Celebrate Lost Sock Memorial day!

Hi guys,
Sometimes I get a press release that makes me laugh so much I just have to share. And this one from Happy Socks was one such press release: Apparently today (9th May) is Lost Sock Memorial Day!

"Lost Sock Memorial Day is always a sombre affair. Even though we shall always miss those lonely socks of ours that have mysteriously and sadly left our lives, there is still a light at the end of that sock shaped tunnel." This made me laugh because missing socks is a serious problem in our house. There isn't a morning that passes when Mike isn't stomping around the house asking where all his socks have gone. So much so that we have a print honouring the missing socks in our dining room:

I got this picture by Johan Potma from Berlin when I was there the December before last. And I know that when it comes to the difficulty in finding that elusive sock to make a pair, I'm not alone!

Enter Happy Socks. Happy Socks are guaranteed to lift your mood. Available in packs of two and with designs this bold, they are also perfect to mix and match one pair with another, so never let your socks be lonely again. Shop the Happy Socks collection at www.happysocks.com as well as at ASOS, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, Oi Polloi and selected stores worldwide. Sock ranges available for men, women and children. Prices from £8.
I like the idea of socks that look just as good mismatched as they do as part of a pair. And some of these designs are seriously funky. Admittedly I don't tend to wear socks at this time of the year (it's sandal time) but when Autumn rolls around again and I'm looking for cool socks to team with my boots, I'll definitely be checking out the Happy Socks website.

Will you be celebrating Lost Sock Memorial day? And what will you be doing? I think I'm going to go bare foot, and have a day off from the sock hunt!

Love Tor x

Selfridges celebrates the Great in Great Britain

Hi guys,
Did you notice that this year is probably a good year to be feeling patriotic? No? Where have you been, hiding under a rock! With the Jubilee and the Olympics, apparently there's no better time to be British. And to celebrate Selfridges is about to launch the biggest display of retail theatre and in-store excitements of its 103-year history.

From Friday 4 May and running until the end of August, Selfridges will present The Big British Bang, a mash-up of British culture, history and tradition, from iconic to eccentric and from royals to rebels. Spanning the Jubilee-Olympics period, Selfridges’ British Big Bang will collide exclusive products, events and special initiatives together to celebrate all that Great Britain does like no other nation on earth including etiquette, humour, customs, fashion, art, sports, food – even marmite! Exciting much? Yes. I bloody love marmite!! 

So what else can we look forward to? During the event the Concept Store will be the ultimate destination for products ranging from fashion to food, irresistibly loaded with British character especially created for Selfridges by some of the most iconic British brands. From Union Jack-lined Barbour jackets, to a new range of Fred Perry polo shirts designed by artist Peter Blake and bespoke navy blazers with Union Jack embroidered motif by Gieves & Hawkes. Also included are hand-knitted striped hunting socks by Emma Willis and her hand-finished, proper British boxer shorts. Many traditional British wares with flair and impeccable pedigree will be available.

However, modern Britain will be there too. From Mulberry with a Union Jack-embellished version of its Bayswater hit bag, to Rupert Sanderson’s red white and blue strap heels or Nicholas Kirkwood’s crazy pearly queen six-inch heels and even Ted Baker offering an accessories collection with typically English halcyon days references.

Many more brands including Penhaligon’s, Mr Wingate, Tom Dixon, Emma Bridgewater, have created special designs for the Selfridges’ Big British Shop. Vivienne Westwood completes the starry line up of British fashion designers by designing a series of windows for the store. Selfridges windows are always my favourite ones: whenever I have a meeting near Oxford street I always walk the long way round so that I can check them out! 

As well as shopping there will also be events including afternoon tea parties and entertainment lineups. As if I ever needed any excuse to hit the shops, now I can say its my national duty. Let's shop for our country!! 

Want to find out more? Then visit selfridges.com

Love Tor xx

The Selfridges Christmas windows 2011

Hi guys,

Today is the first day that I have felt really Christmassy this year! First Reena (of Fashion Daydreams) invited me to the opening of the ice skating at Somerset House where we skated, drank hot chocolate, and ate yummy Tiffany's cupcakes. Then we indulged in my favourite Christmas retail experience: looking at the gorgeous Selfridges Christmas window display.

I have to say, the displays were much more minimalist this year than in previous years. In lieu of last year's moving Santas, this year each window was white, with a mixture of angels, reindeer, and much more emphasis on fashion:

Although I loved all of the white dresses and lust-worthy silver accessories, I have to say the sophisticated Christmas just isn't for me! My tree at home is covered in sequinned pink and purple decorations, and I love Christmas because it's the one time of year everything can be bright, garish, and tasteless. In a world where taste is everything, Christmas is like a blessed relief. I say bring back the pantomime theme of 2009: it was my absolute favourite window display of all time!

In my next journey into festivity, I will be attempting to construct a sleigh for my nephews Christmas presents using a cardboard box, some tin foil, and red sticky back plastic. I'll let you know how I get on....

Love Tor xx

It's sale time!

Hi guys,
The mid-season sales have officially started, which means if you have a holiday, wedding, trip to Ascot or any other special event coming up this summer, then it's time to hit the shops! (Of course, you're welcome to hit them shops if you're a shopaholic with no event too!)

-The Selfridges sale started on Monday (poster above) and I will be checking it out this evening.

- If you're London-based, the Harrods summer sale officially opens on Saturday 18th June (that's this Saturday!) Prepare for a scrum, because it's always chaos, but there will definitely be bargains to be had.

-On the highstreet, the Debenhams sale is in full swing, with half off almost everything: definitely worth checking out!

-For summer parties, the French Connection sale has started: up to 60% off skirts, tops, and dresses with an amazing selection that would be perfect for summer events, but at great prices.

-Finally, if you haven't been on your summer holiday yet, check out Warehouse. They have up to 50% off on their summer sale, with discounts on bikinis, sarongs, sun dresses, and everything else you'd need for a red hot beach break.

Basically, the whole high street has a sale on. And if it doesn't now it will in a couple of days, because sale season has officially begun! I can't wait to hit the shops and get bargain hunting: let me know of any really great sales you stumble across on your money-saving travels!

Love, Tor xx

It's that time again: Selfridges Christmas windows 2010

Hi guys,
I'm starting to feel really festive: the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park is open, i've bought loads of my Christmas presents, and i've seen the Coke (Holiday's are coming) advert on the TV! So I decided it was time to indulge in one of my festive rituals, and yesterday lunchtime I popped down to Selfridges to check out their Christmas window displays.

I wasn't as impressed by this year's windows as I was by previous years. There was no real stand out window, and there didn't seem to be any consistent theme, which there has always been in previous years. Unless you count the lollypop headed people as a theme, which I don't! Maybe it's a nod to our more austere times that the windows are definitely more understated, although I would've thought when times were hard you'd need good windows to entice people in.

Anyway, enough of my chatter. What you really want are the pics and here they are:





Although it's very premature, this is the last weekend Mike and I have without plans between now and Christmas, so we will be spending it sitting down and writing all of our Christmas cards. Present wrapping and tree building will have to slot in around work. I needed this to get me in the Christmas spirit!

Love, Tor xxx

It's wool week at Selfridges

They say you learn a new thing every day, and I just learned that today is the first day of wool week (which runs 11-17 October) Wool week is a brand new initiative backed by the Prince of Wales to promote the British wool industry. And it couldn't really come at a better time as I (and I suspect half the country) am obsessed with wool at the moment, and can only think of interesting knitwear!

Selfridges are really throwing themselves behind wool week, which lots of events in store this week: i'm really hoping i'll have time to pop down and check at least one of them out! There will be a yarn bombing event with various locations around the store being covered in knitted wool. And (the most exciting bit) you can actually help create a knitted house, a work in progress throughout Wool Week. You’re invited to join in creating the knitted cover for the house, as well as decorate it, with wool kindly donated by Rowan and Coats.

Of course you can also buy a wide range of knitwear (as usual) and the store will also be launching a Scarf on a Roll – simply tell the scarf folks how long you want your scarf to be (one, two or three metres), they'll cut it to size and you pay for different lengths. The unique 100% wool knit, knitted in Scotland, means that it won’t fray.

In honour of wool week, I am going to try and wear lovely knits every day this week, and if I don't run out of steam by tomorrow, I'll document my efforts in blog form at the weekend! Join me!?

Love, Tor xx

Christmas? Already?

Believe it or not, the Selfridge's Christmas shop opened today. This is the earliest it has ever opened, and I find it impossible to believe that people want to buy Christmas trees at this time of year. But apparently, they sell over 10,000 baubles in the first week, so there must be a massive market for it. I just can't comprehend thinking about Christmas and your summer holidays at the same time!

To honour the opening of this Christmas land, and for those of you that do want to think of Christmas in July, here are some pictures of last years Selfridge's Christmas window display: my favourite Christmas window display in the city!

My favourite is the last one, which seems to be the raping of a cow! As i'm sure you can guess, last year's theme was Pantomime.

Sorry for the slow postings this week but I am having major issues with my camera: it won't turn on, and I am taking it to be repaired tomorrow. Hopefully i'll be back to posting outfits and in-store shots soon!

Love, Tor xx

PS - I have another competition coming your way tomorrow! They're all pouring in this week!

What's in the window: Selfridges Christmas edition

I have had some feedback that not all of you like the "what's in the window" feature. Well actually, one specific person doesn't like the "what's in the window" feature. But I don't feel like other people should be in a position to choose what you do or don't write about, otherwise all blogs would look the same, and that would defeat the object of writing a blog altogether. I also don't see what people thing they can achieve by being nasty about a blog; haven't they got better ways to fill their days? It's a matter of personal taste. And I happen to like shop windows.

There are no shop windows I like more in the world than Selfridges, and my love of them doubles at Christmas time. This year the theme is a pantomine one, with a different panto represented in every window. One of the first things I noticed is that there is something by Vivienne Westwood in every single one; it's not really suprising though. Her style lends itself perfectly to the panto theme.

Each of the windows is trimmed with a lighted garland, like in the last photo. My overriding feeling is that the whole thing is very tongue in cheek. I am especially fond of the bold flashing slogans accompanying every display. And i couldn't believe it when I read that the dress in the third picture is by Alexander McQueen; it's so over the top and opulent that I assumed it had been "created" by the window dressers with yards of fabric and chicken wire! Oh, and what you can't see in the picture is that in the fourth window the cows trousers are pulled down to reveal stockings and suspenders.



This series of displays is my favourite so far, because although it doesn't have the extravagant "wow factor" of last year, you find more little touches and jokes to chuckle about the more you look at it. I am slightly disturbed by the pervy-creepy santa in window six though!

Its definitely worth a walk down Oxford street this month, even if you're only going to view these windows!


Love, Tor xx

Saturday night, feeling alright!

On Friday night the sis and I didn't feel up to conquering Selfridges: the horrible humid weather and the sheer volume of shoppers meant we hit a couple of the highstreet stores (including primark of course!) ate a pizza and then went home.

This was, however, a good thing. In a happy twist of fate, Becky (yes, Rebecca of Wigmore fame) had to make a last minute trip to London for the weekend and we decided to meet and attack Selfridges with all of our might. In fact, we arrived at 2pm, and were still there when Miss B had to run to catch her train at 6.30pm.

Here is Miss B in a vintage 70s maxi dress indulging in a salad from one of the many many cafes of the store. We felt well fancy!
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We divided our visit into 4 distinct sections; well, you have to have a plan! First handbags, then designer women's wear followed by shoes and finally what Selfridges call "street fashion" but normal humans call "the highstreet bit"!
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To be honest, during our trip I was a very very bad blogger: we were having far too much fun to remember to take photos! However, if you ever wanted to see what I looked like in a too tight Chloe body-con dress that had been reduced from £400 to £130, then here you go:

Tiny changing room with awful strip lighting around the mirror does not make for good photography!

Great dress for anyone without hips or tum; on me? The result was nothing less than an angry hippo! It looked brilliant on the hanger; simple and sexy, but on the body I think it looked fairly cheap and non-descript.

Here is Becky pouring over some discounted Marni, however it wasn't the sales that were the highlight of my day: the thing that excited me most was that the new Ashish stuff is now in-store! Going back to try that lot on is going to be a very exciting day!
Yum! Sequins and pompom and glorious OTT details! I've already been charity shop trawling for oversized 80s jumpers to attach home made pompoms to!

Then to the shoes:
Oh if only I had the money to buy one magnificent pair of shoes, it would be this Jimmy Choos! Reduced to just over £300 they were beautiful with their tribal influences and vibrant yellow detailing. The heel was so narrow that even wearing just one shoe I was very very wobbly on my feet! The whole shoe department was wonderful!
In fact, if you like shoes, get thee to Selfridges! The shoe department has such an amazing sale and the discounts were insane. So insane that the boyfriend is taking me back on Monday to choose a pair as a graduation present: good times! There are a pair of black Prada heels that I have my eyes one...watch this space!

Finally, we popped to All Saints where I was drawn by the massive 50% off signs everywhere. However I wasn't impressed by the two dresses I decided to try on:

Note the much better changing room light!? I loved the horse drawn chariot image on this first dress, but I tried on a 12 as they didn't have a 14, and as you can see it was far far too tight! And the second dress? Well the fact I can't button it and my truly frightened face says it all!

Anyway, a great day was had by all! Mike and I are going back tomorrow night, where I promise I will make a considerably more concerted effort to take better pictures of all the great stuff in the sales!

Love, Tor x

Oh, PS - I did buy something; an oversized black cardigan from vince reduced from £250 to £30; quite a bargain! However its far too warm to be messing with cardigans (its an effort to get dressed at all!) so I will show it you in a separate post when I feel less, well, sticky!

Forget the summer solstace, it's time for the summer sales!

Today's post comes to you courtesy of this evening's London Paper, where I saw an article so useful, I felt the need to repeat it here for my non-London dwelling readers viewing pleasure.

First though - what do you think of the new site design? There are still a few tweeks to make and the header isn't quite finished, but basically, this is it. I rather like it. It reminds me of the inside of a Victorian ladies knicker drawer.

And now back to the important business of today's news which is, of course (the clue is in the title!) about the summer sales.

The London Paper produced a comprehensive list of when the main sales are starting, and what kind of discounts to expect. As I can't find this online, my summary is below:

SALE NOW ON

Liberty - Up to 50% off
Faith - Up to 50% off
Banana Republic - At least 30% off
Anne Summers and Knickerbox - Up to 70% off
Ben Sherman - 30-50% off
Donna Karan - Up to 50%
Luella - 50% off bags, 30% off womenswear and 40% off knitwear
Netaporter - Discounts undisclosed
Selfridges - Up to 75% off

24 JUNE

Christian Louboutin - Up to 50% off

27 JUNE

Chanel - Discounts from 30%
John Lewis - Up to 50% off

17 JULY

Alexander McQueen - Up to 50% off

Sadly, I don't get paid until Friday, and so am sat in my pajamas hoping that everyone else is as broke as me until their respective paydays, meaning there will still be some bargains to be had. I truly am going to try to stick to the mantra of "quality not quantity" this month.

Love, Tor xx

Christmas window shopping!

(Nearly there - here comes post 3 of todays 3 post romp!)

Now, i'm about to make a confession. My favourite thing about London isn't the nightlife or the theatre, or anything culturally stimulating. Nor is it couture or shoes or places you can buy coats (and we all know how much I love coats!) No, my favourite thing about London is the Selfridges everychanging window display. When I was a timid teenage girl (who wouldn't have dreamt of going into somewhere like Selfridges - I was 22 when I made my first trip!) and we used to come to London for school trips I used to make a bee line for Selfridges and walk all the way along, gobbling in every window. Even now I dont like to take the bus along Oxford street, I always get off and walk so that I can see everything at my own pace. So imagine my delight when making this walk yesterday I noticed that Selfridges had put their Chrismas windows in place!
Enjoy:

This of course means it's officially nearly Christmas! Get ready for carol references, obsessing over the perfect dresses, and of course the annual surreptitious Christmas wish list for my boyfriend!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Love Tor x