Summer Hot Travel Picks

This Summer is approaching fast and we at Lolo and Galago have been looking at some hot and interesting places to visit this Summer. Our first stop is Alaçatı, on the Cesme peninsula near Izmir which is based on Turkey's Aegean coast. For centuries it was a Greek settlement within the Ottoman Empire. The town is full of beautifully built houses which were taken over by Turkish refugees in the 1920s, then the windsurfers discovered the fantastic surf conditions in its bay. Since then the hip Istanbul crowd has fallen this chic town with its cobbled streets, blue-shuttered stone houses, boho-chic hotels and restaurants championing local produce and antiques shops have popped up. We recommend you look up the Alavya (doubles from £159) which is a 25 bedroom hotel with a spa, a restaurant and  a swimming pool set in a walled garden. There are also plenty of more economical hotels such as the Tas (doubles £80 plus)  and the Incirliev (£60 upwards). In the morning don’t missing drinking a coffee at Köse Kahve then head off for some shopping at Köse Dukkan for gifts and linens, and the art and antiques shops on Hacı Memis street. We also recommend a local country-style lunch at Asma Yapragi. Fly to Izmir with easyJet (from April), Pegasus or Turkish Airlines.  For further information check out www.explorealacati.com.

 Alacati. Photograph: Alamy

George Town and Penang, Malaysia

For those who like to adventure then, George Town is worth a visit. In 2008 it was named a Unesco world heritage site and since then, it began transforming into one of south-east Asia's hottest destinations. In Penang they have started renovating everything from Chinese mansions to old factories into cool hip hotels. There is something for everyone – delicious street food, fine dining; funky hostels and creatively designer hotel boutiques. For a cocktail we recommend you visit the Three Sixty Degree Sky Bar then head on for a plate of spicy duck soup from a stall on Kimberley Street or for top notch dishes enjoy  Penang Nyonya cuisine at Seven Terraces.  If you can also fit it in, try to go in August and enjoy the month-long George Town festival (1-31 August), or in January they hold the Tropfest (20-25 January - the so called world's biggest short film festival).

Panama City, Panama

Another great location is Panama, sometimes compared to the French Quarter of New Orleans, it is a wonderful mix of faded glory with its dilapidated townhouses & 17th-century city walls which contrast with the newfound design shops, boutiques hotels, cafes and fancy ice-cream parlours such as Granclément on Central Avenue. Recently Ace who have collaborated with Commune Design of Los Angeles and local property developer Conservatorio – have just opened The American Trade Hotel (doubles from $259 +tax) and they have created a hotel with a wow factor. We also recommend the Manrey Hotel ( as seen below) with its great sun lounges and pool to relax after a long day ( www.manreypanama.com).  However at the other end of the spectrum if you fancy something more local then try the hostel Luna's Castle (dorm beds from £8 a night) and is party favourite.

Written By Rosie May Reddington

Jewellery Trends Summer and Fall 2014

To keep up to date on the latest trends in jewellery this Summer we at Lolo & Galago have put together a snapshot of how to wear your jewellery this Summer and the latest styles that we will be seeing in Fall this year.

As we move into Summer it is all about Exotic and Summer Funk Pastel Pieces. So to add an extra tone to your summer outfit – the pastel palette is one of our favourites as allows you to wear some stunning jewellery day or night. An elegant way to dress up an outfit.

www.logoandgalago.com

Geometric - Strongly designed geometric shapes are one of the best ways to make add a statement with your jewellery. Whether large, fine or bold there is something about geometric that will compliment your look whilst capturing attention.

www.logoandgalago.com

Flower Power – As seen on the latest catwalk on Dolce & Gabbana, gemstone flowers and  contemporary fairytale is all the rage. Jewellery, embroided gloves and huge floral statement necklaces we budding on the runway.

Art Deco -Later this season we will see Art Deco hitting the highstreet. Harking back the Great Gatsby and 1920’s glam. There is a feel of mixing family heirlooms with a modern punch of style – so go and see what you can find in your Grandma’s jewellery box and mix it up with some modern designs.

Leather and fur, as seen on the runway of Fendi. Fabric and metals combined to form beautiful jewellery are paving the way for the Fall seasons trend.

www.fendi.com

Written by Rosie May Reddington

This Summer ' Must Have's...

As Summer approaches there are a few  ‘ must haves’ that are needed in your Summer beach bag. Now the ultimate must have accessory is sunglasses – on the beach or the day after these are your most essential item. Last year it was all about funky neon old school ray bans but if you want to stay ahead and hit the latest trend, then this year’s hottest style is all about the cats eye slant at the edge of the sunglass lenses. These latest Louis Vuitton are a perfect fit for beach or city life:

www.louisvuitton.com

Crop Tops and Skate Shoes

The latest and greatest of the summer street footwear this summer is the Skate shoe. The best factor is that designers have worked out how to create the classic skate shoe in studs, patterns and metallic. They look great with a pair of shorts or a pleated skirt and crop top.

Summer Clutch Bag - Yellow is the colour of the Summer this year and for the perfect summer clutch, don’t look any further than Burberry who have created the ultimate flower power. The yellow clutch to go with all this season’s summer colours.

www.burberry.com

Jewellery

Well at Lolo & Galago, as you all know we love our jewellery, and no Summer outfit would be complete without some stunning jewellery to compliment it. This Summer it is all about colour so below we have listed some of our favourites to make you sparkle this summer.

Add some colour with our L&G Sapphire Ring

Or compliment a summer dress with the Garden of Stones drop earrings. www.loloandgalago.com

Written by Rosie May Reddington

Time for A Spring Skin Clean

It is that time again when the Spring has arrived and we are getting in shape for the Summer – so we thought at Lolo & Galago we would have a look at some of the hottest cosmetics on the market to give your skin that perfect Spring Clean and a glow.  Some of our favourites which will add a sparkle to your skin and we advise to take note of our step by step process for best results:

Step 1: The first step is focus on getting your skin into shape: Hydrating, Nourishing and Brightening are key before applying. So once you have given your skin a good exfoliation try the skin brightening serum - Skin Ceuticals CE Ferulic Acid which is an ultra-powerful antioxidant serum for all skin types, it neutralizes free radicals, shields against UV damage and enhances collagen production. Also more importantly in the summer time make sure you  add a good hydrating cream with SPF like the Clarins Factor 30 Daytime Hydrating Cream.

Step 2: Apply this season's latest trend looks. This Spring/ Summer it is all about ‘Barefaced Beauty’ with a natural ‘ Golden Glow’. As seen on the catwalks it is all about the natural look and flawless skin. If your skin isn’t perfect, all is not lost, at L&G we recommend some quick fix products to get our skin shimmering. We recommend to pep up your skin: No7 Instant Illusions, Rapid Radiance Balm, MAC Fast Response Eye Cream, NARS Oural Brow Gel, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Dark. Then to give your skin a perfect glow, we recommend the Michael Kors Beauty Bronze Powder.

Step Three: Lips - Tangerine is the new red

From neon to coral, tangerine tones make lips look hot this season. The easiest way to wear bright lip colour is with a good matt tangerine colour lipstick. This trend has been seen on the latest runway shows including Rag & Bone, Prada and at Creatures of the Wind.

Great Tangerine Lipsticks: Revlon ColorBurst Crayon Matte Balm in Mischievous, NARS Heat Wave Lipstick

So whatever style of L&G jewellery you wear this Summer make sure you have a matching look to go with it!

Images: cosmopolitan.co.uk

Written By: Rosie May Reddington

What's Hot… May Met Ball in NYC - ‘ Chic Meets Pomp’

Celebrities from all over the world flew into New York for one of the hottest tickets in town, The Annual Metropolitan Museum of Art Ball. This year the ball honoured 20th century couturier Charles James. The theme was White Tie and Decorations which the attendees strictly adhered to as well as making their own statements on fashion, whilst Anna Wintour, who helps organise the event, unveiled ‘The Costume Centre’.

Anna Wintour arrives wearing Chanel for the 2014 Anna Wintour Costume Center Gala held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Sarah Jessica Parker was amongst many celebrity invitees who pay $25,000 on a ticket to attend the event and raise money for fashion charities.

Sarah Jessica Parker in an Oscar de la Renta and Fred Leighton jewelry

McCartney with Reese Witherspoon, Cara Delevinge, Rihanna and Kate Bosworth all in dresses by the designer.

David Beckham in a Ralph Lauren Black Label suit and Victoria Beckham in VB

The fashion exhibition was a tribute to Charles James, the British Born American based fashion designer who was born in 1906 and in 1928 was revolutionary in fashion by introducing drapes, folds, wraps and straight forms to dresses.  His designs, dubbed ‘the Taxi dress’, ‘the Jersey Lobster dress’ and ‘the Tree ball gown’ were known by the way they traced the silhouette down to the upper calves. His designs paved the way for international couture. “He was an artist who happened to be working with fashion as his medium,” said curator of the exhibition Harold Koda.

Written by Rosie May Reddington

Behind the Scenes with the Garden of Stones collection

After months of design concepts, Lolo & Galago’s signature jewellery collection, Garden of Stones, was created and met with acclaim. Today, we wanted to take you behind the scenes to see how the collection was developed and the thought process behind it. 

An early concept design for the Garden of Stones unique chain rings

All new jewellery collections are started with a design concept with which they must be created to. Our concepts are chosen to embrace fashion, design and style from around the world and in this case, our Garden of Stones collection was designed around the mantra of modern, minimalistic design with clean lines and simple monotone colours being the trend the collection needed to embrace. Such a strong influence was the minimalist aspect of the design that it was initially was crafted under the working title of the ‘Minimalist Collection’. 

Once the designs are finalised, a CAD program is used to test the pieces and ensure they are comfortable to wear and to help make final changes 

Taking this concept, our designers expanded it into a collection focusing purely on stunning, single gemstones that reflected a minimalistic, yet luxurious lifestyle. 
This proved to be a beautiful starting point but it was soon decided that the collection needed defined lines, as in the minimalist style, across the body of the jewellery.

This inspired the two-tone gold colours, one for the jewellery body and one for the stone mounting, that became the signature of the collection. In particular, Lolo & Galago combined both black and rose gold in some pieces for a unique and edgy look. 

Colours were of particular importance for the Garden of Stones collection, as we wanted to create a collection that could be mixed and matched across earrings, rings, necklaces and bracelets yet still remain holistic. 

What we like about travel

So, we are well and truly into Spring – meaning we’re starting to look toward Summer and all the joys that come with it, including travel.

Our design teams at Lolo & Galago are constantly scouring the World for fashions, trends and styles that can inspire our future jewellery collections, so international travel is in our nature.

With that in mind, we thought we’d put together a feel-good list of all the things that cheer us up when we think of those luxury breaks.

1. The early morning start. The only time waking up at 4am is exciting. Bags packed, ready to go.

 2. Breakfast and drinks at the airport. There is no better feeling than that first bevvie, knowing you have two weeks of luxury and bliss to look forward to.

3. Stepping off the plane after landing. Time to feel like a child again as you take your first breath of holiday air.

4. Arriving at the Hotel. Like being in a sweet shop as you walk to the room, past the luxurious pools, sunbeds, beach, restaurants...

5. Breakfast on the first morning. Ah, now you can truly relax. You’ve arrived, unpacked, and have two weeks of luxury bliss to look forward to. 

6. Seeing the weather report for the next week. 7 days of sun. 28 degrees. No clouds.

7. Cocktails at noon. How fondly we remember our student days. Drinking during the day really was the answer to our problems.

8. That beautiful vista. Delicious views and awe-inspiring horizons are things we love to take in to help design our jewellery.

9. Late nights on the beach. It’s midnight and still warm, you’re relaxed, rested and well fed. Life really can be this good.

10. Seeing a work e-mail addressed to your team. Let’s not lie- there’s a little bit of guilty pleasure in being reminded of the troubles back home, and there you are safe on a sunbed the other side of the World.

We’re all for keeping a positive attitude throughout the year- so think of these little moments to keep you in the holiday spirit.