What's in your Handbag? Check out what's in mine!

Hi guys,
The last time I wrote about what was in my handbag was back in March 2012, and since then the contents have increased dramatically: no more tiny body bag filled with make up and basic essentials for me! But I'm not ready for a big ugly mum bag either: I want something on trend, made of buttery soft leather, but roomy enough for all of my supplies. And boy, do I have a lot of supplies! My handbag contents for today are: My Vivienne Westwood purse, house keys and car keys, mobile phone, Missoni sunglasses, Chanel lipstick and Filofax (just the same as last year). However the new additions are: rice cakes or carrot puffs (depending on what snacks the boy fancies for the day), a teddy bear and a rattle, and wet wipes to mop up any spills and snot. Oh the glamour!
With all of this stuff to carry around every single day, I require a pretty special bag. This bag from Marks and Spencer's new season leather bag range is the perfect size for just about any occasion; small enough to carry around everyday but roomy enough to stash a hearty supply of snacks and toys for Wilbur in. It feels so soft (I have a place in my heart for pony skin leather, and buy far too much of it!) and the leather literally melts under your hand as you carry it. I love the zip detailing and leopard print is another of my obsessions, so it really is the perfect bag for me.

This bag is one of the key leather items from Marks and Spencer's A/W '13 collection, and would be the perfect addition to a capsule winter wardrobe, because you could carry it all day (it's perfect for work or for Saturday afternoon shopping trips) or dress it up for the evening and it wouldn't look out of place to dinner: especially if you carry a big bag at all times, like me. Marks and Spencer are very focusing on quality with their leather offering for this season, and it definitely shows in the craftmanship and design of this bag.  Good old M&S: they always seem to know exactly what I need and they never let me down!

If you want to buy one of your own you can pick it up from the M&S website: It's available right now, and will cost you £99.

Love Tor x

Autumn Inspiration: Mad about Monochrome

Hi guys,
As all of the autumn/winter collections start landing on the high street my lust-o-meter has gone into overdrive. I love shopping for a new season, and I really love it when that season is autumn/winter: it's my favourite time of year by far! Every so often when the seasons are changing over, I see individual press images that have such an impact that I can't stop thinking about them. I want to be the model. I want to run out and recreate the look immediately: this image from Marks and Spencer was one such image!
The Autograph coat comes in at £99. The shirt is £32.50, the hat is £19.50. The gorgeous handbag costs £59.

It's simple, it's clean, it's slightly sixties-inspired. I need to have that hat with the contrasting snake print peak in my life immediately, and I now have a hankering for a crisp white cocoon coat. I know you can't buy them from Marks and Spencer but, man, what I wouldn't do to have those thick statement eyebrows. This is the kind of look that would suit just about everyone: I can see Joan Collins wearing this, but also a sexy young thing like [insert name of one of The Saturdays here: I'm too old to know them by name!] too. The mum in the back of my mind has reservations about sticking fingers and white wool coats, but for a look this good I think I'd take the dry cleaning bill.

What do you think? Will you be rocking some statement monochrome this autumn/winter?

Love Tor x

Launching tomorrow: 'Perfectly' at Marks and Spencer

Hi guys,
As you guys know (because I bang on about it all the time) my current fashion focus is on building up my collection of good quality wardrobe classics. Staple pieces that will go with everything, and that I can wear again and again.

With that in mind, you can understand why I was so excited to read about the new 'Perfectly' collection by Marks and Spencer. The range consists of flattering understated key pieces, anchored around a neutral colour palette in quality fabrics, making the collection both easy to wear, stylish yet affordable. I've only seen pics of a few of the pieces, and there are already to things I'm chomping at the bit to get my hands on when the collection launches tomorrow: The thing that I love most about the range is the attention to the little details. The crisp white shirt for example, has covered buttons, helping it to reduce gape and give a smooth silhouette. The simple black dress comes with a skinny riveted belt to draw in the waist, and tiny shoulder studs.

Because these pieces are such classics, it also means they're ageless, and will look good on everyone. A hip young teen, my very stylish mum, and even a saggy tummied new mama like me will all look stylish and put together with just a couple of pieces from this collection in their capsule wardrobe. I will definitely be heading instore to check out the collection when it lands instore on 21st March. And that leather jacket with the fabric sleeves will be mine!

'Perfectly' by Marks and Spencer launches online tomorrow.

Love Tor x

Fabfrocks at Home: Stylized Christmas home envy!

Hi guys,
I'm a bit of an interiors obsessive: I love checking out other people's home decor, and am forever drooling over interiors blogs (I like to call it house porn!) And if there's one time it's especially nice to see what creative ideas people have for their homes it's Christmas. It's not just interior blogs jumping on this band wagons either: the big department stores are hopping all over it too!

I love checking out the photo shoots that the big department stores put out to promote their Christmas decorations and interior ranges. It used to be that preparing for Christmas meant putting up a Christmas tree. But now you can buy new Christmas throws and cushions, art work, kitchen utensils and even bedding. (Primark have some great Nordic reindeer-print bedding instore, and it's only £15) And I love it!

Here's some decorating inspiration gleamed from the stores you'll find on every highstreet:

Marks and Spencer

Next 

House of Fraser

How do you decorate your home for Christmas? Do you take interior inspiration from blogs and press images and go abit over the top (guilty as charged!) or do you think these things are going a bit too far?

I'll be showing you how we decorate our house for Christmas later in the month. But in the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Love Tor xx

PS - Don't forget to enter my Christmas giveaway: there is a great selection of little prizes to be won!! 

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's new Lingerie collection for M&S

Hi guys,
Sometimes I get invited to things that I'm just gutted I can't make it along to. I still attend as many events as possible, but early mornings and late nights just aren't easy for me anymore: Such is reality when you waddle when you walk! This week the event I was most sad to miss was the breakfast to launch Rosie for Autograph: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's new lingerie collection for M&S.

The colour palette for the collection was inspired by the rich colours of different types of roses. From the muted tones of dusky pink and green through to dramatic scarlet blooms, Rosie wanted the palette to evoke the beauty of a gorgeous British garden in Summer. (Must not say Roses for Rosie. Must not say....oh hell...)

Here's how it looks: 


The whole range has an opulent 1920s feel. Rosie says, “To find inspiration for the collection, I trawled my favourite vintage shops and flea markets in London, LA and Paris where I found a treasure trove of gorgeous clothes and ornate pieces of jewellery, as well as pictures and patterns found in old design books and fashion magazines....I was particularly drawn to the opulent elegance of the 20s era which really shows in my designs from the sumptuous silks I chose to the intricate deco inspired embroidery detailing on the garments.”

When I think of decadent and luxurious lingerie, with no real purpose other than looking and making you feel completely gorgeous, this is the kind of collection I think of. Which makes the price points and the fact the collection is accessible to just about everyone all the more surprising: Prices start at £12.50 for knickers, through to £22.50 for bras and £65 for the silk kimono. Bra sizes range from 30-40, with cup-sizes from A to E with selected styles available up to G. Knickers range from size 8 to 20.

I, for one, can't wait to get my hands on it. Good news, as the collection is instore now!

Love Tor xx

Thanks M&S! I'm already longing for winter...

Hi guys,
Apologies in advance for any mentions in this post of the dreaded 'C' word, but it really can't be helped! Today I went to the Marks and Spencer Christmas in July press show, and it's really got me thinking about winter: log fires, snow, and Christmas.

Despite the fact we haven't really had much of a summer yet, it's shows like this that make me think a long winter of wrapping up in knits and faux fur arriving so soon might not actually be too bad!




The jewel collared print dress in the first photograph, and the cream faux fur stole it's been teamed with, have both been immediately added to my wish list. I also really like the burnt orange fair isle jumper in the bottom picture, which will be perfect for wearing on our New Year's trip to Scotland.

To make matters worse, and despite the gloriously sunny weather outside, I also got a taste and a smell of Christmas. Perfectly roasted turkeys, smoked salmon, rich chocolates and even a stodgy fruit cake. Who can have a BBQ after sampling all of that?! No. I'm ready for a Christmas dinner!

Love Tor x

The history of your M&S undies

Hi guys,
I'm always been a big fan of M&S undies (they're comfy, they wash well, they're available in a bigger cup size: what's not to like!) so you can imagine how delighted I was to read that they have raided their archive to create a new vintage underwear range.

To celebrate the Queens Jubilee year, the lingerie design team have taken inspiration from original 1950’s designs to transform them into more wearable pieces for a new collection launching at M&S. Consisting of four looks, the beautifully constructed collection uses silk, lace, luxurious satin and mesh combinations to emulate the glamour of the 1950s, including designs based on the original conical bra, corsetry and the big knicker shape. The collection was inspired by some research M&S had done on their rich underwear history...

Want to find out more about the history of M&S lingerie? The team have created a surprisingly interesting interactive graphic showing the history of lingerie from the 1920s through to the 1980s. I geek out about stuff like this, so I love reading snippets of information I haven't read before. Did you know, for example, that the first M&S bra launched in 1926 and was designed for use under flapper style dresses to flatten the chest?

If you don't want to geek out about bra facts, get excited about pretty pants instead. The collection is available in store and online in May. Form an orderly queue behind me, ladies!

Love Tor xx

These aren't just any Valentines gifts....These are M&S Valentine's gifts!

Hi guys,
I always say that I'm not a big fan of Valentine's day. Who needs a special day to show someone you care about them, right? Having said that, if I didn't get a card I'd be gutted. Hypocrite, much!?

It's a fact that Valentine's day presents are usually pretty tacky (and as a general rule not great quality). Not true at M&S though, who's Valentine's offering I went to check out yesterday:




The heart bra set is traditional valentine's fare, but still devillishy pretty (and the fabric is a luxe-feeling satin). The stand out underwear set for me though was the gorgeous floral cotton longline bra and matching high rise briefs: this set has universal appeal that will last long after valentines day. And call me boring and practical, but because it's from M&S, at least you know if will wash well over and over again. And it's all available now.

Aside from the standard cakes and chocolates (always yummy!) the other gifts I loved were the household ones. Practical and pretty, who doesn't want a heart shaped cake mould or terrine? This Valentine's day I think I'll fill the house with pink and red kitsch and just finally embrace it. It's all too pretty not to!

Love Tor xx

M&S Lingerie: To keep you warm on long winter nights?

Hi guys,
Last week I was invited to breakfast at the Goring Hotel (where a certain Miss Middleton stayed the night before her wedding, if you care about these things!) to check out the Autumn/Winter collection from M&S lingerie: I'm having quite the love affair with M&S of late, aren't I?!

The collections were stunning: although lingerie often is when it's worn by beautiful models! It was mix of fun and colourful, with a nordic twist, and very vintage inspired:

I loved the very simple teal satin set, which is shown in the standard range style, but also comes in the M&S DD+ range. And the gown it was teamed with is gorgeous. I love the bold floral pattern and the rich aubergine colour. The DD+ range at M&S goes up to a G cup: not as large as the range at Debenhams or Bravissimo, but definitely big enough to fit the vast majority.

Cozy boots with lingerie isn't the sexiest look (and I can't see many people going for it!) but I love these cozy bootie slippers! They'd make great Christmas stocking fillers, and would be perfect teamed with snuggly loungewear for lazy weekends at home (or maybe it'd just me that doesn't like to get dressed on Sundays!)

I couldn't believe that the layered leopard print and pink tops were thermals! I am often spotted wearing plain black or white thermal tops under frocks in the winter, but would love to experiment with vibrant pattterned ones, so I'll definitely be picking this leopard print one up!

And can you believe the underwear in the final picture is shapewear? As a shapewear devotee, I can promise you I have nothing as pretty as that in my collection! The sheer panels make it look really surprisingly sexy and the super high waistline means you can be sure everything is held in place. Definitely one for the Christmas parties!

What do you think of the range? Has anything taken your fancy?
Love Tor xx

Marks and Spencer Accessories: Not what you'd expect!

Hi guys,

This evening I was invited to a Mad Hatters Tea Party to check out the new ranges of accessories from Marks and Spencer. And I have to say I completely fell in love: it wasn't what I was expecting at all. But in a good way! I think I have a slight prejudice against Marks and Spencer because it was one of only 5 clothing stores on our high street growing up, and was the place my Nan got her nighties, and my mum got my sensible school knickers.

But I take it back! I withdraw my old-fashioned prejudice: because judging by these accessories, M&S is a cool place to shop! The collections were divided into four distinct trend zones: Nordic Narnia, Wilderness, Global Traveller, and Boy Meets Girl:

The pieces in the Boy Meets Girl zone were my favourites: I especially loved the oversized black leather handbags (which felt as soft as butter) and the chunky black watch in the picture above.

I also loved all the glitter and sequins in the global traveler zone: can you believe the black and taupe sequinned and heeled Mary Janes were only £30? That's considerably cheaper than some of the more popular high street stores, and I completely loved them. They'd be perfect for Christmas parties, and I would team them with leggings for girls nights out.

I was also surprised at how many of the pretty shoes came in with built in insolia technology: I only have one pair of insolia shoes, but I swear by it! They're the only heels I can dance in all night long and not go home with my feet in shreds. Shoes that feel comfy but look all fashion: how can you lose!?

The overall verdict? For quality and affordable pieces that are fashion-forward, and are built to last, head to Marks and Spencer. I definitely will be!

Love Tor x

M&S underwear: Like an old faithful friend

The Marks and Spencer sale started today, and within minutes, all of the underwear on the website was out of stock. This was two things: 1) Irritating because it meant I would have to pop to the store to pick up some cheap knickers and 2) A testiment to Marks and Spencers reputation as an underwear retailer that women would go so crazy so quickly to pick up some discounted goodies. Not that it's expensive in the first place: a bra and knicker set for around £20-25 is a bargain as far as i'm concerned!

If I can help it, I always wear Marks and Spencer underwear. It fits well, it washes well, it's good quality and it looks great. You can't really ask for more than that! It has a reputation for being a bit old fashioned (a lot of people use the phrase "granny bras") but I don't think that's true at all: some of it is pretty/sexy - it's just functional too! I went through a phase of wearing La Senza bras, but found they don't cut so well for a larger bust, and within a wash or two the wire was poking through and ready to pierce my chest. Not a good look!

So this morning I sprinted to the Oxford Street M&S, hoping that there would still me the pieces I had spotted on the website available in my size. There was still a mixed bag of sizes available but I couldn't get all five of the sets I wanted: I contented myself with these two from the sale, and a further two at full price. I had mentioned earlier in the week that I needed to buy new underwear anyway, so really this was a case of right place, right time:

There were about 8 stands of the size above containing "pretty" everyday, and slightly fancy underwear, and all but two of the bras had a large selection of sizes in the matching briefs or thongs. The bras started at £4, the briefs at £3. There was also a large stand at the other side of the lingerie section containing more practical underwear such as functional strapless bras and a massive selection of sports bras in all sizes starting at around £7.

Of course the Marks and Spencer sale has lots of other things going on: fashion, mens and childrenswear, and home wear too. But for me, it's all about the pants!

Love, Tor x

PS - If you're still waiting to get your sale fix then you'll be pleased to know that the Selfridges sale starts at 8am on Monday morning, both instore and online. Elbows sharpened ladies, and i'll race you to the shoes!

Where did they British textile industry go?

In an article about an M&S dress worn by Sarah Cameron (the wife of Conservative party leader David Cameron, for the non Brits) in the Daily Mail yesterday, I read the following piece of text with great interest:

Marks & Spencer now manufactures only 5 per cent of its clothing in the UK.
Another great British brand, Jaeger, which as recently as 1983 manufactured 95 per cent of its garments in the UK, has since allowed the number of its British manufacturers to dwindle to precisely zero.
Burberry, too, which is fond of trumpeting its British heritage, oft repeating the fact that its trench coats were designed to keep our soldiers dry in the trenches of World War I, and which was welcomed back into the fold of London Fashion Week last month, closed yet another UK factory in January this year - in Rotherham, South Yorkshire - with a loss of 170 jobs.

It made me think about where my own wardrobe was produced, and whether that was something I felt comfortable about. Not just because of the often young workers in these far off countries being paid an unliveable wage (something we are all aware of and have all read about) but because of the decline of skills and jobs for British fashion workers. Because the heritage and reputation we have for our skilled tailors, precise seamstresses and accurate machine workers will die when these people have to retrain, because there isn't a job for them in fashion anymore.

Before he joined the army my dad had an apprenticeship to a tailor. Amongst his many stories (my dad is fab and full of stories!) is one about the ageing tailor who taught him who would skimp a quarter of a centimetre off the seam of every suit he produced until he had enough spare fabric to make my dad his first bespoke suit. The admiration in dad's voice when he tells this story speaks volumes. During the 80s my mum had a different dress for every ball she attended. They were hand made by the seamstress she used for my dads entire career (the only one she trusted with her dresses!) I distinctly remember sitting at the bottom of the stairs, aged 6, and watching her descend in acres of polka dot tulle. I gasped and declared her a princess. For years that dress stayed in her wardrobe, always referred to as "the princess dress". It stikes me that in this day in 2009 my mums seamstresss and my dad's tailor would probably be out of a job.

Today I am wearing head to toe Topshop (my new day of the dead skirt, a black silk top, oversized necklace and leggings) A faux pas I know but it looks pretty great! As you know, a lot of my clothes come from topshop. But looking inside the tags of these I see "made in Romania" "made in India" and "made in China"."Made in England" is a label I see now only in vintage and charity shops.

And this makes me wonder whether looking great is a big enough reason to keep buying these things. I'm certainly no activist, but maybe if we all pulled together and only brought clothes with that elusive "made in England" label on it then the stores would have to sit up and take note. In New York the fashion industry pulled together with a campaign to use and preserve their garment industry. Isn't it time for London designers to do the same thing?

Sorry for the rant!
Love, Tor xx

Vogue's fashion night out: Marks and Spencer style!

If you would like to read about what went on in the fancy pants stores of London Town on Vogue's fashion night out, then I would suggest you checked here, here, or here.

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I'm more of a highstreet kind of girl myself, and because the details of the topshop event didn't hold much interest, I spent most of my evening with the store that could arguably be described as the queen of the British high street: Marks and Spencer.

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M&S went all out, and put on quite a show: you could enter the store through a special red carpeted catwalk entrance (see below) and the evening saw catwalk shows (with goody bags for the VIPs that won tickets with their shopping) trend workshops, champagne and nibbles and little boots behind the DJ booth; quite a lot of entertainment from one store, i'm sure you'll agree!!

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I exhausted my camera by taking photographs in Primark (see yesterdays posts) so I didn't get any images of the best of the action, but here is the entrance, the catwalk primed for action and the free champagne bar:

I also fell in love with this barbie pink leather dress from the new M&S limited collection. The colour is awesome, it had a leopard print lining and it was as soft as butter. I think I could rock it! If only £149 could magically land in my lap....

The rest of the night was equally fun; the whole of Oxford Street had an unusual air of excitement about it. As I walked past La Senza I realised the mannequin in the window had been replaced by a model: I only realised this when she frightened the life out of me by winking at me! Outside Selfridges was a freezing cold looking (but very beautiful!) Agent Provocateur model drawing quite a crowd and I had one of those surreal "zoolander" moments, because just yards away from her was a crowd of protestors. It's not for me to say whether they were wrong or right, but I did snigger to myself as the line "it's not right at these events; ugly protesters bothing beautiful people" popped into my head. It really is one of my favourite films! I then popped down to topshop for a handful of yummy cadburys chocolates (and to return a torn dress- boo!) before heading home.

Anyway there it is; my fashion night out in all of its glory. It might not have been full of glamour, but it was full of fun!!

Love, Tor xxxx

SATC (Shopping and the City)

If the early bird catchers the worm dear reader, then this blog won’t be winning any prizes!

Yesterday morning Patricia Field graced the Marks and Spencer Marble Arch store with her presence to launch her new collection which went on sale on the website at midnight. Hundreds of people queued for hours for a glimpse of Pat and to be amongst the first to have their pick of the full range which included dresses, jackets, bags, scarves, belts and shoes.

Was I up at 7am to join the fun? No I was not! Sadly by the time I arrived at around lunchtime the lady herself had gone and all the hoo-hah had died down. Some rather glamorous staff members (all of the staff were wearing their pick of the range) told me that after a frantic morning, all of the accessories in the collection had sold out.


If quality is measured by customer interest then, the collection is a huge success. But is this a measure of Pat F’s talent as a stylist or the power of the SATC franchise (I even saw SATC Christmas tree decorations in Harrods today)?


Despite missing out on all the accessories, the dresses of the collection were still all available and ready for some up close inspection. My first thought was that perhaps the range could be renamed “How to Look like Carrie Bradshaw” because if I had to sum the collection up in one sentence I would say that it was a series of very good rip offs SJP wore in the SATC movie. See below if you don’t believe me!



Do you see now? Do you see?? But as a devout fan of the SJP look, I don’t see that as a bad thing. I’m not sure how the designers she’s ripping off will feel about the whole thing however! Overall though I think the collection is good. The fabrics were hit and miss ranging from cheap feeling polyester to gorgeous chiffon and thick rich cottons. I am a massive fan of the brocade florals (which I couldn’t get close enough to take pictures of) which are used on a couple of beautiful scoop neck dresses. I also like the simple cut of the coats and the shoes and belts seemed to be particularly well constructed and made of real leather (you don’t get that from Lily Allen at new look!)
A coven of dressed up mannequins (if you look closely you can see the dress I love on the poster in the back ground!)


As with all collections there were a couple of dresses I couldn’t abide. In this case they were those of a non descript polyester “I could have got this from primark for a third of the price” persuasion. A purple tiered rara skirted dress with spaghetti straps? Teamed with a contrasting belt? How original! You get the idea…..

But hey, when was the last time you saw the perfect diffusion range? For right or wrong, the middle market has to be covered. Although neither original or fashion forward, I was a big fan of the sequinned blazer which fit tightly and fastened like a corset. And, as you can see, so was my mama:

Doesn’t she look cute as a button? And it goes to show the range can be adapted for anyone. Although M&S are blatantly targeting a younger demographic by bringing PF onboard, they aren’t isolating their devoted shoppers who can incorporate a smaller piece or two in with their Per Una staples.

Go Marks and Spencer I say. A brave decision, and a good one. Not unlike the St Michaels coat I have in my wardrobe which is over 20 years old, I think an investment in a piece from the PF collection is an investment in the future!

Much Love,

Tor

Mustard Whore

Hello internet,

Y'know what I hate? Well, cruelty. I'm very much like Alec Baldwin in that respect. Another thing though, that gets my goat is Audrey Hepburn adulation. The whole industry that's been built around her as a style icon, veritably craps in my mouth. Anyone would look good stick-thin and in black Givenchy.

Why do so many women adulate the blah outfits of a shoplifting hooker? I bet that dress smells of stale cigarettes and the 50s eqivalent of Charlie Red laced with an entrancing and yeast-ish hint of gonorrhoea.

Incidentally, I think these movie hookers look way cooler:

The best pic I could find of Julia Roberts and Laura San Giacomo in Pretty Woman. Even as a 10 year old, I thought the hooker outfits were way more awesome than her richy-rich outfits.

Jennifer Jason Leigh in Last Exit to Brookyln.
This is a movie that teaches us that prostitution isn't always a gateway to couture.

Anyway, I had a point and here it is: a mustard yellow coat is awesome. A mustard yellow coat worn by Zadie Smith, a woman known foremost for her giant brain and writin' smarts = Becky Fashion Inspiration #44. Long since I have toiled to find a high street equivalent and lo! in the Marks & Spencer sale armed with vouchers, I found one.

Obser-erve:

Zadie in her glorious London home, posing for Vogue.

The Wigmore jigging, hands clasped in glee in her Norwich-ian Homestead.

We are as one.

So my point, once more, is: admire hookers if you must but pick the cool ones. Alternatively you can enjoy the outerwear of Booker Prize nominees. And Holly Golightly is clapped out fo' sure.

Love,
B