Primark: There's something for everyone!

Hi guys,
Well, my shopping ban is temporarily over, but it was only a small fail: yesterday we went to Primark. And as we discovered whilst we were enjoying a minor spree, there really is something for everyone:

For Him:


Just this weekend I told Mike he needed to sort out his summer wardrobe and pick up any bits he needed for our honeymoon: as a self-confessed plain dresser and shopping hater, this was his idea of hell. So he went into Primark and for just £23 he got everything he needed (except a sun hat!) The shorts and sandals were £5 each, and the tees were on an introductory offer price of £1.90. The vests were £2.50 and the sunglasses £1, and he doesn't need to think about shopping again for another 6 months: bargain shopping at its best!

For Her:


For myself I brought the wide floral palazzo pants that I showed you guys from the S/S Look Book (Although please excuse the terrible pictures!) I was dubious as to how they would work on my bodyshape, but for our honeymoon I have to keep covered up when we head to Cairo and Luxor, so I decided to give them a go. They're far too long and will need taking up, but I actually like them: and they were a bargain at £12! The seventies style shirt dress (£15) is a 'for now' purchase, and I love it: it actually looks and feels better on than it does in the photos. It also comes in black with a tan belt, and for easy summer work/play wear, I wish i'd picked that one up too. But i'm now not fashion shopping for non-wedding stuff until after the wedding, so it will have to wait!

For Home:

We always have a sofa covered in blankets: it's cheaper than paying extra heating bills, and more snuggly too! But my trusty black and white floral blanket (which i've had since I went to university in 2002) needed replacing: enter this horse print fleece blanket, which cost just £5. I've never bought any Primark homewears before, but their selection is massive and really modern: I could've spent a fortune, but I want to wait and see how this one washes first.

Love, Tor xx

Bally/Central St Martins shoe collaboration

Hi guys,

I don't usually cover Men's Day during London Fashion Week (Because I don't tend to write too much about menswear) but on Wednesday I was invited to look at Bally's second shoe collaboration with Central St Martins students: last year 4 different students created a womenswear collection. This year just one student (Craig Green) created a menswear collection:

I loved the mix of materials involved in the collection: felt, suede, canvas, leather. Of the four designs, two even had soles and heels made of cork. Green says natural imagery, such as the ancient wickerman effigy, influenced his material choices. (Although I do worry that cork soles would wear down seriously quickly!) The shoes came in two colour combinations: grey and black. I most loved the double buckled shoes in the grey felt, as seen in the second picture. I think the collaboration is such an amazing opportunity for the students involved, and a great way for a heritage brand like Bally to engage with a younger and more fashion-forward audience.

And that ends my London Fashion Week coverage: apologies for being a bit slow to get it all posted up, this week has been hectic! Business as usual will resume tomorrow, I promise!

Love, Tor xx

London Fashion Week: Felicities presents and A la disposition

Hi guys,

I had a late start today which meant I had a nice long lie in this morning, then a trip to the hairdressers for a cut and colour. It's looking good, even if I do say so myself! Then it was time for the serious business of the day: fashion time!

Felicities presents

Felicities Presents was a showcase of the four youngest designers from Felicities (a fashion PR agency) The two designers who wowed me the most though were those pictured above: Saffron Knight and Evmorfia. The other designers involved in the showcase were Rainbow Winter and Lall London.

I loved the hard structure of the Evmorfia pieces, and was wowed by the pattern and detail on the dresses by Saffron Knight: i've seen her work before but it's never really made a strong impression on my. These more detailed softer pieces are definitely more to my taste.

A la disposition

I couldn't stop staring at the eyes of the models: the make up at this show was phenomenal and all the models were wearing red contact lens: the looked almost demonic. I also loved the frizzy hair: if frizz is coming back then I am truly in vogue!

The theme of the show was "The Utopian Aviary". I loved the contrast of the colours: shimmering and vibrant oranges reds and greens sat alongside black grey and brown like Autumnal plummage. The structural pieces with the oversized collars were the real showstoppers, whilst heavy velvet dresses and feminine blouses were completely wearable. The show was a real mix of simplistic pieces one minute, then elabourate structural pieces the next. I loved the contrast, and the enderstated but lavish sense of style.

Love, Tor

London Fashion Week: Daily Wear

Hi guys,

Deciding what to wear during fashion week is a big decision in the bloggosphere: twitter conversations are had for a week to get these outfits right! I was at my most disorganised this season, so choosing my outfits was left until the very last minute, which, combined with the miserable cold weather, meant I turned to comfy brogues and warm jackets. Not all my outfits were terribly boring though, and today i'm wearing my favourite outfit that i've worn this week:

The dress was from the River Island sale for just £10! I'm wearing it with my Urban Outfitters sample sale fur hat, matching brown bag and belt, Topshop outlet blazer, and Primark wedge boots. These boots are surprisingly comfortable because the soles are really spongy, so I can wear them all day without too much foot ache: result!!

Today is my last day of fashion week before I go back to work and normality tomorrow: here's hoping it's a good one!

Love, Tor xx

London Fashion Week: Bernard Chandran and Belle Sauvage on day 2

Hi guys,

Day two of fashion week started with lots of rain, which lead to an outfit dilemma: comfort or style?! I went for comfort in my skinny jeans and brogues, but still ended up with cold wet feet. This probably has something to do with the hours spent queuing outside in the rain: The Bernard Chandran show was especially late. At least my hair didn't get wet: thank God for my Lulu Guiness umbrella from Brand Alley! The queuing was made much more bearable because I bumped into Jenny from the Style PA enroute to my first show, and we kept ourselves occupied with chatting and gossiping.

The Bernard Chandran show

Although it was delayed, the Bernard Chandran show was worth the wait. I was in the worst possible position to take pictures, so I won't bore you with loads of grainy wobbly shots, and you'll have to make do with description instead:

As this grainy shot shows, the colours were bold and bright, and the collection features lots of hood and capes, even on more formal dresses. Coats and jackets were oversized and quilted with cinched in waists, and this theme was taken into the evening wear with my favourite piece of the show: a floor length quilted evening gown.

Around the waist of almost every outfit was an adornment i'm going to describe as a one sided peplum on a thick black belt. These gave each piece a very structural almost architectural feel, and were a key focus point because, aside from several pieces in vibrant red lace, the embellishment was fairly minimal this season.

The Belle Sauvage show

I love Belle Sauvage, and it's always one of the shows I look forward to. The prints are always phenomenal, and the music and attendees are always too cool for school. (Which I am obviously not, because I use phrases like too cool for school!) I loved everything about this show: the dresses, the modern-rebel hair, the styling.

The prints were considerably more toned down and muted than they have been in previous seasons. The dresses were figure hugging with bold shoulders and slash details. Hems were either super short or ankle length, but I saw enough slender thighs to be able to say the midi will be long gone for Belle Sauvage by this time next year.

As always though, the focus was more about the print than the cut. One thing I couldn't stop focusing on was the shoes: they were epic! Seriously high and severe black wedges with endless embellishment: fringing, studding, chains, you name it! They were exactly to my taste, and truly irresistable!

Love, Tor xx

London Fashion Week: Ada Zanditon presentation

Hi guys,
How's fashion week treating you all? My week started slowly, but yesterday was a great day. I love fashion week, not only for the shows, but also because I love mingling with other bloggers and checking out when all the stylish people on the streets are wearing: I always prefer to get my style inspiration from real people than from celebs and other unattainable peoples. I'll start writing up yesterday's shows asap, but for now here's some amazing footage from the presentation I was most gutted to miss on Friday:

I cannot tell you how disappointed I was to miss the Ada Zanditon presentation. I always love Zanditon's sharp angles and architectural designs, and this video inspired by the collection and directed by Andrew and William Ho had my mouth watering. It starts slowly but bear with it: about 30 seconds in you will see gorgeous dresses and hot make up- prepare to lust!

The collection was called "The Cryoflux" and has been proclaimed as the designers most beautiful and wearable to date. The collection comprised of lots of navy and black with flashes of orange, sculptural silhouettes and massive overtones of modern science fiction.

What does "The Cryoflux" actually mean? I have no idea, and even when I read this explanation it's no clearer to me, but it sounds both exciting and empowering: "Under the frozen surface of Jupiter's moon Europa, has evolved a new species: The Cryoflux. Descending onto earth she arrives in the barren darkness of the Antarctic winter, to explore a frozen world in an unfamiliar state of flux. Clothed in powerfully sculptured attire, encompassing vibrant flames and ice shattering prints, she reflects her surroundings. She voyages through the tenacious climate which is constantly cracking and reforming around her."

My favourite piece is the rich orange pea coat with the oversize sculptural sleeves. It's the first piece i've seen this season that i've been desperate to add to my own wardrobe. I'll say it again for emphasis: I cannot believe I missed this show!

Love, Tor xx

New York Fashion Week: Some Marc Jacobs love

Hi guys,

Whilst i'm busying myself with London Fashion Week, I thought i'd post a review of my favourite show from New York Fashion Week: London Fashion Week show reviews should start tomorrow!

As always, I loved the Marc Jacobs show: it's such an important one, because the man has so much influence. So many of the trends we've all been wearing for the past couple of years have been defined by him.

I loved all of the leather: the midi length leather skirts, the oversized leather tees If soft leather is going to be in vogue again next autumn/winter then count me in! I'm a polka dot addict, so I loved all the polka dot details. The soft polka dot handbag was an especial favourite: what I wouldn't give to have a collection of Marc Jacobs handbags at my disposal! How wearable this collection would be, I don't know: the leather and rubber skirts which looked so great with their high shine were so tight they would be incredibly difficult to walk in; you would be making a real fashion commitment if you decided to give it a go!

One trend I can't see taking off is the little hats that topped off the majority of the outfits. With their high gloss nubs, they made some of the browner outfits look like acorns: not a good look! These vinyl berets were made by Stephen Jones: very dominatrix, which completed the severe look of the whole show. I really loved it, but on the whole I only covet the softer more wearable pieces, like the polka dot sweater for example : the more extreme pieces looked great on the catwalk, but they're not for me!

Love, Tor xx

Photos from Style.com

London Fashion Week: One day to go!

Hi guy,
Well as you probably know (unless you live in a media-less cave) there is just one day to go until the start of London Fashion Week. My tickets are organised, my e-tickets are printed, and i've just started panicking about what i'm going to wear. I always realise too late that I should do more prep: I have three designers to interview and I haven't written a single question yet. So it is going to be a very late night for me!

Luckily, the lovely folks at vitaminwater (one of the official London Fashion Week sponsors) have sent me over a fashion week survival kit to help get me organised: I can't wait to try out the dermalogica kit, which couldn't have come at a better time, as i'm suffering a horrible break out. And who knows, maybe a bottle of vitamin water (or eight!) will sort out my addled brain and help me get myself organised: the clock is ticking!

Keep checking back for all of my show coverage, pictures of other lovely bloggers, and other fun fashion week happenings!

Love, Tor xx

What's in the window: Denim is definitely back!

Hi guys,
As an avid skirt and dress lover, it looks like I am going to be very out of fashion this spring/summer. Denim is back, and it is everywhere! I love the aesthetic of the bright Seventies-style denim: flared trousers teamed with denim shirts and lots of tan accessories. But I just don't have the right body shape to pull it off: with my wide hips and short legs, flares look ludicrous on me! The only way denim generally works on my body is either if I wear a denim dress, or if I team a lightweight pair of denim hareem pants (like those in the Hobbs picture below) with a fitted vest or Tshirt.

For something that is widely considered to be an easy "wardrobe staple" I find jeans incredibly difficult to buy, and even more difficult to wear: it takes me much longer to put together a "just thrown on" outfit involving jeans than it does to actually throw on a tea dress!

But just because I can't wear it well doesn't mean denim isn't going to be everywhere we turn for the next six months. Here are some examples of denim on the high street:

H&M:


Armani Exchange:


Hobbs:


It looks like i'm going to have to go and experiment with some jeans shopping doesn't it. Sigh!
Love, Tor xx

Daily Wear: Getting ahead of myself!

Hi guys,
Sorry I haven't posted for a couple of days: working a full time job, planning a wedding, and keeping this blog up to date has been a massive task I just haven't been able to keep up with this week. Time for a big tick in the 'must try harder' box, methinks!

Yesterday I combined wedding tasks with fashion, and tried on my outfit for our big family dinner, which we're having the night before the wedding. I'd ordered those Dolce and Gabanna shoes from Brand Alley specifically to go with this outfit (they match the gold beads in the dress) but hadn't gotten round to trying it all on together until last night. Please excuse my lack of make up, and unstraightened weekend hair:


The shoes are D&G (from BrandAlley) and the dress was a bargain in the Monsoon sale about 6 months ago: I saw it, knew it would be perfect for the ocassion, and have had it hanging impatiently in my wardrobe ever since. I accessorised pretty simply with a black and gold Marc b bag, a skinny black belt, and my Timex watch (timekeeping and watch wearing are going to be pretty essential on that day, of all days!)

I love this outfit: its fairly simple and easy to throw on (which suits my low maintanence dressing style) but it has sequins and glitter and gold to appease my inner ten year old. My instinct is to add a bigger waist-cinching belt and an oversized necklace (this is always my dressing instinct) but I think the dress is so eyecatching it just doesn't need anything else. What do you guys think?

Love, Tor xx

Jumpers get sophisticated with my-wardrobe.com

Hi guys,
When I think of knitwear, I think of casualwear. Big slouchy jumpers or cardigans teamed with leggings, jeans, and sloppy dresses. And then I saw these pictures from my-wardrobe. I get sent a lot of emails and press releases, and I don't publish a tenth of them here. But sometimes I see pictures that, for whatever reason, make me think "wow, I wish I dressed like that." And those are the pictures I just have to share:

Who knew knitwear could look so sophisticated? These outfits are simple but fashionable. Unfussy. Well put together. I want to dress like this model in my everyday life: these outfits would be perfect for almost any ocassion; work, play, dinner. Yes, I know i'm gushing. I even want to team tan shoes with ankle socks and a matching jumper.

I wish I looked a tenth as sophistcated as these pics, which is a new phenomenon for me. I've never cared very much about looking sophisticated before! Recently I feel like my fashion sense/tastes are evolving. I wonder how much of this has to do with my impending marriage.

It started with my hands and has spread: I've gone from having tatty chipped nails to polishing them 3 times a week. (It seems essential when my ring hand is under so much scrutiny!) I even apply hand cream everyday, to keep them looking there best. And I can feel my fashion sense growing up too. Gone are the Hello Kitty jumpers and chunky plastic jewellery. Even my scruffy pumps don't feel right anymore: In there place are blazers and gold jewels (still chunky though, that will never change!) and shoes that I actually take the time to polish. Has any one else found their fashion tastes evolving as they get older/experience changes in their life? And how do you feel about it?

Love, Tor xx

And the winner is.... (Drum roll please)....

Hi guys,

Well, the time has come to announce the winner of my Brand Alley competition. I couldn't believe how many of you entered, or how close some of your guesses were!

So now to reveal the RRP of my £100 spend: The D&G shoes were 710 euros (see label above for evidence) which I have converted to £600.06p, using today's rates. The umbrella rrp'ed at £35 and the Clinique exfoiliator rrp'ed at £16.50. That means that for less than £100, the grand RRP total of my shopping trip was £651.56p

....Which means the winner is....EmmaBarron, with a crazily close guess of £654!! Congratulations! Emma: drop me an email here so that I pass your email address to Brand Alley, who will sort out your voucher!

I, for one, couldn't believe how high the rrp of those shoes were: I was sure they would throw you off the scent, but you clever folks obviously know your shoes!

I've got more competitions coming over the next couple of weeks, so if you didn't win today, better luck next time!

Love, Tor xx

Vivienne Westwood designs Comic Relief tees!

Hi guys,
This morning I was up super-early to head to the TKMaxx store at Charing Cross. Why was I up so early, I hear you cry? Well to see the new Comic Relief Tshirts, which have been designed by Vivienne Westwood, of course! There's not a lot that will get me out of bed before 8am, but Vivienne Westwood and doing my bit for charity saw me in Central London earlier than I have ever been before. Luckily I was greeted with juice and fruit which had me perked up and ready to admire the tees in no time:

I might be biased because am a massive Blackadder fan (Like the big geeks we are, Mike and I have the box set and know half the episodes off by heart) but I think the designs are awesome. They look cool, eyecatching, wearable: with jeans and sandals one of these could because my lazy Sunday afternoon go-to.

Here are just a couple of the designs:



As well as the Vivienne Westwoods tees, TKMaxx are also selling Comic Relief bags and scarfs by Liberty. Look really closely and you'll see the noses in the print! I really loved these because, more so than the tees, you'll be able to use them long after red nose day:

So why not use your shopping powers for good, not evil? At least £5 from the sale of each £9.99 Tshirt goes to Comic Relief: that's a massive proportion in comparison to other charity ranges. And if you don't really give a damn about charity? Well, they're really lovely looking Tshirts, and less than a tenner for something designed by Vivienne Westwood is a steal!

Love, Tor xx

PS - I will be announcing the winner of the BrandAlley competition tonight - watch this space to see if it's you!