Meet The Girl Behind LouHayHay
Posted on 06 November 2013
Meet Louise Hay, the Eurasian cutie behind LouHayHay. We love her personal street style snaps and how she mixes high street with luxury. Check out her lust worthy wardrobe and foodie adventures on her Instagram! Michelle got to have a chat over afternoon tea with the lovely Louise whilst in London.
Tell us about yourself. Where were you born, where did you grow up and where do you call home?
I was born in Hong Kong and I lived there till I was 11 and I went to boarding school in Sydney. I lived in Australia till the beginning of this year when I moved to London. Home is really wherever my family and boyfriend are.
How long have you been blogging and what made you start?
I started a tumblr account in 2011 because my laptop memory was completely full because of all the images I had saved from other blogs. I didn’t want to delete them so my boyfriend suggested I start a blog. However, when I got an Instagram account my followers were requesting more and more personal outfit posts so at the end of last year I created the LOUHAYHAY you see today.
How do you keep the balance between your daily life and blogging? What is a typical day like for you?
Blogging at the moment is really just a hobby. I study full time so sometimes it's hard to find the right balance. We take the photos after class and on the weekend and I prepare the posts either early in the mornings or before I go to bed.
No trip to Harrods is without afternoon tea at Ladurée!
Do you see yourself being a blogger for life, and why? If you weren’t blogging what would be your dream job?
Definitely! My blog has grown with me organically so I think that will continue. My dream is to be a buyer for a luxury retailer. Ideally, I would be able to find a job that would support my blog.
What inspires you?
I find the most inspiration in other fashion blogs. I still look to magazines but I prefer to see how an item is going to look on a real girl. Living in London I get exposed to so many different styles and the girls on the streets can be really inspiring. London fashion is so different depending on what area you are in and that’s one of the reasons I love living here.
Who is your favourite style icon, and why?
It’s a tie between Christine Centenera and Anna Dello Russo. They have totally different styles but they bring it to the next level. No one wears all black like Centenera and no one wears colour and prints like Anna.
Who are your favourite designers, and why?
a. Clothing: Phoebe Philo and Stella McCartney knock it out of the park every time.
b. Handbags: Phoebe Philo and Mischa of course!
What blogs do you follow?
I follow a lot of blogs on tumblr, I probably have about 100 bookmarked. But my favourite blogs are the Man Repeller, Soraya Bakhtiar and They All Hate Us.
What one item of clothing/accessory can you not live without?
My leather leggings. I have about four pairs on rotation. They go with everything and can be worn day or night.
How would you describe your personal style, do you follow fashion trends?
To some extent I do. I like to mix designer and high street labels. When I love a certain trend but I know that it probably won’t last another season I go to Zara or another high street label and get my fix there. I like to invest in classic pieces that will last forever.
What are your top 3 travel destinations? Where was your most recent trip to and where would you like to go next?
Positano, St Tropez and Tokyo are my favourites. My last trip was to Ibiza. That place is insane and I can only handle it in small doses. You really leave your soul behind in Ibiza but it’s so much fun. I really want to go to Stockholm and Copenhagen next, hopefully I’ll make the trip in October.
A peep inside Louise's handbag!
What are your travel essentials/ what’s in your everyday bag?
My travel essentials are an LV scarf, noise cancelling headphones, a tub of La Mer moisturizer and hand cream.
Where do you like to shop? Do you have any secret finds?
I am obsessed with online shopping! Every morning I check what’s new on Matches, Net-a-porter and Shopbop. My favourite stores in the world are On Pedder and Lane Crawford in Hong Kong.
I don’t know how secret they are anymore but I love the handmade sandal stores in Positano and Capri. They are so comfortable but you can get the most gorgeous embellishments.