Question: What do you wear to a winter graduation?

Everyone I know (until recently) has graduated in the summer. I always thought this was the standard university way: until December when i'm confronted with my sisters snowy graduation and no idea what to wear! For every other graduation i'd been to a floaty tea dress and pretty heels had been the easy order of the day! This was as much a dillemma for both my sisters and my mum, so I thought the next installment of my "what to wear..." series would cover what to wear to a winter graduation.

What do you wear to a winter graduation?

Young or old, the perfect piece for the winter graduation (if you have the money for this as well as a lovely outfit, of course!) is a statement coat. My mum wore a beautiful calf-length cream wool number covered in black embroidery, which she teamed with tailored black trousers and a red silk top (for an injection of colour) I couldn't afford a new coat, so opted for my smartest navy mac. It might not seem that important, but given that all but the professional pictures are likely to be taken outdoors, people will see more of your coat than anything else.

If you really feel the cold I suggest you balance the neccessary accessorising with colour coordination; its OK not to freeze in a hat, scarf, and gloves, as long as they all match; if you really want to coordinate, match it to your top or dress underneath as well!

With a winter graduation it is tempting to whip out the sparkle: the shops are full of Christmas party dresses, and this is a special occasion, the bad devil on your shoulder tells you. Don't be tempted: you'll only stand out for all the wrong reasons. The outfit you're looking for is a smart formal day time outfit: something you wouldn't be ashamed for your Grandma to see you in!

If you fancy wearing something a little more attention grabbing then you could do a lot worse than this seasons winter florals: a wintery take on the traditional florals most people wear to a graduation:

And of course for those of you than wouldn't wear a skirt for love nor money, the winter graduation is a Godsend; skirts are almost expected in the summer, but in the winter there's nothing you can't do with a well-tailored pair of trousers. Opt for a brown or navy blue to avoid blending in with the crowd or accentuate your dramatic nature with black on black.

Another thing to bear in mind (with summer as well as winter graduations) is that if you are going to be walking across lawns to reception tents or photography beauty spots think about what you wear on your feet! As always the usual "rule" to stay comfortable applies and in this case it is also important to think about staying warm; there's nothing worse than having to rush through such a special day because all you can think about is how cold your toes are!

I opted for a coral black and blue floral skater dress with thick black tights and knee high black boots. I teamed it with my navy blue mac, a black scarf and black hat: it was warm and comfortable, but looked really smart on the day. And it really was a special day all round!

Love, Tor xx

Question: What do you wear on a first date?

I try not to be too perscriptive when dresses for situations. As far as i'm concerned there is no set thing you should wear to a wedding or a job interview. But today a friend emailed me a question i'm sure hundreds of women the world over ask everyday, and I thought I would have a go at answering it:

What would you wear for a date with a boy you really like?

My initial answer to this was a hundred questions (starting with "who is this boy!?") Where is the date? When is the date? Where are you going? Because not only am I nosey, but I also don't think there is one answer to what you wear on a first date without knowing all the facts, and by answering these simple questions with your wardrobe in mind you can easily work out the answer yourself!

1. Where is the date geographically?
Is it near your house or a trek across town? In Covent garden (think hundreds of cobbles!) or at the top of several flights of stairs? There is nothing more off putting for any chap (so i'm told!) than a girl who can't walk in her shoes or complains constantly about her feet. So if you know there's going to be lots of walking keep your heels low or sneak a pair of flats in your handbag for the long walk home!

Similarly if you know your going to be bar hopping, talking a long bus home or going for a romantic walk then don't forget your coat! It might not look that chic with your carefully prepared outfit and we all know any truly chivalrous man will offer you his anyway, but you'll always be that girl who made him get frostbite and a nasty cold!! Not a good first-date look!

2.When is the date?
A Saturday night date gives you more time to prep, and I always think you can dress up a bit more for a weekend date than you can for an afterwork bite to eat! (Especially given most girls glam up on a Saturday night, even if they're just going to the pub!)

Of course if you are meeting straight from the office then redoing your hair and makle up, and even full outfit changes are normal, but (in my opinion) off putting; who has their full Saturday night make up and a sparkly dress on at 6.30pm on a Tuesday night? I would suggest your normal work outfit but with a few updating touches: an attention grabbing necklace, swap those heels for flats, change your top and you're ready to go!

3. Where are you going?
So you have on your slinkiest body con dress....and then he takes you for a five course dinner. What looked all svelt and slinky isn't looking so good with a food and wine stuffed pot belly is it? If you know your going to be dining out and (like me) your tummy expands a little when you eat then make sure your wearing something that fits a little looser on your middle.

Going on an old school bowling and hot dog date? Then leave the short skirts at home! Noone wants to see your knickers everytime you throw a ball. And if he does on a first date then he's probably not the kind of chap I would approve of you dating anyway (I'm very fussy!)!!
Actually I would avoid any kind of skirt when bowling; I promise you bowling shoes don't make anyones legs look attractive!

All it takes is a little bit of thought and a little bit more logic, and choosing what to wear for the perfect date is easy. And above all, make sure that your comfortable. If you feel your best in jeans then wear jeans; you can dress denim up for almost any occasion, so there's no need to borrow or buy a skirt or dress than makes you feel uncomfortable and not like you. Because if he doesn't like you then its time to send him back where you found him anyway!!

4. Boobs or legs but not both!

I hate style rules but this is one I will stick to 'til the end of my days. I don't believe "if you've got it flaunt it!" In fact, my mother taught me that having it was a very good reason indeed not to flaunt it at all. But if you do want to show off your never ending legs or your cracking cleavage then pick one and keep the other covered up; looking like a glamour model isn't classy and it isn't clever. Unless you are a glamour model of course. In which case it's probably a good idea to look like one!

5. It's all a matter of personal taste.
What's perfect for one person will make another cringe: that's the fabulous, subjective, interesting, different thing about fashion! Here's my perfect date outfit:

What's your go-to date outfit? Do you have any tips to add to this?

Love, Tor xx

Outfit 1: All from Oasis
Outfit 2: All from Topshop
Outfit 3: All from New Look
Outfit 4: Various highstreet stores

Somebody just burst my bubble!

Firstly, many thanks to my lovely sister Amie (who should've shown off her pretty face but didn't, so i've done it for her below) for sort of looking after the blog! Not quite the post a day I was promised, but a great effort and some pretty matching shoes and bags, despite my aversion to both!

Amie loves shopping, especially for baloon animals.

Secondly, my holiday was fantastic, thanks! I relaxed, ate as much local cuisine as possible and did a little local shopping; of the famed leather goods I indulged in a bag, purse, and make up bag. Oh and Mike brought me a lovely turquoise and silver ring; the perfect souvenir! Yum!

Thirdly, it appears that whilst I was away some nastiness appeared on this here blogosphere that felt like a cold bucket of water being thrown over the head and so although i'm sure you've read it all over the place, i'm going to say what's on my mind!

Although I occassionally mock gently, i'm a big fan of the Stylebubble blog, and of Susie's personal style and encyclopedic fashion knowledge. I will also admit quietly that i'm more than slightly jealous of her good looks, great job and wonderful writing style. Stylebubble was one of the first fashion blogs I read and it inspired me to start my own (after i'd done some professional blogging for a little while and wasn't passionate about the celebrity copy I was creating) For me, and thousands of others i'm sure, Susie was the inspiration to start a creative outlet of my own.

Photo from WendyB who apparently got it from Stylebubble via Racked.

So imagine how perturbed I was to find that Susie felt she had to remove pictures of herself looking rather adorable in a Pam Hogg catsuit (the very same ones I deemed unwearable, I feel vindicated to report) because her "people" felt it was bad publicity. This to me seems ridiculous; Susie is undoubtable the most famous and successful in a sea of thousands of fashion bloggers. And having your pop up store and overpriced goods advertised to this readership, and for free, seems to me like a very very good deal.

This also raises some serious questions for not-so-famous bloggers like me; I regularly do "changing room guerilla posts" where I try on outfit after outfit, and write nice things, often write some not very complimentary things. Do I need permission from the store to do this? Am I breaking any laws by taking these pictures and publishing them, and will this in turn damage my credibility? It seems likely that the stores dont want people taking these photos, as I was once asked to stop photographing the sunglasses in H&M. But is this a legal requirement aimed at protecting copyright of the garment (which I can sort of understand) or one aimed at preventing uncomplimentary publicity?Does anyone know any more about this than me and want to advise?

Either way, poor Susie was left feeling embarrassed and like a square peg in a round hole (my words, not hers) I know how this feels. Ms Hogg's people made pretty and petite Susie feel like she was too short/fat/plain and shouldn't fit into the fashion industy.

And to make matters worse, some awful chap called Terrence on refinery 29 wrote this about Susie on a piece she wrote in the Metro about Graduate Fashion Week: Susie Bubble is a celebrity blogger now, on this note we can all agree. However, she is NOT 'pretty', nor 'interesting looking' or in any way fit to model designer's clothes. At least Beth Ditto modeling for magazine covers is interesting because SHE is interesting in looks, life, and attitude (original and unique). Andy Warhol was right - anyone can make themselves famous.

This makes me angry as 1. I saw that feature in the metro and thought she looked beautiful (and that the outfits she'd picked were inspirational) and 2. because of the message that gives to genuinely normal ladies like me. I love taking photos of myself for this little blog; looking fat in dresses that are labelled wrong or wearing crazy patterns when i'm told that as a size 14/16 I should be wearing black. I love wearing clothes (just like Susie but not with the same level as finesse) and don't think anyone has the right to say that you have to be a certain size or shape or have a certain level of attractiveness to wear something. And it makes me worry that if because can be so cruel to Susie, who is half my size, they can almost certainly be as cruel to me. I have received emails about the "appropriateness" of someone my size wearing certain clothes, and I can tell you, it hurts!

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Why, when everyone has to wear clothes everyday, do certain parts of the fashion industry have to me so damn bloody elitist?! And what on earth are other normal men and women doing validating this by critising people they dont even know, based purely on how they look, compared to an impossible ideal!?

No, Mr Stylist, there are no fixed rules about what you have to wear if you are an "apple" "pear" or shaped like any other kind of wretched fruit. All that matters is that you feel pretty/sexy/stylish - whatever you're going for at the time! No, Miss Fashion Editor, I dont have to wear black because "with my hips it's slimming". Speaking of which (whilst i'm ranting) why is it that 90% of designers stop making their clothes at a size 12, when more than 50% of the population is bigger? Would my fat hips give their label a bad name, just like Susie's enviable frame was "bad publicity" for Pam Hogg? Its all lunacy!

If Susiebubble wants to dress up like a bananna/christmas bauble/gorilla then let her because it makes her happy and she looks great! And if I want to wear floral leggings with a floral dress on holiday (despite the jeers of the locals. Sigh!) then I damn well can, because I felt great!

So my message I think is this: keep up the good work Susie, because you're an inspiration!
Phew. Rant over, and pre holiday tension returned. Back to business as usual I think!

Love, Tor x

Kate Moss for Topshop SS09 hits stores tomorrow

I think the title says it all: if you liked the last Kate Moss for Topshop collection you'll probably like this one (they all seem a bit samey to me!) There is a twist this time though: In a first for Topshop, the new collection includes seven key pieces sporting prints inspired by Liberty's design archive. They hit the stores tomorrow morning, so get up bright and early and hit the shops, whichever side of the Atlantic you happen to be on!

When I saw these pictures I was more interested in how Kate looked than in the dresses. There's no doubt that Kate looks amazingly gorgeous in these shots. She says the look was inspired by photos of her mum in the 70s. But when I see these images it only reminds me how important styling and good photography is in promoting a campaign, and that getting that right can turn almost anyone into a model.

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I'm not a huge Kate Moss fan although I do admire her attitude and her business acumin. But when you put the usual photos you see of Kate (looking hungover, wearing those faded jeans again, hair slicked back and almost always looking the wrong side of wash day) alongside these its almost impossible to tell they are the same person. And would you be inclined to buy a dress sold by the Kate you often see in the tabloids? Selling clothes is like selling yourself in any line of work: you have to look the part to convince other people that you are!

I don't yet know how these dresses look in person (rest assured I will be trying them on for your viewing pleasure!) but it always scares me a little when clothes are overstyled to look good- if Kate Moss needs that skirt swirling around her waist for it to look good, how is it going to look on me?! Does everyone remember the boxy star shirt from the last collection? They had to unbutton all but one button to make that work and nobody brought it!

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Having said that, I always say that a good hair cut and the right make up can make anyone look and feel better about themselves, and Kate Moss is certainly living breathing proof of that! She looks absolutely stunning and i'm even toying with digging out my old rollers and giving that hair 'do a go myself!

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Lots of love,

Tor

Couture: Madame X and fetish wear

Okay blogsphere,

I am an ill young woman. I have not been blogging and the glorious Tor has been taking my load. The truth is that I am still ill but there is a time when one has to put aside one's debilitating conditions and mucus membrane disorders to talk loudly and openly about sequins.

I'm not missing couture, no sir, not for no one.

So, we've got the big guns: Dior, Gaultier, Armani Prive, Lacroix and the beloved Valentino. I'm not going to talk about the departure of the big V because he and his chiffon deserve a post all their own. Equally, I'm going to gloss over Armani, even though there were some glorious things on show, particularly his foray into geometric-shapes-plus-pleating. It was, surprisingly, one of the least stodgy collections around *cough* Givenchy *cough*.

Click to make large 'n' pretty, cuz Mr Armani likes it big:

Nope, I want to talk about the triumph of the Erdem collection and the failure (in my eyes) of the work at Dior.

Erdem first - what an awesome display of goth-itude. Truly, this collection was beautiful, youthful, some pieces conceivable as daywear and had all the fun of the gimp suit without the sweaty PVC crotch. I loved it:

I especially found the first look with its leather-queen/Victoriana duality. If Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady went to this sort of Ascot, I'm pretty sure she woulda got her face cut good. Excellent. The Alexander McQueen-y black gown with its lovely organic forms (read: twigs for lashing) sprouting from the bodice is gorgeous - beautiful and quite possibly evil. The onesie/haemophiliac gimp suit is genius. Love the softness of the chiffon bolero. I've covered up the finale wedding dress with Gary the Gimp, mostly because I enjoy him so much but also because the key to the whole outfit is that severe neck ruff. No bride will be biting her stitches on Erdem's watch, that's fo sure.

Dior, however was shocking. Now, I love Galliano as much as any fashion nerd but although his couture was undeniably lovely and beautifully constructed, it felt like so much revisited territory. Now, this was also my problem with Alexander McQueen's 'best of' S/S08 collection. I've already seen this boys - dream me a new dream. Galliano was way into his citrus brights and complex chinoserie AGAIN only this time he has additional reference points in John Singer Sargent's Madame X and in the lacquered updoes of Diana Vreeland's Vogue years.

(from L-R) Look at the difference between A/W 07 couture (little pic) and A/W 08 Dior (big pic). Not an inspiring leap - at least not for me. You can see Madame X giving good neckline inspiration for the sparkly blue gown. I dunno - I feel like when I look at this painting, the Dior dress looks all the more Las Vegas and not in a good way. I really like the final two gown - the cell membrane-y print, the fractured sun (Klimt = another big influence this season) but I don't feel that the collection ultimately coheres and I certainly don't feel that pit of stomach awe that Dior usually conjures. And that sucks.

However, I am obsessed with one factor - the hair.

Crazy anti-gravity Edwardian hair. Yes, Yes and Yes. It's 1.40am now but at 11pm, I felt the Dior spirit rush through me and dear god, I began to style. This was ill advised especially since I was knackered and in my scuzzy mismatched pyjamas. Still, the fashion magazines are all saying pyjamas are practically acceptable daywear now, right? Right? So I backcombed and ratted and hairsprayed until I thought my arm would fall off, et voila:

I just couldn't get the curve right. What's more pathetic is that it took AGES. Forgive me, I am a hair dunce and I deserved all I got. Apparently catwalk styling can't be achieved with an amateur with just Elnett, Boots own make-up and a dream.

If you'll excuse me, I have to get the mascara out of my eyebrows - it's starting to set.

Love,
Becky.