Letter from Los Angeles: THAT girl

We can never have enough fresh eyes on the world fashion stage. Former National Marketing Director of the late GenArt, veteran Chicago personality and perennial style maven Kelly O'Brien joins the Lori's guest blogger roll with reports from L.A. on the West Coast fashion scene.

— Kelly Ryan O'Brien and stuff she likes

I have lived in many homes (14 to be exact) but the one constant is that each of these residences has either been on the East Coast or within the Midwest until a recent move to L.A. Imagine the disgust with myself when I returned for a trip back to 8 Mile to see the family in freezing temperatures. I was/am SO COLD that I won’t SHUT UP.  Yes, THAT girl.

ANYWAY...

When Lori’s asked me to join their guest blogger team alongside the likes of April Francis, I was totally psyched. And thanks to this post I now have my motivation: how to buy items that keep me warm in both L.A. and the rest of the country, whilst staying in style.

If there is one thing that I have learned about “cold weather” in L.A., it's that we can wear the same pieces across variable climates – just not as MANY in the more frigid areas. Here are my picks for the LA/Chicago/NYC girl and everyone at places in between for this holiday season. Time to get to shoppin' peoples!

Sorel Sorelli - Saddle

  




A classic twist on the Duck Boot. These evoke cozy memories of Rita (Mom) wearing a very similar boot to the zillions of hockey rinks my sister and I were dragged to watch our supa star brother play. I love the mix of traditional duck shoe with luxury fabric detailing on top.

 

Jeffrey Campbell Ridem

Every single woman needs a pair of boots like these. Strap on with some leggin’s and get yourself to apple and/or pumpkin pickin’ ASAP.



















 






My next choice is a very touchy subject for some people: UGGs! Since their popularity exploded years back, they evoke serious emotion. Are they “cute and functional” or “ugly and lacking in imagination”? I have said it before, and I will say it again: Why fix something if it ain’t broke? Whether it be in L.A. or Chicago, the UGGS are coming with me. In L.A. when it is “cold” out, all it takes is one or two winter pieces over your summer wardrobe and, voila!: You are not freezing. Obviously in the Midwest this is a tad different with the "severe weather" and all.

UGG Australia Classic - Tall

 

My L.A. Staple:
 
The Chestnut color goes with sunny weather, thin patterned green or grey tights and also a sunny floral dress and cozy cardigan.

 

V. Fraays Scarf

This is the scarf that stays on ALL DAY and goes perfectly with any other type of pattern.  Don’t be afraid to mix it up.  It shows confidence : )



 

UGG Australia Classic - Tall

 My Midwest/East Coast staples:

No, you aren’t seeing things, this is the same boot.  Color is everything for the winter months, and black keeps your outfit looking sleek en route to work, as opposed to sticking out like a sore thumb in tennis shoes with nylons on a workin’ woman. Translation: You don’t offend anyone and you look dope.


 

Carolina Amato

And to top it off these circular scarves are impossible to mess up and swoon-worthy no matter what the weather:






 


 
I would love to hear more about what you would like or know about fashion, so please comment below!

We End the Year with a New Giveaway

We are ready to write this year off. Let's face it: common consensus is that this year sucked. We've found a palliative for the pain. It's called "winning free stuff." And thus we bring this year to a close with something of a ray of hope: the chance to win a pair of the Ugg Dakota! We chose this particular shoe because, frankly, we like the pink leather deck shoe tie. We also like the suede and the super-nubbly-cozy-soft shearling lining, but, mostly, it's the pink. So cute and fun and happy! So non-2009!

Sign up and let's usher in a new year and a better decade. Happy New Year to all our customers and readers and good luck in this latest giveaway!

Free Knees

Last Sunday was a day of unprecedented fall beauty here in Chicago. That, or a cruel joke as the rest of October has proven to be a dreary, overcast and chilly experience punctuated with a pervasive drizzle as if the sky, too, were crying. In other words, typical Chicago.

We here at Lori's are of the "lemonade from lemons" school, so we're making the most of inclement weather by sugaring the pot to giving you more. Buy any pair of all-weather boots like UGG or La Canadienne and we will give you a complimentary pair of HUE black, flat-knit knee socks, a $7 value.

Even leaden clouds have a silver lining. Buy some new boots and we'll throw in a knit one. Offer ends Saturday, October 31, 2009. Enjoy!

Offer is good for online orders placed before midnight, October 31, 2009 only. Not valid in any stores. Does not apply to previous orders. Other restrictions may apply.

The Gift of Uggs

In two weeks' time gift-shopping mania will officially reach fever pitch. And we will reach the end of our rope. You know what holidays are? Stressful. We think we can all agree that it's much more enjoyable to shop online from the comfort of our own home ( ... or office? go ahead; it's ok). And, lo! Here you are. Online. And here we are: Lori's, a soothing, convenient online shopping experience. So let's jumpstart a more calming holiday shopping season with one of our most popular lines: Ugg Australia.

At the top of every girl's wish list for fall/winter is a pair of the Uggs Classic Tall boot. Currently available in chocolate, chestnut (shown), pewter, and gold (hotcha!), you can't walk down the street without seeing this winter wardrobe staple.

The softest sheepskin lines the inside and footbed. The wool keeps your toes toasty-warm, yet cool in temperate weather. The upper is made of luxuriously soft leather panels sewn with reversed, raw seams. These boots appear substantial; in fact they are incredibly lightweight thanks to a blown rubber traction sole. We love these over tucked-in jeans. You can even cuff them down for an extra cozy look. The best part? They fit like a glove, as all Uggs do, so don't sweat your gift being returned. With or without socks, these boots just slip on and go - it's the perfectly practical, fashionable gift.


Speaking of great gifts, Exhibit #2: the Fluff Scuff slipper. The upper and lining are genuine, super-soft sheepskin fleece. The light rubber traction sole makes them ideal for scuffing around the house. Currently available in white, muslin (shown), and black, you're sure to find a color for the special girls on your gift list.





And what holiday shopping jaunt would be complete without a little something for yourself? You made all this effort. You should be rewarded. By you. Might we recommend the comfortable and stylish Endell, available in black and brown? Leather straps wrap the ankle, joined on the rand by a chic horseshoe bit. A buckled strap along the top of the shaft adds a contemporary touch. Perched atop a leather base with a stacked wooden heel, the bottom is finished with a durable rubber traction sole. With its rich suede upper, genuine sheepskin lining, and outstanding quality, the Endell is unmistakenly Ugg and unmistakenly you this holiday season.

Rise of the House of Ugg.

A couple-few years ago when Ugg put forth their Baby Blue and Baby Pink Classic Boots and Oprah added them to her Summer List, the fashion world came slightly unhinged in a mad, avaricious scrabble to claw them up and parade about in pastel sheepskin. Uggs were the new narcotic; those softly shapeless moonboots with the fleece on the inside were everywhere, in every weather.

And then they were gone. A season changed and so did the style. Those fluffy boots in baby colors vanished overnight. Ugg seemed down but, as we'd find, far from out.

The renaissance began about a year ago when Ugg opened flagship stores in Chicago, New York and Montreal. Flagship stores. (yes -- plural!) For Uggs. Clearly there was more to these purveyors of sheepskin than we'd suspected. Approach fall of 2008 and with it, a deluge of new styles in updated, more adult colors and styles.

The tall Classic is back in a troika of grays, along with some house-happy Cozy slippers and moccassins.

We were particularly impressed with the Cove style. With a shorter legging, thong ties, shearling edges and welted rubber sole, this bootie has Minnetonka stylings and, we think, better performance in sloshy weather. Plus, that color? Fieldstone? Sold. (Also available in Toast and Black.)

But not everyone is. Even amongst our staff we have our Ugg partisans and the rebel alliance committed to "heels or not leaving the house." The pro-Ugg contingent espouse the Ugg's comfort, their warmth in winter and cool relief in summer (-30F to +80F according to the official website), their supreme easiness. The protesters, too, point to their supreme easiness, citing Uggs as an enabler of the poorly put-together. To which the Ugg-friendly reply well at least we're comfortable and not so stuck-up and then the Ugg-uneasy say well at least our boyfriend didn't dump us at Christine's party last Saturday and then someone throws a piece of leftover birthday cake from the breakroom and it's a time-out for everybody.

So we may as well ask you:



No matter what your opinion (or ours), we think this season's collection is the strongest we've seen (especially that Cove, calling to us with it's Siren song in the boot aisle ... ) And speaking of sailors, we'll leave you with this little tidbit. (He must be a fan ... we're pretty sure he's wearing the black Kohalas).

Trend Post: Ga-ga for Glasgow

Well, we weren't expecting it, that's for sure. Everyone told us 'Glasgow is ugly and industrial; go to beautiful Edinburgh just 40 miles away.' We heard this so many times we suspected a hidden motive and we were right. Glasgow is an amazing gem of a city brimming with fashion, art, nightlife and so much music you'd need a second set of ears to hear it all.

The view from the street was encouraging. As in London, the emphasis on personal style is huge here. Skinny skinny jeans are still quite popular throughout the UK from England to Wales to Scotland. Footwear styles as in England continue to be too diverse to pin them to one trend other than a core mandate of looking good without effort, which of course requires no small effort.

Sidebar: We popped into the Sutherland Sporting Company in Lairg on our way to the North Sea and we have to shill for them. This sportsman outfitters makes absolutely the most stunning tweeds, waxed jackets, caps and wet gear. A few weeks ago T: The New York Times Magazine had a fashion spread based on English sporting styles (think Norfolk jackets, plus-fours, tweeds, shotguns and pheasants). It's a shame they missed this place. (Which is easy to do being as it's on the forward edge of nowhere.)

With messenger bags so popular right now, we thought Sutherland's oiled leather cartridge bags and game bags were a special twist with more style. And the owners couldn't be nicer. It's not cheap, but things of quality rarely are.

So we'll finish with a short list of the week's faves:
Marks & Spencer (a department store ... AND a grocery!)
Sutherland Sporting Company (for everything tweed)
Glasgow Museum of Modern Art (GoMA)
Glasgow School of Art (designed by Charles Mackintosh)
Dornoch Golf Course (3rd oldest links course in the world)
Villages: Dornoch, Durness, Lairg, Fort Augustus
Loch Ness (23 miles long!)
and pretty much anything north of Hadrian's Wall