THE STYLE PROFILE
BY ERIKA @ STYLE BOUNDARY
For a long time, the word ‘travel’ was long forgotten due to the global pandemic. Most of us even forgot how travelling felt like, however, this year travelling suddenly feels fresh and exciting again. For evidence look no further than to Lois You, the up-and-coming New York fashion sensation whose wonderful travel vlogs never fails to inspire. You brings her refined and classic aesthetic to both her travel vlogs and outfit photos—she, dare we say it, makes travel feel exciting once more. Here, she talks to Style Boundary about her current fashion theory, developing her style, and some of her travel adventures.
SB: How did your love for fashion start? What is your earliest fashion-related memory?
Lois: My love for fashion started in elementary school. My mum would always dress me up for school, she always styled me very chic and well. I got a lot of inspiration from her. My friends from elementary school would always compliment me, and they always wanted to be friends with me. That gave me a lot of fashion influence, and I always find it is a way to express myself.
SB: Please use three words to describe your personal style.
Lois: Effortless, Chic and Classic.
SB: How did you develop your personal style? Any advice for people who are new to fashion?
Lois: My style has developed over the years. When I was younger, I wore a lot more affordable pieces. It was all about putting them together, styling different colours and patterns together. Now that I’m older, I do appreciate a more elevated look- things that are more classic. It’s not about having so many outfits and pieces that I own in my closet, but more about having a smaller amount of clothes that I can curate different outfits with. I think that’s how my style has evolved.
I started to appreciate luxury fashion and having closet essential pieces. For me, I love classic black trousers with black shoes and a black coat, that is just so chic and effortless. I would be willing to invest in those pieces versus maybe some other pieces where I would go to a more high street brand.
I don’t think I am in a position to give advice, if I had to I’d say learn to be confident with what you wear. Definitely try a variety of different styles. You wouldn’t know how it truly is unless you try. Another important thing in fashion is to know your body, as far as styling yourself, for example, if you have long legs, or if you have a more athletic build. What looks good on someone else you might not necessarily be able to mimic or it might not look the same on you. If you want to get into fashion it definitely takes a lot of trial and error.
''IT'S NOT ABOUT HAVING SO MANY OUTFITS AND PIECES THAT I OWN IN MY CLOSET, BUT MORE ABOUT HAVING A SMALLER AMOUNT OF CLOTHES THAT I CAN CURATEDIFFERENT OUTFITS WITH.''
SB: What are some of your favourite fashion items recently?
Lois: I’ve had my Chanel classic flap for a while but recently it is one of the items that I use the most. Before I would only wear it out once as I would baby the bag but recently, I’ve been using it a lot. You can see how much I style it both casually and formally. This is one of my favourite pieces that I’ve been enjoying.
I’ve also been really into classic trousers. I use to not like trousers as much, I would prefer dresses more, but lately, I’ve been buying a bunch of trousers in all different colours. I just hope the skinny jeans never come back in style.
SB: When you think about influence, what does that mean to you? How would you try to use the influence that you have?
Lois: There’s a lot of different kinds of influences, there are some positives but there is also some negative. It’s having the power to persuade another person. For me, sometimes there are some negative connotations to being an influencer but I think there are also a lot of good things that can come out of it too. It’s all about perspective and the direction that you are trying to go.
For me, specifically working in content creation it’s really important that I have a positive influence. I can create a positive and healthy space where it gives an opportunity for other people to see what I’m doing and it makes them feel something or want to do something, such as, to work out, develop their personal style and so on. That’s the kind of influence I want to share.
SB: The global pandemic has changed so much of our everyday lives. What have you learned about yourself over the past year?
Lois: For me, personally, I’ve learnt to be grateful for small things. There are a lot of things that we’ve taken for granted. I was home for a year, I was in New York but I went back to work from home and spent the year with my family. Me, being in my mid-20s, that was something I would never have imagined. That was such a wonderful time for me, it really put into perspective what’s really important in life, just to be with my loved ones and seeing that they are healthy and safe. That is just one of the things that I feel like a lot of us forgot about.
I really value interaction as well, and I also realised how much I enjoy being alone. I think everyone becomes a little antisocial through the pandemic but it’s also learning to enjoy that time being alone.
''FOR ME, PERSONALLY, I'VE LEARNT TO BE GRATEFUL FOR SMALL THINGS. THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE'VE TAKEN FOR GRANTED.''
SB: Your recent travel vlogs have positively inspired your community, how does it feel when you can travel again? Where’s your next travel destination?
Lois: First of all, I am just so grateful that people have been able to see those travel vlogs and have been positively inspired. I feel like travelling was something that was totally on hold for a lot of people for the past year and a half. Having been vaccinated, I still understand that I am really grateful and privileged to be able to travel because I know that there are still countries where people aren't able to get vaccinated therefore they are unable to travel yet.
Travelling is something that is really important to me, it opens my perspective and view about so many things. I’ve learned so much about myself. I’m just grateful when I read the comments, and my viewers tell me that they are so excited to see London and Paris through me and they are able to leave really sweet comments.
SB: And finally, future goals/directions for yourself and your YouTube channel?
Lois: I recently decided to go full-time with content creation so I am very excited about this step. When it is your first time doing anything, it can be a little nerve-racking and you have your doubts but I’m super excited for this new journey and I look forward to seeing where it goes. The direction I would like to take my channel is to provide a space that is very inspiring and positive. I want people to be able to watch my videos, even though it’s entertainment, I hope people gain more than just good outfits and makeup tutorials. I want my viewers to feel something, to push them out of their comfort zone.
I actually saw a comment recently where someone said the reason they like my channel was because it made them feel uncomfortable but in a good way. It made her want to be a better version of herself. It was putting her out of her comfort zone to explore new things, to go work out, things like that. For me, that is one of the most rewarding things about this whole new journey. When I see that I am motivating other people to do and become a better version of themselves, that I can be a little part of that, there’s nothing more I can ask for. That was really special.