Events: Get your fashion on, and get involved!

Hi guys,
As always when Fashion Week approaches, a whole bustling host of fashion activity emerges, as brands clamber to get involved and reach out to potential fashionistas whilst fashion is at the forefront of their minds. And I say, who are we not to take advantage?! I will be exhausting myself and turning September into fashion month! Here are some of the great events happening throughout the month (i'm sure there will be more to add as the month progresses) Unleash your inner fashion addict; you know you want to!


- If you really want your own piece of London Fashion Week action, then off schedule catwalk event A La Mode sells a limited number of tickets to their shows to the general public, for £20 each. There are still a few tickets available, so visit their website to find out more. (I took the picture above at last years A La Mode show)

- Bigwardrobe.com are hosting a National clothes swapping week. You're invited to be the master of your own fashion destiny and host your own swishing party with your friends/collegues. I'm a big fan of swishing: it's a great way to refresh your wardrobe absolutely free of charge! Visit the website to download the National Clothes Swapping Week party bag and poster and to receive a 25% reduction on membership.

- Speaking of swishing, The Big Swish and stylist Lupe Castro invites you to the Big Swish on the 30th September at Amika, in Kensington. There'll be a big swishing event for clothing and accessories, and a separate event for designer goodies, plus complementary make-overs and beauty trial offers from premium Swiss botanical beauty brand Arbonne. Tickets cost £5, or you can get VIP tickets which include a goody bag and early entry to the swish for £20; visit the website for more information.


- Westfield shopping centre are holding a car boot sale (but the fashionista version!) From 21st to 26th September over 20 Hyundai i20 cars will be hijacked by big highstreet brands, including Topshop, Oasis, Whistles, House of Fraser, and loads more (too many to list!) Here you can share experiences with other car booters, try and buy the new collections from your favourite retailers, enjoy personal styling and beauty sessions and have a bite to eat. You may even pick up some amazing bargains if you get in and rummage through! Plus on the closing weekend of the event (Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th September) they will be holding exclusive fashion shows. Four shows flaunting the very best of autumn winter fashion will be showcased four times on each day over the weekend!

- Because, as you've probably worked out by now, I manage to get the word wedding into everything, My Sugarland are hosting a vintage wedding evening on the 15th September. An evening of ideas, inspiration and pampering for budding brides-to-be, engaged couples and wedding guests alike, to help prepare for the big day. Spaces are £10 and need to be booked in advance.

- Finally, my StyleCompare competition is now running until the 20th September, so if you still want to get involved in some fashion fun, but don't want to leave your computer, why don't you put together an entry for that!?

I'm sure there will be lots of other events too - I'll update this list as more things come in! It's going to be a fun September!

Love, Tor xxx

Pop up store at Whiteleys

On Friday Whiteleys opened a floor of pop up shops to the public. There is a Wildfox store, a Junk food store, a Disney Couture store, and the first ever Frost French pop up store. On Thursday night I was invited to the launch party of the event (thanks to Self Service) and I must say I was impressed: I've never been to Whiteleys before, and it's a beautiful building with a great range of shops and restaurants.

The actual launch party was loads of fun: I'm not normally impressed by celebrities (they're just ordinary people going about their business) but even I couldn't stop staring at Kelly Osbourne (who sadly I took a terrible picture of - see below) who is incredibly beautiful and very petite in the flesh. Her fiance isn't much of a looker though!

As well as the obligatory celebrities there were loads of lovely bloggers at the event and I spent my evening taking advantage of the Tequilla bar with Jenny of the Style PA and Fiona of Save our Shoes. The entertainment of the evening was Alice Dellal's band, Thrush Metal, who wore old man face masks, so although I took a pic of one of the masked folks, I didn't actually see the lady herself.

If you're in the Whiteleys area (it's off Queensway) then I would recommend popping in to check out the pop ups: the attention to detail with the store layouts is worth a look (the Frost French store has lines of tiny pot plants in the windows and under each rail of clothing) as is the Disney Couture store: I could look at that jewellery all day!

Love, Tor xx

Vintage Threads: Event for my non-London pals

I am aware that this blog is quite London-centric. I suppose that's inevitable, given that London is where I live and all, but having started blogging in Norwich I am also aware how frustrating it is to read about cool happenings in our nations capital and not being close enough to attend (or in my case, train fare-rich enough). So this post is for my northern pals!

Vintage Threads is an event that spans two days, providing the biggest and best vintage fair including clothing, homeware and accessories in the UK. It will be located at The Triangle in Manchester which i'm told is a very large and lovely venue. (I've been to Manchester before but never to the Triangle. My resounding memory of shopping in Manchester is how big the Primark is!)

To accompany this the event will also be hosting clothing alterations workshops where you are able to learn everything you need to know about basic clothing alteration, sewing and customisation: This would be the part of the event I would be most excited about. It's amazing how much longer your clothes last if you can learn to do basic things like changing a button or fixing a hem.

Image from here.
There will also be a 6 piece band, a tea party filled with scrummy cakes, sandwiches, a haberdashery and alteration service if that tickles your fancy. This is a free event, so if you're in the area there's no excuse not to check it out! And if you do pop down let me know what you thought - I think this event sounds fab and I would love to know if i'm right!

When: Friday 2nd April 11-5pm and Saturday 3rd April 9am-6pm
Where: Triangle Shopping Centre, Exchange Square, Manchester, M4 3RT.
You can find out more about the event here.

Love, Tor xx

I love to swap: The Skinny Cow swap shop

I love swishing: where else can you swap something you don't wear anymore for something you will wear, without it costing you a penny? But the Skinny Cow swap shop, which I attended today, was a cut above any other swishing event i've been to before. As well as the swaps brought by the attendees there were also donations from Kelly Brooke and the other celebrities involved in the event. I saw one lucky lady get her hands on a pair of Christian Louboutins donated by Kelly! Before the event began we had time to relax and gossip with the other attendees over a mug of Skinny Cow hot chocolate (I opted for the mint one) and the excitement in the room was palpable, then the doors were opened and it was time to shop!

I couldn't be more pleased with the things I took home: I got a grey and fuschia Sophie Hulme dress (on the rail above), a nude sequinned Reiss top, and an unusual Selected Femme black cardigan which drapes beautifully.

Swishing is such a fun and exhilarating thing to do: You enter the swishing room not knowing what you're going to find and then you get to scour the rails looking for something fabulous. When you find something you like it's an even better feeling than bagging an amazing bargain in the sales! As an aside, I loved the way they'd themed the room and all the strokeable cow print everywhere too: such a nice touch.

The event was really friendly (no snatching or elbowing!) and everyone was chatting to each other, trying to work out who was taking their clothes home. I was involved in more of a swap than I thought, as it turned out the gorgeous lady pictured above went home with my topshop jacket, and I left with her Reiss top: she obviously has impeccable taste in jackets and tops!

If you're ever looking for a fun way to kill an afternoon then I can heartily recommend giving swishing a go- and if you find a good event let me know, I think i'm newly addicted!

Hope you're all having a great weekend so far!
Love, Tor xx

PS - Gotta love my sister. Whilst I was taking pictures she jumped in to have a gossip with Kelly Brooke: another celebrity to go on my list of those who look even more beautiful in real life than they do on TV.

PPS - Apologies for the quality of the images in this post: my camera was playing up, and I had to sit down and fiddle with the settings when I got home! Once again, normal service should resume now!

An expo, Lady Gaga, and the competition winner

Hey guys,

First we'll do the winner of the Reebok Easytone competition: I know I promised you a hat, but I opted for a rattly tin (I liked the metallic sound it made when i shook it) Plus i'm not wearing a hat today!

So the winner is (tin rattle please...) Elizabeth. Congratulations! Get in touch and give me your email address so that I can forward the details to Reebok who will give you access to the EasyTone community where you can select your prize! Due to the time constraints of starting the trial, if you don't get in touch by Sunday, I will draw a new winner!
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I'm always late to the table with updates about fashion goings on (it's a good job you don't come here for breaking news!) but The Fashion Fusion Expo is happening today and tomorrow at the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane. There will be workshops, experts, and a load of exhibitors specialising in in clothing, accessories, beauty, art and much more! I've been invited down on Saturday, and as usual i'd love to meet some of you guys there.

So you know a bit more about it, here is the blurb on the site: "In a mix of current collections, samples and past seasons’ stock, this exhibition of both young designers and high street favourites offers a unique opportunity to snap up some of the hottest bargains. Discover a diverse mix of styles, cultures and traditional dress. Watch catwalk shows for ideas on dressing down and dressing up. Clothing, shoes, accessories and one-off pieces you won’t find anywhere else."
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For a fashion spectacle far greater than any other I can provide today, check out the new Gaga/Beyonce video for Telephone. It was released today and it is amazing: i've already watched it three times! Particular fashion notes are the smoking cigarette sunglasses, the diet coke can hairrollers, and Beyonces fierce rolled fringe (VV Brown -style) And I could talk about Gaga's theatrical make up all day long - I always love it!

It's a good song too - i'm bopping around at my desk and singing fairly (read: very) loudly as I type!
Have a great Friday guys!
Love, Tor x