Los Angeles/Emmys Trip, Day One

Such a crazy whirlwind trip to LA last weekend for the 2013 Emmys!! We got to LA on Friday and checked into the fab Sofitel Hotel in Beverly Hills! Ahhh... OMG. This place was WONDERFUL. Lanvin toiletries? Check! Even the lobby has big thick plush carpets that hubs commented made him want to kick off his shoes and walk barefoot on! LOL! Our room was on the 9th floor and overlooked the super fun Beverly Center across the street! Drop the bags, it's time to shop! :D

Sculptural lobby!

We walked across the street and hit the stores! Sadly, so much of what was out was kind of in between seasons and truly uninspiring... until we strolled into Henri Bendel. They were hosting a trunk show for Canadian jewelry designer Alan Anderson and I was instantly in LOVE. Everything he was showing was huge and sparkly and over the top. When Liz Taylor's jewelry collection went on auction at Christie's a couple of years ago, even she had one of his bracelets! I tried on tons of things and decided to go with this gorgeous necklace made of all things sparkly and vintage jade Swarovski crystals. 

So fun that they were all up for putting on jewels and having a goofy photo shoot - the designer, too! 

The kids are big fans! ;)

I also picked up an AMAZING pair of MiH jeans at Kitson. OMG. Love. I've seen this brand around and in J.Crew catalogs but had never tried them on. Can't wait to wear them! 

Our hotel was just around the corner from Guy Hepner's art gallery, a place that we have shopped remotely several times but have never had the chance to visit in person! It was fun to check it out and we discovered a Mr. Brainwash gallery next door, which was also interesting! We have one of his pieces and hubs was impressed by his studio space in NYC a couple of years ago! 

After shopping, we headed down to the craziness of Hollywood Blvd. OMG, I love the energy of the crowds and the nutty people in costume and just the wildness of it all. Kind of like Times Square with a tan! LOL! 

We happened upon Iguana Vintage and, holy cow, I was blown away. I have shopped thrift/vintage since I was a kid and I've NEVER seen anything like this. It was immaculate and organized to a degree that only the truly Type A could appreciate! LOL! There were three floors and, honestly, I couldn't even focus on shopping, I was just obsessed with the ORGANIZATION. There was staff EVERYWHERE straightening and helping and generally keeping things perfect. It doesn't even SMELL like a thrift store in there! I talked to the owner about how often costumers start their search and wardrobe in there - ALL the time. OMG... I was fascinated and took a million pictures! 

We finished up the night with awesome burgers from Juicy Burger and headed back to our big cushy Beverly Hills bed to get a perfect night's sleep! Fun first day!! Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 - including the Emmys and Governor's Ball recap!! :D

Why do veggie burgers always end up looking like this??? LOL