George at Asda: In which I forgot to buy any potatoes.....

Hi guys,
Yesterday I popped to Asda to buy some bits and pieces for dinner (I was planning on making a Shepherds pie- glamourous life!) when I got so distracted by all of the 'New In' George range, that I forgot to buy the potatoes: an essential Shepherds pie ingrediant! Their high summer collection has just arrived, and it's made me think about summer holidays, and the warm weather that hasn't quite arrived yet.

Although I always admire the George collection at their press days, I almost never shop there (as that isn't where I do my supermarket shop) and was interested to see if they had the same gorgeous stuff in store as they do when they showcase the collection to the press. Here are my picks of what I saw yesterday:

The verdict? George is definitely still a great place to shop, and there are some real gems in their collection. Pretty patterned bras for £8? What's not to like! And aside from Primark, perhaps, where else can you get fashionable swimwear for your summer holidays at such low prices! A lot of the fashion is really lovely too: I liked the beige and silver jumper so much that I snapped it up straight away!

The not-so-good? Maybe it's a sign of my age, but the G21 range (shown in pictures 3) which I used to admire for being so fashion-forward, now strikes me as garish and unappealing. Lots of very bright colours and obviously cheap fabrics. And why embellish everything?! I, for one, very see teenage girls covered in that many sequins: they have more taste!

Nonetheless, I will definitely be checking out George again next time I pop into Asda to forget to do my shopping!

Love Tor xx

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

The George party dress challenge

Hi guys,
Christmas and New Year are over, and for the highstreet that means party dresses are massively discouted, because we should all be thinking about our summer holidays not sequins. I've never understood why party clothes aren't popular in January: the lack of Christmas sparkle doesn't mean our diaries aren't full of fabulous dress-worthy events for 2012.

So when George (of Asda fame) got in touch and asked me to take a frock from their fab collection of evening dresses, then show you guys how I would style it, I jumped at the chance.

I'm not really the kind of gal that dresses up: I love sequins and glitter and lace and other evening clothes, but I always tend to dress them down. Which is exactly what I did with this outfit:

I was sent a cream lace dress with a Peter Pan collar. I wanted to show that partywear can be perfect for any occasion, so I wore it for afternoon tea at the Cadogen hotel with my mum and sisters, followed by a spot of shopping in Harrods.

I teamed it with my cropped leather jacket from Primark, Friis & Co boots (c/o Sarenza), Betty Jackson Black satchel and Vivienne Westwood scarf. I think this is the perfect way to take a dress that wouldn't look out of place at a cocktail party, and make it work for a daytime event.

What do you guys think? Do you ever wear evening wear as day wear?

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

Here comes George......

I feel like i'm turning into a one lady George of Asda cheerleader lately. As you can't have failed to have noticed, I LOVE George, and i'm not afraid to say it! It's as cheap as Primark (my other great love), but the attention to detail is better and, more importantly if you can't afford to replace your basics as often as you like, it lasts longer.

With this in mind, I decided it was time to view George's new season collection from the comfort of my bed and relax whilst enjoying a guilt-free fashion binge (Because even if you like something from George, you can't buy it on line, so you can't be tempted to cyber-indulge!)

First of all I feel I should point out that the George online range is significantly smaller than their in store collections, so it's difficult to get an overall feel for what's available, but even from this reduced range there were some key pieces that would slot into my wardrobe perfectly.OK, so it's not a wardrobe staple, or a key piece for everyone's wardrobe. But I love Hello Kitty and i'm not even sorry. The George Tshirts are usually really soft and a great fit. And I really like the cutesy graphic pattern on this T: £8 well potentially spent.

I LOVE this pink and grey hounds tooth scarf (£5) It'll look perfect once the weather gets a bit better (here's hoping) teamed with my yellow high necked linen jacket. I enjoy the early 80s pairing of yellow pink and grey. And I have a sneaky suspicion it will be a great investment piece, as Marc Jacobs ready to wear show at NY fashion week yesterday was full of vibrant coloured hounds toth pieces: so the scarf will still look great next Autumn/Winter too.

Nothing like being inspired by Marc Jacobs for a fiver!

I've become obsessed with finding the perfect checked shirt lately. And although I won't know for sure until I try it on (and try it on I will) this shirt seems like pretty close to perfect. Of course the matchy fabric belt will have to go- they're my pet hate, but with a high waisted brown leather belt, this shirt would look perfect with skinny jeans and red heels.

So there you have it. George at Asda does it again: 3 items, 3 perfect new season looks for less than the cost of a night in the pub. And you can't argue with that.

Lots of Love
Tor

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!!