Weekends away.....

Today I was really hoping it was going to be cold, wet and windy. A bizarre request for August? Maybe for most but when you’re in the retail trade the seasons are so blurred we forget what month it is, as when the sun actually shines we usually have winter collections in store!

So the autumn deliveries have started and there was a moment of clarity in my life when I decided I wasn’t going to hanker after the sun. I was all for embracing autumn! So… waterproof jacket purchased, a very stylish Ilse Jacobsen one in pink if you don‘t mind … and it looks amazing with my Hudson Jeans and converse, great for windy days chasing children through muddy puddles, but what about something a little more “Towie” I thought.
Lo and behold through the door arrives my Olivia Rubin Autumn collection. Now…I am one for a bit of the glam when the moment takes me so I got to thinking about weekends away and what to pack on the all important winter weekend away. You know how I love to dream about my fantasy world… So, picture a cold November day, country house maybe, glass of wine by the fire, good book….

Ok, so mood set. We’re thinking cool glam, not party dress glam so as not to be impractical for those country walks…

Here it is… just landed on my doorstep was the Olivia Rubin bright red slouchy knit with a big ball of wool on the front, of course the matching scarf is a must, paired with the black Hudson Nico jeans and to top it off…the red Lulu Guinness weekend suitcase!! Well there’s no point in having the perfect weekend wear if you cant travel in style now is there??? That’s my wardrobe sorted, now I just need hubbi to sort the weekend!

Hailstones in Summer..

So, finally I got my new website www.toriswardrobe.com live! I’ve had my store The White Bicycle for 9 years now so it was about time I had a website to go with it. Great says you, but seriously, I started this process when I was pregnant with Seth, who was 4 last month!!! Don’t get me wrong, things weren’t really taken seriously until just before Christmas but finally we’re here and now I just have to learn how to use it.

Its weird, when I first mentioned to Andrew ( my wonderful hubbi ) that I was serious about an ecommerce site he kept asking me did I realise how much work there was. Well how much work can there be I thought?? Didn’t someone come in, take all the pics, write all the descriptions, pick out images, update images, resize photos and then do this for your every season??? Needless to say there was a few days of silence in our house while Andrew was deciding whether or not I was just pretending to be this stupid!! Looking back I find it all quite funny, Andrew on the other hand isn’t laughing just yet…but he will!!

So here we are with the summer season supposedly underway with bright skies and green fields…today we had hailstones! You know what though, its fine. I think by now we’re used to the unseasonal weather and being the troopers that we are we can be prepared for anything, which is probably why when I went to get myself a Part Two jacket (equipped with hood obviously) everyone else had beaten me to it and there was none left! How ironic that I’m looking at the stock all season and when I decide I’m ready for an item they’re all gone!

Looking around the store today I was deciding what would fit in well with my Summer wardrobe, (I am absolutely embracing my full summer collection next week.) I’m loving the understated 70’s tailoring, with feminine and masculine pieces sitting alongside each other, the perfect complement. Boho yet sharp it's definitely a season of contrasts. Blocks of classic black bring the look up to date with an edginess to the soft summer pastels.
What collection is complete without a little bit of black thrown into the mix? At least it doesn’t show up the rain stains.

Sophisticated and feminine all in one breath is a look totally made for the weekend….Just wish I was going a little further than work!!

hello spring....

Well…the new autumn winter buying is all done thankfully , so now I can relax and enjoy our journey into spring. The new colours and styles are in the shop finally and now the only problem left is deciding what lovely pieces I’m going to add to be already bulging wardrobe. That is one of the disadvantages of owning a clothing store…too many clothes! Yes, yes I can just hear you all saying. Well that’s a nice complaint isn’t it…and it is except that I have so many amazing things in my wardrobe and only so many days of the week or occasion to wear them!

My little sister does do quite well out of me…she’ll probably totally deny that…but again, there’s only so much one or even 2 people can wear, maybe I should have a sale of all my own past season things?

Regardless, I am so glad to have packed away the black polo necks and boots for another year and I cannot wait to see what lovely outfits I can pull together from this seasons lovely new collections.

I think I will again embrace the 70’s look which I loved last season as well… and all those lovely jewel tones which I wore instead of black, don’t put them away, keep them out and give them a new leash of life by mixing them with the pastel shades of this season, or even some printed capris if you’re feeling brave.

What else is new so far this season…Marni for H&M! I’ve always loved Marni and the fact there is now a few bits which are affordable. Well I like it even better now! The designer collaborations for the high street are fantastic and as I purchased my first Mary Katrantzou dress from her amazing collection for Topshop over the weekend I am feeling rather pleased with myself. Now I just need somewhere fun to wear it….Maybe my hubbi will have something lovely organised for Mothers Day or maybe just because he thinks I need somewhere lovely to wear my great new dress.
Ohh... now i need to go get my shoes sorted.....just in case!

So Christmas is well and truly over, I always love the mad run up, the overeating, the socialising and then it hits us smack, bang right in the mirror….its January and we cant fit into any of our clothes! Surely, that’s a sign of a good time had by all! What else is January for if not trying to shift that extra 6Ibs??


Onto Christmas then…well Santa did not bring me anything on my very long list of very expensive wish list items…not really a surprise! What I did get though was my lovely ipad2..I’m not really a gadget girl but I do love the lack of buttons on an ipad!!!

Being a mum at Christmas has to be one of the best things in the world, the excitement on the faces of Seth and Ella on Christmas morning kept me smiling all day…until bedtime that is when Seth asked, “mummy, Santa already brought me everything so what’s he going to bring me tonight??” …wishful thinking by a 3 year old I think! And yes, if you cast your minds back to the run up to Christmas we were flat out searching the country for the elusive “golden robot” on Seth’s Santa list, we didn’t get a gold one but his daddy picked up a black one with 2 gold arms on Christmas eve for £3.99. Perfect! So perfect, it’s lost already and he hasn’t even noticed, so I’m glad we stressed over it!!!!

Unlike all the lucky people out there…like my husband for example who has 2 weeks off at Christmas, I spend more time in work at Christmas than any other time of the year and come new year I am well and truly wrecked, this year being no exception as my brother and his fiancé came home from Australia to get married at the beginning of January…so my partying was destined to continue well into New Year!!!

I am more than ready then for the winter to end and the spring to begin, let the new deliveries start any time. I’m especially excited about our first delivery of Olivia Rubin with bright yellows and pinks colour palette its sure to put a smile on our faces and a hole in our pockets.