London on a Penny

Kieran loves his Penny board. He bought it at the start of the summer and has been non stop cruising ever since. He hates posing for pictures but I make him (when I can catch him). I am learning how to use the old Penney board. Small light weight and easy to manoeuvre its quite the accomplice to city living. Most boards come in cool colour combinations and you can buy a Penney board all around London in skateshops or you can see online

Shirt: Zara, Obligatory Skater Skinny Jeans: Zara, Board Penny Board UK 

Ootd Throw Back Thursday

3 weeks into the new year and two of those weeks have been spent wrapped up in bed fighting off the plague. I had such better plans for 2015. The first day I recovered enough to don heels you know what I did ? Hobbled my ass down to Zara to see the last of those sales. I picked myself up this jacket for £49.99 and the necklace for £7.99. Here is a tip for sales - to avoid going nuts buying things you don't really want or need - always remember you will never regret a coat- it can be accessorised several different ways and can easily dress up a plain outfit. 

Today I headed to shoreditch to prove just that dressed, as my friend on Instagram Pointed out,  like a pilgrim - perhaps it's because I felt like a survivor :)  

#OOTD Sunday Showers

Yesterday was rainy, wet, cold and gross, but I was determined to brave it anyway- but not alone. I sought comfort from my wardrobe, and it answered. For my hair, which I was not in the mood to fuss with, I wore this wide brimmed wool hat ( I am telling you they are a Godsend for bad hair days). The hat also worked in lieu of an umbrella- so all around win win.

For the jacket I chose my oversized grey woollen jacket with large lapels for a cool, laid back yet tailored look. Next a fluffy black jumper and black skinnys, finished off with aubergine ankle boots with a cool cow hair effect. I love them. They are from Clarks too so they are all day walk around comfy. Accessories, kept simple with silver earring and chain & necklace from Accessorize.

The best things to invest in this winter, are a few decent statement coats, and a few statement hats. Once you have these, you can smugly hide under your fashionable shield, get dressed quickly and just look ace.

Hat H&M, £14.99
Coat, Zara £29.99
Jumper, H&M £14.99
Jeans Dorothy Perkins, £19.99
Shoes Clarks- Aprox £49.99

#OOTD Stay Warm, Look Wonderful: Comfy Winter Cheats

Yesterday was a beautifully crisp Monday, after deciding that my cold had got all the rest time it deserved, I forced my self to venture outside. Obviously, seeing as I was barely fit for the land of the living, I wanted to be as comfortable (and warm) as possible, and so sought alternative ways to inject some glamour into my outfit.

The Look.

Embracing colour is a great way to look fabulous and stay warm.

Whilst colour popping is great, in order to keep it chic, it is essential to use complimenting colours in a subtle, non brash way. 

I decided to embrace the seasons trending colours by infusing my outfit with berry reds- beautiful yet understated, this colour can appear multiple times in your look without making you look overdone.

I opted for a berry coloured jumper I got from Zara, Loafers that I got from a second hand shop and a vintage fur hat that I got at a second hand shop. To tie it all in, I chose a berry coloured lipstick called Dare by Sleek. See how to get the look below.

Get the Look

Shoes:

Stroke of luck- whilst I did not get my shoes this year, or from Zara, it is amazing that Zara happen to have THE EXACT SAME ONES in stock now (lucky you) ! This season it is all about stylish flats- save your feet some trouble and go get yours!

Moccasin Decorative Band Shoes Zara, £49.99

Jumper

My jumper was from Zara last season, so here is an exciting alternative from ASOS. The collar is detachable. It really does not get more comfy than this

Asos Jumper with detachable fur collar: £42.00

Jeans.

These jeans are so comfy and well fitting. Hollister is great for comfy denim, that keeps its shape. What is even better news, is that all their denim is on sale for £39. Stock up on yours now (I did!)

Hollister Bryden Skinny Jeans £39

With fur, I only buy vintage or second hand as it is pointless getting new fur. If you would like a hat like this  it is best to buy from a vintage shop, as they have plenty great ones and it avoids more animals needlessly dying.

see this link for some great vintage fur hats Click Here

Lips.

What pulls it all together. Sleeks wonderful Dare lipstick. Available at SuperDrug or online:

Sleek Dare Lipstick £4.99

All my pictures were taken by the Gorgeous Anna, see us below! Check out her blog at http://princess-anna-anastasia.tumblr.com/

Serge DeNimes AW14 Collection Preview: The Spirit Within

This Autumn Serge DeNimes presents a moody introspective collection titled,"The Spirit Within". Inspired by the essence of a wolf, Proudlock expertly translates the creatures attributes of being fierce, confident and a born leader into a wearable, unique urban street collection that fundamentally represents this generations creative influencers and game changers.

In his own words

"I am extremely proud & excited to launch the Serge DeNimes AW collection. I feel that the brand has gone from strength to strength over the last 3 years, and this collection is a reflection of all the hard work that I and my team have put into making this our strongest collection to date. We have come along way from starting as a t-shirt brand and now our product range is not only larger, but having moved to a new factory, the quality and attention to detail is stronger than ever" - Oliver Proudlock, Creative Director of Serge DeNimes.

The collection is available online at www.SergeDeNimes.com and in selected stores throughout the UK soon.
In the meantime, check out the sneak preview of the collection & watch the teaser trailer below.

Teaser video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0BcoSF4Ugo

OOTD: Casual City Chic

Ever since I bought this high drama wool hat from H&M the other day, and I have basically been finding excuses to wear it as much as possible. Yesterday my sister and I were headed on a shopping trip around Selfridges and I wanted to look chic, but comfy in a look that could go easily from day to night, and this is what I came up with.


Dress

The dress is actually a silk evening dress from H&M. Simply cut, it reminds me of a 90s dress. The last time I wore it was new years and I have never actually thought about wearing it out, but yesterday the hat gave me courage. The dress is low cut at the back, I wore a low cut camisole leotard underneath, which also aided keeping my tummy in ;)

Jacket

A casual slouchy jacket from Zara. I got this on sale for around £29.99.

Shoes

The shoes are also Zara, and are a godsend. Punky and cool totally acceptable and chic flat shoes that allowed me to shop and keep my feet- win win.

Makeup

I am really liking brown dark lips for fall with an other wise natural face and lined eyes with copper tones & eyeliner.

Accessories:

Gold is back this season, and I am embracing it. Simplistic, not to chunky and paired with black, it becomes anything but dated.

When it came to night, I simply put on some black stilettos, took of the jacket, and let my figure do its thing.

 

Well being Wednesday, Classic Style, Classic Comforts.

It was a rainy day in London and so I set about spoiling myself. Nothing cheers me up like a floaty skirt, wholly impractical- blissfully optimistic.

A classic vintage under skirt made for a retro 50's look, I often get head turns and compliments whenever I wear it, I think its because in a sea of suits and frowns, its unusual to see a smiling girl in a floaty skirt- especially on a rainy day.

I got the under skirt from Vivienne of Holloway for around £50 and originally bought it for a dress I got at the same time. It was a bit of a begrudged purchase as I wasn't convinced I would get anymore wear out of it outside of the dress, but soon after that I found this skirt from Zara and now the outfit combo's are endless.

Anyway, shuffling through London, I decided I would like a coffee or 3 and Starbucks just wouldn't cut it. In the end I opted for the Berners Tavern in the London Edition Hotel. The tucked away hotel off of Upper Oxford St is a popular meeting place. I loved the high ceilings, classic luxury decor and being treated like a lady. And so I ordered coffees and settled down to read London College of Fashion's Pigeons & Peacocks Magazine (which is brilliant by the way go get it- in stores now). I know it is just coffee, but sometimes it's the little things that make the day delightful.

All in all an excellent day.

The little things in life matter, treat yourself once in a while.

Love,

Life by Lois

Outfit:

Crop top River Island
Skirt Zara
Lips, Rimmel
Jacket Topshop
Shoes Clarks
Underskirt: Vivienne of Holloway