This week, Loulou, the wonderful and talented lady behind Loulou Loves You! is my guest this week. I didn’t have to look very far, as she is also one of my dearest friends. The lingerie she designs in her little home studio is as dreamy as she is. In case you hadn’t already noticed, I am her biggest fan!
Reading her answers is just like having a cup of peppermint tea with her and chatting away.
❤ How would you describe your personal style?
I really enjoy dressing for the occasion, being inspired by what I have planned for the day, I feel like this is something that Mickey and Minnie Mouse do and they sure know how to dress.
To put my style into words then I would say… BOWS (I’m pretty much always wearing one that I’ve made probably that morning) meets Brat Pack Demi Moore meets Buffy nerd meets Angela Chase meets sailorette meets Lolita, but most of all my personal style is mine, I don’t care whether what I am wearing is “in style” because I know what suits me and I know what I like.
In terms of items, I wear a lot of dresses (ok, ok I have over 70, oops!) and I l.o.v.e accessorizing, I’d class it as one of my biggest talents, it’s rare for me to not be colour coordinated. (example: “Oh that’s weird your glasses match your notebook”… “That WASN’T a coincidence”) I also quite like a good old fashioned cliché.
❤ What are your inspirations? Designers / artists you admire most?
Above all, my friends are the best inspiration, working hard at what they are good at. I feel lucky to say pretty much everyone I know is some sort of artistic wondertalent, it’s amazing.
As above..Mickey and Minnie, they ALWAYS dress for the occasion, and Disney heroines in general, I always say this but seriously these girls know how to tie a bow. Anything carnival / sideshow / circus / fairground, probably because I appreciate a good costume and old fashioned chintz.
– Bunny! everything that she does is A+, her illustrations are beautiful, and she makes and creates the most awesome things, is a wonderous friend and most of all she works harder than anyone else I know and that is what is inspiring to me.
– Betsey Johnson – She has all the quirks that appeal to me in a fashion designer because she involves herself in her work, you can really see that it’s her, she’s not trying to be like anyone else and never has and still became this successful, and it’s so cute that you can rent out her home in Mexico for holidays: http://www.betseyville.com/.
– Current Inspiration list: My cat, anatomy, bad crushes, Chuck Bass, Japanese everything, chronic pain, the Rubiks cube, sleep visions, all my super talented friends, NYC, Nostalgia, love letters.
– My list is huge but some other quick mentions of people that I love: Damien Hirst / Cindy Sherman / Anthony Vidler / Edward Gorey
– Some recent discoveries: Jesse Spears / Robert Ryan / Damien Correll
❤ Which of your creations are you the most proud of and why?
I’m super proud of my ‘Loulou‘ knicker range. It’s been really popular and I spent a good time making sure the cut and sizes are realistic. I’m just in the middle of working on designs to expand the Lingerie range. I also love my bows, mainly because I’ve been wearing bows for years and it is nice that they are now suddenly in fashion and so people are coming to me to be stylish, that makes me feel a bit giddy.
❤ Which trends do you think will be big this Fall? Which ones will flop?
Bows of course are going to be big in more ways than one. Tartan is back in and I don’t think that can ever really flop, there are too many plaidspirations for people to work from. There is a big ‘goth’ trend about to emerge and the kids are gonna jump on that like a pony at the beach, but it’s going to make way for hopefully a sea of beautiful lace pieces and intricate detailing on clothing. The one look that I wish would go away is anything ‘Boho’.
❤ What’s the most fashionable city in the world at the moment?
London! Well that’s the most fashionable city in the world that I have been to. I count a fashionable city as being one that you can wear whatever you like and people won’t really be bothered. I was recently in Paris and every day people pointed and laughed and stared at me even for just wearing a big bow. I dread to think what they’d do if they were dropped onto Brick Lane and faced with a man in a neon jumpsuit. Also whilst in New York I see great fashion opportunities but it seems people are afraid to take them. I have a dreamy friend with the most incredible wardrobe but some of the pieces she can’t wear because people are always saying ‘why are you wearing that?’. In London you can wear anything/everything, and this doesn’t mean it’s my favourite place in the world but it certainly has style. I hear great things about Sweden too at the moment and see some good street style (and cute boys) via the Internet there but have yet to go and check it out for myself!
❤ Which websites do you go to regularly?
How long can this paragraph be? haha.
– All my social networking sites (obviously), my current favourite is Twitter.
– Astro Barry: Every Sunday I without fail read my horoscope from here, he is in my opinion…a genius!
– It’s nice that, VLU and The Style Press : All three of these sites are worth checking out for the latest in Art, Culture, Photography, Music etc.
– NOTCOT: A great source for a bit of everything, I always end up opening about 10 sites each time I look. I often find some really amazing architectural inspirations in here.
– BBC Science and Nature: Each day my sister sends me nature links to my email. I (not now!) secretly collect wildlife clippings from newspapers and online so I have a whole bookmarked folder full of animal stories. I also have this tendency to just buy science related books and so I just like to know the latest on what is happening here.
P.S: I was a bug collecting child.
– Nubby Twiglet: The most perfectly colour co-ordinated supercute talent, with a helpful and inspirational blog to boot. Her work aesthetic is definitely something I aspire to. I also had the chance to meet her whilst I was in NYC recently and can’t wait until our paths cross again.
– TV!: Here you can stream pretty much any TV show at full screen quality. I watch shows whilst I am sewing and am insanely nerdy about it. This site has been my best friend for most of this year. As I wrote about here I famously (and proudly haha) watched 7 series of Gilmore Girls in three weeks this January whilst working on a wholesale order.
I’m stopping this here or I might reveal how much time I actually spend on the Internet.
❤ What would you wear on a date?
Where am I going?
I need a theme you know.
Ok my dream date would probably involve walking some kittens or going to the zoo, being bought edamame then ice cream, going to the science museum, seeing an imax movie, holding hands and laying awake talking in the dark. (Is this too much to expect?)
For this date I am going to wear this outfit. (I can afford Luella in my dream date).
I hope you enjoyed reading Loulou’s banter.
It is funny she mentionned Nubby and Bunny, as these two fantabulous ladies will soon be guests on this blog! Well I suppose we are not friends for nothing…
xxx Mademoiselle Robot, from her holiday HQ.
Also in this series: Vanda from Paraphernalia.