Selfridges celebrates the Great in Great Britain

Hi guys,
Did you notice that this year is probably a good year to be feeling patriotic? No? Where have you been, hiding under a rock! With the Jubilee and the Olympics, apparently there's no better time to be British. And to celebrate Selfridges is about to launch the biggest display of retail theatre and in-store excitements of its 103-year history.

From Friday 4 May and running until the end of August, Selfridges will present The Big British Bang, a mash-up of British culture, history and tradition, from iconic to eccentric and from royals to rebels. Spanning the Jubilee-Olympics period, Selfridges’ British Big Bang will collide exclusive products, events and special initiatives together to celebrate all that Great Britain does like no other nation on earth including etiquette, humour, customs, fashion, art, sports, food – even marmite! Exciting much? Yes. I bloody love marmite!! 

So what else can we look forward to? During the event the Concept Store will be the ultimate destination for products ranging from fashion to food, irresistibly loaded with British character especially created for Selfridges by some of the most iconic British brands. From Union Jack-lined Barbour jackets, to a new range of Fred Perry polo shirts designed by artist Peter Blake and bespoke navy blazers with Union Jack embroidered motif by Gieves & Hawkes. Also included are hand-knitted striped hunting socks by Emma Willis and her hand-finished, proper British boxer shorts. Many traditional British wares with flair and impeccable pedigree will be available.

However, modern Britain will be there too. From Mulberry with a Union Jack-embellished version of its Bayswater hit bag, to Rupert Sanderson’s red white and blue strap heels or Nicholas Kirkwood’s crazy pearly queen six-inch heels and even Ted Baker offering an accessories collection with typically English halcyon days references.

Many more brands including Penhaligon’s, Mr Wingate, Tom Dixon, Emma Bridgewater, have created special designs for the Selfridges’ Big British Shop. Vivienne Westwood completes the starry line up of British fashion designers by designing a series of windows for the store. Selfridges windows are always my favourite ones: whenever I have a meeting near Oxford street I always walk the long way round so that I can check them out! 

As well as shopping there will also be events including afternoon tea parties and entertainment lineups. As if I ever needed any excuse to hit the shops, now I can say its my national duty. Let's shop for our country!! 

Want to find out more? Then visit selfridges.com

Love Tor xx

Fabfrocks picks: This summer's best swimwear

Hi guys,

Now that the torrent of rain and flood water has subsided (fingers crossed) we can once again resume normal service and start daydreaming about our wonderful summer wardrobe to come. Of course because of all of the tropical holidays I have booked (none!) and the long summer days I spend lounging around our local swimming pool (none) that means I got to thinking about finding the perfect swimwear.

It's a mission I set myself every summer, and every summer I fail. I think you either have the perfect bikini body, in which case a hanky tied together with two bits of string will look amazing on you. Or you don't, in which case everything you try on will make you feel like a sack of potatoes. So this summer I have given up the search for perfection (no swimsuit will make me look like a supermodel, no matter how much it costs!) and instead started the search for pretty happy patterned fun! With that in mind, here's my pick of the best swimwear available on the highstreet:

Peacock swimsuit, We Are Handsome, £180
Red and black high waist bikini, Topshop, £32
Red heart swimsuit, Clothing at Tesco, £14
Neon green bikini, Kurt Gieger, £40
Tropical lily swimsuit, Matalan, £15
Mara Hoffman lace up bikini, Net a porter, £210

Have you found the perfect swimsuit? Or do you (like me) just have something fitted and functional for hitting the pool in? I love to swim, so mine is supportive and functional, rather than pretty. But I would love to lounge around a tropical pool like a glamour puss one day....

Love Tor xx

PS- There is less than a week left to enter my amazing fashionpony competition: you could win a whole new outfit! What are you waiting for? Head over and enter now!

Fabfrocks chats to: Tats and Tempest

Hi guys,
Ever since I got my ipad, I have been slightly obsessed with it. And when my parents got me a leopard print Steve Madden case for it, it became my favourite fashion accessory: it gets all dressed up and goes everywhere with me! So I totally get why technology accessories are becoming such a fast-growing market. And where there is market growth, there are new brands popping up all the time!

One such brand is Tats and Tempest. Founded and designed by Marcus Tezcan, this is a brand that specialises in gorgeous leather technology accessories: think cases for ipads, laptops, and mobile phones. As soon as I checked out the website I fell slightly in love with a couple of the designs: on-trend enough to make you stand out, but subtle enough to match whatever else you're wearing. Here are some of my faves:

Because i'd fallen slightly in love with his brand, I decided to ask Marcus a couple of questions about his inspirations and where the brand began:

1.When and why did you start making technology accessories?
I started making technology accessories about two and a half years ago on my mums old Singer sewing machine. I'd never sewed anything before so was a bit of a mess to start with, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly and managed to make something that I could actually use. There wasn't a lot available from other designers at the time so I made a sleeve for my new laptop.

2. Why do you work with leather?
Because leather feels great, is luxurious, there are lots to choose from and good quality leather will last a life time which is how long i want my products to last!

3. What inspires you?
People, designers, blogs and Twitter; I love seeing what people are talking about on Twitter. And my mum.

4. Who is your favourite designer?
Currently JW Anderson for his design and structure of clothing. And because they're quite simple but effective. Also, Chris Bailey because he's from Yorkshire and the impact he has had on Burberry has been amazing.

5. Which celeb would you most like to see using your products and why?
I think Alexa Chung would be cool because she is beautiful (like Tats & Tempest products), I think she's going to be around for long time (like Tats & Tempest products) and quite fun (like Tats & Tempest products).

Are you addicted to your ipad? And how many cases do you have for it? I currently only have one for mine, but I'm giving serious consideration to getting a couple more, so that I can mix and match them which every item! As technology is definitely here to stay, it looks like figuring out how to make it more fashionable is going to be my next step!

Love Tor xx