Chic in LA: Avalon Hotel

When I visited Los Angeles last year, I stayed a big "too cool for school" hotel where I felt like no one cared who I was or how I was doing.  That's why on this trip, I decided to stay at the Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills again.  I stayed at the hotel three years ago but that was before the rooms had been renovated so it was nice to see how they changed.  What's really funny is that I was booked into the exact same room from three years ago. You can see pics here. The only complaint I had about the upgraded rooms is that you can no longer open the windows and there aren't any places to hang a towel in the bathroom if you use the one hook for your robe. But the marble bathroom is a thousand times nicer than the previous one so that made up for the lack of towel bars. 

What I really love about the Avalon Hotel is that it is small so everyone knows your name and the entire staff is beyond nice.  Let me assure you that I am not just saying this because I received a free room. In fact, I paid for my entire stay myself and didn't have to write anything at all. I wanted to because if you like design and would like to be treated well while you are in LA, then I recommend staying at the Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills.  I don't think I will stay anywhere else from now on.  

Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills

9400 Olympic Boulevard

Beverly Hills, CA 90212

Reservations: 800-670-6183

Phone: 310-277-5221

My vintage Chanel bag felt very at home. 

The bathroom has lots of shelves for your toiletries.

The car that I saw from my window when I checked in. 

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic

Up at the Villa

All the talk of the shows in Milan for the past few days has me dreaming of Italy again.  I'm trying to figure out if I can fit in a trip between High Point and the launch of my book.  Not sure if it's going to happen but I'm putting Villa Cetinale on the list just in case. I think their description sums it up best.

"Villa Cetinale is a 17th century villa in the Ancaiano district near Siena, Italy. Designed by the architect Carlo Fontana, in the Roman Baroque style, the villa was built in 1680 by Cardinal Flavio Chigi for Pope Alexander VII — Fabio Chigi. The gardens at Villa Cetinale are renowned as being amongst the most beautiful in Italy. Within easy reach of Florence, Siena, Pisa, Rome, Villa Cetinale is ideally situated for sightseeing, shopping, eating out or just relaxing in the beautiful Tuscan landscape."

It's bellissimo.  Sigh. 

Traveling Chic

My flight on Friday was cancelled "due to weather" by the fine folks at USAirways so I'm flying home on Saturday now.  On the bright side, the extra day gave me time to get some work off my plate and take a photo of my travel ensemble.  It was inspired by Charlize Theron's outfit in my Traveling in Style post yesterday. 

Blazer - I love traveling in a blazer but sometimes they can be a little constricting.  This "Jogging Blazer" from Zara is made of a sweatshirt type of material that stretches for comfort.  

Jeans - I only wear J.Crew Matchstick Jeans.  They are a great price so as soon as they fade, I can buy a new pair. 

Tee Shirt - The J.Crew Vintage Cotton V-Neck Tee is super soft and also a favorite. 

Scarf - You have to travel with a scarf no matter what the season because you never know how chilly it can be on a plane. Cashmere scarves from Club Monaco are perfect. 

Tote Bag - I have a few Goyard bags from Barneys because they chic and virtually indestructible. Although, I may upgrade to a Celine tote for autumn. 

Sandals - These Roger Vivier sandals are also a favorite.  My old pair finally fell apart this summer so I bought a new pair in black and another in yellow.  Tan will be next. I also carry a pair of Chanel two-tone ballet flats in my bag in case my feet get chilly. 

Sunglasses - I wanted a pair of Ray Ban Aviators but the Classic Green Lens style wasn't right for me. These are the over sized Classic Aviators with Golden Lenses that I found at Bergdorf Goodman. 

Watch - Vintage Breitling from my dad. 

Necklace - I found this gold three ring necklace at the Brooklyn Flea years ago.  I just ran into designer Elma Blint at the Williamsburg flea market recently and bought another necklace.  I love her designs.

Ring - Green, gold and wood by The Branch that I bought at Treillage always garners compliments. 

Pouch - this is my new favorite purchase that I found by Pamela Barsky at the Artists and Fleas outpost near the Brooklyn flea market.  She has a ton of cute sayings on two different size pouches.  She also sets up at Chelsea Market so check her website or twitter for the schedule. 

Magazines - I'm old school. I don't care if you can read magazines online. I still love to travel with actual printed material to read when I travel.  

Later skaters! 

Photo by me via instagram. Click to enlarge. 

Viceroy Anguilla Beachfront Villa

On the charter boat from St. Maarten to Anguilla, one of the crew members told me that a lot of people who visit Anguilla end up extending their trip.  After experiencing the island and the Viceroy Beach Resort, I can see why.  None of us wanted to leave. The words most often used to describe Anguilla are heaven, paradise and magical and it was definitely all three.  Everywhere I turned was a view more picture post card perfect than the last.  I joked at one point that I thought the Viceroy paid sailboats to sail by the property just for effect.  It was that gorgeous.  

I have to run to the New York International Gift Fair today so I'm just leaving you with a view of Beachfront Villa 4 where we stayed.  It had five bedrooms, beach access, a private infinity pool, its own golf cart, and even a cat.  You can also see the difference in the view from we arrived just before sunset to the vivid turquoise ocean and blue sky we awoke to the next morning.  Heaven indeed. 

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic