Just Something Pretty

Playing: Dropout (The So Unknown)-Jack's Mannequin
Reading: Carine Roitfeld, Going Her Own Way by Eric Wilson

For Labor Day, I went to Los Angeles with my parents to try Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles, which Chef Duff recommended on Best Thing I Ever Ate. I even ordered exactly what he recommended, the Carol B. Special, which includes one deep fried chicken breast with one fluffy waffle. The chicken meat is marinated in some spices before it's deep fried, so it's extra flavorful and the breast was surprisingly moist. I ate it the way Chef Duff said to, so a bite of chicken with waffle, smothered in butter, maple syrup, and Tabasco sauce. I highly recommend trying this place, if you're in the area.

After lunch, we headed to Rodeo Drive because I wanted to check out Lanvin, Tom Ford, and Dolce and Gabbana, all of which aren't at South Coast Plaza. Unfortunately, Lanvin and Tom Ford were closed for Labor Day. I looked like an idiot, trying to force the doors open by pulling and pushing with all my strength. Dior had this cute store front to apologize for their reconstruction. They made their outside look like their signature Lady Dior purse!

Dolce and Gabbana's Fall/Winter 2012 show was definitely my favorite. Everything was so perfect, especially the shoes. Everything Dolce and Gabbana does is so detailed and beautiful. Practically everything in the store makes my wish list and I'm dying to have one of the darkly romantic lace dresses and one of their corsets. Even though their store front didn't showcase my favorite looks, I still loved everything in the window.

The inside of the store was equally gorgeous with the over the top chandeliers plus the glossy black walls juxtaposed against sleek mirror panes. The upper level housed all the jewelry and some of the more interesting pieces of clothing from past collections and the current one. Unfortunately, they didn't have any of the shoes from the collection there. I also liked how they had these velvet couches to relax on, while you watch the runway show on the wall.

One of my favorite things about Rodeo Drive is how conducive it is to walking around. They carved out a certain block to make it look like a small European street, which felt very cozy. The Versace building was very fitting for the ostentatious brand, considering the building was very over the top with the contrast between the black and white and the tall columns. Inside, it's even more impressive. It feels like a grand ballroom with stair cases curving down from both sides. While I was looking at shoes at Barney's New York, I met Anne Hathaway. She wasn't terribly friendly in real life and it was pretty disappointing. There was one couple there, who wanted a photo like me, so I asked her if I could quickly grab one and her response was, "Do you mind? This is my day off." I was surprised by her response, so I didn't know what to say and ended up just telling her it was alright or something like that. Then, she told me something along the lines of maybe next time, which I'm positive there won't be.

Have you ever met a celebrity?

PS Almost three years ago, I came here after performing for History Day to kill some time and a photo shoot for America's Next Top Model was going on. I saw a girl being photographed there, but I didn't see Jay Manuel there, so I didn't know it was for ANTM until I saw it on TV. Overall, Rodeo Drive is an amazing place to go. There's always something amazing going on there and it's a great place to hunt down celebrities.