LFW AW12: The exhibition

Hi guys,
For fashion buyers, the London Fashion Week exhibition is the place to go to choose the pieces that will fill your stores, and pick the trends that you think will sell. Fashion press use it as a chance to view collections up close, checking out the details and choosing which pieces they will shoot and feature.

For me, the exhibition is a place to go virtual shopping, and I always find myself subconsciously drawn to pieces that I would wear myself. When I got home from visiting the exhibition yesterday, I realised that I had only photographed the pieces I wanted to buy! So here is my virtual shopping list from the LFW exhibition:

Check out that riot of colour! The sage coat with the fringing is by Prose, the rail of brightly coloured fun is by Nova Chiu as are the jewelled shoes, and I wish I knew who designed the white necklace, because it was by far my favourite piece of the day! I also loved the paper dresses are by Morana Kranjec: not necessarily wearable, of course, but beautifully innovative.

Have you been watching any of the live steamed LFW shows this weekend? And what have been your highlights? I caught the Mulberry show yesterday morning, and thought it was amazing!

Love Tor xx

LFW AW12 Day Two: The highlights

Hi guys,
It could just be me, but I think there are more people than ever at Fashion Week this year! The courtyard at Somerset House is full most of the day, and buzzing with creative fashionable people who want to be seen: some of the outfits are as outrageous as ever!

Also at Somerset House were Topshop, selling the 'New Gen 10' T shirt collection from the back of a van. Topshop are always ahead of the curve when it comes to utilizing the buzz from LFW to market their products: the season the Christopher Kane collaboration launched I missed my first show to get my hands on that gorrilla tee. And the Mary Katrantzou collection which launched on Friday has sold out already. Nevermind showcasing trends and collections for next winter: fashion week is fast becoming the place to go to pick up key pieces right now!

My schedule for the day involved four shows: Spijkers en Spijkers, Bernard Chandran, Shao Yen and Ashley Isham. The day wear at Bernard Chandran didn't leave me particularly inspired, but this was more than made up for by the outstanding eveningwear. The rich blue lace gown (above) was the stand out piece from the collection. The collars on each frock was high; the design feature that held the collection together. Colour-wise, monochromatic black, white and grey was the order of the day The only highlight of colour was the electric blue, and those pieces really popped! Overall the collection had all of the sculptural simplicity I love most about Chandran's work.

My photos from Spjikers en Spjikers just aren't good enough to share, but the collection is definitely worth looking up. The colour palette was rich and bold (perfect for long cold winter days) and the collection was inspired by eccentric society girl Edie Bovier Beale. I especially loved the utilitarian 1920s-style hair.

If I didn't already have a slight obsession with knitwear, the Shao Yen presentation would have made me want to start my love affair all over again! The room was packed for the presentation, but it was definitely worth the pushing and shoving to see the collection up close. It was inspired by a quintessentially British style, and I liked it alot. That white dress is definitely on my "when I win the lottery" list....

Finally, I always love Ashley Isham: the dresses are just begging to be worn on the red carpet, and this year was no exception. The collection was inspired by "the city girl with a passion for clean lines, contemporary statement dresses and tailoring". I loved the colour scheme, which was the perfect mix of cool and rich tones. Think patriot blue, emerald, fig, black iris, smoked pearl and antique gold.

Spotted on the front row were Jameela Jamil, Jodie Harsh, and Michelle Keegan of Coronation Street fame, looking surprisingly fantastic in a graphic printed Andrew Majtenyi frock. I do admit I'm the world's worst celebrity spotter though, so I could have seen lots more celebs and just not noticed....

Love Tor xx

LFW AW12: What I wore for day one

Hi guys,

London Fashion Week kicked off this morning, and I started what is going to be a fairly hectic weekend. I always love Fashion Week, even if I don't attend a single show or party: it's just exciting to be surrounded by so many creative and fashionable people.

This year I won't be bringing you coverage from every single show I attend, but I will be writing a couple of posts a day covering trends, key pieces I've fallen in love with, a little bit of street style (because lets face it, the outfits of the fashion crowd are just as exciting as the shows) and my outfit choices.

To get the ball rolling, here's the outfit I wore for day one:



I went for comfort with my shoes, and wore my flat Jeffrey Campbell dalmatian print pumps (c/o Sarenza.) Expect to see lots of comfortable flats over the next few days: life's too short to walk over cobbles in heels!

I teamed the shoes with my Topshop skinny jeans, a striped blouse from Primark, All Saints necklace, Kenneth Jay Lane ring, and a studded bag I picked up on holiday in Egypt. Sadly, I had to wear a coat (my leather sleeved jacket from Miss Selfridge) which made the outfit look bulkier and more top heavy than I had planned. Make up wise, I went for a punchy red lipstick and statement nails.....

....Yes, I did match my nails to my shirt! I used Nail Rock nail wraps. It's the first I've used them, and they looked great and were really easy to apply. However they started to peel off really quickly: maybe I applied them wrong! Overall though, my verdict is they look great for a couple of hours (night out, special event) but aren't good for everyday wear.

What are you doing this weekend? Will you be watching any of the live steamed fashion shows? Hitting the shops? I'd love to hear your plans!

Love Tor xx

LFW SS12: Fearne Cotton for very.co.uk

Hi guys,
Last night saw the unveiling of Fearne Cotton's SS collection for very.co.uk, and I toddled along to check it out, along with lots of other lovely bloggers.

There were also plenty of celebrity guests in attendance, including Holly Wiiloughby, Whitney Port (adding fuel to the rumours that she'll be doing her own collection with Very next year) Myleene Klass, and the boys from McFly; including my mega girlhood crush, Dougie!

After a couple of cocktails we found out seats and the show began:




Am I the only one slightly creeped out by how all the models look slightly like Fearne?! Anyway, I digress! The collection was heavily seventies-inspired with pussy bow blouses and spray-on denim (both jeans and shorts). Feminine, but still with the tough, rock chick edge you'd expect from a Fearne collection. Key pieces were kept deliberately minimal: soft jersey cotton dresses and tops in simple block colours, often layered with chiffon panels. Great for layering, but a little too flimsy for wearing alone? The one piece I really liked was the mustard covered mini dress with the slightly bell-shaped skirt.

The black maxi skirt and slouchy trousers were equally covetable, and would be great for teaming with almost anything: wardrobe staples you could wear over and over!

Whilst not always to my taste, I can see this being a big seller for Fearne and Very next summer. What do you think of the new collection?

Love Tor xx

PS - I have uploaded some more photos from the show to the Fabfrocks facebook page (Including some of the celebs in attendence), if you want to check them out.

COMPETITION: Win a London Fashion Week pack, worth over £50!

Hi guys,

To celebrate that London Fashion Week is in full swing, I thought I'd run a giveaway of a LFW goody pack! The prize is the official LFW tote bag, designed by Mulberry. I've filled the tote with bangles and bracelets from Claire's Accessories, a gorgeous moisturiser from Santa Verde, the Charles Worthington Salon at Home straightening kit, a Fashion Targets Breast cancer compact mirror, and a lovely leather notepad from Tesco (the official sponsor of London Fashion Week)

There are 3 ways to enter the competition:

1. Follow the blog, using the follow box to your right.

2. Follow fabfrocks on facebook: just follow this link.
3. Sign up to the fabfrocks mailing list. (Click here to subscribe to our mailing list!)

If you do 2 of these things you will be entered into the competition twice. Enter all three ways, and you will be entered into the competition a whopping FIVE times, giving you loads more chances to win!

The competition closes at 12pm on Friday 30th September. Good luck!

Love, Tor xx

ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions

LFW SS12: Ada Zanditon

Hi guys,

As part of LFW's digital schedule, Ada Zanditon didn't give a presentation, but instead showcased the collection with the screening of a film inspired by it.

The collection was entitled Poseisus and the designs featured all of the designers trademarks: geometrical sculpturing, eye-catching prints, and innovative designs. The film took us on the journey of a greek goddess seahorse who travels the world, flowing in the current. There was clear inspiration from sea horses, and greek goddesses incorporated into the show.

After the screening two models wearing the key dresses from the collection circulated amongst the crowds. The cobweb/seahorse inspired dress looked phenomenal, but almost more impressive was the eery eye make up: the whole look left me transfixed.

One of the things I most admire about Ada Zanditon's work is her commitment to ethical and sustainable manufacturing. Ada has been dubbed the greenest rising star of London Fashion Week: but you really can't tell when looking at the quality and innovation of her designs. Leave all your preconceptions about hippie, scratchy ethical fashion at the door: this is high fashion at its best!

And here's the video from the presentation. Just turn the volume up to deafening level, and you can feel like you're actually there:

ADA Zanditon ss12 from Andrew & WIlliam Ho on Vimeo.

Love Tor xx

LFW SS12: Bernard Chandran

Hi guys,

I always enjoy the Bernard Chandran show at London Fashion Week, and I thought this year was better than ever.

The inspiration of the show was the 1950s glamour that once inspired the designers mother. But there were no twee full skirts here, and above all the collection felt thoroughly new and modern. The cuts were clean and simple: pencil shapes and straight lines topped with white cotton gloves. But with curved sculptural detailing that I completely adored! The outfits towards the end of the show that featured the white cut-out embroidery were by far my favourites:

The colour palette was at its best when it was muted, but the collection also featured greens and turquoise blues.

Of the collection, Chandran said: "This season I pay tribute to my mother. I discovered myself through her. I am truly inspired by her younger days of the fifties, where they actually took the effort to be fashionable. Given the limited resources at that time, she would take the pain to create and sew her own clothes, and put them together to look stylish. I truly admire her creativity, the passion to create and the effort to look good." Aww, I have such a soft spot for people that love their mums!

Have you been checking out the London Fashion Week coverage this season? What's been your favourite show so far?

Love, Tor xx

PS - Are you following me on facebook and twitter? Please do: I'll be sharing lots of little updates from the shows over the next couple of days!

LFW SS12: Paul Costelloe

Hi guys,

As always, London Fashion Week was opened by the very early start of the Paul Costelloe show.

Sadly, I had the worst seats ever (Fashion week tip: If you want to take photos and you aren't on row 1 or 2 just stand at the back! When you sitting on row 4/5 your photos will mostly feature the backs of people's heads, the the person sat behind you will go crazy if you stand up to take a shot or two)

That means that this will be wordy review, not a photo lead one: sorry!! The overarching theme of the Paul Costelloe show was a sixties one and the designers inspiration was the 1962 Hollywood classic What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? But it was a game of two halves. The opening dresses we minimalist, in shades of white, nudes and neutrals. Think swing jackets, micro mini dresses and oversized buttons as detailing.

In the second half of the show though, things became much more feminine. Babydoll dresses with thigh skimming skirts came in macaroon shades of pale pink and pistachio green. Empire lines were big news (bad news for busty girls like me) and the hair was piled high on top of the head in several different and unusual bun shapes: I loved it.

Want a little Paul Costelloe in your life now but on a budget? BrandAlley are having a Paul Costelloe knitwear sale right now, which pieces starting from just £14.50 Of course this isn't hot-of-the-catwalk stuff, but it is high London Fashion Week quality at budgets we ordinary gals can afford!

Love, Tor xx

PS - Are you following me on facebook and twitter? Please do: I'll be sharing lots of little updates from the shows over the next couple of days!

LFW SS12 Day One: Daily Wear

Hi guys,

Well after weeks of endless chatter and hype, London Fashion Week has finally arrived. I always love fashion week: as well as the fantastic shows, I love to people watch and see an amazing array of outfits. I also love having the chance to meet some of my favourite bloggers and brands: it makes a nice change to be surrounded by so many creative people, and fills me with new exciting ideas. Anyway, enough of my fashion week gushing!

Obviously I will be writing up all my favourite first day shows shortly, but first, here's what I wore for day one:

Yes I was brave, and gave the Topshop Unique raccoon dress a go for non-holiday wear! I'm wearing it with my waterfall jacket and watch from Clothing at Tesco. The belt is from Dorothy Perkins. The brooch is vintage. The bangles are See by Chloe. The shoes and bag are both c/o Sarenza.

The more observant amongst you will note that my fringe is no longer in my eyes! Yes, I had a lovely wash cut and blow dry this afternoon, courtesy of the Toni and Guy blow dry bar in Somerset House. I had a couple of inches taken off the bottom in an attempt to even up the layers, which I'm growing out. It's looking thicker and better already!

Right now I'm snuggled up on my sofa in my pajamas and with my favourite blanket. The perfect place to be to write up some show reviews: they're coming soon!

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

London Fashion Week and Food

Hi guys,
I love lots of things in this world, but mostly two: fashion and food. However, I always think of the two as mutually exclusive things. When I eat I generally spill something down my top (not good for the fashion) and when I'm trying to wear something lovely I try to think thin (not good for the food).

However, like all good bandwagons, several food-type emporiums (you don't hear that word enough any more!) are promoting London Fashion Week offers.

- FRAE are serving their organic fat-free yoghurt at Somerset House during London Fashion Weekend, in special fashion tubs. What's more, one special fashion lover will receive a year’s supply of its frozen yogurt too. All you have to do is buy your snack and keep your FRAE fashion yogurt tub, sign it with your email address,and return it to either FRAE Notting Hill or FRAE Camden Passage for your chance to win!


-Sketch are collaborating with mywardrobe.com to offer a LFW express lunch. From 16th September - 5th October you pay £60 for a 3 course, Michelin star champagne lunch: it's sounds expensive just for lunch, but at the end of your meal you receive a £50 voucher to spend at mywardrobe.com. Result!!


-Skinny cocktails at the Sanderson hotel (I'm counting these as food because they have fruit in them!) The menu comprises of 6 lightly crafted cocktails - all made of the freshest ingredients to maximise flavour and minimising your waist line. I've never been one to count booze as calories, but guilt-free cocktails can never be a bad thing. I'll be trying these next week, so I'll be sure to report back!

-And this is my personal favourite (I'm a gal with a sweet tooth!) is Millie's Cookies 'Cookie Couture'.Millie’s Cookies invited designers to down their needles and threads and take on the challenge to create a Cookie Couture collection, with 10% of profits being donated to each of the designer’s chosen charity.Clements Ribeiro, Elizabeth Lau, Lu Flux and Yang Du have all designed giant sharing cookies which retail at £12.99 each

Who knew that thinking about fashion week would make me feel so hungry?!

Love,
Tor xx

The Jaegar runway report challenge!

Hi guys,
I'm never one to back away from a challenge, so when John Lewis challenged me to write a report on the Jaeger A/W catwalk collection, I just couldn't say no!

The dresses are always the first thing I look at from any catwalk collection (this blog isn't called fabfrocks for nothing!) and these certainly don't disappoint. I love the mustard coloured dress: and mustard is a colour that was used liberally throughout the collection. The lines are simple and clean: they remind me of simple 60s shifts, but with longer, Seventies-style hemlines.

Jaeger is a heritage brand, so it was no surprise that there was an old English heritage feel to the collection, but with a Seventies twist. From the skirts with their preppy below-the-knee skirts to the silk blouses and even the coats with the shearling collars, there was definitely a Seventies-retro feel to this collection.

The steal-the-show pieces though (for me at least) were the knits. They were chunky, heavy-looking and surprisingly simple: unlike the coats which wanted to take all the attention with their wide lapels, leather and shealing detailing, and unusual proportions. But I just couldn't stop thinking about snuggling up in those jumpers and cardigans, which looked perfectly ladylike, cinched in the middle with belts!

And as for my second-favourite obsession, the handbags? Think classic boxy shapes in shades of tan, black and blue, with vibrant orange detailing.

-Do you love Jaegar? Then there's good news! John Lewis are running a competition where you can win two tickets to the Jaegar show at LFW. All you have to do is follow the link and enter your details. Hurry though, as the competition closes at midnight on 8th September!

Love Tor x

Images courtesy of MPDClick.com

London Fashion Week: Felicities presents and A la disposition

Hi guys,

I had a late start today which meant I had a nice long lie in this morning, then a trip to the hairdressers for a cut and colour. It's looking good, even if I do say so myself! Then it was time for the serious business of the day: fashion time!

Felicities presents

Felicities Presents was a showcase of the four youngest designers from Felicities (a fashion PR agency) The two designers who wowed me the most though were those pictured above: Saffron Knight and Evmorfia. The other designers involved in the showcase were Rainbow Winter and Lall London.

I loved the hard structure of the Evmorfia pieces, and was wowed by the pattern and detail on the dresses by Saffron Knight: i've seen her work before but it's never really made a strong impression on my. These more detailed softer pieces are definitely more to my taste.

A la disposition

I couldn't stop staring at the eyes of the models: the make up at this show was phenomenal and all the models were wearing red contact lens: the looked almost demonic. I also loved the frizzy hair: if frizz is coming back then I am truly in vogue!

The theme of the show was "The Utopian Aviary". I loved the contrast of the colours: shimmering and vibrant oranges reds and greens sat alongside black grey and brown like Autumnal plummage. The structural pieces with the oversized collars were the real showstoppers, whilst heavy velvet dresses and feminine blouses were completely wearable. The show was a real mix of simplistic pieces one minute, then elabourate structural pieces the next. I loved the contrast, and the enderstated but lavish sense of style.

Love, Tor

London Fashion Week: Bernard Chandran and Belle Sauvage on day 2

Hi guys,

Day two of fashion week started with lots of rain, which lead to an outfit dilemma: comfort or style?! I went for comfort in my skinny jeans and brogues, but still ended up with cold wet feet. This probably has something to do with the hours spent queuing outside in the rain: The Bernard Chandran show was especially late. At least my hair didn't get wet: thank God for my Lulu Guiness umbrella from Brand Alley! The queuing was made much more bearable because I bumped into Jenny from the Style PA enroute to my first show, and we kept ourselves occupied with chatting and gossiping.

The Bernard Chandran show

Although it was delayed, the Bernard Chandran show was worth the wait. I was in the worst possible position to take pictures, so I won't bore you with loads of grainy wobbly shots, and you'll have to make do with description instead:

As this grainy shot shows, the colours were bold and bright, and the collection features lots of hood and capes, even on more formal dresses. Coats and jackets were oversized and quilted with cinched in waists, and this theme was taken into the evening wear with my favourite piece of the show: a floor length quilted evening gown.

Around the waist of almost every outfit was an adornment i'm going to describe as a one sided peplum on a thick black belt. These gave each piece a very structural almost architectural feel, and were a key focus point because, aside from several pieces in vibrant red lace, the embellishment was fairly minimal this season.

The Belle Sauvage show

I love Belle Sauvage, and it's always one of the shows I look forward to. The prints are always phenomenal, and the music and attendees are always too cool for school. (Which I am obviously not, because I use phrases like too cool for school!) I loved everything about this show: the dresses, the modern-rebel hair, the styling.

The prints were considerably more toned down and muted than they have been in previous seasons. The dresses were figure hugging with bold shoulders and slash details. Hems were either super short or ankle length, but I saw enough slender thighs to be able to say the midi will be long gone for Belle Sauvage by this time next year.

As always though, the focus was more about the print than the cut. One thing I couldn't stop focusing on was the shoes: they were epic! Seriously high and severe black wedges with endless embellishment: fringing, studding, chains, you name it! They were exactly to my taste, and truly irresistable!

Love, Tor xx

London Fashion Week: Ada Zanditon presentation

Hi guys,
How's fashion week treating you all? My week started slowly, but yesterday was a great day. I love fashion week, not only for the shows, but also because I love mingling with other bloggers and checking out when all the stylish people on the streets are wearing: I always prefer to get my style inspiration from real people than from celebs and other unattainable peoples. I'll start writing up yesterday's shows asap, but for now here's some amazing footage from the presentation I was most gutted to miss on Friday:

I cannot tell you how disappointed I was to miss the Ada Zanditon presentation. I always love Zanditon's sharp angles and architectural designs, and this video inspired by the collection and directed by Andrew and William Ho had my mouth watering. It starts slowly but bear with it: about 30 seconds in you will see gorgeous dresses and hot make up- prepare to lust!

The collection was called "The Cryoflux" and has been proclaimed as the designers most beautiful and wearable to date. The collection comprised of lots of navy and black with flashes of orange, sculptural silhouettes and massive overtones of modern science fiction.

What does "The Cryoflux" actually mean? I have no idea, and even when I read this explanation it's no clearer to me, but it sounds both exciting and empowering: "Under the frozen surface of Jupiter's moon Europa, has evolved a new species: The Cryoflux. Descending onto earth she arrives in the barren darkness of the Antarctic winter, to explore a frozen world in an unfamiliar state of flux. Clothed in powerfully sculptured attire, encompassing vibrant flames and ice shattering prints, she reflects her surroundings. She voyages through the tenacious climate which is constantly cracking and reforming around her."

My favourite piece is the rich orange pea coat with the oversize sculptural sleeves. It's the first piece i've seen this season that i've been desperate to add to my own wardrobe. I'll say it again for emphasis: I cannot believe I missed this show!

Love, Tor xx

London Fashion Week: One day to go!

Hi guy,
Well as you probably know (unless you live in a media-less cave) there is just one day to go until the start of London Fashion Week. My tickets are organised, my e-tickets are printed, and i've just started panicking about what i'm going to wear. I always realise too late that I should do more prep: I have three designers to interview and I haven't written a single question yet. So it is going to be a very late night for me!

Luckily, the lovely folks at vitaminwater (one of the official London Fashion Week sponsors) have sent me over a fashion week survival kit to help get me organised: I can't wait to try out the dermalogica kit, which couldn't have come at a better time, as i'm suffering a horrible break out. And who knows, maybe a bottle of vitamin water (or eight!) will sort out my addled brain and help me get myself organised: the clock is ticking!

Keep checking back for all of my show coverage, pictures of other lovely bloggers, and other fun fashion week happenings!

Love, Tor xx

Mercedes Fashion Car-bootique - i'm a winner!

Hi guys,
To celebrate London Fashion Week, Mercedes Benz launched a "carbootique" on ebay: car themed products by over 60 fab UK-based designers were on sale, with all proceeds going to charity: Fashion East & to the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. There were some great products: Henry Holland made some pimped up car dice (which I loved, but the bidding went to high) and there was an Erdem sausage dog, perfect for any interiors lover!

I was the winner of three great items: the Charlotte Olympia car bumper stickers (for just £1.21) The Katie Hillier leather keyring (for just over £10) and the Holly Fulton telephone earrings (for £12) I was especially excited about the keyring and the earrings: Katie Hillier, of Marc Jacobs fame, has just started designing handbags with Victoria Beckham, so this was probably the only chance I had of affording something from her! And when I looked on the Browns website, the Holly Fulton earrings were retailing for £125, so I had an absolute bargain (although the earrings haven't arrived yet - I jump everytime I hear the postman!)

Just a little post to share my excitement about my winnings really! Watch this space, by the way, because by the end of the week I will have another exciting giveaway for all of you lovely ladies!

Love, Tor xx