Wednesday 10 June 2009

The shop

Finally! After a long wait, we can officially present to you the true mission of Lemms & Hems.

The shop.

We have ransacked the whole of London, searched far and wide to find quirky, whimsical treasures for you and you alone; Vintage Karen Millen, Teenflo, Pret a Porter, handmade Italian boots and many more vintage items that will entice you to return for more. We hold strict principals and ensure that every gem chosen is something that we would personally wear. All items are in excellent vintage condition (unless stated). We hope you will love what we love!

Now, we are proud to present our Launch Collection - 6 unique pieces just to give you a flavour of what's in store. We stayed sleepless and sugar-highed to bring you our take on these looks; well worth it.

To celebrate our Launch, we are offering our first 3 buyers 20% off and subsequently a 10% loyalty discount on your next purchase.

Item # 1

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Item # 1
Laura Parker Dark Blue Coat/Dress
Made in Paris
Vintage Size Label: EU 38
Faux fur collar not included
£30

This item has been sold.

This can be worn as a coat or a dress, and it is, IMHO, one of the coolest things we have. The defined shoulders, the mandarin collar, the three-quarter sleeves, the slinky length -- it's a formula for FIERCE! Also comes with pockets to shove your hands in if they're cold or if you want to look nonchalant. (Nonchalantly FIERCE.)

Measurements
Shoulder to shoulder: 39cm
Length: 116cm
Sleeve length: 46.5cmCurrent sizing: UK 8-10


Item # 2

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Item # 2
Pret-A-Porter
Little Black Satin Dress
Lace tank top worn underneath not included

£10

This would be great for a night out. Since us Lemms are incredibly boring and never have nights out, we're selling it. Accessorise it with a belt and killer heels and think pityingly of us as you're dancing the night away.

Measurements
Bust: 83cm
Hips: 79cm
Current sizing: UK 6-8

Item # 3

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Item # 3
Simon Jeffrey
Royal Blue Blazer
Vintage Size Label: UK 10
£15

Doesn't Sam look like some sort of indie Japanese musician? All she needs is a guitar. This could fit a modern size 14 beautifully, but would also be ever so slouchily chic on smaller girls. The material is pretty thin, so it'd make a great summer jacket.

Measurements
Shoulder to shoulder: 42cm
Length: 66cm
Sleeve length: 57.5cm
Current sizing: UK 6-10

Item # 4

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Item # 4
Blue Gauzy Top
£10

This delicate gauzy top makes a really cool layering piece. I love the patterning, the subtle variation of colour and the ruffle details on the lapels. Throw it over a tank dress or roll it up to turn it into a scarf.

Measurements
Shoulder to shoulder: up to 50cm
Length: 64.5cm
Sleeve length: 43cm
Current sizing: UK 6-10

Item # 5

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Item # 5
Uber Wide Red Trousers
£25

As a child, I once wore red jeans to school. I was mocked cruelly by kids who had no imagination. If I could go back now, I would strut through the playground in these red culottes, combined with a white tank top, a Balmainesque/Napoleonesque military jacket and knee-high boots. Sure, those kids would still laugh at me. They would say: "Are you wearing trousers, or a skirt? Ha ha!"

But I wouldn't care. Because I would look awesome.

Measurements
Waist: 81cm
Length: 85.5cm
Current sizing: UK 8-10

Item # 6

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Item # 6
Irie Silver Blazer
Made in France
£25

You can't really see it from these photos, but we've just discovered that this blazer has a glorious flare at the back which is amazingly flattering to the hips. This is therefore recommended for girls with hips. The material is also slightly shiny, so that wearing it makes you feel like a sexy robot from the future. There is no downside!

Measurements
Shoulder to shoulder: 42cm
Length: 71.5cm
Sleeve length: 60cm
Current sizing: UK 8-10

The pound has greatly devalued and interest rates are at its all time low so why not invest in some classic vintage pieces without looking like the girl down the street who got that vintage-esque tweed jacket from H&M? E-mail us at lemmsandhems@googlemail.com if you are interested in any of the pieces above, or just want to own a real vintage tweed jacket from the 70s, with shoulder pads to boot.

Lotsa Love,
Lemms and Hems

Saturday 6 June 2009

Under Construction

We will be away to make some changes to the site. Don't worry, we will continue to blog here. We are super excited and hope that you will like the new changes!
Hang on tight for the ride guys!
Lotsa love,
Lemms and Hems

Friday 5 June 2009

Transitions

A week ago, I was slogging away to beat the system that I was under for 4 years.Clockwise from left to right: Cup of tea to keep myself awake, laptop to check notes and fiddle with, scrap paper with some stuff on Dynamical Systems in Chemical Engineering, blue pen

Dressed like this. The lazy outfit.
T-shirt dress - Zara, Merino cardigan - Gap Men, Shorts - Max and Co, Tights - H&M, Gladiators - Far East Singapore, Bag - Charles and Keith
A week later, I was here.
Selinunthe, Sicily
Trapani, Sicily

Next, I will lead a high flying lifestyle and have 2 kids of my own. Joking.

In all seriousness. Next will be some insane changes to Lemms and Hems which we have been hoping to see for quite some time, so stay tuned. We will be back with a lot in store for you!
xoxo
Lemms and Hems

Shape and drape

I've been paging obsessively through DROP, which features Japanese street style. I find it difficult to mess around with clothes back home in Malaysia as much as I do here in London, mostly because of the familial mockery/surprise that greets anything remotely new, but partly because it's so damn hot. They get pretty hot 'n' humid summers in Japan, though, so it's interesting to see how they dress despite it.


This is my favourite outfit that I've seen so far, but one wonders if it isn't a little too perfect. It is a bit ridiculous of me, but will she ever be able to come up with so ideal a combination of hat, hair, sun, dress, bracelet, socks, shoes and sunlight again? If you asked me why I thought this so beautiful I would have to say it is because of a) the colours and b) the fact that the dress and hat are both a little too big. The precise lines of the dress, the wrinkled socks, the angle of the hat on her perfectly bleached head ... it is too beautiful to think about!

And the Japanese are the emperors of layering. Layering in the summer! Madness. And yet they don't look like they're about to up and drop dead of the heat.




Possibly it's just because they're made of tougher stuff than we are.

What I find particularly interesting is the fondness of shapes that don't necessarily have to anything to do with the shape of the human (female) body.


That isn't very clear, is it? What I mean is -- so much of (Western?) fashion is focused on being sexy, or showing it all, or not showing it all but suggesting. Which is fine, obvs, I'm a huge fan of the tiny mini shift dress and that's hardly modesty central. But it's interesting to see fashion that isn't fixated on how much you can show off or suggest, where a baggy T-shirt is not the worst thing in the world.



I'm not going to say it's not about sex, because who knows? I'm not here to do a sociological study. But it's cool to see summer fashion that isn't just tiny summer dresses, much as I love tiny summer dresses!

- Zen

Thursday 28 May 2009

Pretending to be a little boy in the girliest way

Approx. 1 million years after everybody else, I have come to the realisation that waistcoats and formal shorts make the cutest combo.


Chain scarf/necklace - knitted by me; black waistcoat - H&M; white lace cami and grey shorts - ... Primark

I actually only picked up the waistcoat at H&M because I thought it was on sale. It wasn't, but its sharp Vs were so cunning that I couldn't make myself put it down.

All hail summer!

- Zen

Sunday 24 May 2009

Onitsuka Tiger Love

Now that the UK is having sun phases, it makes me want to go out n run!!! Although I’m more likely to stay indoors and enjoy the coolness while admiring the bright colours through my window>_<.

Since I have contemplated running (and my old pair of trainers + bad training regime = problems with shin splints this year) I’ve been looking around (online mainly) for new running shoes. Maybe I should get a pair of Asics? Obviously while looking at Asics...I got distracted by the Tigers and all their pretty colours! Now my brain desperately needs some Onitsuka Tigers...and seeing as how I’m such a t-shirt+jeans person...a pair would round off my daily get-up perfectly:D

I love the Fabre series, because I love basketball and I love the cut (I am truly simple-minded>_<).

This blue low-top pair is more or less exactly what I'm looking for, I love blue so will definitely go well with my monochrome wardrobe...



This high-top Fabre is amazing! I would like a t-shirt with a print like this one. Threadless style.



This pair is also love! Saiko runner series...sounds like they will run well! Maybe I'll go poke HADEGUJA for them...



Shall I be "productive" and go Tiger watching this bank holiday?

This is just like the Converse phase I had a few years back. I never really noticed Converses till I tried on a pair as a stalling tactic while some top-secret present buying was going on...from then I was hooked and I only loved Converses...till now. I sense a similar, slightly manic, episode for Tigers coming on...>_<



-Sam

Monday 11 May 2009

Whimsicalism and Denim Rage

My definition of whimsical. Different takes of Pizzicato Polka.





And today I brought out the denim jacket that has been hidden in my closet for years. I'm glad denim jackets are back as I have 2 in London and 2 back home. O.o Yup, definitely a kid who grew up in the 90s.

Stone washed denim jacket, shirt dress and leggings : H&M
Gladiators : New Look

Man, the boyf really needs to learn to make me look taller in pictures. Almost all the pictures are angled like 23 degrees above the plane of my head. I am short as it is already but these pictures make me look even shorter. Anyway, I'm practically living off leggings now because they are super comf and easy to style. I mean I can just dump on a huge shirt, accessorise and that's it. Let me point out that these leggings are made of proper pant-elastine-whachamacallit material unlike footless tights so nay I do not run around showing my bare ass.

Actually, I now recall that I use to wear leggings and over sized T-shirts (mainly of the Mickey Mouse variety) when I was about 7. I still remember they were from St. Michael's, now rebranded as Marks and Spencers. My aunt bought a pair as a gift for me and from then on I never looked back. There was even one in black checks, in a nice way of course, not too big to look stupid and too small to be too mind boggling. I doubt that was fashion sense then, as a while after that I fell in love with the likes of dungarees and Timberlands but oh well, life goes on.

Leggings are like the Gwen Stefani sweat pants of my early teenage years and it being the trend now is the right timing as well becuase it's the exam period so comfy clothes equals hight efficciency. It's true! Irritation from anything can cause a lot of downtime.

Interesting fact of the day: Revision makes me watch thrashy MTV reality series and Michelle Phan.

What does revision do to you?


- Sue

Tuesday 5 May 2009

Update

Okay, I just finished a three hour long essay based paper based on the plant design I was working on for the 11 weeks of my life and it was so so. It's been 4 years since I have written a proper essay (currently everything subjective are either derivations of equations or calculations) and I ran out of ink. Obviously there was an extra pen because I play safe like that but as strange as it sounds, I have this satisfying feeling when a good pens run out of ink. It's like a 50p pen has been put to good use throughout its lifetime and can now die of honour and dignity instead of being lost into the depths of the black hole to never return. Can you imagine how much money you could have put into that Chanel 2.55 bag fund if all the pens you used were used to death? Like maybe £100? Srsly because some people spend A LOT of money on gel ink pens and it doesn't help that when you fiddle with your pen, pen dropping accidents lead to a loss of another good pen. So there, now you know about my pen-finishing obsession.

Anyway, last week I wanted to buy some antibacterial gel because again, I am safe like that. Hey the swine flu was scary last week okay. I wasn't the only one because Boots ran out. Instead, their till points proabably had a week's worth of anti-bacterial hand wash. So I decided to get the new Boots Protect and Perfect Beauty Serum for the mum since they were on 3 for 2, plus they were recently published in the Journal of Dermatology - proper scientific proof that it works. (I am never buying stuff that 'claims' to work anymore unless publish. hmmph) And also this.
L'Oreal Pefect Slim Pro-Massage

Hahah, I know, am I paranoid or what? But no, I am not. I am 22, UK size 8 but I suffer from cellulite. Okay honestly? You have to squeeze the thighs to see them but I noticed that there are more and more of them appearing and man I don't want them to appear in full glory when the need to squeeze them to view 'em horrible things disappears. To all girls who think I am crazy, I am not. In fact, I would issue this strict warning that once you reach 18, never, and I mean NEVER take your metabolism rate for granted because when you realise what hits you, it's too late. Weight gain and weight lost is no problem-o but don't gain weight too fast because then when your fat cells expand too fast, the lack of flexibility in the nearby connective tissue will cause the fat cells to tend to bulge upwards towards the surface of the skin, hence giving you a thigh with weird dimples. (Sigh, why can't cheeks get dimples that way huh?).

Oh my goodness. Read this

Lastly, women's panties are a very important causative factor in the developement of cellulite. Women's underwear today is radically different from their counterpart 50-60 years ago. This discussion is not intended to be a history of women's underwear. However, in the sixties hemlines on skirts started to get shorter and thus the length of the underwear shortened. In the last 40-50 years we went from loose underwear around the thighs to tight underwear going across the middle of the buttock. Interestingly, with the introduction of the Mini Skirt in the 60-70's era, along with the Hot Pants, there came a wave of exposed cellulite.

Wearing thongs, boyshorts, or sleeping naked can reduce the occurance of cellulite. Underwear that has tight elastic across the buttock limits blood flow, causing cellulite to form. This is especially important while sleeping, as the legs are not as active. When taken into consideration with the above two methods, cellulite can be prevented with a couple easy precautions.

Okay I always had the suspicion that I started getting more cellulite after wearing skinny jeans and this has proven me right. Noooooooooo 3 years of being in fashion caused cellulite? I am disheartened. Where has fashion freedom gone to? Sigh

Back to the product that can hopefully reverse the errors of my ways. The way this baby works is you have to knead your thighs with the rollers, which kinda pinches your skin then you rub the gel around the areas you have just massaged. I don't know if it works or not, we'll see. Like eye cream and sun screen, this is going to be an imperative regiment for me. Now if only I was not so lazy to exercise.

-Sue

Friday 24 April 2009

Matthew Williamson William Matthewson

I know there has been a whirlwind of wants from this collabo. I am sorry but there hasn't been one collabo that didn't live up to its H-Y-P-E (ie Commes des Garçons).

The ruffle dress and the blazer looks awesome and all but no I wouldn't spend my unemployment check on a dress that you know, I know Katie Perry wore not because she loved it and bought it for herself but because she was attending a H&M sponsored event and was probably given a choice over which dress she would like to wear for free.

Anyway, queues and umemployment checks aside, I thought this picture best summed up the meaning of H-Y-P-E over premium and high street brand collabs.If I were to see only the eyes on that woman on the top right corner, they say to me either,

'Omg, I've struck gold/oil.' (albeit at the wrong time)

or

'Omg, I've won the £60 million lottery."

or

'Omg, that dress is so beautiful I think I have died. No I think I have died and gone to HEAVEN because it's cheaper than an original Matthew Williamson whi is a god with colours. Me queue-ing from 5am in the morning was worth it. Now, hand that dress to me in size 8 you skinny b*tch.'

-Sue

Tuesday 21 April 2009

The Beauty of the Pound

Now that the pound is so weak, visitors and tourists should start celebrating whilst foreigners earning in pounds wallow in the pits.

Here is something to kick start your shopping day/week if you're over in the UK.

Go get yourself a classic Burberry trench before it's too late.

Just don't be too ambitious for fear you may walk over to the fug side.

-Sue

Saturday 18 April 2009

Sharpness

Whoa, look at those shoulder pads!

That combined with her hair and shoes. I have never been so inspired by sharp things before but this, is amazing!

Photo credits: The Sartorialist

-Sue

Thursday 16 April 2009

Shoe Geek

Look away if you fall in love easily because I'm afraid these pair of Marnis are to die for.
Unfortunately, they cost £302. BUT they are on sale now, for a mere £226.50 excluding delivery. Boo
I really like how it looks when worn. Besides, nude is here to stay. Okay, it's nude-ish. Close enough. I am not usually a fan of high wedges (especially ones where the whole shoe is elevated by 2 inches from the ground) but its shape and sharp lines are just love. Secondly, these babies sort of cover your whole feet in a strange way that does not looked wrapped? I am usually uncertain about shoes like these but Marni must have done something right for me to love em so.Sigh, even Susie Bubble has a pair. Lucky for me I found a cheaper version from Carvela for £95 a pop.They don't look quite the same, but they will have to do for now. Actually no, not really. I am still unsatisfied that Zara has not done any knockoffs. Zara was quick to cash in on the Balmain Spring 2009 Crystal Studded Sandals. The original £1370 pair.The Balmain inspired £120 pair from Zara.

That is a pair of pretty good knock-offs, don't you think? So yes, if anyone finds a Marni patent wedge look-alike from wherever that does not exceed uhmm, too much, give me a ring okay. My feet will thank you.

p.s. The price should be £30 because you see for the Zara pair it was at around a 10% fraction of the price of the real deal hence £30 should be the maximum price ANY Marni knock-off should be at. (Proud at self for awesome rationalisation.)

-Sue