Please don’t forget to buy travel insurance!

Hi guys,
Holiday season is upon us! The weather might not be screaming summer yet, but everyone I know is booking their summer breaks, and the shops are full of bikinis and sunhats. My spare room is full of bikinis and sunhats too: I’ve spent the last couple of months buying everything I need for my big trip: My honeymoon is feeling so close I can almost taste it! But I almost didn’t get to go on my big holiday this year…..why, I hear you ask? Because we almost didn’t get any travel insurance!

I’m going to tell you a little story about stupidity and tears and a conflict about Egypt (which happened at the same time as the conflict in Egypt. This isn’t a coincidence) You remember, no doubt, when the Egyptian people revolted? The joy for everyone as they overthrew their leader and demanded freedom, and better pay etc?

Whilst I was happy for the Egyptian people, this news story made me thoroughly miserable. Because all the airlines were stopping flights to many of the countries airports. And that was where we were due to go on honeymoon. And we didn’t have any travel insurance! None at all. Just a note on a to-do list that said “book travel insurance” and had promptly been ignored! I was completely distraught.

Luckily the conflict died down, and we got our insurance booked immediately. But nothing was worth that week of panic – I was in tears because I was convinced we weren’t going to get a honeymoon, and without the insurance paying out (which wouldn’t happen, because we didn’t have any!) we couldn’t afford to book to go anywhere else. It was one of the most stressful weeks of my life.

So my advice, for what it’s worth, is before you start choosing that slinky bikini or splashing out on tanning lotions, book your travel insurance! I know your 99% sure you won’t need it (we were too!) but it just isn’t worth taking the risk and experiencing the heartache is something does go wrong. Then hit the shops: there’s nothing nicer than a new holiday wardrobe! Now all we have left to worry about is the dreaded Sharm Shark….

Love, Tor x

*This is a sponsored post

May is Debenhams bra fit month!

Hi guys,
May is Debenhams bra fit month - to celebrate this, on Thursday some brave souls will be having their bra fits live in the window of Debenhams on Oxford Street! Rather them than me, but it does seem like a great idea to highlight the need to get your bra fitted regularly.

In honour of bra fit month, Debenhams invited me down to have a refit of my own, and to check out some of their gorgeous ranges. Debenhams always give me a great fit: its a service I couldn't recommend enough, and along with Bravissimo, I think its one of the best bra fit services on the highstreet (take note M&S!) Armed with a tape measure and magic eyes my fitter chose my size quickly (and got it right first time!) before helping to fit me into several of their pretty new season bras.

Here are the gorgeous bras I picked out:


The blue set is from Fantasie, the candy set is from Freya.

Things I learnt from my fitting that might interest busty girls:

1. If you like your boobs to stay in front of you, rather than hanging about near your armpits, look for a bra with a side panel: these subtle panels (which i've never even noticed before!) really do make a difference in helping keep your boobs front and together, and creating cleavage.

2. The Debenhams own brand range of underwear for busty gals (Its called 'Gorgeous') is well, erm...gorgeous! The last time I looked at the gorgeous range (admittedly years ago) there were only 3 or 4 basic designs....now there is everything you would expect from a normal bra range - great cuts, colours, cute patterns - but for bigger busts. Definitely on my radar now!

3. Debenhams now carry sizes up to a J cup: so there's no excuse to do what I used to do in La Senza: up the band size until you can make their biggest cup fit. Get fitted properly, and you'll be amazed at how much better your clothes look - I was!

Love, Tor xx

Daily wear: Pepperberry and Seventies

Hi guys,
Sometimes it takes looking at a photograph to realise just how badly you need a haircut! My fringe is definitely in need of trimming, and my colour is looking in need of refreshment too: definitely another addition to the to-do list!

Bad hair day or not, I still need to get dressed in the morning. Here's my daily wear, and i'm pleased to say that for an outfit I threw together in less than 10 minutes, I really love it:


I'm wearing the dress I got from Pepperberry (it fits like a dream!) with my horse cardigan from H&M, my Debenhams satchel (I know its been in every picture for weeks!), a belt from primark, and mustard sandals from River Island.

I think because of the mix of tan, mustard, and bright fresh blue, the whole outfit feels very seventies. I love this pepperberry dress: it's definitely a new favourite, and i'm tempted to go and buy the very same dress in black! It fits like a dream, hugs my curves in all the right places and, shockingly, doesn't squash my boobs at the same time! It's a wonder dress!

Love, Tor x

Matalan A/W press day

Hi guys,
After a hectic weekend I have been stuck down with the dreaded cold and 'flu bug which is circulating: woe is me, etc! Luckily though, last week was event heavy, so I have plenty of new news and drool-worthy pictures to share with you guys. One of the events I went to was the Matalan A/W press day. If you're a Matalan shopper (and I am definitely a convert) then here's what you'll be wearing next winter. I actually wish I could have a lot of this in my wardrobe now:

Matalan ladies:



Matalan has some great prints coming in! I love the black and white deer print dress and the bold seventies print on the mustard and navy dress: I would wear both right now, they'd make great spring dresses, as well as Autumn ones. Of the true winter pieces the knits were particularly gorgeous: bold tribal prints, and a couple of great Reindeer/animal jumpers that would be perfect for Christmas. My key piece was an amazing leopard print coat: I will definitely be buying that next winter, and wearing it with everything.

Matalan home:



I don't often write about homewares, but since Mike and I got engaged i've found myself doing up our flat more and more. I don't know if there's such a thing as pre-marital nesting, but if it exists, i've got it! I had to share the cupcake cake stand, and the dinky little cupcake spoons: our kitchen has an American diner/cupcake theme, so I was giddy with delight to see that almost everything in the Matalan collection would fit in with my kitchen perfectly. I also really liked all of the Union Jack/Britannia themed cushions: a rare welcome outcome from all of the Royal Wedding hoohah!

Love, Tor xx

Gogo Philip opens new stand in Westfield

Hi guys,
I seem to find myself popping over to Westfield (the big London shopping centre) more and more: it's so convenient to have all my favourite shops under one roof, and its only 6 stops on the central line from my office - score! Last night I headed over to Westfield because Italian jewellery co (and my new favourite obsession) Gogo Philip have opened a stand alone jewellery store there (on the first floor just outside Uniqlo, if you feel like popping along) and I just had to check it out.


I can't believe how inexpensive the jewellery is: Topshop prices (or less) but for more unusual and unique designs. The problem with Topshop, much as I love it, is that everyone is always wearing it, so you risk looking exactly the same as everyone else. This isn't a problem with the Gogo Philip stuff!

Some of the jewellery is just too cool for school (and way too cool for me!) As much as i'd love to be able to pull of a necklace with a moustache pendant, or mismatched earrings, I fear i'm slightly too old, and slightly too untrendy. I love their newest collections: Art Deco angular inspired pieces in fabulous bright gold with accents of shiny black, coral, or turquoise. You're going to see a lot of pictures of me wearing the oversized coral-detail necklace above this summer: I just couldn't resist it. Coral is such a great jewellery colour: I may well have to go back and buy the long strand of coral beads as well! Could Gogo Philip be the brand that forces me to hit the shops? Quite possibly...

Love, Tor xx

Press Days: Yellow Door PR

Hi guys,
Well, Press Day season continues! I've been trying to squeeze in as many as possible, but with the day job and the wedding taking up a substantial amount of my time, I haven't been able to go to as many as I would like. It always confuddles me slightly that I spend my early summer days looking at clothes for the winter, and as the Autumn chill descents i'm thinking about clothes for the following summer! Last week I went to the Yellow Door PR press day to think about coats, boots, and all things winter: here are some shots of the pieces that most caught my eye:-

Obsessed with the vibrant colours and patterns of the A Wear knits, especially the orange and grey at the front of the rack:

Matalan are turning back to the loafer with their accessories, although there is nothing here that's new to the winter accessories we've just been wearing:

How can anyone resist spaceman silver brogue wedges my Acne? (I certainly can't!) These also came in a more sensible black, which i'd really love to get my hands on:


Just looking at all this winter fayre is making me feel a little chilly, and it's almost 20 degrees outside! I promise i'll look at some more summery seasonal appropriate fashions tomorrow instead: why would we wish our summer away, right?!

Love, Tor xx

Daily wear: Spring stripes and vintage shades

Hi guys,
I hope i'm not jinxing anything, but can you believe the incredible weather?! I can't believe it's only early April! Fingers crossed this holds out for the impending double bank holidays.

This is just a quickie post to show off what i'm wearing today. My first truly summery outfit of the year definitely needs to be documented-even if I did put footless tights underneath my dress for a reassuring burst of added warmth:

I'm wearing a stripey midi dress, that I picked up from the Monsoon outlet in Bicester village on Friday. I actually got this for my over bikinis on my honeymoon but I think it's perfect for hot days in the city too. The suede wedges are from River Island, the bag is from Debenhams (I haven't stopped using this since I bought it!) and I picked up the sunglasses from a car boot sale yesterday for a bargain 50p! They are original 70s one which a lovely old lady was selling because "they're too modern for her now." Love it!

I'll show off more of my Bicester buys in another post later today: I got plenty of great summer buys from the Monsoon/Accessorize outlet that I can't wait to share!

Love, Tor xx

Westfield's Big Fashion Wardrobe

Hi guys,
Westfield London's Big Wardrobe Event finished yesterday. Did any of you manage to pop down and check it out? As part of the event there were catwalk shows, bloggers workshops, make overs and fun photoshoots, and the much-talked about tweet mirror, which allowed you to take your picture and upload it to twitter, straight from the mirror itself: genius! And lots of highstreet labels signed up to showcase their Spring/Summer collections, and share competitions, promotional offers, and all important style advice:

Also as part of the event, bloggers were invited down to Westfield (myself included) to show off our summer 2011 style (or in my case, lack of!) We had our hairs primped and our make up touched up, before standing in front of the camera looking scrubbed up. I don't think its the finest photo of me that i've ever seen, but what the hell, here's my final shot:

All of the blogger photos have been posted over on the Westfield London website. And now YOU dear readers are being given the chance to vote for the blogger who's style you like, and who you think should win a new Spring/Summer Wardrobe worth £500. I would love it if you would vote for me by following the link and clicking either the facebook or twitter share buttons. I could use the summer wardrobe revamp prior to all of this summer's big events! I cannot believe how stylish the other bloggers all looked: my photo was taken at 730pm after a long day in the office, so i'm just glad you can't see the bags under my eyes!

Love, Tor xx

Dorothy Perkins Floradita : Florals for everyone!

Hi guys,
Yesterday I popped down to the Dorothy Perkins showroom for a little peek of their new summer collection: Floradita. As you can no doubt guess from the name, this is a beautiful collection of dresses covered in fantastic floral prints, and inspired by big blousey summer blooms:


This dress was my absolute favourite (by a long way!) I loved the beautiful tea stained colour of the fabric (which makes it look genuinely vintage) the lace overlay, and the delicate floral pattern. I imagine this dress would look incredible with curves, and it really wouldn't take any work to wear: just add heels or sandals and go!


As soon as I saw the Floradita range I immediately thought of summer weddings and garden parties (has anyone ever been to a garden party?? There are so many dresses aimed for them, but I don't know anyone that holds them!) These dresses are just begging to be dressed up with heels and clutch bags and yards of jewellery. But the beauty of them is I think they'll also look great dressed down for a trip to the park or lunch in the sunshine.

This collection of pretty floaty flowery frocks had my name written all over it: Obviously i'd have to toughen it up with leather accessories and tougher shoes, but I can see myself wearing every single on of the dresses I saw. It's just a shame we now have to wait until the beginning of June before we can hit the shops and buy them all!

Love, Tor xx

Boux Avenue: Great lingerie, Amazing party!

Hi guys,
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to go to the launch of Theo Paphitis' (yes, he of The Dragon's Den fame) new lingerie brand: Boux Avenue. The Boux Avenue website launched today, and the company are also launching several stand alone stores across the country: the one in Glasgow opened today, and the company are opening several more stores in the coming weeks.

Aside from the fact that the lingerie was gorgeous (and fits all the way from an A-G cup, so it a range that almost everyone can wear!) I also have to say, this was honestly one of the best events I have ever been to!




The event started with champagne and a cream tea whilst looking at the lingerie from the garden party collection: lots of girly feminine blush pinks. Whilst we were nibbling (read: scoffing) cakes, a silhouette artist cut out our silhouettes! Then we moved on to the next room (Boux Avenue had hired the whole of Sketch, which is a beautiful venue with some of my favourite toilets in London) where there was more beautiful lingerie clad models, fortune tellers and magicians, and yummy cocktails. There was also the bloggers favourite: a photobooth!

The main event was spectacular: ballet dancers, tap dancers, jazz dancers and a trapeze artist had us standing in awe at the talents, as well as there ability to perform wearing such skimpy outfits (all of which, Theo told us, are available to buy at Boux Avenue) We had such a wonderful evening, and I left feeling so inspired I heading straight onto their website at 12.30 this afternoon (which is when it launched)

As an aside: look! It's me with Nick Knowles! I look super excited because he's something of a childhood crush of mine!

Thanks to both Jenny of The Style PA, and Reena at Fashion Daydreams, both for being awesomely good fun to hang out with, and for the pictures above: my camera ran out of battery, just as the fun was starting!

Love, Tor xxx