Daily Wear: Like a preppy bumble bee!

Hi guys,
The title of this post is what my husband said when I asked him how I looked today! I'm pretty sure it wasn't intended as a complement. Nonetheless I'm quite happy with this simple but sunshiney outfit, which is just perfect for looking stylish, but not like I've made too much effort when I pop to the shops this afternoon:
The jumper is from Gap (Just £13.99 in the sale: total bargain!), the jeans are Topshop, and the blouse is H&M. The dainty flower necklace is from Cath Kidston. The heels are Steve Madden via Sarenza and the bag is via Hotter.

I usually shy away from bright colours because I'm not sure how to wear them and, truth be told, I don't really like drawing attention to myself which you're bound to if you wear a jumper like this. But this vibrant yellow looks great with my trademark black and new love of denim. And wearing heels helps too: it forces you to carry yourself tall and adds outfit confidence!

How to you wear bright colours? What's your comfort zone, and how do you force yourself to step outside of it sometimes? I'd love to hear your tips!

Love Tor xx

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Daily Wear: Just a walk in the park!

Hi guys,
Isn't it amazing how much the weather can change your mood? After a miserable week stuck in the house with Wilbur last week (mostly wearing jeans and baggy tees) I woke up this morning to find the sun shining and the birds singing, and my immediately reaction was Hurrah! It's the perfect day to throw on a dress and go for a walk around the park!

So that's exactly what we're going to do today, complete with rides on the swings and sandwiches under a shady tree. And here's what I'm wearing to do it:
The dress is years old (like, I got it when I was at university old!) and is from Topshop. The vintage bag is just as old (I was 19 when I got this bag and I'm 29 now. That's some serious wardrobe longevity!). The necklace is the Black Lily one I showed off last week. And the shoes are from Mellow Yellow via Sarenza. I actually ordered these months ago in anticipation of Spring, but today is the first time I've worn them. I'm seriously excited to take them for a spin, as they're so cute, with their little heart cut out details!

Oh by the way - you may have noticed the new background to my last couple of outfit posts: our new garden! We spent much of this weekend mowing the lawn and weeding the patio: my next job is to paint the fences. It's so much nicer to take photos here without passers by on the street gawking. I feel much happier and comfortable posing too: cue lots more outfit posts to come this summer!

What did you get up to this weekend? Did you do anything nice, to make the most of the sunshine? And do you find the change of weather affects your mood too?

Love Tor x

Daily wear: My new uniform

Hi guys,
Everyone has a daily uniform, whether you're given a prescribed work uniform or not. Your uniform is your go- to outfit for speed, comfort, style. You could be a jeans girl or a leggings girl. Always wear black, or only wear bright colours.  Most people wear a variation of that same outfit everyday. I know I do!
Jeans, Miss Selfridges. Blouse, River Island. Boots, Georgia Rose c/o Sarenza. Baby bag, Marc by Marc Jacobs. Watch, Marc by Marc Jacobs. Bracelets, See by Chloe.

It used to be that my go to uniform for work everyday was a black dress or black tunic and a funky jacket. I love a jacket! But since I've been staying at home with Wilbur my lifestyle has changed and my uniform has too! For going to baby groups, coffee mornings, walks in the park, my new uniform is this. Jeans, comfy boots, baby changing bag, and a pretty blouse. I'm looking forward to the day when my uniform goes back to being pretty dresses and heels (I really miss heels!) but for now I am embracing the jeans and blouse look. And I like it!

Am I right? Do you wear the same type of uniform outfit everyday? And if so, what's yours?

Love Tor x

Daily wear: Happy Mother's Day!

Hi guys,
Well, if you're in the UK today is Mother's Day: my first as a mummy! We were planning to spend the day by the beach in Cromer and eat fish and chips. Then it started snowing: plan scuppered. I can't believe it's snowing, when you consider that it was only Tuesday that the weather was so warm I left the house without my coat (Yes, I do have that British preoccupation with talking about the weather)

So instead we had lunch at home (steak and dauphinoise potatoes: yummy!) and then spend the afternoon trawling the local antique shops looking for treasure. Here's what I wore for the occasion:
Leopard Print coat, Next. Striped blouse, Primark. Jeans, Miss Selfridges. Boots, Topshop. Bag, Pucci via TK Maxx.

It's not very often I wear my hair up: I tend to use it as a safety blanket! And it's even less often I leave the house without make up, like I did today. But a clean face and simple pony tail are perfect for lazy Sundays. As is this outfit; jeans and blouses tend to be my uniform at the moment: so easy to throw on with minimal effort required, but they still look stylish and well put together.

Do you have a go-to weekend outfit or style that you wear over and over again? And what is it?

Oh and as a PS - Happy Mother's day to my lovely wonderful mum, who I know will be reading this!

Love Tor x

If you buy one thing this Spring, make it neon!

Hi guys,
One of the emergant trend from this month's spate of Fashion Weeks for A/W13 is neon. We saw it at Henry Holland,  and neon detailing (even for nails and make up) was everywhere.

So this season's neons aren't going anywhere: meaning if you buy seasonless pieces, they're the perfect investment that you can wear now, and still be wearing this time next year.  Think neon jewellery, ballet pumps and lightweight, layerable shirts and tees.
Pink jumper, Gap. Perspex and orange necklace, H&M. Pink lipstick, Dior.  Bracelets, both Topshop.

The best thing is, the current love affair with neon isn't even a new Spring/Summer one. It actually started last year, which means there were, and still are, plenty of fluro neon items to be had in the January and end of season sales. I picked up my neon pink jumper from the Gap sale at the end of January for just £15. And I just ordered a great pair of neon detail sandals from Sarenza to keep me on trend all summer too.

Make up-wise, I think neon is difficult. I certainly wouldn't feel brave enough to wear a neon eyeshadow or (gulp!) neon mascara. But neon lipstick can look great: this neon pink lipstick from Dior has a high gloss shine that makes the colour pop even more, and really draws attention to your lips.

Admittedly, it isn't a trend for the fainthearted. But the benefits of wearing neon are multiple! It instantly makes you look tanned (I don't know how, but it does!), appear on trend with very little effort, and a little bit goes a long way: even a neon cuff is enough.

What do you think of the neon trend? Would you wear neon, or is it just a little bold for you?

Love Tor x

Daily wear: London Fashion Week AW13

Hi guys,
Getting ready for day one of London Fashion Week was something of a harried affair for me - not only did I have to get up and leave Norwich at the crack of dawn, I also had to dress, feed, and settle the baby at the same time. Nightmare! However I did manage to throw some semblance of an outfit together, and I actually think I looked alright. Even if we did take the photos at the back on an NCP car park, because we were running so late!
Coat, Stella McCartney. Trousers and boots, Topshop. Blouse, H&M. Necklace, All Saints. Sunglasses, Rock and Replublic via TK Maxx. Bag, BCBGMaxAzria via TKMaxx.

The patterned trousers were a big move for me, as I'm so self conscious of my thunder-thighs, I never wear anything other than black tights/leggings or jeans on my legs. But I loved these when I saw them in the Topshop sale, and at £10, how could I resist?!

I was planning on wearing my studded leather jacket (which looked great with this outfit, even if I do say so myself!) but when I got to London it was so cold that I threw on my Stella McCartney mac, which was luckily on the back seat of the car. Not as on-trend as I would have liked, perhaps, but at least it's a style classic and I was definitely glad to have it when the wind started biting whilst I was queuing for the shows! And this was another bargain - I got this last year from the Stella McCartney sample sale for £90!

Did you stream or see any shows at London Fashion Week yesterday? Or are you avoiding the LFW circus altogether this weekend? And if so, what are you doing instead? I'd love to hear all about it!

Love Tor x

Daily Wear: Winter neons

Hi guys,
I think you have to celebrate the small victories. On Sunday, Wilbur let me get dressed without crying, and then go out for lunch and eat three full courses whilst he slept: the first time that's happened since he was born!

For the occasion I wore bright neons, but in an uber traditional way. A typical Sunday lunch outfit. I would say the format of this outfit is boringly stereotypical for this time of year: knee high boots, floral dress, blazer. Yawn. But the colours mean that it looked a little more interesting, and although it's not the best or most fashion-forward outfit I've ever worn, I was pleased with how it looked.
Dress - Warehouse. Jacket, belt and necklace - all H&M. Handbag - Betsey Johnson. Boots - Next.

The jacket and the dress were both January sales purchases. The dress is from Warehouse for just £15 and the jacket was from H&M for £10. With hindsight, I'm not that keen on how this jacket looks with the dress. But it will look amazing teamed with simple t-shirts or blouses and jeans when spring arrives.

My husband told me (once we'd already left the house!) that the outfit was too bright and garish. But I'm not sure I agree. What do you think of wearing neons to brighten up gloomy snowy days? Are you a fan of neons at all, and will you be wearing them this spring?

Love Tor x

Daily Wear: My favourite sale bargain so far....

Hi guys,
Sorry for the long absence - we spent New Year's with my parents (we only got back yesterday) and frankly I was having so much fun that I didn't open my computer the whole time I was there!

I also haven't hit as many of the January sales as I was planning to: but I did make time to check out a couple, including Topshop, River Island, and Dorothy Perkins. And my favourite sale purchase (so far) is from the Dorothy Perkins sale, believe it or not: a (p)leather jacket with gold stud detailing reduced to £35. Not the investment buy leather jacket I was looking for, but it fit so nicely I just couldn't resist it! And here it is:



Jacket - Dorothy Perkins, Leopard print dress - River Island, H by Hudson boots - c/o Sarenza, Pucci bag - c/o TK Maxx, Necklaces - vintage and gifted 

You might remember this dress because I picked it up from River Island a couple of months ago in the mid season sales. I seem to be having a real leopard print obsession at the moment: I picked up another leopard print dress and two leopard print tops from the River Island sale last week too!

And if you're wondering why I've shown you the close up of my new gold locket, that would be because my son got it me for Christmas! It has pictures of the three of us (the boy, hubby, and I) inside, and the back is engraved with a special message - too cute for words. I haven't not worn it for a single day since Christmas.

A bit late to ask I know, but better late than never! How was your New Year? And what's your favourite/best sale purchase that you've made so far?

Love Tor x

The perfect Christmas day outfits for the whole family

Hi guys,
I normally resist writing about Christmas in November (believe me, you'll have enough of my Christmas posts to last a lifetime in December!) but I'm being beaten down by all the festive spirit everywhere and I just can't resist: The high street Christmas lights have been lit, Starbucks have their red cups out, and more importantly, I have seen the Coke Christmas ad on TV. Holidays are coming, my friends!

In honour of this, I started thinking about what I want myself and my boys to be wearing on Christmas day. This will be our first Christmas as a family of three (In fact, if he comes on time the boy will be less than a month old) so my usual laissez faire attitude to Christmas dressing is out of the window and instead been replaced by Christmas jumpers, cozy Santa accessories, and an unholy amount of red! Here are my picks from Next.co.uk of what I would like us to be wearing when the big day arrives:


Red skinny trousers, £26: Sparkle green sweater, £42: Nude and wine block platform shoes, £60: Colour block metal link belt, £12: Berry feather earrings, £7.50: Expandable bracelet, £12.


Straight leg burgandy chino, £20: Suede desert boots, £48: Burgandy patterned crew neck jumper, £30: Burgandy check scarf, £13: Black and orange leather strap watch, £30: Tan leather belt, £20.


I love santa suit, £11: Christmas bibs (2 pack), £4.50: Reindeer teddy bear, £9: Christmas pudding hat, £6: Knitted reindeer booties, £5.50

Of course in reality, Mike will wear his usual blue jeans and black Tshirt combo (it's tried and tested!) and I will wear something with an elasticated waist to make room for as much Christmas dinner as possible: but a girl can dream!! What do you wear on Christmas day? In my family's household we don't take off our PJs, but hubby's family get dressed up, so that will be a new experience for me this year!

Lovely blogger Northern Mum is collaborating with Next to giveaway a £500 voucher to the blogger who best styles a Christmas look for their family from the new season Next collection. The above is my entry to the competition - wish me luck!! 

Love Tor xx

Daily Wear: Long and lazy Sundays

Hi guys,
This weekend was dominated by a friend's wedding (which was great!) on Saturday and Saturday night. As is expected for these occasions, I got all dolled up and boogied the night away. Which meant that today was the perfect day for a lovely long relaxing day: which we chose to spend having a fat steak in the pub then mingling with the crowds of Bicester Village, alongside my parents, sister and gorgeous nephew. You can tell I had a late night the night before, as it doesn't look like I remembered to brush my hair!



I love the dress, which is from French Connection; a bargain picked up in the sale earlier in the summer. It's not maternity wear but where stretch jersey is concerned, I really don't think it matters. The scarf is from Alice Temperley's Somerset Collection for John Lewis, and the bag is BCBG MaxAzria, which I picked up from TK Maxx, also earlier in the summer. The ring is from Swarovski (and one of my faves!) Without wanting to be predictable (ha!) I am wearing my favourite River Island leather jacket and H by Hudson boots (c/o Sarenza) too. Again.

I love Bicester Village: it's one of my favourite shopping days out. And usually I come home with bags full of goodies to show off. But this trip, aside from an oven glove and two tea towels from the Cath Kidston outlet (oh the glamour!) I left empty handed.

Have you guys all had a good weekend? I'd love to hear what you've been up to - especially if it involves shopping. I really do think I'm addicted!

Love Tor xxx

Mango's Style Night!

Hi guys,
I love events where I get to meet new bloggers, and catch up with some of my favourite blogging friends. Last week I went to Mango's style night where I was invited, along with four other bloggers, to style an outfit at the event. We didn't know what we would be styling until the night when, on arrival, we were each presented with an envelope: very exciting!

My style challenge was an outfit for a girls night out. The first thing I spotted that I knew would be perfect for my outfit was a gorgeous gold blazer with a crackled effect. I loved it so much that I styled my whole outfit around it:

Jenny from The Style PA's challenge was the office Christmas party. Our mannequins look ready for a good night out together!

To the gorgeous jacket I added a fitted lace dress with long sleeves, an oversized chain effect necklace and a chunky black and gold bangle. I cinched in the waist of the jacket with a black leather and gold detailing belt. Then to break up the colour a little, because not everyone loves black and gold as much as I do, I added an orange suede bag with a gold Chanel-style chain handle. I'm sure it's not to everyone's taste, but this was my idea of the perfect girl's night out outfit!

Putting the outfit together gave me the chance to check out Mango's new Autumn/Winter collection. There was so much to covet, particularly in the evening wear department. They also had a great selection of oversized gold jewellery that I fell in love with: definitely worth checking out!

Love Tor xxx

Just one month today....

Hi guys,
Apologies for the gushy post in advance, but in exactly one month today I will be marrying one of the best men i've ever known. I can't wait. To celebrate the milestone (am I allowed to start counting down the hours yet??) here are some sneaky peaks of what I will be wearing on the big day:





Can you guess which details are from which part of the outfit?! Of course I won't be revealing the full dress until the big day: i'm not really superstitious, but who wants to take the risk of jinxing anything?!

I know i've shown you the shoes before, but they're still as gorgeous as ever! And the bundle of brooches? That's my bouquet! I've written about my love of brooches before, but what you might not know is that I also suffer very severe hayfever (both tree, grass, and flower pollen) meaning I really didn't want to carry a bouquet. So when I saw pictures of brooch bouquets on a series of wedding blogs I was inspired, and set about making my own: this is it, and i'm completely in love with it!

Anyway, enough wedding chat! Normal blog service will resume tomorrow, I promise!
Love, Tor xx

Valentine's Day: Romantic fun or waste of time?

Hi guys,
Someone in my office pointed out today that it is now exactly one month until Valentine's day. This was mentioned with excitement. For me, the news filled me with blah! I've never really cared very much for valentines day, regardless of whether i've been seeing someone or not. It feels weird to me that you have to set aside a day every year to remember to tell someone you love them: what a sad relationship that must be. And although i'm not the kind of gal to ever say no to a present (or two!) I don't like the idea that poor chaps are bullied into buying presents they can't afford by the media, otherwise 'they don't really love you'.

As this is (technically) my last Valentine's as a single girl though, I do intent to get dressed up and go for cocktails with some of my other single gals. I hope this is more of a reflection of how I feel about cocktails, not how I feel about Valentine's day. So I thought it would be fun to create the perfect shopping lists for Valentine's day, depending on whether you love it or hate it:

Love Valentines day:

Heart necklace: Molly Brown London, Heart embroidered dress: Topshop, Heart shoes: Vivienne Westwood at Melissa, Ruffle bolero: Topshop, Heart bag, Juicy Couture.

The heart embroidered dress, the ridiculously cute pink heart necklace, the candy pink and red colour palette: everything here screams 'I love Valentine's day' whilst also looking feminine and sexy. I especially love the ruffle bolero, and for me ruffles are the ultimate feminine and romantic statement. This would look great teamed with a sheer cream dress and towering gold heels.

Hate Valentines day:

Hate rings: ASOS, Leather trousers: Topshop, Love is the answer poncho:, Black platforms: River Island, Black cape dress: River Island,

The opposite of love is hate, and hate of course is a feeling of darkness, so for an anti-Valentine's day feel I went for lots of black rock-chick pieces, but with a feminine twist (mention of love on the Wildfox Tshirt, and that lovely pink heart necklace yet again) Anti-Valentine's day sentiment is fine, but anti-Valentine's anger is just scary: plus I can't resist including a bit of pink!

Where do you sit on the Valentines day scale? Do you get excited about another excuse for celebration, or just wish it would go away? And are you cursing me for mentioning it a whole month before it actually happens? (Sorry!)

Love, Tor xx

H! by Henry Holland... My picks

Hi guys,

Half way through the Debenhams H! by Henry Holland event last night, I was absolutely delighted to be told that I could choose two pieces to take home with me at the end of the evening. I immediately thought of the blue fur coat, but as I already have three fur coats, I tried on the varsity jacket, the camel coat, and the monogrammed blazer as well. I then tried on about half a dozen dresses,

Excuse the fuzziness of the pictures, because whilst i've got the hang of my new camera, sadly Mike is still getting to grips with it!! Here's what I chose:

As soon as I tried on the varsity jacket I fell in love with it: I have no idea how i'm going to style it, as it doesn't really go with my normal dresses, but I want to give it a go! Any ideas guys!?

The scribble print dress didn't excite massively on the hanger, but every single person that tried it on looked amazing in it: it's cut to fit curves and the black waist band is really flattering: I can't find it on the website, but hopefully it will be instore soon!! Crazy high heels and a black cropped blazer, and this dress will be ready to hit the town!

It was really hard to choose just two pieces, which is a sign of how good the new season collection is: I think i'm a convert to H! by Henry Holland (apart from the teeny bikini's and the micro shorts, of course, which i'll leave to the kids!) What do you guys think? Interested to know your perception of the range.

Love, Tor xxx

Blog challenge: My yummy new Sarenza shoes!

You guys know how I feel about shoes: I sometimes think addict isn't a strong enough word! So you can imagine how delighted I was when Sarenza approached me and asked if I would like to take part in their bloggers challenge: the winner gets a shopping weekend in Paris and taking part in the challenge meant I would have to choose some shoes for them to send me. How could I say no?!

Well my shoes arrived last week, and I couldn't be more pleased. I couldn't decide whether to opt for sensible flats (I was torn between some lovely gladiators and a crazy pair of cowboy boots) but in the end my head was turned by the slightly less sensible sight of these snake skin wedges.

The shoes are from the Sarenza continental fashion findings collection: over 50 brands from all over Europe gathered together in one place including Paul and Joe sister, Miss Sixty, and Art. My lovely pair are from French brand Cosmo. I'd never heard of them before but I love their mix of colour and texture on both sensible flats and glam heels. When I saw these wedges I immediately thought of 50 outfits in my wardrobe they would look great with.

Ah the joys of the frowny self-taken photograph at 7am, not knowing what to do with my arms, and the pasty-white British winter legs! I am slightly in love with my dress and tulle skirted mac from the Topshop sale though.

And now on to the blogger challenge part of our programme: At the beginning of next month, the pics of me showing off in my new shoes will go onto the Sarenza blog .You'll be able to vote for me (and my excellent taste in shoes) and help me win that trip to Paris: once again, Fabfrocks needs you! (although of course i'll remind you all of that nearer the time!)

Love, Tor xx

Question: What do you wear when you meet a vicar?

I haven't done one of my "what do you wear?" pieces for a while, and I admit that this one is pretty specific! But I decided that if it's a situation that I have no idea what I should wear for, then other people have probably struggled with it too! On Sunday (eek - that's tomorrow!) Mike and I are going to meet for "a chat" with the vicar that we hope will marry us.

I only generally go to church at Christmas/Easter or for weddings/christenings/funerals. All of these are specific occasions with their own dress codes. And I know that church goers tend to dress up for church on a Sunday. But what do you wear when your having a cup of tea with a man that will decide if you can get married where you want to, and will be intergral to your service?

Advice from all of my married friends has focused on one word: "conservative". But conservative doesn't have to mean boring, and if you're fashion conscious then I think that part of your personality needs to shine through too. So here are my ideas for what to wear to meet the vicar:

I have included big bags with both outfits because wedding visits generally mean you accumulate more brochures and bits of paper than you can carry: this way you have somewhere to put them!

The modern clergy is very different from its considerably more formal ancestors: I'm lead to believe that as long as you're a believer and you want to get married, anything goes! Most vicars I know wear jeans and shun their dog collars. I know there are some situations that can't be influenced by what you wear (it's not like your on a first date with the vicar and you want him to like your dress!)but I just think, as with most things, it's about making yourself feel good that's important, and looking good will help you do that. The two outfits above will help you fly through this situation, which is bound to make you feel nervous (I'm starting to get the jitters already!) and keep you looking and feeling confident.

I just hope I can manage to look good and maintain the illusion of confidence on Sunday!

Love, Tor xx

Ps - If you have any ideas for "what do you wear?" pieces i'd love to hear them!

TKMaxx's fashion bloggers challenge

I always involve experimenting with outfits and making my pieces as versitile as possible, so when TKMaxx got in touch and asked me to take part in their fashion bloggers challenge, how could I say no! I was given a picture of a dress from their collections (only £19.99- bargain!)and three very different situations, and asked to accessorise the dress for each. Here are the situations:

- Meeting the boyfriend's parents for the first time
- Job interview
- Night out with the girls

Here's what I came up with:

For meeting the parents I wanted something pretty but casual: fashionable but well put together. In these situations I don't think it's wise to look too overdone, but it could be taken as a slight to look too underdone as well (balancing act or what!?) My mum always says the first thing people notice about you is your shoes, which is why i've balanced this outfit with a nice pair of courts, and a matching bag for good measure!

For the job interview I knew I would have to make the outfit look much smarter, which was hard to do with a pretty ruffled dress. But I gave it a go! I went for a shoe that meant business (I always feel more confident in any situation if i'm wearing heels) and a very smart pin striped jacket. Accessories-wise I kept it simple with a neck scarf and a big watch

For the night out with the girls I went for high heels and military-glam. I also toughened the dress up with lots of black and rock chick accessories: this is the way I would be most likely to wear the look.

How would you wear this dress?

Love, Tor xx