Last Night's Party: What They Wore

A bevy of Hollywood beauties stepped out last night to toast Conde Nast Traveler's May 'Hot List' Party at the Hotel Bel-Air (only my favorite spot in all of L.A.!) The “Hot List” issue is the 16th annual insider’s guide to the hippest hotels, most fabulous restaurants, and chicest spas that have opened this year around the world; needless to say, everyone brought their A-game.

Check out these adorable looks from the soiree:

Pregnant Kristin Cavallari in Zaeem Jamal dress and Chinese Laundry shoes

Rachael Leigh Cook in Corey Lynn Calter (another one of my fave designers!) 

Jessica Alba in Roger Vivier shoes

Rebecca Minkoff Sample Sales!

Rebecca Minkoff, queen of chic leather handbags in functional yet uber-fashionable styles, is now a household name among savvy stylish girls from coast to coast. Minkoff actually has quite a special place in my heart because I'm proud to say that she was my very first 'Deal & Steals' promotion back in 2006 when I launched the section at InStyle.com.

At the time she was just starting out and not even a blip on most people's radars. I distinctly remember reviewing her line sheets and thinking it was incredibly impressive (I snagged a few bags for myself without any hesitation) and knew she would fast track her way to success in no time. Why? Because she filled a niche of everyday styles at an affordable price point--and yes, her stuff was much more affordable back then!










I quickly put her on blast, proudly carried a few of her bags about town and have really enjoyed watching her rise to the top in a short amount of time.

And with every fashion success story comes a treat for her loyal fans: a sample sale!
That's right, RM Sample Sale season is upon us, Cali girls. Here's the info:


L.A. sample sale

REBECCA MINKOFF / CONFEDERACY

4661 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles CA

VIP night Thursday, 6/2 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Friday 6/3 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Saturday 6/4 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sunday 6/5 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.



S.F. sample sale

Madrone Studios

1417 15th street San Francisco, CA

Saturday, 6/4 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.


Prices:
The Boyfriend cross-body

Retail price $295 / Sample Sale price $178



Studded Rocker

Retail price $330 / Sample Sale price $182



Beloved Mini cross-body

Retail price $395 / Sample Sale price $217



Laptop case

Retail price $195 / Sample Sale price $107



Matinee

Retail price $595 / Sample Sale price $327

Gilt City LA Media Breakfast

This morning I joined other LA bloggers and editors for a breakfast hosted by Gilt City LA at the Palihouse. As a faithful Gilt member (who doesn't love a good designer bargain or local experience deal?), I was excited to meet the cool curators of the brand here in the City of Angels. Needless to say, the banter at breakfast revolved around the best hot spots, restaurants, fashion picks and more in town. Always wonderful mingling with the inspiring, vivacious talent behind the best in online media and blogs today--including my personal favorite (and new friend), Emily Schulman of Cupcakes and Cashmere.

Creatures of Habit

Check out this kitschy-cute line called Dear Creatures. The spring line is filled with cheerful rompers, sundresses and swing jackets that easily inspire summer strolls along a boardwalk. Perfect for the California girl, the line adds a modern cheeky twist to classic old-fashioned styles.





Prices ranges from $90-200.

Only Hearts in LA

Hey Angelenos! Just in time for Valentine's Day...head over to sweet lingerie shop Only Hearts this week, Wednesday February 9th from 2-6PM, for a flirty lingerie party and boudoir photo session. Oooh la la!

FYI

On Your Mark, Get Set....GO!

The epic Barneys New York Warehouse Sale starts today.



It's always a toss-up, but designer duds at discount is always worth the trek downtown.

The Latest Guide...

You Heard it Here First: LIVE! on Sunset

So there's a new shopping spot in Hollywood that's trying to break ground in a major way. It's called LIVE! on Sunset, and naturally, it's situated right smack in the dab of touristy, traffic-ridden Sunset Blvd.

Here's the scoop: They've taken a few hip, quintessential L.A. boutiques like Kitson, Fred Segal Apothia, The Way We Wore and more and clustered them under one roof for a one-stop-shop experience. Add in a generous smattering of underground-ish yet uber-cool brands like U.K.'s Superdry (hello, those genius Brits strike again!), Crispin & Basilio, Dream Society, Monrow, Laila Azhar, Sretisis, Current/Elliott and Rhys Dwefen among others, and deck the space out with a live recording sound stage (literally) and a luxe Buddha Bar in the back, and you've got a brand spankin' new concept.







So how's it going to fare? Only time will tell.
The boutique definitely stocks a tons of really cute offerings, but if you're any kind of L.A. local, you probably avoid Sunset Blvd. like the plague--unless it's the weekend and you want to get your groove on.

And as for the shopping? It's highly unlikely that I'll be fighting traffic to get over there too frequently on my own, but for tourists who don't want to trek all over town to snatch up their trendy Cali style souvenirs, this might be something along the lines of a retail genius jackpot.

Oh, and I should add: one brilliant move they did take into consideration was constructing a decent-sized parking lot right in front of the store.
Unheard of, in these parts of town.

Well done!

It's a Wrap!

I covered six runway shows and a pretty amazing party before LA Fashion Week officially came to close last night.

Though the celebrity sightings were dismal (Amy Smart, Anna Getty and Macy Gray were the biggest names to walk through Smashbox Studios on Thursday), the shows themselves proved to be well-done, interesting and unique for the most part. And one thing's for sure, I now have more eco-friendly tote bags than I know what to do with! As the last show ended, I felt a twinge of sadness that it would officially be the last fashion show held at Smashbox as we know it.

To paint a picture of what my day was like, check out a few of my personal pics:

It's Fashion Week!

Pardon the lapse in posts this week, as I'm practically running on fumes and living at Smashbox Studios and elsewhere for off-site shows and parties all week long. LA Fashion Week kicked off yesterday (so hard to work on a Sunday!)and I'm already feelin it.






I covered Kevan Hall's show (attendees: Garcelle Beauvais-Nillon, Rachel Griffiths, Mayor Villaroigosa, Tia Mowry and Dana Delaney) and then raced to to cover the Hollywood Style Awards (Molly Sims, Sophia Bush, Kristen Bell, Emmy Rossum, January Jones, Carson Kressley, Tila Tequila, Rose McGowan) and then raced back to Smashbox to cover the Whitley Kros show (Selena Gomez, Dania Ramirez, Chris Masterson)...all before driving my sister back to Orange County for school and staying up all night typing into the wee hours of the morning! Whew. This is when New York's public transportation system starts to look a little more attractive. Dealing with traffic and parking drains the enrgy out of you before you even hit the red carpet! Anyway, here are a few fun shots for a glimpse into my life this week...










About to run out the door for Day Two...wish me luck!

The Fabulous Life...

Over the weekend, I attended a super swank Bel Air gala hosted by Donald Trump, with a special performance by Christina Aguilera. The party was held in celebration of Trump's new tower and hotel in Dubai, scheduled to be complete by summer 2011.

The star-studded event (Lucy Liu, Hilary Swank, Orlando Bloom, Kate Walsh, Ali Larter, Hayden Panettiere and Tyrese were among attendees) was larger than life, and I had a grand time chatting with celebs and, well, living the fabulous life.