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

Show and tell: ASOS goodies and Skinny Cow picks

Hi Guys,

So last week I was lucky enough to go to a couple of great events that really bolstered my wardrobe. The ASOS access all areas event was a great night out and a chance to view their spring collections. I was also lucky enough to be given a gift card to spend on those collections too! The Skinny Cow Swap Shop was a super fun swishing event where I traded some of my (still very lovely!) old clothes I no longer wear for yummy things I can't wait to put on. Here's what I got from each event:

ASOS Access All Areas

Wedges- £45, Bed jacket - £35, Little White Lie tee - £16, Pony necklace - £6.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had been looking for the perfect summer wedges, and these are them! They look great, chunky but not at all masculine, and they were comfy from the first time I put them on (I'm on my third wear with no problems!) The bed jacket is my take on the underwear as outerwear trend: i'm too heavy busted to put a bra over a tshirt! I love this and think it will be the perfect light coverup over vests and tees on balmy summer nights.

Skinny Cow Swap Shop

The sequinned dress is from Sophie Hulme, the lovely big cardigan is from Selected Femme,and the sequinned top is from Reiss.

I'm like a magpie, and I went straight for the sparkles! It's very unusual for me not to have gotten more black but my desire for sequins seemed to overwhelm my need for darkness. I love the Sophie Hulme dress: it was the first thing I saw when I entered the swap and I was so lucky to pick it up - I beelined straight to it! It looks a bit funnyand pulled in the picture because I have my hand in my pocket, but it's really love in "real life"! The cardigan is also a hidden gem: it looks wonderful on and will be a perfect between-season throw-on. It's so soft!

Whilst i'm talking about my great finds I want to say that I do know how lucky I am to be invited to these events, and don't want you guys to ever think I take it for granted. I hate it when you read other bloggers complaining about being sent press releases or free samples: yes, sometimes the products aren't to your taste but in that instance i'd rather write nothing at all. I'm very aware that I am an outsider to the fashion industry and am very lucky that certain companies want to reach out to you guys through me. Having said that I want you to know I only write about thing I think you'll be interested in, and all my reviews are honest: I always cover the good and the bad bits!

The good bits of course include lovely free and/or traded clothes! It's been my best shopping weekend for a long time and it didn't cost me a penny!

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!

Skinny Cow swap shop: Want to come?

On Saturday Skinny Cow (love their ice creams!) will be hosting a Swap Shop (aka a swishing party!) Coming to the rescue of fashionistas feeling the pinch of Christmas and the recession – The Skinny Cow has teamed up with Kelly Brook to host a celebrity charity Swap Shop, to raise funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care.With items donated by the likes of Holly Willoughby, Sarah Harding and Danielle Lloyd – the exclusive Swap Shops will give fashion fiends the chance to breathe new life into their wardrobes through swapping not shopping! Now I know I won't be fitting into any celebrity dresses any time soon, but there might be yummy celebrity shoes and bags (please let there be shoes and bags!) The best thing about swishing is that you never know what you might find, and because you aren't spending any money you get to be a little more wild and creative with the things you decide to try.

There's still time to get involved and attend: there are 60 places left All you have to do is email skinnycowswapshop@frankpr.it with your name and contact details and they will send you all the info you need. You need to do this by midday tomorrow, so hurry up! If you become a fan of The Skinny Cow on www.facebook.com/skinnycowuk there will also be a ‘Skinny Dip’ to let you battle it out to win more amazing fashion items and get a new look wardrobe for 2010.

The Skinny Cow, which is owned by Nestlé, will be raising funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care, Nestlé UK’s charity of choice for 2009 and 2010 by making a donation for every item ‘swapped’ by a celebrity at the two events and online. Throughout the year, Nestlé UK is aiming to raise £250,000 which will help fund 12,500 hours of Marie Curie nursing care for terminally ill people and their families in local communities. I love it when I get to shop for a good cause!

I'll be at the London event, poised and ready to swap. Sadly, I don't have the wardrobe of a celebrity so they'll be no designer gasping from me but here are the three items i'll be taking with me:

Gold leather jacket from Topshop(size 14), Fuschia sequinned dress from Godivva (size large), and blue sexy secretary-style top from H&M (size 14) I'll let you know what I swap them for on Monday: it should be a great event, I love a good swish! I hope I see some of you guys there!

Love, Tor xx