Daily wear: Bobble up!

Hi guys,
Since the weather turned colder, I have been wearing my jeans more than ever before: someone could challenge the name of this blog under the trade descriptions act, because I'm now only wearing frocks a couple of times a week!

Jeans are just so easy to throw on and know that you'll be warm enough, whatever Jack Frost has in store for the weather that day! Just add a blouse and a cardigan or jumper and you're ready to go: which is why this has become my newest work uniform. I now own more blouses and knitwear than ever before:


The blouse is from Clothing at Tesco, the jeans are Topshop, and the boots are Rocket Dog, c/o Sarenza. I loved this bargain Tesco blouse (just £14) so much that I ordered it in navy blue too.

I love my outdoor clothes: coats and hats are a minor obsession. I think people often underestimate the importance of a good coat, and the difference it makes to your outfit in wintertime: I couldn't imagine owning just one! This coat is from Next, and the bobble hat is Topshop. Whenever I'm wearing a really plain or simple outfit like this one, I always add my leopard print coat: it's perfect for bringing colour, pattern and texture to what otherwise is a fairly snooze-worthy look.

Do you find your style changes alot with the seasons? I wouldn't dream of wearing trousers if the sun was shining, but now I'm never out of them!

Love Tor xx

Christmas Competition: Win a new party dress and a make up masterclass!!

Hi guys,

I love to get dressed up at Christmas. Whether its a sparkly frock for a girls night out, something slick for the office Christmas 'do, or even my reindeer jumper for cosy Christmas eve walks, Christmas is the perfect time to invest in a new festive outfit or two, and try to look your best.

So as you can imagine, I was delighted when Clothing at Tesco got in touch and offered me the chance to choose a party dress from the massive selection on their site, AND a make up masterclass (in the comfort of my own home) for me and a gaggle of my girlfriends!

There were so many dresses to choose from (as you can see!) but in the end I opted for the Rise Boutique floral applique prom dress in the picture above. I can't wait for it to arrive so I can show it off to you all!

And because those lovely folks at Clothing at Tesco are feeling festively generous, and didn't want you to miss out, they'e offering you the chance to WIN any party dress from their site, and a make up masterclass for you and up to 9 friends from Jemma Kidd Make up masterclass @Home.

All you have to do to enter is 1) be a follower of the blog (follow using the box to your right) and 2) Leave a comment on this post detailing the dress you would like to win from the Clothing at Tesco site. Easy peasy!!

The winner will be picked at random on Friday 9th December at 12pm. Good luck!!

Love Tor xx

Is it too soon to mention Spring?

Hi guys,
If you don't want to hear about Spring already then it's time to close your eyes, because the S/S 2012 press days are well and truly in full swing: my calender for the next couple of weeks is so full of Spring events I'd be forgiven for forgetting all about Christmas! (Don't worry though, I haven't forgotten about it! I am currently constructing the mother of all gift guides!)

Last night I popped down to check out the Clothing at Tesco spring/summer collections. I'm a big fan of Clothing at Tesco: they're like Primark in that everything is so cheap they're a great place to try new trends, but at guilt-free prices.

Here are some of their new season offerings:



It's unlike me to say so, but it was the bold colours that most caught my eye: there was a red deconstructed blazer that I especially fell in love with, and plenty of mustard which always makes me happy. I also really liked the cream lace dress (in the second picture) which is just so deliciously flippy and feminine. As always the swimwear offering was also gorgeous - much to my disappointment, as it just doesn't fit my bust!

The final items that I really loved were the stripey midi-length pencil skirts (in pictures one and three). Now I confess that stripes for spring isn't particularly unique or fashion-forward, but the fabric was lovely, they looked great, and they'd be perfect teamed with simple tees for a work to play look.

I'm not ready for Spring yet (I'm too excited about Christmas, wearing my winter coat, and wrapping up in warm layers) but I am already getting some ideas about what I'll be wearing when it arrives!

Love Tor xx

Daily wear: Slouchy, comfy, stripey...

Hi guys,
This week my posts might seem pretty daily wear intensive, but that's only because I'm so excited to be able to wear some of the wintery things that have been sitting in my wardrobe for a while!

Lately I feel like something of a knitwear addict: I've gone from owning 2 cardigans and not a single jumper to being the proud owner of 6 chunky knit cardigans and 3 jumpers!

This is definitely my favourite time of year to dress for: it's not so cold that everything needs to be covered up with a big bulky coat, but I get to play with layers, and I finally get to wear my new Friis & Co boots from Sarenza, which I ordered 2 months ago, and have just been waiting to break out properly!


The rest of the outfit consists of my new-favourite leather panelled leggings from Topshop, a TK Maxx dress with a stripey Clothing at Tesco jumper thrown over the top (It's first outing), my Friis & Co satchel, See by Chloe bangles, and vintage brooch (a birthday present from Mike last year).

Today has been a good day. I've lusted at the Lulu Guinness press day, explored (and fallen in love with) Levis new Made and Crafted collection, brought 5 boxes of chocolates for just £20 from Thorntons (perfect for Christmas prezzies, and a complete mega-bargain) and now Mike is making homemade meatballs for dinner. Frankly, what more does anyone need?!

Love, Tor xx

London Fashion Week Wardrobe: Sorted!

Hi guys,

As you know, when it comes to my outfits for London Fashion Week I tend to have a 'do it on the day' attitude. I'm always so busy making other preparations that what I actually wear often takes a back seat (after all, noone is there to look at me!)

But not this year! Thanks to Clothing at Tesco (the official sponsor of London Fashion Week) I can organise what I'll be wearing with time to spare! The Tesco team kindly offered to dress me for the week, and I chose a host of amazing pieces: here they are worn all together

Obviously, for fashion week I'll be mixing and matching with other pieces from my wardrobe, but I am completely in love with their A/W range: everything fits beautifully, and I'll be wrapped up with style when the cold weather finally hits:


Cardigan, Clothing at Tesco, £25. Blouse, Clothing at Tesco, £18. Jeans, Topshop. Shoes, River Island. Bag, JOY. Fur hat, Urban Outfitters sample sale.


Fur collared coat, Clothing at Tesco, £50. Dress, Clothing at Tesco, £18. Belt, Topshop. Bag, Sarenza. Boots, Primark.

Waterfall jacket, Clothing at Tesco, £30. Dress, Clothing at Tesco, £20. Boyfriend watch, Clothing at Tesco, £14.99. Boots, Primark. Bag, Car Boot Sale.

The first outfit is my favourite one: it makes me think of wrapping up for bonfire night, but in a more vintage heritage way! My favourite piece of them all though is the 1940s style coat. I've worn it undone to show off the dress, but it cinches in at the waist beautifully with a belt, and it fits amazingly and feels beautiful.

Suddenly, I'm looking forward to fashion week even more than ever!!

Love,

Tor xxx

Competition Winner AND Clothing at Tesco Press Day

Hi guys,
Well, first things first: drumroll please, it's time to announce the winner of my faith shoes competition, which I ran for an extra day because of the problems with blogger last week. The winner of those two gorgeous pairs of Faith shoes is........EMMA! I chose Emma because she wants to wear them to her best friends wedding: and you know i'm a sucker for weddings right now. Congratulations!!

Secondly, last week I went to the Clothing at Tesco press day and press show. I was obsessed with almost every coat I saw (its an addiction) and I couldn't believe how good they looked considering they only cost between £40-50. It was a really nice looking collection, especially for the money, and all of next seasons key trends were covered. Here's just a sneaky peak of some of the looks:


Colourwise, it was all very autumnal, and similar to last Autumn/Winter (good news if you aren't planning on doing much shopping this winter!) The seventies trend is still around, but has evolved from hippie to preppy: think bright denim, shirts with collars, and knitted jumpers. And I was glad to see that peach and cinamon were still popular: they're my current obsessions!

Love, Tor xx

Sneak peek: Florence and Fred Spring/Summer Collection

Hi guys,

Last night I went for a sneak peek of the Florence and Fred collection for next Spring/Summer. I know it's a little early to be thinking about next Spring when it's just starting to get cold and icy, but now i'm looking forward to it already! For me next summer immediately equates to my wedding and honeymoon, so I get really excited when I see summer clothes, and mentally pack them in my suitcase!

I loved the navy mid-length full skirt (shown above) and they had a great range of crazily affordable accessories, including some really pretty peach sandals, which were gorgeous! And i'm definitely going to be picking up that straw boater (also above)

Below are two of the pieces I really liked! They aren't the most fashion-forward dresses that were in the collection, but they looked and felt lovely: great patterns, gorgeous soft fabrics, and nipped in waists. Yum:

Other pieces I loved were some wide legged almost sheer floral trousers, and a selection of amazing patterned shorts. The leg wear was awesome! There was also a great range of floral dresses with a 50s flare that would be a curvy girls dream!

The nicest sideline of going to events is getting to hang out with other lovely bloggers. It was awesome to see Gem (of Gem Fatale) and Amy (of Wolf Whistle). It was also awesome to drink yummy cocktails and eat yummy canapes. I know they're laden with calories, but I am a girl who likes a canape. Go figure!

Whilst checking over the collections we also got to see the Autumn/Winter Limited collection, which is going online shortly. It featured some Christmas dresses so gorgeous that i'm going to give them their own little party feature next week!

Love, Tor xx

Clothing at Tesco: Post it on!

Check out these shoulder pads!? I was very excited when Clothing at Tesco asked me to take part in Post it On (basically, bloggers tag!) and even more excited when the dress I chose to start my game of post it on arrived this morning! Post it on is celebrating the new Autumn/Winter collection currently instore/online from Tesco: it was actually hard to choose just one item, as there was so much on the site I wanted (especially from the F&F Couture range, which looks 10 times better this season than it did last!) But enough of that, lets look at the dress I picked!!

The dress is from the new A/W Florence and Fred Couture range, and these pictures really don't do it justice as they make what are in fact soft velvet details look rather shiny! It has buttons up the cuffs, and tiny Victorian style buttons all the way up one side of the dress. It has draping across the hips, an assymetric hem, and those show stopping shoulder pads: i'm nuts about this dress!

The dress is so dramatic that it speaks for itself, so I styled it pretty simply with chunky wedge boots and a skinny black studded belt, to draw in the waist of the dress a little. I was worried it would make my boobs look too big (I never wear anything with a high neck like this) but I didn't think they looked too bad to be honest!

The blogger i'm posting this on to (randomly chosen by pointing my finger at my links page!) is Harriet of Where is Harriet. In playground parlance, I believe i'm supposed to hit you and scream "Tag!" Can't wait to see what you pick!

Love, Tor x

Tesco competition: And the winner is....

Firstly, i'd like to say thank you to everyone who commented or emailed me your entries: who knew you were all such a creative lot!? I was massively impressed with how much stuff you guys could buy for £30: you're bigger bargain hunters than me! However, there can only be one winner, and that winner is a lady who sent me not one, but three gorgeous outfit options:

Congratulations to Erin Caldwell! I couldn't believe how much effort you made, and how great every single one of your outfits were!

Watch this space for another competition; this time to win a voucher for £60 to spend at Sarenza shoes! (I know I said i'd post this yesterday, but a minor crisis means I won't be able to get it online until this afternoon!)

Love, Tor xx

Competition: Win £30 to spend at Clothing at Tesco

I've written before about how surprisingly good the clothes from Clothing at Tesco are, so I was chuffed when they got in touch and asked if i'd like to run a competition for you guys! If you haven't tried them out you really should: the quality is good, the styles are very on trend, and i'm always impressed with the fit. So here's your chance to try them for free: It's easy to enter, and you can win £30 to spend on the site.

With wedding season in full swing, and weddings constantly on my mind at the minute, I decided to give the competition a wedding theme: all you have to do is choose an outfit from the Clothing at Tesco site that you think would be perfect for a summer wedding. The only catch is, you're outfit has to cost less than £30 (So that you can go straight out and buy it when you win the prize!) Here's my example to give you some ideas:

The challenge will be made easier because I just noticed that all of the sale stuff on the site has been reduced and is buy 2 items, get one free!

To enter the competition, follow the blog (using the box to the right) and then put together your perfect wedding outfit from clothing at Tesco for under £30: you can either leave this in the comments or drop me an email. I'll announce the winner next Wednesday (4th August) to give you plenty of time to come up with your star entry: good luck!!

Love, Tor xx

PS- The Head of Design and Buying for Lingerie at Debenhams is taking over the @debenhamsretail Twitter feed tomorrow (Thursday 29th July) between 1 and 2pm to answer any lingerie-related questions you might have. I'll be there, asking a million and one questions about bridal lingerie, so I thought I would give you guys the heads up!

Post-clearout: Identify gaps and fill

The best thing about a wardrobe clearout is that, aside from being able to open your wardrobe without things falling on you, it enables you to identify gaps in your existing wardrobe that need filling. So this is exactly what I did last night, and I was suprised by how little I felt I needed!

Things I definitely do not need:

Coats/Jackets - Jackets are my addiction. Whenever i'm out shopping they're the first thing i'm attracted to. I have far too many of them, but can't seem to stop myself buying more. But I will. I don't need any more jackets!

Evening dresses - Every time I went on a night out I complained I had nothing to wear. One major wardrobe clearout later and it turns out that I have more than 10 really lovely dresses (most of them black, alot of them sequinned) that would be perfect for just about any evening occassion. The obsession with fancy dresses has to stop now!

Heels - It's got to be a fact proven somewhere that when you're out shopping for shoes, heels are more exciting to buy than flats. Which probably explains why I have more than 50 pairs, despite the fact I rarely wear heels. I'm going cold turkey: I will not go in a shoe shop, I will not go in a shoe shop. And repeat ten times!

Necklaces - How many long chains does a girl need? Not as many as I have! If you can think of an emblem then I have it on a chain. I like having lots of jewellery, it's great for mixing and matching your wardrobe, but I now have plenty.

Things I definitely do need:

Cardigans - Ironically, I thought I had plenty of cardigans. However having whittled out the ones with holes in the sleeves or that I had shrunk in the washing machine, it turns out I only have two: and one of them is red and has a sequinned cat on it. Which is fun, but not exactly practical! So I ordered these two cardigans with a voucher I was given by Tesco:

At £14 and £16 respectively and made of 100% cotton they were an absolute bargain: I can't wait for them to arrive, I just hope the quality feels as good as it looks!

Bras - My strapless bra has lost it's elastic and all of my white bras are looking decidedly grey: I haven't noticed this all winter long because I generally only wear white underwear in the summer. Time to have a big underwear clearout!

An oversized ring- I'm tired of wearing costume jewellery that turns my finger green. I'm too old to have a green finger every night: surely this should stop at some point?! I've decided that point is now. I intend to invest in a lovely oversized silver (i'm too realistic to think I can afford gold) ring with a beautiful stone in the middle of it.

I'm thinking, with the summer approaching, turquoise would be the perfect choice! But love this malachite one from etsy which comes in at $162. I saw a beautiful silver and amber ring on Camden market at the weekend for £50: might be worth a look!

Black pumps - For someone who owns so many pairs of shoes, I really ought to own a pair of black ballet pumps! I think the reason I don't is that I love feeling a breeze around my feet, so I generally try to migrate from boots to sandals, and then wear the sandals as long as possible until it's time for the boots again. So last night I picked up a pair of black suede pumps in the sale at Faith (just £17) with a nautical anchor detail at the front: very cute!

Vest tops - Summer dresses I have plenty of, but summer tops are something I own very few of: I'm hoping this will be vectified before I book my summer holiday. I will also have to sort out my swimwear situation: something I dread doing every single year!!

Do you know what your wardrobe is missing? Do you think about the missing pieces when you shop (I don't but I intend to!) or do you just buy whatever you think is pretty? I'm interested to hear about your shopping habits and how this affects the dynamics of your wardrobe!

Love, Tor xx

Florence and Fred couture and beautiful nails!

Last night I went to check out the launch of Tesco's new Florence and Fred couture range. Everyone was cooing over the pagoda dress, which came in purple or grey (pictured) and which had this amazing wired collar that you could manipulate to wear the dress in so many ways. I really loved the sequin pieces, most notably the silver jacket with the sharp shoulders (also pictured) and the matching harem trousers in silk with the sequinned peplum. The other stand out pieces for me were a lovely floor length cloudy patterned skirt and matching top.

All the harem pants in the collection make me really wish it was a look I could pull off, but I just don't think they'll ever work for me. Although I really liked the collection, and there were a couple of really covetable pieces, I do wonder who will be buying it: couture or not, the price point is pretty high for a supermarket collection. I think the quality of the clothes deserves the higher price, and most is made with premium fabrics such as silk, but I think they are going to have to work really hard to shake off the cheap fast supermarket fashion perception. I think the fact they are only selling the collection online instead of instore is a good starting place.

As well as the chance to look at the new collections, Tesco had also made the most adorable cupcakes with each blog name written on them, gave us cookies with the pagoda dress on them, and set up a nail bar where WAH nails gave all the bloggers fingers a make over. I just managed to take a picture of the cookie before it started looking too temptingly eatable! Like nearly everyone else, I went for leopard print on my nails. Mine are on a stripey pastel background:

I absolutely love them! I always see women on the tube in their tracksuits with great nails and wondered why they bothered, but now I know: it makes you feel great about yourself, no matter what you're wearing! I know this because i'm sat in my PJs and keep looking at my fingers and smiling to myself!

I'm interested to know what you guys think of F&F couture: Are there any pieces you really love? Does the price point put you off or is quality more important than the label inside the dress?

Love, Tor x

PS - Don't forget to enter the competition to win a piece of Emma Hadley jewelley: only one week to go!

Tesco....#1 on my list of places i'd never think to shop

Earlier in the week tesco clothing started following me on twitter (and you can too: www.twitter.com/fabfrocks) Out of courtesy really, I followed them back. Two days after that they tweeted about an interesting sounding floral dress. I followed the link, and this post was born!

When my dad was a kid his mum (my grandma) used to make him wear what he refers to as "Tesco bombers". These were Tesco jeans that cost 70p, only came in one leg length, and were the bane of his life because he really wanted Levis. This is my Tesco in a fashion context!
.
Nowadays, bizarrely (and I didn't know this until I saw the link at the top of their site) Tesco is one of the sponsors of London Fashion Week. And the Tesco Clothing site is suprisingly comprehensive! I have been known to browse the G21 range in Asda, but never really thought of Tesco as a place to pick up clothing. And this site doesn't just stock a dress or two. I am talking tons of clothing, at very low prices!
.
Here is a selection of my favourite pieces:

The site is really easy to navigate and set up in such a way that you can find what you're looking for in seconds. I'm going to geek out for a second when I say that so many online stores are so concerned with making things look pretty that they don't think about user experience when building their sites, and this is a massive mistake. The pretty is important of course, but it's hard to care about it too much when the site is slow and you can't find what you want!
.
Now I can't vouch for the wear or the quality; I didn't even know this store existed in a fashion context, so I haven't tried any of it! But I can say that I like the look of a lot of the fashions available: very trend-led and wearable. Pre-shopping ban, the floral dress and the nautical shift dress would be in my wardrobe already!
.
Is this all new to you or am I late to the table (again!)? Have people been wearing Tesco for ages and I just didn't know? If you've every tried clothes from Tesco (or even fondled them in the flesh!) i'd love to know what you think!

Love, Tor xxx