the tin and watching at least four films a day!

This Christmas I was gifted with many wonderous things (much like the baby Jesus himself, although there was no Myrrh) but my main gift from my parents, and the gift i'm uber excited to share with you guys, was a gorgeous Cath Kidston make up bag filled with all of the wonderful make-up I wanted for the wedding. Behold:


The make up bag is bridal white, but the floral pattern makes it versatile and usable after the event. It came with a matching manicure set. I love the Dior Show mascara; it makes my eyelashes look at least 12 feet long (OK, that's a slight exageration, but it makes them look pretty long!) The lipstick i'm wearing is the YSL one which is a really vibrant matte red (called rouge temptation) Because of the bold lips, i'm keeping the rest of my face understated: just nude and flawless.

The part of the present I liked the most though were the Calvin Klein make up brushes (which didn't photograph well enough to show) they're thick but soft, and they don't malt at all. I love the presentation case they come in too, which is handy for keeping them organised, and (more importantly) it looks really sleek.

I never like having my make up done by someone else (maybe I just haven't met the right make up artist yet, but I feel too made up and it doesn't suit me) and so I knew I was going to want to do it myself on my wedding day. I just didn't expect I would be doing it in such luxury; I have been completely spoilt!

Love, Tor x

January Sales 2011: Miss Selfridge and French Connection

Hi guys,

Another day, another visit to the sales! This time I popped to Miss Selfridges and French Connection to try on impractical party dresses that I don't need: my favourite impractical things to buy! I haven't been massively impressed by the sales so far, but I haven't hit any of the big department stores yet: i'm sure as soon as I do i'll be regaling you with tales of armfuls of lovely stuff bought (well, here's hoping!) Until then though, here's what I tried on in Miss Selfridges:

The nude dress had been reduced to £20, the metallic T-shirt had been reduced to £8. I loved the nude dress, especially the detailing around the shoulders and the ruffled capped sleeves. But boy, did it make me look top heavy! I ummed and ahhed over it for a little while, but decided it probably showed a little too much boob for me.

Like the magpie I am, I was attracted to this dress because it was shiny and sparkly. The sequins were gorgeous, and it was reduced from £100 to £45: bargain! But it isn't exactly flattering on my wobbly mince pie belly, so this one ended up back on the rack for somebody else to find and love!

I loved this dress from French Connection, which had been reduced from £190 to £50, and even came with a matching bag that was reduced to £25. However I was put off by my shopping partner (aka Mike) who pulled that face when I came out of the changing room (complete with slightly wrinkled nose) and put me right off!

Love, Tor x