One of my favorite trips is to L.A. (anywhere in California, really). I love the whole mid-century vibe of Los Angeles and I could spend two or three days eating everything in sight and hitting up yummy coffee and tea places. I always go to my favorite Gjelina in Venice at least two or three times every single time I’m in L.A. The fact that my L.A. trips only last three or four days max gives you an idea how much I like this place. This heart wall is a few blocks from Gjelina on Abbot Kinney Boulevard, about half way between the restaurant and Blue Bottle Coffee.

Style wise, I definitely tone it down a notch while I’m in L.A. The city is simply more casual and relaxed. I wear more denim and boho, breezy dresses like this one. But I like to add in an element of California cool. I definitely feel out of place when I try to dress as I would on a night out in Chicago. I still add statement pieces, but I pick ones that have a little retro, relaxed feel.

Since we were simply kicking around the area on this day, I dressed purely for comfort in my favorite pair of J Brand denim culottes, a breezy Mother of Peal silk tank and a pair of Gucci sneakers I bought eight or nine years ago on sale at Saks Fifth Avenue. Little did I know they would have having such a major fashion moment nearly a decade later. Buy quality (and take care of it) and you will wear it forever. Buy what you LOVE and you will always be ahead of the curve.

A note about the glasses: put your pie-in-the-sky sunglasses on your shopping list because the ones I’m wearing here were OUTRAGEOUSLY priced but then they went on sale again and again and I bought theme for a STEAL.

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