Word Up — new

Summers here! Well the suns out thats a good start for us in London Tahn! ;D

We,ve been crazy busy but its all good! Check out a few of our summer time offerings.... Designed to make you cool in the heat :D

Here at LOTA HQ would love a freaky Friday and totally heart Halloween <3

Check out our offerings for this years LOTAWEEN! We hope you enjoy our forever fiends!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FIENDS! WE LOVE YOU FREAKS! X

So! At last the red hot ball aka the sun has got his hat on! What better time to unveil LOTAs SS14! We Hope you like it! Stay tuned for a couple more pieces but for now enjoy! Check it out the NEW section! :-* Peace Out! X x x 

Sup gang! 

Be sure to take part in this years Christmas Jumper Day in aid of Save The Children! Its all kicking off this Friday December 13th! Friday the 13th has never been so cosy! Simply pay a £1 to wear your finest Crimbo sweat to work and all proceeds go to charity!

Check out our festive offerings, from the HO HO HOMIES sweatshirt to Christmas Is Short Party Hard, you'll stand out in a LOTA sweat! No Rudolph's in sight and no chance of looking like you've raided your grandads closet either ;) 

Check it out & take part for a good cause!

*All orders must be processed by Monday Dec. 9th 5pm to make it to ya'll in time!

XPeace out!

XMerry Christmas! XLOTA gang x

APRIL 28TH, 2013 17:34

High Street Fashion Week: the best of British

By suzidixon

’m passionate about buying British. One of the things I love most about this country is the way creativity in business is encouraged and applauded. Through my work with Telegraph Expat, I know that there are British businesses thriving all over the world, be they restaurants, bars, fashion labels or beauty brands. We are a nation of hard work and innovation.

High Street Fashion Week this weekend in London celebrated the best of British with an uber-glam series of runway shows and press events. Brands on show included big household names but also designers and labels run by an army of one, or two.

The event took place at Boxpark in Shoreditch, with VIP catwalk shows by night at Aura Mayfair. The brands on show were both diverse and awesome – my two favourite adjectives. Look out for many a guest post from me on multiple fashion websites with my pick of the crop. Lillies of The Alley, Filthy Sexy London, Frills by AD, jewellery by Elisha Francis, frocks by Lipstick Boutique, they all stood out for me. My pick of the weekend fashion-wise was Roxie Sweetheart. It’s run by the award-winning and inspiring Michelle Lauren Hirst and has a Japanese/cartoon look. A palette of pinks, purples and lilacs make this range ideal to freshen up your spring wardrobe.

I was lucky enough to be invited along with the Vanity Van team to find out what happens backstage on the catwalk.

Vanity Van are a mobile beauty company who specialise in events. They were doing the hair and make up for the 150 catwalk models this weekend and running the VIP area offering complimentary hair styling, make up, massages and gel manicure treatments. They also ran a pop-up salon in Shoreditch so the public could get the VIP treatment too.

And now, their brands and partners. First and foremost, they use Batiste for dry styling and on-the-go touch-ups to model hair. I’m a huge fan of Batiste and this summer, they will be launching a host of new products, tested out on lucky festival goers at Glastonbury, as well as other live events. New products include the Batiste XXL Plumping Powder, Smoothing Conditioning Mist, and Strength And Shine dry shampoo. We live in the age of the camera phone and Facebook – bad hair is no longer acceptable at a festival. So it stands to reason that a brand like Vanity Van is thriving. For the price of a pie and a pint, you can get a style refresh that will leave you looking gorgeous in photos… all the better for making your mates jealous…

At Radio 1 live, Latitude and Bestival they will also be pampering the artists backstage.

The next tool in the Vanity Van beauty arsenal is Miners Cosmetics. Miners is affordable quality and perfect for nights out. At High Street Fashion Week, their versatile range covered all looks, from geek chic to glitter babe.

My hero product? Miners Maxi Mascara, volumnising, waterproof, and only £3.49. You wouldn’t even get half a pie for that at a festival. Every girl should have one in their handbag.

New to the Vanity Van stable this year is Red Carpet Manicure and that’s something I’m very excited about. It allows you to get a salon-perfect, long-lasting manicure at home. I want nice nails but I really struggle to sit in a salon chair for a whopping 45 minutes to get a gel polish. Now I can do my nails while watching New Girl, as before, but with a longer-lasting finish. This is the first of its kind in the UK and the perfect example of British innovation.

And Vanity Van offers more than just a makeover. To entice catwalk guests into their VIP booth they have MyChocolate for chocolate treats. It really is the complete pamper experience.

The High Street Fashion Week shows were uber-glam and full of energy. In my goody bag, I also swagged Make Believe tan – I will give this a thorough test next week, not just for a golden glow but also to cover up my bruises from bootcamp – and a stunning bracelet from Kerrys Jewellery. Delicate, handmade with a stunning star for a touch of glamour.

Supporting British business and buying any of the above brands or labels makes you feel good. The internet has made retail and beauty more of a level playing field – anyone with a passion for what they do can set up and sell without too much expense or red tape. But it is the British brands who value quality and innovation above all else that survive and thrive. Think about that next time you are at the shops.

http://my.telegraph.co.uk/suzidixon/suzidixon/737/high-street-fashion-week-the-best-of-british/

WEAR YOUR HEART ON OUR TEE : LILLIES OF THE ALLEY

http://www.theupcoming.co.uk/2013/03/18/wear-your-heart-on-your-tee-lillies-of-the-alley/

 If you’re eager to embrace the fresh, urban streetwear craze that’s dominating the high street this spring/summer, then look no further than London-based “tee” brand Lillies of The Alley (LOTA). 

Conceived almost four years ago, the brand relishes in slouchy tees and heavy print hoodies, giving basic garments a breath of fresh air through statement logos, vivid colours and aztec patterns.

LOTA also takes youthful, laid-back fashion and infuses it with rock ‘n’ roll nostalgia by incorporating the likes of Nirvana and Frankie Goes to Hollywood lyrics onto the pieces, radiating a cool and individual edge.

Channeling the “peace & love” era of the 60s, many of the garments available have diplomatic logos such as “drop beats not bombs”, “make-up not war” and “all we need is love”, which naturally grabbed the attention of musical legend Blondie, who was spotted wearing a hoodie from the collection.

If this isn’t reason enough for LOTA to be an essential in your wardrobe this year, the incredibly reasonable prices and the manufacture of the clothes may just have you obsessing. The pieces available will not only ensure that you stand out from the crowd, oozing originality and effortless swag at prices as low as £10, but also bring a personal feel to your clothes as everything is rendered by hand and designed in-house.

Nathalie McDonnell is the woman we have to thank for gracing our high street with this innovative, fun and versatile clothing line, who, before launching the brand, was a graphics and advertising student who wore her own customised t-shirts. As well as friends and passersby appreciating the uniqueness of her personalised tees, they were also noticed by a Topshop buyer, and since then the brand has gone from strength to strength.

Beginning with five of her designs being showcased under the Lollipop concession in Topshop, Oxford Circus, the Arcadia group decided to offer Nathalie a platform to expand her designs by giving it brand status. Now the collection can be found on the ASOS marketplace, Runway Republic and their own website which offers a service to design and buy your own one-off tee!

With pieces from the collection being featured in the likes of GQ magazine andHUBYO, Lillies of The Alley is destined to be a huge, recognisable brand. Its adaptable and seasonable tees will never look out of place in your wardrobe, and is an easy way to give any outfit a cool, stylistic flare.

Alison Boswell