LA Outfits And What Packing Can Tell You About What You Need In Your Closet Right Now

My packing for LA was almost a catastrophe. First of all, I always overestimate the weather there at this time of the year. I had vaguely checked the forecasts before leaving and the excitement for "0% chances of precipitations" (when in NY was pouring) made me forget that 70 degrees during the day is not THAT warm, especially if followed by 58 in the night, which is definitely chilly. I also forgot that LA has different microclimates depending on where you are: if you are on the hills it starts cloudy in the morning until around 11 or noon, and then it gets sunny and it warms up. Since we were staying at the Standard, which is on Sunset boulevard in West Hollywood, and that we were around the pool mostly in the early morning and that I didn't have any long-sleeved sweater/sweatshirt except for the one I had travelled in and that I was "saving" for the night (I know, I know) I was basically freezing at the pool (until Memorial Day when it got very hot all of a sudden). So that was the first mistake, I overpacked warm weather clothes and I had zero in cases (luckily I didn't forget my Nolita jacket).
My evening line-up wasn't much better. I packed only one dress (pretty casual) that I knew in advance my husband didn't like (I was hoping that he would change his mind as he sometimes does but it didn't happen this time), so when he categorically asked me not to wear it I was left with the choice between my Zara faux-leather shorts (that would have been cute if it weren't for the fact that they weren't weather appropriate) and my two pairs of jeans. Moreover, I didn't take any heels because that only dress didn't need the hassle of wearing heels to look good, in my opinion. Smart. So I was in glamorous LA, without daughter in tow, ready to take over the city nightlife in jeans and flats. I had to admit that my husband's appalled "with all the money that you spend in clothes you come to LA like this?" wasn't completely out of line, but I had to make the most of it because the only thing I am certain in life is that my husband will never go shopping while on vacation (and I can't drive in the US).

Soooooo, the first night (which was actually the coldest in our stay) we were going to meet friends who live in OC at a restaurant nearby and I was sure that we wouldn't go anywhere after because I was tired and jetlagged, having gotten up at 3.30 am that morning to catch my flight (I can't sleep while I fly). After my husband defended me from wearing the dress that I had planned to wear, I had no choice but wearing the Zara shorts (because the place was dressy and I couldn't show up in jeans) that I paired with the red Carrie cami (as a side note, this cami is the best going out thing that JCrew has ever put out IMO. If you don't mind the cleavage exposure and you can wear that kind of spaghetti strap cami, I highly recommend it). It was okay because we had dinner on the heated patio and I had my Rebecca Taylor vest that goes with everything and was really a lifesaver during this vacation (one of the servers complimented me on my vest in front of my husband and she made my day). As I said I didn't have any heel with me but I had a pair of evening flat sandals by Vince Camuto that I had bought the day before leaving and I can't recommend enough. They are the most comfortable sandals ever and they are showstoppers. If it is of any indication, a drunken lady in her 70s (think old movie star a la Stardust Boulevard) stopped in her tracks and (in a drunken voice) said (pointing at my shoes and sort of barking orders to the man that was lifting her by her underarm) "What are those shoes? I want them!". It was a funny LA moment. By the way, apparently there is no Vince Camuto store in LA, so it a brand that people there do not easily recognize, probably.
The reason why I bought these is that they were having a promo for Memorial Day and all the sandals were 25%, which makes them really inexpensive. They are the Emera gladiator sandals and they are very sparkly IRL. They run AT LEAST one size big, I went down to a 6 and they were perfect and I am never a 6 (however if you plan to wear them during the day and walk a lot in them I would go down only half a size):





The following evening was more challenging. It was the "no plan" evening out with a vague idea of going to a club. Since my husband's best friend (who lives in LA) wasn't in LA that weekend and without him we didn't know how to navigate the LA club scene, we went for a safe choice and decided to have dinner at Pink Taco on Sunset (walking distance from the hotel!) because we had no reservations, then to go to a movie (to kill time until midnight) and then come back to the hotel and go to the Chateau Marmont (walking distance again!) or the club of our hotel or both. So I had to dress for dinner and a movie, followed by a bar/club without possibly getting bounced (it didn't occurred to me that I could have changed mid-evening since we were coming back to the hotel after the movie). So I went casual on bottom (no choice here) and upscale up, so to speak. We didn't take pictures that night but I re-created the exact outfit for you, minus the shoes (the Vince Camuto above):




And with the RT vest:




What worked really well in this outfit was the necklace. It is a necklace that gets you into places, so to speak, as both the bouncer at the Chateau and at the club of the Standard made a comment on it. Usually it is my husband who gets us into clubs (the rare times when we go out) but this time it was me and my necklace!
Pink Taco (a casual Mexican joint on Sunset with a beautiful patio) was just OK, I had read so much about it that I was a bit disappointed, the ambience was a mix between sports bar and prom night and the food was average (maybe because of the holiday weekend). But I wanted to try it and it was the perfect night to do it. Going to a movie right after (The Hangover 3, that was opening that weekend) was also a good idea because it kept us busy/awake until it was time for the clubs. I enjoyed my drink at the bar of the Chateau but the club at the Standard was a throwback to the 80s and while the music and people were fun, I hadn't been to a club where people were freaking SMOKING since the 90s and I couldn't stand it for more than 10 minutes (my husband neither). When we got out, the bouncer was surprised that we were already done, he seemed disappointed and maybe he regretted to let us in!

Sunday night we were celebrating my husband's birthday and since I was in charge of the reservations for the weekend I had chosen a low-key restaurant with a beautiful patio, called Laurel Hardware. When we were driving back from Malibu earlier that day we considered briefly the new Nobu locatio which is right on the Pacific Highway (the new building is astonishing) but we decided to stick to the initial plan because it was still early and it wouldn't be fun for the birthday boy to refrain from drinking, since he was the one driving.
Laurel Hardware is an amazing place. The front of the restaurant looks like a pretty bare-boned coffee shop but behind the high concrete wall there is a restaurant room with an amazing décor/bar and behind that a patio that immediately transports you somewhere in Greece or South of Italy, with two giant olive trees in the middle. The atmosphere in the patio is priceless but the food could be better (it puzzles me that a restaurant with such beautiful premises can't find a better chef). My husband was very happy (for him the vibe of a place is more important that the actual food) and we could drink a bottle of wine because we were very close to the hotel, even if I had no idea before getting there.
By then he had probably gotten used to the idea that my LA wardrobe was very casual (or maybe he had gotten used to the casual vibe in LA) so when I showed up in glorified trackpants (the JCrew silk colorblock pants) he said (to my surprise) "Yes, that's very LA". I didn't want to upset him on his birthday but in reality I was expecting the opposite reaction and my plan was that after seeing me in the trackpants he would find my jeans very dressy (I know, I have to play Machiavelli with him). BTW, in case you are interested in these pants (they are very cool IMO), the key is sizing down so that there is no extra fabric in the crotch area and at the bottom. I had first ordered the green version in a XS and they looked AWEFUL, so when the black went on sale (before Xmas?) I ordered a size down and they fit perfectly. I don't have pics of the exact outfit that I wore in LA (I wore it with the orange Joe Fresh tank that you have seen in the packing post and the Juicy palms clutch) but I had planned a post on them a while ago, so I can share a pic where you can see how they fit (by the way, the side band is not white, nor ivory but a very dark beige that was a bit disappointing at first):



The only kind of outfit that I really got right was my "pool" outfit. I have been at the Standard many times so I kind of know what to expect from the guests, even if this time I found a bit more gay than hipster. I had bought an inexpensive Zara tee that was perfect with my cutoff shorts. On Memorial Day we had champagne brunch just before checking out:



And this is the view on Sunset from our balcony (always ask for a room on the back at the Standard, they are much quieter):



So I survived my pitiful packing (did I mention that I forgot my flip-flops?) but this got me thinking. Even if I had wanted to bring heels and a "going out" dress, I wouldn't have known what to bring, my closet is lacking in these two categories: going out shoes that I can walk in and going out dresses that aren't too casual or too dressy. I tend to buy more of what I already have (I guess this is quite common), in particular tee shirts, jeans and cover-ups. When I splurge I tend to splurge on things that are too occasion-y and that then I don't wear because I lack the occasion.
So I am on a quest for the perfect going-out shoes and the going out equivalent of a LBD, a dress that you can wear to go out in several occasions. I found the shoes and I have a post coming up, stay tuned.

To end this lengthy post (I hope I haven't bored you to death) a little riddle. Can you recognize the guy in the pic below?



OK, so if you have recognized him, you probably count among your guilty pleasures a certain TV show (don't tell me I am the only one who watches this crap). This was taken at the restaurant where we went the first night (hint). He was our server that night and I was mortified when my friend asked him to pose for a pic with me but I kind of deserved it because I had booked the restaurant. It was fun to see all the cast thought and I was surprised at their professionalism (I mean they acted like professional servers, even if the TV show probably pay them much better)!


Have a great weekend!!!