East Meets West (Coast)

Another from my time at SheerLuxe...

Hailing from Los Angeles, I’ve always admired the chic sophistication of the East Coast and, more specifically, New York. Even though the cities share a country, when it comes to style, the similarities stop there. Each destination offers their own take on fashion and style, largely determined by the industry that dominates in each.

In LA, to work in “The Industry” means to work in entertainment: the struggling actress complete with her predictable Juicy Couture tracksuit and Venti iced skinny latte from Starbucks (with two Splendas), the artsy film maker who prowls the vintage shops of Melrose to increase his indie-cred, the director who favours classic Calvin Klein tailoring in order to impress potential producers.

The key to style in Los Angeles is to dress to impress as many people as possible, because just like a movie needs to be liked by a large and diverse audience in order to be popular, so do the people making it.

Location and climate also play a big part in expanding the divide between East and West fashion, a fact that can easily be witnessed while rummaging the wardrobe closets of two guilty TV pleasures: The OC vs. Gossip Girl. In The OC, midriffs and flip flops were the staple, while the high-maintenance characters in their East coast equivalent would never be caught dead in either.

But don’t let the appearance of the effortless style in California beguile you. Both the LA girl and NY doll put in comparable amounts of time into getting ready, it’s just that the New Yorker is proud to flaunt her effort and the Los Angeles local tries to hide it.

Both the effortless look of the West and the deliberateness of the East can be traced back to the influences of their industries: walk into Vogue looking like you just rolled out of bed, no effort whatsoever, and you’ll end up on the streets, walk into a movie casting doing the same and be praised for your low-maintenance tendencies and unpretentious nature.

If it’s the flair of Manhattan that piques your interest and you want a polished look that would impress even Anna Wintour, pair this statement making skirt from Preen (or the more affordable Francois skirt courtesy of Reiss) with a blazer in either black or navy (a new neutral), tailored white blouse, and these Alaia booties, which add something tough to the look. Now all that’s needed is a chignon and some attitude and you’ve got yourself one impressive ensemble.

Looking for something less planned and more relaxed? Then the style of the West coast definitely more closely aligns with your fashion ideology. Try the carefree look of the Love Story J Brand in this subtly distressed wash matched with a bright white hippie inspired blouse, like this smock top from See by Chloe, to make you the envy of all the Kate Hudsons out there. Leave your hair loose and imperfect, ready for a day of shopping in Santa Monica or a dip in the Pacific.

While I may be an LA girl by birth, I’m a New Yorker by nature. Something about the energy of Manhattan is much more alluring to me than the beaches of Malibu. And even though I’ll give accolades to anyone who can spend hours getting ready only to look like they just fell out of their shabby chic quilt and actually pull it off, for this Cali girl, it’s the style of New York that triumphs in this fashion war.

Celebrity Zoo: Watching Stars in their (semi) Natural Habitats

If you want to see a celebrity in Los Angeles, you are going to. They are both ubiquitous and predictable. Their omnipresence is what attracts tourists and locals alike to the all the places featured in the latest US Weekly (and provokes them to buy it) and why non-famous people make reservations at The Ivy (definitely not for the food) or shop at Maxfield (definitely not for the fashion). You'd be hard pressed to find a time when there isn't at least one Hollywood starlet haunting Robertson Blvd., or a week when at least one former Friends star doesn't drop by for some overpriced sushi at Nobu in Malibu. These spottings, however, are obvious and strategic on the celeb's part; these are the places they go when they want to be seen.

I'll never forget the time I saw MKA at Crosscreek in Malibu, looking amazing and strutting for the paparazzi on a Sunday morning when any normal person would be looking hungover and exhausted. Or when Christina Agulaira sat across from my friend during her birthday dinner at the Ivy, dressed to the nines. Mandy Moore, Jennifer Anniston, Justin Timberlake- these are just a few of the stars I've been privy to, none of which were anything less than camera ready when recognized. The same, however, cannot be said of the stars haunting the New York City streets.

Balancing out the conspicuousness of LA, is the anonymity New York. The City offers liberating to stars who would rather not have their personal space invaded by the threatening paparazzi. Here, celebs walk amoungst us mortals with little notice (and even less make-up). The spontaneity of experience is what makes a celeb spotting in New York unique. So much so, in fact, that you often don't know it is happening until it is over.

Seeing Meg Ryan walking around an East Village movie theater, looking like she just rolled out of bed, was one of those "did that really just happen?" moments of my life. Or better yet, who would of thought Agy Deyn would be drying off her newly shaved head just as I was heading off to spin at the Union Square Crunch? And there's no way I ever would have thought I'd see Penn Badgley completely engrossed in his journal while downing copious amounts of coffee while I sat enjoying my omlette at Gramercy Cafe. These stars were all completely casual and relaxed, a striking contrast to the contrived "A-Game" glamour of an Los Angeles spotting.

In New York, the big city allows for everyone, even the famous people, to get lost in a crowd. And that's what makes seeing a celebrity in New York all the more exciting- the chance of it all. Seeing someone in LA takes skill and a subscription to Star, but in New York you'd better have a keen eye, a lot of luck, and a tendency to expect the unexpected. Happy hunting...