Supermarket love: George at Asda s/s press day

Hi guys,
I don't mean to get all Gok Wan on your asses, but it really is amazing how damn good the fashion offerings from our British supermarkets are. We really do high end and fashion forward trends at affordable prices better than anyone else. I have several pieces from Clothing at Tesco and George at Asda that I have worn season after season without any signs of wear and tear. And with prices generally below £10 for separates and below £15 for a frock, it's a great way of injecting new trends into your wardrobe of staples every season, without it costing a fortune.

This morning I popped down to the George at Asda press day, to see what trends they would be offering us for this Spring/Summer:

The three main trends George seemed to be focusing on this season were similar to the rest of the highstreet: pastels, acid brights, and conversational prints. The conversational print section was the one I was most impressed with: I loved the Victoria Beckham-esque cat print top, the bird print dress, and the gorgeous crown print cardigan, which would be perfect for a kitsch Jubilee celebration. Obviously Jubilee themed pieces (in red, white and blue) are hot property for them, because they're such a cheap option if you need a new outfit for a themed party: think T shirts with corgis on them, union jack print dresses, and bright coloured jeans.

I wasn't as impressed with their accessories selection (it's the one part of my outfit I don't like to scrimp on: only real leather shoes and good quality bags for me!) but if you're heading on holiday this summer and need a beach bag or a couple of pairs of disposable flip flops or sandals, it's definitely worth checking out.

Do you shop in your local supermarket? Or do you tend to think they should stick to vegetables, not fashion? Love to hear your thoughts!

Love Tor xx

Supermarket chic part 2: George at Asda

Hey guys,

Lots of people expressed an interest in my supermarket chic post about Tesco (Clothing at Tesco even profiled me on their site!) so it seems only fair that we look at what some of our other British supermarkets have to offer. Last week I went to the George at Asda high summer press day: an event where I saw a series of pretty dresses that will be landing in George shortly. Here is a sneak preview of some of my favourite pieces:

I love the sharp square shoulders of the aztec dress, and suspect I will pick it up when it lands in store. When I saw the floral dress with the tiered skirt I immediately knew that it would be perfect for a summer wedding: and for less than £20 its great if you're invited to a summery event at the last minute and need to pick something up on a budget! There were some pieces I wasn't so keen on (like the military jacket above) but overall I was impressed with the designs and more importantly with the quality, which felt really good.

As I left the event I was handed a look book and a £50 voucher to spend in George. So naturally when Mike and I went to do our supermarket shopping last Sunday, I went out of my way to spend it!

We usually go to the Asda in Edgware, but they dont have a big George section, so I made Mike drive me to Wembley instead. I've never been to this one before but if you're looking for a super Asda, this is the one to go to! Its on two levels, and the whole of the upstairs is dedicated to clothes and homewears. I got: brown studded boots (In the sale for £9) Floral drop waist dress; £12, Studded sleeveless denim shirt, £12, black hankerchief hem vest £6, Polka dot top, £10, and black leggings; £5.

Head to toe in Asda: here are the boots, leggings, floral dress and denim shirt.

First I want to rave about the leggings: they're really thick and really hold their shape. I usually pay £10-£15 for my leggings from Topshop, but I think these ones for a fiver will be a really good alternative! I'm also nuts about the denim shirt with the studs on the shoulders: it's going to look great unbuttoned over pretty dresses in the summer but can also be worn now over leggings and long sleeve jumpers. When I picked up the slouchy floral dress I had my summer holiday in mind and I couldn't resist the boots for the money: practical but with a tiny heel!

I'm really happy with the stuff I got: the fit and quality is really good and very flattering. Some of the range is pretty fashion forward and it slips into my existing wardrobe really nicely: I see this as a good alternative to Primark for buying on a budget.

Oh, they also do bras up to a G cup and swimwear up to an F cup - I really liked some of the swimwear actually, and the prices were really reasonable: full fitted suits for £8! I will definitely be going back for my summer holiday shop.

Love, Tor xxx

Disney celebrates: Celeb style!

With passions as abstract as mine, it's not often I get to write about them both at the same time: In fact, they often seem diametrically opposed. Fashion and Disney. I often despair that fashion has no sense of humour whereas Disney has bucketloads. I love Disney films, and Disney characters, and spending as much time as I possibly can in Disneyworld- In fact, in my desperate bid to combine my 2 first loves i'm like a big kid, I even source out Disney clothes and make people wear them!

Unflattering Minnie Mouse sweater dress £12 from George at Asda (Also available in black) Becky's bemused look: models own.


For all of you non-Disney geeks out there, this year is Disneys "Year of a million dreams", an initiative which started last year and continues all the way through 2008. Basically speaking, over a million dreams will be randomly awarded during the 2008 Disney Dreams Giveaway. These can range from meeting your favourite character, to a week long Disney cruise. (And if anyone from Disney is reading this, when I head over in March I really want to be in one of the parades: make it happen!)


To celebrate (and no doubt advertise) the'Year of a Million Dreams' Disney have hired Annie Leibovitz to shoot a celeb-packed series of photos of the same title. Leggy model Gisele Bunchen starred in the shoot which also starred Jennifer Lopez, her husband Marc Anthony, Whoopi Goldberg, Jessica Biel, and Tina Fey.
The only way I can think to describe this image is "Disney for grown ups". Gisele looks ethereal and the wind blowing through her nightshirt transforms it into a beautiful gown. Yet the picture also has quite sinister overtones: the lighting is darker than the usual candy coloured array you expect from Disney, Tinkerbell seems to be casting a spell over Gisele who looks both entranced and unhappy. And rather than stand at the window, the Peter seems to be falling from it, his life balanced precariously on a ledge. This image is a more traditional representation of a classic Disney pose, although my eye is drawn away from the sickening couple, and JLo in gold lame', and towards the beautiful background setting and the way the Annie has caught the sun setting over the desert so beautifully. As an aside, does anyone else think of Jordan and Peter singing "A whole new world" when they look at this image? If not, sorry to put that nightmare in your head!


Whoopi Goldberg as the genie. Pure. Genius. Fact. I love the movement in her hair and that her jewellery is beautiful and subtle: implying the bondage of a genie without resorting to costumes and trickery.


Anyway. If you made it this far, thanks for indulging me and my love of Disney (A love that dares not speak its name) Oh, and one more thing:


Well, all those celebs are indulging in their Disney fantasies, why shouldn't I?*



*Sorry, I couldn't resist!

The pants of a glamour model.......

This afternoon I popped over to Asda to buy a packet of rocket (just more insight into my oh-so-glamourous life for you, dear reader) and naturally I just happened to have a glance at George. There sale is pretty much over now, and they already have alot of their new season stock instore. Which is nice. But today, believe it or not, i'm not going to write about clothes. Because today I wandered down a section of the george department i've never bothered with before: I looked at the underwear.

Now as a lady 'blessed' (or cursed depending on how you look at it) with an ample busom and a slender back, buying highstreet underwear is rarely something I get the chance to do: I buy alot of my underwear from specialist online stores and they invariably come in 3 designs: plain black, plain white, plain grey. Not what you;d call inspiring or sexy. But today I realised those clever folks at Geoge at Asda had a solution for ladies just like me: and that solution comes in the form of the infamous glamour model, Jordan (aka Katie Price)

Kate Price Basic bra, £12 (Copyrighted images stolen from Asda website, oops!)

Katie Price has a range of self-named, very reasonably priced underwear available at George which comes in sizes 32-38 D-G. And not only are the prices reasonable and the sizes ample enough, the designs are also that rarest of things for us larger bosomed ladies: very pretty.

Katie Price bra, £16. Katie Price shorts, £10

The fabric of the range is lovely, and feels really nice quality, the cut is genourous and the stitching on the fancier designs is beautiful. I left Asdas this afternoon with a packet of rocket, a bra, a basque, and 2 pairs of fancy shorts, all from the Katie Price range (except the rocket, which was asda's own brand)

Who'd have thought i'd be taking style advice from the most cliched glamour model of them all!?But Katie has got this range of lingerie spot on, and it really fills a gap in the market. I have to say, just this once: Mrs Andre, I salute you!

They call him George. George of Asda...

An unfortunate mixture of slight flu and 2 essays with hellish word limts (as yet unwritten) means that unlike the lovely Miss Becky, I am yet to venture out into the weird and wonderful world of the January sales. Having said that, I am prepared to step on her neck to slip my foot into those Dior heels. God knows what i'd do to her if I could buy them......

Anyway. All these factors considered, I did have a sneak preview of the wonders I have to behold this weekend (when poor foolish boyfriend has promised to rescue me from essay hell and sweep me away to the shops) when I went to the supermarket with my lovely mummy. And not just any Supermarket; oh no! Asda. Home of George (of Asda)

George at Asda has gone from a chain of five stores in 1990 to being one of the biggest players on the UK clothing market, being present in more than 250 Asda stores and selling through four standalone stores. (One of which is in lovely Norwich: hurray!) George, which was set up by fashion mogul George Davies, also sells ranges in Canada, Mexico, Germany, Korea, Japan and the US.

So now you know everything there is to know about George. Wasn't that lovely? Ahem. Designer heaven it may not be. Luxurious fabrics you will find not there. But if your idea of heaven is 100% cotton cardigans, comfy dresses and cheap sequins (and whose isn't?) Then get thee to the George sale. And do it now!

For £10.50 I purchased an oversized black sequinned top, a knitted dress, a long line 100% cotton school cardigan, a gingham dress, and an oversized silver slouch bag. Thats just £2 an item! (apart from the bag: I pushed the boat out and paid £2.50!)

Given my snotty nose, scarecrow hair (at this stage unbrushed for 3 days) and inability to remove myself from this nice warm bed, I won't be inflicting pictures of myself in these goodies upon you. And there are no pictures of them at the George online store. Instead i've selected a belted cape, enamel clasp belt, and black stud neck dress (which looks like the Kate Moss one, but this one's a fiver!) from the George online sale range to woo and tempt you. And I intend to get my grubby little mitts on all of them as soon as I have the willpower to get dressed and hit the shops!

Happy shopping, and Happy New Year!!