After a long hiatus, I am so happy to say "hey" to all of you again. The last time I was popping up on your PC or mobile screen, I had just come back from an incredible time in Berlin and hyped about pretty much everything. Fast-forward about two months later and I am wishing for December. It has been crazy and it seems like 2016 is hitting the ground running at the speed of a thousand. Alot of people that I have spoken to feel the same and its crazy that we are already going into July!

Bewilderment aside, this month was my birthday; if you were following my Instagram you would have seen that it was a pretty chilled affair with family and friends. This has kind of been my birthday vibe since I turned 25...gone are the days of dress-up club birthdays and libations aplenty - I now just crave amazing experiences and fun-filled memories. Along with the coming of my 28th year, I find myself questioning my life a bit and really concentrating on value in terms of time to myself, time for my family and doing things that I really enjoy. Sometimes we get stuck in a comfort zone of the hustle and chasing after the next paycheck and attention capital. Now, I cannot sit here and say that I am not still on that grand hustle and striving for success at every turn but it's almost a case of how I want to achieve it and at what price. Maybe my views would have changed by the time of my next birthday..if it does, I'll be sure to let you know.

This coat is one that I picked up in Berlin at a store called Pimkie. It's full of on-trend, affordable pieces (if you don't convert back to South African rands *eek*) that are fuss-free and just everything that you need without you even knowing it. I have been on a search for the perfect camel coat that would be light enough to wear over jeans and a tee in the summer, just to elevate an otherwise casual outfit but also add on as an extra layer in the winter. I have been wearing this coat non-stop lately, it's the perfect basic and I wouldn't mind having about four of these beauties.

I have also started collaborating with my sister, photographer of 4th Eye Photography and this is the result of our collaboration. I love the moody tones of the images especially how the movement through my coat and grey skies add an extra something...I hope that you enjoy them.

Outfit Details:
Coat: Pimkie/ Poloneck: Woolworths/ Pants: Zara/ Shoes: Pimkie

Photography: 4th_Eye Photography @4theye_
Instagram: @londam_holland_
Bloglovin: Londam-Holland

My blogging schedule has been a bit sketchy lately and I was starting to feel a little outta touch with all of you and my 'baby'(blog). I am not going to lie, most of my absence is due to some crazy crazy developments in my life lately. Experiencing a few ups and am so happy and so so grateful. I cannot wait to share some of these developments with you soon, just waiting for a few things to come into the 'works', if you will, but you will know soon enough.

For this look, I teamed up with one of my favs, Lisa, again to shoot this very casual, streetstyle look. I had been wearing this outfit the whole day during meetings and such so it was quite a literal depiction of my life that day. I just love the energy of these shots and how it almost looks like I'm jamming to the 'sickest beat' and the world just fell away. Lisa and I drove in circles around the CBD, location scouting, until we finally decided on this black wall. I had never shot against a black or dark background before and was keen to bring a new feel to my looks with this one.
I hope you enjoy and check in on you in just a little bit...

Outfit Details:
Shirt: Jay Jays/ Sweater: Alexander Classics/ Jeans: MRP/ Shoes: MRP/ Bag: Woolworths

Photography: Lisa Gabriel @lisag_photography
Instagram: @londam_holland_
Bloglovin: Londam-Holland

SA Fashion Week has rolled on by and this year, I decided to wear a new young designer that showcased at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Johannesburg in the beginning of the month as part of the AFI Fast Track or "young talent" show. I loved this collection the minute it went down the runway purely because it had this rebellious cool and it looked like "Gossip Girl collegiate" with an urban vibe. (New Talent Alert!) The designer is Nhlanhla Masemola and I was so happy to have worn his designs. I love the oversized masculine suit tailoring and cheeky touches all over the garments... it's playful fashion, which I love. I cannot wait to see what else will come from Nhlanhla.

I always get so excited discovering a new creative talent, its so inspiring and just makes me "hella" proud. Then watching them grow in the industry....(priceless). Life is pretty exciting right now and I have a lot coming and lots to share; are you ready to join me for the ride?

Outfit Details:
Full outfit: Nhlanhla Masemola/ Shoes: MRP

Photography: 4th Eye Photography @4theye_
Instagram: @londam_holland_

Life is starting to wind down alittle bit and I suddenly find myself breathing alittle easier. March has to be one of my most hectic months every single year and this year took it to another level. Between fashion weeks, shoots, deadlines and just trying to lead a normal healthy life...I realised that sometimes we just need to take a break and not to be so hard on ourselves when we have to admit that... something that I am still learning but hoping to get a handle on things soon.

Life status aside, autumn has also rolled in and Johannesburg has definitely started to chill up alittle. If you have not already; you should be looking at that winter wardrobe to see if you are adequately prepped for the upcoming season. During day 1 of this year's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Johannesburg, I got to wear one of Rich Mnisi's pieces from his latest mens collection. I have loved these polonecks since I saw the runway images and had to have one. I feel like this poloneck is a must-have item going into winter as the colours are bold and the "Rich Mnisi" along the front makes it playful and trendy. The plus side? This poloneck is super warm. Perfect for layering or just wearing tucked into a great pair of trousers or skirt, the cool factor on one is high.

Enquire about getting your own poloneck by emailing info@richmnisi.com or on his Instagram account @rich_mnisi
What is your most lustworthy item for this winter?

Outfit Details:
Poloneck: Rich Mnisi/ Culottes: Zara

Photography: Londam-Holland
Instagram: @londam_holland_
Bloglovin: Londam-Holland

I am so excited to finally share these looks with you. On my last trip to Cape Town, I linked up with Lisa Gabriel again to shoot a couple of looks for the blog. It was so nice shooting with her in a different city and just feeling a lot more comfort and familiarity in our relationship from our first one that we did in Johannesburg last year. For this look, I wanted to sport this simple monochromatic outfit and capture the urban vibe of the Cape Town CBD. Its the most beautiful thing shooting in Cape Town as you have ample amounts of sunlight; we shot this around 5pm or 6pm and it just would be so convenient to be able to come back from work and still be able to squeeze in a shoot without having to rush or get stuck in traffic.
I felt so `rock n roll` in this get-up and loved the masculine cool the oversized tee gave to the fitted jeans and strappy heels. I honestly wish sometimes that I could be one of those people who just dedicate their wardrobe to monochromatic hues; I love the whole look, feel and simplicity of it all. Its been a crazy few weeks for me and I could really use a holiday or just a change of scenery *semi personal rant...but I felt I should share... Stay checking the blog for a lot more lookposts coming up, I cannot wait to share them with you!

Outfit Details:
Tee: Jet/ Jeans: MRP/ Shoes: MRP/ Bag: Woolworths/ Sunglasses: Maui Jim/ Rings: Lovisa/ Chocker: Gifted

Photography: Lisa Gabriel (@lisag_photography)
Instagram: @londam_holland_
Bloglovin': Londam-Holland

What's good everyone? I have another lookpost for you and this one stars a personal wardrobe favourite of mine at the moment. If you read my last post, I shared my top tips on how I style culottes (see here) and I hope that you have tried out some of them. Let me know how they worked out for you or tag me on Instagram or Twitter, I would love to see.

I love culottes and really like how they make me feel so effortless but stylish and powerful! I got these ones from Zara about a two weeks ago at their sale and felt like I had hit the jackpot! I had been on the hunt for a great pair for a while and had past on a few great ones because of awkward fit or price. With these ones, the fit was beyond perfect and the affordable price made it an easy sale. I have also been looking for this colour for a long time. I originally wanted it in the form of a suede 70's inspired dress or skirt but these will do just fine. I have a feeling that this brown, burnt-mustard colour (if anyone knows the exact name, please comment below) will overtake the traditional camel or beige as the new neutral. As much as I love a great camel anything, having a darker version of a neutral is always a good thing, I think. Don't have too much to say in this post but I am working on organising some exciting projects, some giveaways for you guys (yay) and some cool collaborations but I will tell you more about them when they happen.

Outfit Details
Top & Culottes - Zara/ Shoes: MRP

Photography: Londam-Holland
Instagram: @londam_holland_
Bloglovin: Londam-Holland
Snapchat: londam-holland

Hey ya'll, lookpost time again. January is flying by so fast, I honestly have forgotten about my "holiday hangover" that I had the first week back from the holidays. I think this past holiday really felt like a vacation for me and I really got to rest up and be adventurous with little trips to places in and around my home province. It was just a refreshing change from the usual hustle and bustle of city vacations. One destination that I have been talking about non-stop and am still dreaming about going to is Thailand. I have no idea if I have conjured up an epic perception of Thailand from watching "The Hangover 2" or that I just love the idea of a island getaway but Thailand is definitely on my bucket list. I have had a lot of friends go to Thailand and they always talk about how affordable and energetic it is. The food is amazing, the variety of retail stores is insane and the landscapes are beautiful. I will definately make a plan to go to Thailand in the near future and who knows...my next lookpost could be on location in Bangkok! (crossing fingers)

My boss went to Thailand this December and came back with this amazing piece from shopping in Bangkok. It is from a label called "December no. 5" and lately, I have really been loving clothing with alot of texture, an amazing print or some interesting volume. This piece was actually intended to be a dress but I found it too short for me so changed it to a top and paired it up with some navy cropped pants, which I love. I would like to style this top with a culotte with even more volume than these pants and just play with the size proportions more.
Let me know if you have any destinations that you are dying to visit or if you have been to Thailand, how was it? I would love to hear about your experience. I am now on Snapchat so you can see my semi-unedited life and me being a goof ball, at times, add me at the username londam-holland. I had vowed that I would resist joining Snapchat because I didn't want to be swallowed up by the hype but I decided to try it out and I think its a great way to connect on a more personal level with all of you..so we'll see how that goes.

Outfit Details
Top: December no.5 (Thailand)/ Pants: Woolworths/ Shoes: MRP

Photography: Londam-Holland
Instagram: @londam_holland_
Bloglovin: Londam-Holland
Snapchat: londam-holland

Welcome back and Happy New Year! I took a short hiatus for the holidays but I am back with the first post of the year. Wow, its so hard to believe that it is 2016 already...last year went by so quickly. I love the end of the year; everyone gets that much needed downtime, I get to see my whole family again and it feels like the slate gets wiped clean and you can start over. 2015 was pretty magical... it was a tough year but also a year that I am thankful for with so many opprtunities. This is what I learnt from 2015.

Direction
I felt like a grew as a blogger and really started to see the development of the brand as well as its aesthetic. I started building up a new skill set with my self-photography and creating photoshoots that I'm pretty proud of. This also helped me to give more of a creative direction to the blog and hopefully giving it a point of difference.

Engagement
2015 was the first time I had the opportunity to meet some of my readers. It's honestly an overwhelming and humbling experience that I am so happy I got to experience. For a long time, it felt like I was posting into the air, so to have that interaction with people who read your blog and follow you on your social platforms is an affirmation that you're on the right track. I also had to get use to the idea of being officially referred to as "a blogger". A lot of the time, bloggers see blogging as just a labour of love but with the sense of responsibility that being called a blogger gives, it made me realise that this is a brand and business so is definitely key to live up to that. PS: my readers are amazing, I thank you for the lovely words of encouragement, compliments and being on this journey with me.

Personality
This year I really want to work on the "personality" of the blog. Often, a blog is a stylized version of you and your life so as much as your personality can show in your writing; readers do not really have a tangible personality to engage with. Last year I did my first Youtube video for rubybox and as nerve-wrecking as it was, I really understood how putting a face to the brand is so important. Hopefully in 2016, I can have more opportunities to engage with you on a personal level so keep watching this space to see how.

This look I shot while I was on holiday in Durban. We stayed at a beautiful guesthouse called "Holland House" which just had all the makings of a relaxing retreat away from the city crowds. It has an eclectic style of Cape Dutch and Mexican/Spanish with a contemporary twist. I really felt like I was transported to the other side of the world and it made for the perfect backdrop for a cool shoot. I also fell in love with the name as it felt so close to Londam-Holland (written in a similar font too)...if that isn't a sign of good things to come, I don't know what is.

Outfit Details:
Dress: MRP (Poppy Delevingne for Oakridge Collection)

Photography: Londam-Holland
Location: Holland House B&B, Morningside Durban
Instagram: @londam_holland_
Bloglovin: Londam-Holland Blog