Discover your holiday style!

Hi guys,
Easter weekend is nearly upon us (the perfect time for a long weekend away), the week after Easter Mike and I are heading to Disneyland Paris for three nights in the Disney Hotel New York and endless disney character fun, and last night we started brainstorming ideas for locations for our long summer holiday. I think it's fair to say that holiday season has officially begun!!

I love holidays and I really love the adventure of travel, but I am officially the worst suitcase packer ever! When I headed out to live in Beijing for a while my poor dad paid a small countries national debt in excess baggage for my luggage. And Mike bought me extra luggage allowance as a present before we even flew on our honeymoon. Travelling light is not in my vocabulary!

Now packing for the trip to Disneyland is easy: 4 Mickey Mouse T shirts and my comfiest pumps will probably do it! But packing for a long summer holiday is more problematic. Enter Style-Passport.com

Style Passport are celebrating their first birthday this month. And although i've only just discovered them (late to the table as usual!) I'm already slightly in love! The website offers you capsule wardrobe and beauty suggestions for different holiday options. SO for example I inputted that I was heading for a beach holiday and this is what it came up with:

You can then click to buy, shop, and explore more options. More useful than the shopping aspect though is just the knowing what to pack aspect! I'm going skiing in Scotland with my parents in the New Year, and i've never been skiing before. So I have no idea of the kind of things I'll need. Just two minutes on the ski pages though, and I had loads of ideas!

And if you haven't decided where to take your next holiday to, the site also includes recommendations, top tips, and destination ideas (as well as what to wear when you get there of course!) It's like the optimism of summer bottled up and created in website form!

I'm feeling inspired to trawl through my wardrobe and start packing some suitcases: starting, of course, which 4 matching his 'n' hers Mickey Mouse T shirts, and two pairs of comedy ears!

Love Tor xx

Packing for my honeymoon

Hi guys,
As you can see by our his and hers sunhats sat side by side (can I get an awww!) Mike and I have finished our shopping for our post-wedding honeymoon - there's just 7 weeks to go! With all the final payments on the wedding to make in the next 6 weeks, I wanted to get the expense of clothes shopping out of the way - but didn't want to go on holiday in an ill fitting bikini! So over the past couple of months (using sales, deals, and discounts) I have been hitting the shops....

As well as three bikinis for sunbathing and tanning, I also have a more sensible swimming costume for snorkelling in: it's leopard print, and it fits like a dream! Almost all of my swimwear is pink and gold (or colours that will compliment them) I have 2 pink bikinis, the pink and gold sarong, 2 pairs of gold sandals and this big brown and gold beach bag: I got it from the Monsoon outlet at Bicester village for a bargain price!

When i'm not on the beach my outfits will be pretty conservative: outside of our resort I have to keep my arms and legs covered. I've been buying up maxi dresses, pretty hareem trousers, and pashminas for easy (and cheap) arm covers. I'm also obsessed with the £2 stretch vests from Primark: i'm taking £10 worth! We have to 'dress for dinner' in our resort though, so my beloved gold D&G wedges will be coming with us, to team with simple floaty frocks.

As well as all the sensible clothes, i've also got a beautiful armoury full of new Soap and Glory toiletries (a Christmas gift from lil sis) which I have been patiently saving for our trip. I've added the Trevor Sorbie miniatures for my hair (from the Boots January sale - 70% off!) and aside from a little make up, that's everything I need!

As well as both of our digital cameras, we're also taking 2 disposables, and 2 waterproof disposables (for snorkelling/boat trips) with us: this will be one well documented trip!

The weekend after next has been set aside for ironing, folding, and packing both of our suitcases: our last weekend that won't be spent in Norwich making the final wedding preps! I don't think I could be more excited: both for the honeymoon and the wedding!

Love, Tor xx

*This is a sponsored post

Please don’t forget to buy travel insurance!

Hi guys,
Holiday season is upon us! The weather might not be screaming summer yet, but everyone I know is booking their summer breaks, and the shops are full of bikinis and sunhats. My spare room is full of bikinis and sunhats too: I’ve spent the last couple of months buying everything I need for my big trip: My honeymoon is feeling so close I can almost taste it! But I almost didn’t get to go on my big holiday this year…..why, I hear you ask? Because we almost didn’t get any travel insurance!

I’m going to tell you a little story about stupidity and tears and a conflict about Egypt (which happened at the same time as the conflict in Egypt. This isn’t a coincidence) You remember, no doubt, when the Egyptian people revolted? The joy for everyone as they overthrew their leader and demanded freedom, and better pay etc?

Whilst I was happy for the Egyptian people, this news story made me thoroughly miserable. Because all the airlines were stopping flights to many of the countries airports. And that was where we were due to go on honeymoon. And we didn’t have any travel insurance! None at all. Just a note on a to-do list that said “book travel insurance” and had promptly been ignored! I was completely distraught.

Luckily the conflict died down, and we got our insurance booked immediately. But nothing was worth that week of panic – I was in tears because I was convinced we weren’t going to get a honeymoon, and without the insurance paying out (which wouldn’t happen, because we didn’t have any!) we couldn’t afford to book to go anywhere else. It was one of the most stressful weeks of my life.

So my advice, for what it’s worth, is before you start choosing that slinky bikini or splashing out on tanning lotions, book your travel insurance! I know your 99% sure you won’t need it (we were too!) but it just isn’t worth taking the risk and experiencing the heartache is something does go wrong. Then hit the shops: there’s nothing nicer than a new holiday wardrobe! Now all we have left to worry about is the dreaded Sharm Shark….

Love, Tor x

*This is a sponsored post

Fabfrocks goes to Paris!

Lovely boyfriend has organised us an impromptu day out to Paris on the olde Eurostar on Saturday: very short notice, but i'm ridiculously excited! He's never been to Paris before, so i'm sure we will be visiting the old faithfuls like the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, but i'm hoping there will be time for a little bit of shopping too (as well as plenty of eating - the diet can go out the window!)

The problem with impromptu trips like this is decided what to wear: i've been a household slut this week and almost all of my clothes are in the laundry basket (or as I like to refer to it, the bottomless pit) Obviously I will be opting for comfort with a little style (flat shoes and an umbrella are essentials - sadly they've forecast rain) but whilst I excite myself planning a loose itinerary, i'm also looking at some Parisian street style for sartorial inspiration. Here are some of my favourites:

I'm not French or especially stylish (Although I do like to wear a lot of black, which comes as standard) so I won't be oozing a single ounce of this effortless glamour, but i'm hoping my wardrobe will assist me in channeling a little chic: whilst still allowing room for a pastry or two!

Love, Tor xxx

Super-long Holiday Post

Hello readers/anyone who found us by mistake!

Well i'm back from my jollydays, and feeling self-indulgent. Whilst Becky spent her Easter break in 'Trashford' with her lovely mummy and took care of the blog (like it was a newborn fashion baby) I just spent a fabulous fortnight in Florida frolicking in the sun, meeting Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and spending my hard earned (ie lovingly issued by my parents) cash in the plethora of cheap as chips outlet malls.

In Disney World oversized head gear is all the rage- i'm one trendy chick!

Whenever i'm in America I come home with a Betsey Johnson handbag; I have a weakness for her quirky yet high-quality leather goods and I don' t care who knows it! Despite my hour in the Betsey Johnson store with bags draped all the way up my arms and trying on every single piece of jewellery, headwear and sunglasses (all at the same time) however, I didn't quite have the mullah to buy all of the precious things my heart desired, so on this trip I moved on to cheaper but equally fabulous fashion buys.

In much the same way that Becky has been forced to view/bored by my holiday snaps (oh look! another picture of cinderella's castle! Yawn) I have an overwhelming desire to infiltrate the blogosphere with snaps of all my glorious holiday purchases. And to make it even more exciting, i'll do it in a list; because organisation is fun, y'know!

1. Cream Patchwork leather purse. Fossil.

According to last weeks Grazia magazine (and who know's more about fashion then them, right?) patchwork is set to be this summers big 'thing' for handbags. Now , I thought patchwork was big last summer (and I have the 50 quid brown patchwork bag from Dorothy Perkins to proove it) but no matter: this oversized 100% leather purse with subtle white and cream patches and bronze studs has pockets big enough to carry a munchkins head (or, ya'know, my mobile) And that makes it A-OK with me.

Those Munchkinlanders won't bother the poor witch anymore!

2. Patent leather gladiator sandals. Wardrobe Seven.

There is nothing harder than trying to photograph your own feet!

Wardrobe Seven is an awesome shop in old town Kissamee (for which, sadly, I cannot find a website) It sells a wide range of faux vintage gear ranging from 50s style cats eye sunglasses to Teddyboy leather jackets and jeans. It also stocks pretty prom style and tea dresses and a shoe buffet: the more shoes you buy, the cheaper they are: and what's not to like about cheap shoes! I fell in love with these patent black gladiator sandals at first sight. The gold buckles made them seem glam in a slightly 'footballers wife' way that I loved but the triple ankle strap lent a harder tougher feel. I can't wait for the weather to pick up so I can show them off!!

3. BCBG Maxazara Shirt

Sensible sensible job interview shirt. Or at least, that's what I told myself to justify the 'this seems like a lot of cash for a white shirt' expense. I'm slightly obsessed with ruffles and have decided i wouldn't want a job with any one who didn't hire me in this shirt: they wouldn't have any fashion sense/eyes.

4. Gold Lame Tommy Hilfiger skirt

Me: "Mum, what do you think of my new skirt?"

Mum: "Erm, well you look happy in it."

Ahh, there's nothing better than buying clothes my mum/boyfriend don't like. My boyfriend has a theory that the way to buy me the perfect gift is to go into a shop and pick out the thing he thinks is ugliest. The funny thing is, he always buys the best gifts! Ok so the skirt is a little 'bold' and its probably not the most flattering material on my 'wider than the average' hips. But look how shiny it is! Ahhhhh, shiny........

5. Polka dot floo length dress. TJ Maxx

Underneath my pile of everyday clothes (tea dresses, sensible black tops, too many pairs of jeans) i have what I like to call my "what if" wardrobe. I have"what if i go on a cruise" clothes, and "what if vogue suddenly calls" oufits. Well this dress is my new "what if I decide to go to the grad ball" dress. It's more informal than the dress I wore for my lst grad ball, but I figured I didn't need to be so glam the second time around and this had an understated, almost I dont care cool. Plus I like polka dots and anything that makes me look slimmer than I actually am. Result.

So there you have it. My 5 favourite things that I brought back from my holiday. (6 if you include the tan that my sister says (and I quote) "doesn't make me look quite so dead") Oooh I also want to mention the Dior Couture ball gown I fell in love with: rrp $22,000. Dior outlet store price: $1,800. So cheap yet so far out of my budget. Still, at least I got to fondle it (until I was dragged by my family from the store) Oh, and whilst i'm feeling self indulgent, this is Fabfrocks 100th post. (albeit an incoherent jat lagged rambling one!) Go team us!

Peace, love, and mickey mouse,

Tor