Anna Lou of London

Ski season is in full tilt, and while you're pelting down the side of a mountain at full speed (complete with sweat, red cheeks and flyaway hair) it can be difficult to maintain a stylish composure - despite the fact that modern ski wear is now more fashionable than ever. Then the sun sets and you're all out of energy, and that apres ski chalet/club and glass of grappa/Jagerbomb awaits - and there waits an opportunity to make your mark and show off your fabulous style as you relax in front of breathtaking scenery. When packing for a ski holiday, your jewellery and accessories are never as much of a consideration as salopettes and gloves, but there's no reason why you can't channel ski chic with a few carefully-chosen pieces. Earrings, for example, can be worn on and off the slopes without claiming too much suitcase space, and bright hair elastics can add punch to your practical ponytail or plait. Choose wisely with pieces that can be reworked with every look, and there's no reason why you can't maintain ski chic both on and off the slopes.

Alphabet studs (£36) can be personalised with your own initials or choice of letters to add a personal touch to your ensemble - scrape your hair off your face and you're good to go! Alternatively, Arrow earrings (£20) are still practical but add some extra interest, with a choice of finishes and textured hammer detail. Better yet, they can still be seen underneath your headband, hat or ski helmet!

Your special Monogram Bracelet (£78) can be worn on the slopes without causing too much annoyance, and incorporates your personality into your look in understated style. Or opt for the Mint Green with Envy arm candy set (£145). Icy hues reflect the snowy scenery around you, and the pieces in the set can be mixed and matched by day (making them great value for money), or stacked up together by night for the ultimate apres ski style statement.

Fasten a bow hair elastic (£20) onto the end of your plait to add some interest to your slope-ready hair, or secure the lips hair elastic (£15) into your ponytail and scale the slopes in style.

Whatever accessories you opt for, everyone will be swooning as you swoosh through that white powder - epitomising ski chic with the simplest additions! Easy peasy.

By Charlea Glanville

Navy, Cream and Red features Dawn of Dress Me Perfect who looks great in her personalised name necklace from Anna Lou of London, worn with Biker trousers (Zara), Heels (Zara), Jumper (Whistles) Bag (Celine) Necklace (Anna Lou of London). Here's a little snippet of the feature... 'Another week begins and the hunt for what to wear is off to a navy,cream and red start.'

  See the full feature here. Anna Lou of London personalised name necklace, available here.   By Daisy Searle

We love blogging and bloggers and this week we’re especially loving Becca of Fashion-Train and her blog post about The Interview Outfit featuring Anna Lou of London jewellery. Working in fashion, it can often be difficult to meet the balance between being appropriately smart with demonstrating your eye for style and your ability to show it. In some offices, trainers and a sweatshirt are the norm with anything more being a bit showy, whereas in others, heels are an absolute must so upon first arrival, your outfit needs to be acceptable across a range of offices. Becca helps us on our way with this tricky dilemma in ‘The Interview Outfit – Gingham Dress and Leather Jacket’, making sure that no matter what your ultimate working wardbrobe may be, that you’re prepared for the initial meeting. This was what Becca had to say; ‘Since working in an office I've become more interested in 'workwear' clothes and staying stylish whilst at work. It's different working in retail as you can wear pretty much whatever you feel comfortable in but staying smart and stylish is a little bit more difficult! This outfit is the sort of outfit I'd wear to an interview/typical day at work.’

‘I've paired this dress with one of my favourite necklaces from Anna Lou of London! It's bright neon which I really like and it means it brightens up pretty much ANY outfit and adds a little bit more personality into an outfit.’

‘A shift dress like this is more of a day-time dress but can easily be worn out at night too with a pair of bright heels and a bright clutch bag!’

Thanks to Becca for making Anna Lou’s necklace part of her Interview Outfit. To read her full blog post, click here.   All images are courtesy of Becca Hermitt To shop Anna Lou of London necklaces, click here. By Daisy Searle

This spring everyone’s talking about ‘Barely There’, the trend of mixing and matching daintier pieces as opposed to going for one bold piece. Statement jewellery has definitely had its time but now is not it. We have a look at how to wear barely there jewellery Anna Lou style! This is great news for people who feel a bit over done in a big cuff or a chunky pair of earrings. You can start small, and gain momentum, layering up gradually whilst maintaining a delicate and feminine look. Rules about which metals can be put together have totally gone out the window! It’s ok to mix gold and silver and even throw in a rose gold or two! Mix up styles too, going for thick or thinly banded rings, worn on different fingers and at different points on the fingers, welcome studs, knots, twists and twirls! Combining colours and styles will add to the overall because layering isn’t about one item, it’s about an overall look.

 

Think thin chains, studs, stacking delicate rings up and an array of feminine bracelets, and don’t forget - wear as many as you want and be creative!   Shop barely there at Anna Lou of London. By Daisy Searle

With your wedding day on the horizon you'll perhaps be a little bit pre occupied and forget what happens after the big day! Make sure you maintain style on your honeymoon with our Spring Summer Honeymoon Essentials. Passport Case Travellers need their passport and therefore, every traveler has the opportunity to jazz theirs up and turn it into a style accessory! Right now, we’re loving what Getting Personal has to offer with their World Map Passport cover, available here.

  Pastel Bangles Pastel is a colour that never goes out of season. It can lift winter outfits, and add to summer ones. At Anna Lou, we’re all wearing pastel shades of Chevron Bangles. They’re easy to mix and match and style differently depending on your outfit making them definite Honeymoon accessories every girl needs.

Fabulous Footwear

When you’re on a summer holiday, you have the difficult decision to make about footwear. Flips flops are very practical for the beach but not always the most stylish of choices. Especially on your Honeymoon, you want a pair of shoes that you can wear on the beach but that also look fabulous! We’re loving these from New Look, available here.  

  Floral Phone case We all know how catastrophic it is to drop an unprotected Iphone! This season, protect yours with a floral twist. We love this case by Cath Kidston, which not only gives you peace of mind but also a gorgeous spring accessory available here. Don't forget to take plenty of holiday snaps to show off about upon your return!

 

Personalised Necklace Having successfully shed winter and with it the trusty scarf, we’re now looking for décor in a slightly more delicate and feminine style, perhaps even in the style of Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw?  Why not go for a piece that you know no one else will have with one of Anna Lou’s bespoke necklaces, adding delicate class to any outfit.

Sunglasses

With lazy sunny afternoons on the horizon, we’ve found ourselves the perfect pair of summer specs. Ray-ban offers a range of styles but we love the Wayfarers as a timeless classic, which go perfectly with any spring style available here.

 Stacking Ring The stacking ring is an easy way of layering without even having to try! We love it as a relaxed and simple piece to wear adding natural style to any outfit.

Sleeveless Dress

If you’re getting away from England to go somewhere hot it’s time to ditch the sleeves! Missguided’s strappy floral number is the perfect summer dress, which goes beautifully with a statement necklace available here.

  Brightwell Bookbag Every girl needs her bag for the beach. We really love Jack Wills’ Union Jack tote bag for its ease of use and simplicity and of course it’s subtle tribute to Great Britain available here.

Pearl Bracelet

It’s the graceful slightly pink glow that makes us fall in love with pearls time and time again and this season is no different. Pearls will fit perfectly with your spring and summer wardrobe, adding a little shimmer to any outfit. Why not opt for our heart pearl bracelet to complete your Honeymoon look.

All Anna Lou of London jewellery is available here.

by Daisy Searle

Three Ways to wear a white shirt The white shirt, no longer the staple of your childhood uniform wardrobe but now, your crisp and clean base layer. It’s easy and versatile and ready to accommodate any style. How to accessorise a white shirt in three different ways Layer it up Putting chains of different lengths together creates a great layered effect. Don’t mix necklaces that are too similar in length as overlapping pendants blocking each other out is not a great look! Arm Candy Cuff Roll up your sleeve and let your jewellery be the cuff! Mix up different textures and styles to create a great quirky look. Keeping the colour the same makes piece fit together, even if in all other aspects they’re completely different. God Save the Queen! We are love everything to be Beautifully British, so in this look we’re paying tribute to the queen and the Union Jack. Putting a coloured top over your shirt gives a solid background to the jewellery whilst the visible white colour still gives the look a pop of white with a structured neck-line. All jewellery featured is available here.

This time of year can be a royal pain in the behind at times with regards to the weather. The sun likes to deceive us and then we leave the house with only a light jacket to find its actually arctic levels of freezing and don't even get us started on those hailstones. Sun one minute, golf ball sized hail the next. Us Brits have to be prepared for it all, and so there's certain items that no Briton should be without. We've compiled the top ten spring essentials every Brit needs to own if they want to survive a Spring in the land of all weathers, and most of them should preferably be kept on your person at all times. 1. The umbrella - well of course this has to be the number 1 essential. It's best to carry a small umbrella in every bag you own just to avoid getting caught out! 2. The Parka Jacket - ah the parka, the jacket which will see you through every eventuality from muddy festivals to weekend trips abroad. Normally they are fleecy on the inside to keep you warm and have that all important waterproof exterior. Win win. 3. Wellington Boots - can you see a trend developing here? Welly boots are now seen as a pretty fashionable item though so you can easily get away with them for more than just a festival. We love the colourful Hunter styles. 4. A Pair of Sunglasses - did you know that the sun can harm your eyes even through clouds? Apparently in cities we are much more susceptible to sun damage because most of the time we don't even realise the sun is hitting us through all of the pollution. Always carry your favourite sunnies and even if you feel a bit silly wearing them on a cloudy day, we promise it's doing you good. 5. The multifunctional scarf - as well as your winter woolies, everyone needs a lighter scarf which can work with all of your outfits and easily be thrown into your bag. One amazing scarf can be tied around your hair when it gets warmer, around your neck when its a bit cooler and added to bag when you just need a bit of colour injected into the outfit. 6. A transitional dress - a dress that's easy to throw on in a fun floral print is a must for a british spring. Add tights and boots on colder days, go bare legged and add a denim jacket on warmer days. 7. A pair of 'wear with anything' boots - its not quite sandal weather but your ready to give up the winter shoes so a cute ankle boot is definitely your friend at this time of year. Wear with that dress we mentioned above and layer your legs as appropriate. 8. The lightweight knit - it may look sunny sometimes but once the sun goes so does any heat that came with it and you can be left rather cold come evening so a lightweight knit is the ideal in between. Keep it thin and easy to throw over tees and under jackets and that way it can be rolled up and slipped in your bag should the sun come out. 9. A great hair accessory - you know the scenario, you do your hair lovely first thing in the morning and by the time you reach the office having battled the elements you look as if you crawled backwards through a bush. Keep a jazzy hair accessory on you at all times to save you from having to survive a whole day of bad hair. Whether its a stylish bobble or glam headband, it's worth keeping in your handbag. 10. A bag big enough to fit all of the above!

As you may have heard us mention a few times, Mother’s day is very fast approaching. For those who haven’t quite got around to it yet (eek pull your finger out), now is the time to turn your mind to one of the women you love the most. This year, instead of the half wilted flowers and slightly rubbish card, why not go for something a little bit special with the ultimate DIY Mother's Day Hamper. This is something you could even do with your own little ones on a rainy afternoon with little else for entertainment.  The Photo Album We all know how much Mum’s love to wander back down memory lane with the aid of a sentimental photo album. Find or buy a notebook and get creative! You can cover with sequins, make glitter hearts or even get funky with some florescent paint! Pull together some silly photos of you both from years gone by, and with a little bit of prit stick, some page decor and some cheeky annotations, you have yourself a cheap yet charming home made photo album. The Biscuits Because which Mummy doesn’t have a sweet tooth? Baking a batch of biscuits is a lovely and simple task that will leave your house smelling gorgeous and will be a lovely home-made treat to accompany Mummy’s afternoon cuppa! Wait for them to cool before putting into a clear cellophane bag and finishing with a ribbon. Here’s a recipe for some exceptionally scrummy custard and white chocolate biscuits! The Necklace that Says it all Although time’s run out to order a bespoke piece, there’s still just about time to really show her you love her with one of Anna Lou’s ‘Love you’ pieces. This necklace is one of our favourites. The Decoration Cover an old shoe box in wrapping paper (you knew you’d use it one day!), plump up with some tissue paper and fill with your goodies! The perfect Mother’s Day Hamper from the perfect daughter!

We're loving an all gold jewellery look at the moment and it seems one of our blogger ambassadors, Anneli of the blog What I Bought Today is in agreement. We asked her to style up one of our most popular necklace designs, the love necklace, and along with some of our gold stacking rings she's put together a great easy weekend look. She's made double denim look pretty damn stylish and the gold tones of her jewellery compliment the subtle shades of her outfit perfectly. Read more about Anneli's styling tips below... The Love Necklace by What I Bought Today "I am so into gold at the moment; layered, dainty, statement and unique styles are my current favourites and I love anything personalised." "I was so pleased to be asked to be one of the blogger brand ambassadors for Anna Lou of London! So much of the range is right up my street, and fits perfectly in together with my existing jewellery. I chose the dainty ‘Love' chain, which looks great together with other gold pieces on my wrists and hands, to complement the overall look" "I also adore the more chunkier gold trio ring, which I layered together with two simple gold rings. It’s all about adding your own touches to your jewellery." "I'll be wearing my Anna Lou of London pieces stacked, layered or on their own - simple pieces go with everything." We're also pretty pleased to have Anneli on board as a brand ambassador. To see the full post and get more tips on how to style this outfit, check out her feature here. All images courtesy of What I Bought Today. Thank you to Anneli for the short interview.

This time of year can sometimes be the most difficult to dress for. It's not quite warm enough to thrown on a summer dress and lose the coat, yet with the sun shining down on us we want to feel suitably Spring- like. So as always we're looking to our favourite celebs for some spring outfit inspiration on what to wear during this transitional period. These are some of our favourite ways to look Spring ready without being caught out should the heavens open. Add some florals a la Gisele Bundchen Ditch those black and grey skinny jeans and embrace a floral trouser or pastel print denim. Being a trouser you don't need to brave bare legs just yet, yet you give a nod towards summer trends. Inject a pop of colour a la Reese Witherspoon No need to move away from the monochrome colours completely but by adding an electric hue you can turn your everyday office look into the perfect transitional outfit. Go sheer a la Allison Williams Nothing says Spring ready better than a smart but sexy sheer white shirt. It's the perfect transitional piece as it works for day and for evening, throw on a pair of courts with your smart trousers and you are ready for cocktails after work. Dress up your denim a la Karolina Kurkova It's the oldest trick in the book but denim is your best friend during the season change. A pair of distressed boyfriend jeans will look great with flats and a comfy sweater at the weekend and equally as good with heels and a blazer for week day meetings. Layer a warmer coat over the top of your blazer for added warmth. What's your go to style during this transitional period? Let us know your thoughts by tweeting us @annalouoflondon or following us on Facebook.