Brilliant Bravissimo: A review

Hi guys,

Last week I was invited to Bravissimo for a bra fitting. I've always hated having my bra fitted: it's usually an uncomfortable experience, especially the fitting I had at La Senza, where when they realised they didn't do a cup big enough the woman insisted on putting me up 2 band sizes to get cup to fit and told me that was my correct bra size. I wore my bras like that for months, until I had a lovely fitting at Debenhams, where they put my in a proper sized bra. But the best fitting i've ever had was last week, at Bravissimo.

I think a lot of that was down to Michelle, my fitter, who was lovely and put me completely at ease, whilst chatting about anything and everything whilst we tried on hundreds of bras. Bravissimo fitters don't use tape measures, they fit by eye, and Michelle was amazing at choosing my size and finding something I would be comfortable with. I think that I was completely at ease whilst standing topless in front of a stranger says everything.

Because I have a large cup size but a comparatively narrow back width, it is usually really difficult to buy pretty underwear: my choice is usually "do I buy the black set or the white set". But not in Bravissimo. The range and amount of choice was a revelation! There were even padded bras available in my cup size! (Although I didn't get one, that's still a big wow!)

I opted for a very pretty set in black with a 1920s-style art deco pattern on it, in purple and mustard. More so than the pattern though, I love the fit: my boobs are lifted and separated whilst being supported better than they ever have before, and the extra lift means my clothes look and fit better too: since I got this new bra, putting on any of my old ones has felt like a disappointment. I'm going to make a big investment in the New Year and replace all my old badly fitting underwear with new Bravissimo stuff: the new bra makes it look like i've lost inches off my waist, and that's got to be worth a few quid on new underwear!! (That's how i'm justifying it to myself, anyway!)

I wished i'd taken some photos of the process, and better ones of the lovely relaxing changing rooms, but when your standing around wearing nothing but your knickers and tights, it's hard to remember to get your camera out as well! Still, if you're bigger busted and you want a bra that fits properly and looks amazing, it's definitely worth heading down to find out how great Bravissimo is for yourself.

Love, Tor xx

Sarenza high heel race - a weekend in Paris

Hi guys,

I want to start by saying phew, what a weekend!! About a month ago I asked you guys to vote for me to go to Paris to take part in the Sarenza high heel race. Well you voted, and this weekend we went! On Friday morning Mike and I headed to Paris with Amy from Wolfwhistle (and her lovely mum Sue) Reena from Fashion Daydreams (and her gorgeous pal Mariana) and eleven other UK teams. Twelve British teams took on twelve French teams in the ultimate high heel battle. Now I don't want to get your hopes up: our team didn't win. But on the bright side, we didn't come last either!!

To really build up the rivalry (and encourage our national pride) we were asked to race in costume. The theme for our costumes was English eccentrics: we decided to go for a very English Alice in Wonderland theme. Reena dressed as Alice, Amy dressed as the Mad Hatter, Mariana dressed as the Cheshire Cat, and I was the White Rabbit:

We saw the event as a bit of fun, but the French teams took the race incredibly seriously: we were talking to some teams who had been training for months, and many of the teams had strapped their shoes to their feet with masking tape. I couldn't believe how big the race was: there were several film crews and more photographers than I have ever seen before.

The event was held at the Piscine Molitor in Central Paris, which is this incredibly cool building covered in graffiti (as you can see in the pics) that used to be a swimming pool. I couldn't believe how many people had turned up to watch the race, and hearing everyone cheering as you ran really built up our competitive spirit, even if I was frightened my shoes would fall off or I would fall over! There were a couple of falls, and one poor girl had the heel of her shoe come off as she was running: ouch! It was a fun night though, and the perfect way to start a weekend in Paris (even if the journey did take nine hours from start to finish, because of the wretched snow and I was blighted by 'flu!) We went to the Christmas Market on the Champs Elysees, The Louvre, and the Galeries Lafayette to see the Christmas decorations:

Thank you to Sarenza for an incredible weekend!

Love, Tor xxx

Debenhams S/S11 Press day lust!

Hi guys,
Yesterday I went to the Debenhams press day, and it was amazing: I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of new season clothes and accessories available to go crazy cooing over. Although i'm still in love with my winter coat and I love wrapping up warm, i'm also starting to get excited about next summer and the excuse to shop for pretty summer dresses again.
Prepare for a picture heavy post: I took alot of snaps!

Bags, glorious bags!! The satchel shape still seemed popular, and I was delighted to see so much tan everywhere for next season; it's my absolute favourite colour for leather! The tribal/animal print trend was also everywhere for accessories: not to my taste but some beautiful looking pieces with really luxurious fabrics.

Shoes are a personal weakness: I have more than any girl could need in a lifetime. But that doesn't mean my heart doesn't race when I see a wall full of shoes: I am human. The Faith line seems to be thriving since Debenhanms bought it out and inhouse when they went bankrupt: the cork-look heels in the middle of the wall are a particular fave!

I love the Red Herring frill detail jacket on the left, and couldn't resist a shot of some Henry Holland: his collections seem to get better and better (I know i've said that before!)Back on the satchel chat, most of the H! bags were satchel shaped and I loved them: great details and colours.

Red Herring is my favourite of all the brands stocked in debenhams (despite it being the cheapest) It's so fashion-forward and easy to wear! I love the casual styling of this outfit, but the real attention grabbers are the brown boots: I wish they were instore now, as they're just what i'm looking for in all this snow!

I can't resist eveningwear, even though I hardly wear it. The dresses in the first picture are from the new Edit collection (these were the only ones on show)The other dresses are perfect for weddings/the races/garden parties: the formal floral, again, isn't to my taste but I love the pattern and the thick cotton fabric.

Yes i'm going to say it: The dreaded H word. I love these maxi dresses and wide legged trousers for my honeymoon: the holiday wear and bikinis for next summer were lovely, and I am obsessed with the Tripp luggage in the second picture: such lovely vibrant colours, and so much more exciting than the boring black luggage everyone else carries!

Love, Tor xxx