We’re thrilled to re-feature UK-based Lisa Welden Lennkh (49) of The Sequinist, who was first featured here in October 2016. Lisa continues to sport Modern Classic looks mixed with high-quality on-trend pieces. She very much enjoys eye-catching footwear, bold colours, fun bags, statement jewellery, and a good dose of glitz, shine, and glam.

“I definitely use a LOT more colour now. Partly because I am older and I need more colour to make my skin look fresh, and partly because I’ve had a colour consultation with some real experts, and I’m more educated on the topic. I now really see the difference that wearing warm-toned bright colours makes on my skin. I still wear some black, but`I wear only warm toned makeup to compensate. I still adore sparkle, so sequins will forever be the first thing that catches my eye.

Another way my style has changed is I am very conscious of the provenance of my clothes now. Who made them? Under what conditions? What is the ethos behind the company who made them? I buy less but I buy better. I look for versatility. This has had an impact on my style because it means I buy high quality well-made investment pieces and no fast fashion. Traditionally, people think of investment pieces as navy, black, camel, or grey; since that doesn’t work in my more colourful ‘statement’ wardrobe, my investment pieces are a long orange wool coat, a bright green cashmere sweater, a red cashmere cape, or a multicoloured bag that works with almost all of my outfits.”

A red and black outfit with lots of punch. Lisa is sporting black Ponte capri trousers with a V-neck sweater and matching cashmere poncho in a vibrant tomato red. Opting for fitted pants and tailored sweater offsets the volume of the poncho, which has clean lines as Lisa prefers her ponchos streamlined. Our blogger’s delightful pointy-toed tartan booties add patterned pizzazz, while the red beret with black leather trim adds a military-inspired accent. A structured satchel, black sunnies, and red lipstick to match the colour palette are the accessories of choice.

Lisa has a flair for the dramatic. Inspired by Dior’s veiled berets, she decided to channel Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde for this all-black look. She’s paired a knee-length Modern Classic knitted turtleneck dress with silver and black sequin pumps that add sparkle. The star of the show is undoubtedly her black faux-crocodile patent coat, reminiscent of the ‘60s and The Avengers’ Emma Peel. It adds pattern, texture and shine in one fell swoop, and makes Lisa look like the stylish hero in a spy novel. Her black satchel, glam DIY-ed beret and bright pink-red lippy finish off the look.

Happy colours for a grey day. Lisa has tucked a white silk blouse into dark-wash jeans with big turned up cuffs. Tucking the top lengthens the leg line, while turning up the cuffs showcases more of the green statement booties. They’re satin with a gold bird print that matches the butter yellow of her Modern Classic coat wonderfully. This shade of yellow also looks beautiful with Lisa’s blonde hair. Our colour-loving blogger then cleverly added all the colours of the rainbow with her unique bag. She also layered two identical floral motif necklaces in blue crystal, and picked a matching pair of earrings to complete the look.

Lisa was invited to put together an outfit for a Summer mother-of-the-bride look, and fell in love with this magnificent orchid purple one-shoulder dress. It fits her like a glove, has asymmetrical drape detailing in the back, and clever ruching in the front that looks very flattering. For this occasion, she styled it with turquoise accessories and footwear, which makes for a striking combo that is signature Lisa. The pointy-toed pumps peeking out from under the dress add a playful touch. The oversized envelope clutch creates structure, and the gold and turquoise chandelier earrings work perfectly with Lisa’s shoulder-length hair.

A simple black V-neck sweater is a great support act for Lisa’s dressy form-fitting pencil skirt in bold colours. It draws all the attention to the sparkly fabric and interesting mix of vertical and horizontal stripes. Keeping the sweater at hip length creates vertical integrity. The pointy-toed high-heeled pumps in burgundy suede add texture and personality. A multi-layered necklace picks up all the colours in the beautiful skirt and fills in the V-neckline of the top. Add pink-red lipstick and timeless sunnies, and Lisa is good to go.

Comfy sneakers, a striped tee, and jeans are fab for a day of running around London. But Lisa being Lisa amped up the style quotient by adding items with details that have her name written all over them. The blue and white breton tee is sequined for a bit of daytime glitter. The nubuck sneakers are a shade of blue that works brilliantly with her jeans. The newsboy cap brings a slightly different shade of blue and a tomboy touch into the mix. And her chic Sherlock Holmes-esque cape with its trapeze silhouette dresses up the look. So does the iconic golden-beige Chanel bag. A big cocktail ring, leaf motif earrings and raspberry lipstick are the polished finishing touches.

Let us know what you think of Lisa’s strong and colourful outfits in the comments, and be sure to check out the rest of her outfits on her blog.

H&M newest designer collaboration, a Loft rental service, a new fashion documentary, and more news from the fashion trenches in May.

• H&M newest designer collaboration is with Giambattista Valli.
• Universal Standard just became the first clothing brand to carry sizes 00-40 in every single piece.
• Tan France and Alexa Chung will be hosting a new competitive fashion series on Netflix.
• Prada has announced it will stop using fur in its collections.
• Loft is launching a size-inclusive rental service, Infinitely Loft, that allows you to rent three pieces at a time for $65 a month.
• Fashion designer Max Azria has passed away at the age of 70.
• Miss Selfridge’s flagship store in London will close in July, and move into a concession in Topshop next door.
• Rihanna is launching an upmarket fashion label with the LVMH Group, becoming the first black woman to head up a fashion house at the company.
• The new Halston documentary focusses on the designer’s influence on art and business.

Interesting Fashion Fact

Did you know that Tiffany started using the iconic shade of turquoise so strongly associated with the company as early as 1889 for its display at the World Fair in Paris. Yet it was only in 1998 that Tiffany & Co. finally trademarked the colour.

Some of my clients enjoy wearing casual black dresses for Summer. That means easy breezy frocks across an assortment of fabrics, jersey dresses in fitted shapes, and casual footwear. Wearing black in Summer can look and feel less heavy because outfits showcase skin, which breaks up the black. 

Here are four outfits that do just that.

1. Sleeveless Tiers & Moto

The muumuu dress is sleeveless, and topped with a black moto as an option if it gets a little chilly. The flat metallic sandals accentuate the relaxed vibe of the outfit, break up the black, and add some glam. I can see a small chain-strap crossbody work well with the outfit.

2. Body-Con & Sneakers

Despite the body-con fit, this is a casual dress because of the jersey fabric and side tie ruching. The crisp white sneakers take it to extra casual territory, making it a simple everyday look. The stretch of the dress makes it comfy and easy to move in too.

3. Arty Drape

Not quite black, but almost. The stripes break up the black and the diagonal lines are magically flattering and interesting. The sleeveless silhouette adds structure to the voluminous drape of the dress. Dainty ankle strap sandals and a statement necklace add a fun polished touch.

4. Sack Dress & Slides

Sack dresses can be hard to feel fab in, and they usually work better when they’re a little shorter because showing skin creates structure. This version is midi length, but the gauzy fabric here provides subtle structure because it exposes more skin. The diagonal sleeves and collar add structure to the volume too. Black slides were chosen here, but personally I’d have preferred to see cognac slides to break up the black. Add jewellery, eyewear, watch and headgear as desired.

I don’t enjoy wearing solid black dresses, and especially not in Summer. So my version would be a casual dark blue dress, of which I have a few. I wear them with white, blush or tomato red footwear.

I have many pairs of white shoes and I wear them frequently. They’re workhorses, and I want them to look polished and new. I wipe them down after every wear so that they look clean, crisp, and to prevent dirt from building up. Some of my more casual shoes have white soles, which I can’t get clean after just a wipe. They do, however, scrub extremely clean with Oxiclean powder, water, and a scrubbing sponge. That requires some elbow grease, and time for the shoes to dry because they get quite wet. Hands down this is most effective way to keep white soles sparkling white.

But if you’re in a rush and want clean white soles fast — use a Magic Eraser to clean them. Wet the eraser, scrub the soles quite vigorously, and Bob’s your uncle. I do find that the eraser disintegrates as you’re using it, and it leaves eraser crumbs on the soles. But they brush right off, and the process isn’t as much of a production as my Oxiclean method. Plus you can wear the shoes right away because they aren’t that wet.