The overlooked store tour: Internacionale

Hi guys,
Our high streets are full of shops: some of them great, lots of them good, and many of them sadly not worth even popping in to. But we all have our favourite shops, and often choose to overlook the ones that aren't on our radar. For me a trip to the highstreet involves Topshop, French Connection, Miss Selfridges, Primark and Urban Outfitters. These are the shops that always have something I know I'll want, and that makes for very easy shopping. But it doesn't encourage me to push my boundaries, or really give the other retailers a chance.

Which is why I decided to put together this series: the overlooked store tour. A look at some of the shops on most high streets that I would never think to go into. And who knows: maybe we'll all discover a new hidden gem we'd never visited before, but couldn't live without!

Internacionale isn't a store I see very often, and one I go into even less frequently. It looks cheap: it is cheap. (The prices are equivilent to Primark). And it always seems to be frequented by 13 year old girls wearing far too much make-up, accompanied by their harrassed-looking mums. But actually it contains some hidden gems: last week I picked up a thick cotton midi skirt for £7.99 which I've worn three times, and now don't know how I lived without!

Here is a sneak peek at some of their new season pieces which will be appearing in store any day now:

Particularly worth mentioning are their coloured skinny jeans (in gorgeous sorbet shades) for £17.99 and scallop edged vests in a variety of patterns and colours for just £6.99. I've never picked up shoes or jewellery for Internacionale, so I can't vouch for the quality, but I do know that the cotton washes really well, and fits like a dream!

Have you ever shopped in Internacionale? And how would you rate it?

Love Tor xx

Get ready for spring with very.co.uk

Hi guys,

On Friday I made a flying visit to check out newest Spring/Summer offerings from very.co.uk. They are fast coming into their own, and could soon challenge ASOS as a one stop online shopping destination.

As a fashion blogger I probably shouldn't say this, but I'm always reluctant about shopping online when I don't know what the fabric or quality of the garment will be. I'm so tactile that I just can't bear to wear cheap fabrics against my skin. My mind was definitely put to rest on that front where Very is concerned though: I was very impressed!


These two floor length dresses are from the new LoveLabel Luxe range: higher end pieces from Very's own brand LoveLabel range. The gold sequinned dress is show stopping. It was the first piece to grab everyone's eyes as they entered the room.



I surprised myself by liking several pieces from ranges I wouldn't normally look at: the cobalt blue dress with the pleated skirt is from the Coleen Rooney range (there was also a buttery soft leather jacket in her range that I loved) And the red dress shown above is by DeeVee (Diana Vickers). It's definitely on my 'must have' list: I can't resist tunic dresses and Sixties details.

I'm still trying to save money by not hitting the shops (I'm especially avoiding impulse-based, trend-led purchases). Which is a shame. Because I think my money would be in serious danger on this website.....

Love Tor xx

Sneak peak: Primark S/S12 Collections

Hi guys,
It's cold. In fact, it's colder than cold. The sudden drop in temperature means that not only am I wearing a hat, scarf, and gloves, I'm also wearing a coatigan under my coat and tights under my leggings! But that doesn't mean I don't want to indulge in a little 'when it's warmer' fantasy, and look at some gorgeous S/S collections....

Whatever your stance on Primark, they always make their look books look amazing. The clothes are always bang on trend, massively wearable, and affordable too. Although I have noticed an increase in prices throughout the store: dresses that would have been £10-12 are now £17. It's still not a massive amount of money for a new dress, but I do hope as prices increase the quality continues to as well.

Here are some of my favourite pieces from their S/S collection, all of which will be landing in a store near you very soon:

Spotted blouse, £10, Yellow chinos, £11, Skinny belt, £2. Court shoes, £10.
Colour block shift dress, £17.

Bird print shift dress, £13
Contrast sleeve floral blouse, £12. Coral trousers, £12. Court shoes, £10.

Floral dress, £17. Rope belt, £2. Bag, £8.
Green shirt dress, £17.

I have been very good at sticking to my resolution not to buy faddy trends or make impulse buys of things I don't need. And I know I can resist the plethora of pretty dresses, as my wardrobe is already full of them. Nonetheless, I know that spotty blouse will be mine.....

As well as having an amazing selection of women's wear (who can argue after seeing the pictures above) they also stock gorgeous menswear, homewares, and kids' clothes too. I'm slightly obsessed with buying clothes for my niece at the moment, and often pop to Primark. I also love Emma Bunton's new kidswear range for Argos - particularly her girls clothing - and H&M have a too-cool-for-school selection too.

Have you had any great Primark purchases lately? And what are your thoughts on the upwardly shifting price tags?

Love Tor xxx

River Island S/S preview

Hi guys,
This morning I popped to the River Island S/S press day. Now you all know I'm a massive fan of River Island, and I get half of my dresses from there (they fit my shape like a dream) so I was especially excited to see what I would be wearing next season. Prepare for a picture heavy post:


These two pieces were from the Sugar collection: the most overtly feminine trend and my favourite one! It featured lots of lovely pastels, chiffons, applique flowes, and all of the fabrics were floaty and sheer. Some of these tops and dresses were just made to be toughened up with denim and leather: perfect!





The collection was divided into 6 trends: Miami, Spring Break, Prairie, Ehtnic, Purist, and Sugar.

The acid brights and extrovert patterns of the Miami trend were the most eyecatching (and looked the best in photographs too) although not to my personal tastes. I did however love all the beaded and embellished accessories of the ethnic trend: that oversized beaded bag has my name written all over it!

As I sit here typing, wearing a sea of black and smothered in cozy knitwear, I'm already beginning to see the appeal of a new lighter, brighter Spring wardrobe!

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.

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!