Calling All Angelenos…

to Fashion’s Night Out Los Angeles!

FNO is an event that started last year as a partnership between Vogue and CFDA to benefit the NYC Aids Fund, encouraging shoppers to spend for a good cause. Stores stayed open until late night with a slew of celebrations and special promotions. Needless to say, it was a hit. And if you’re like me, you were super jealous that only New Yorkers got to have all the fun last year. Well, now Angelenos can join in on the FNO festivities! 200+ retailers from all over the city will offer a night of fashion, music, art, food and spectacle.

Here’s what you need to know.

1. FNO LA is on September 10 with most activities happening between 6-10pm. That’s only 2 weeks from now! Mark your calendars.

2. There are fashion scenes for any and every style. Check out shops on Melrose, Rodeo Drive, Robertson, West 3rd,  Abbott Kinney, Los Feliz Village, and even pop-ups downtown. The Beverly Center, Westfield Topanga, and Westfield Century City are participating too if you prefer shopping centers.

3. The Beverly Center will be the central hub for the night. The opening ceremony with Mayor Villaraigosa is at 5pm. Runway shows happen at 5:30, 6:30, and 7:30. Click image for a complete schedule. Also there’s free self-parking from 4pm-6pm with free Dash buses running to Melrose, Robertson, and 3rd St.

4. This is the official FNO LA shirt designed by Marc Blaskovits, a graphic design student at FIDM. He was inspired by the downtown skyline and the city’s signature palm trees because “a street lined with palm trees symbolizes the road to the American dream.” It looks cheesy in writing, but it’s quite sweet when Marc says that with his vaguely European accent. You can purchase the shirts at FIDM now for $15 or at the event. 100% of proceeds go to fashion scholarships.

The designer and his model.

I think it looks much better on than laid flat for promo pics.

5. Don’t call it an after-party. The “post-retail fashion celebration” for FNO LA is exclusively for FNO attendees. If you spend $25 or more at any participating retailer, you get access to two SBE clubs–Industry and XIV. There will be a showcase of LA designers at Industry and special drinks+models at XIV. So hit up either or both after 10pm. It’s sure to be fun.

There are hundreds of events going on throughout the night, but I’m especially excited about these two.

Ferris Wheel on Rodeo.

FNO cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery on West 3rd.

So don’t miss out on the first ever FNO Los Angeles. It’s going to be a-ma-zing.
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Macaron Madness

It is 77 degrees in Los Angeles today, sunny with a gentle breeze. It seemed like the perfect day to indulge my latest craving–macarons. I love these little French sandwich cookies because they are simultaneously crispy, spongy, and fluffy. Macarons must be eaten delicately, and each bite must be savored because they disappear all too soon.

So I moseyed on over to Little Next Door on 3rd to sample some of their flavors. I chose Chocolate, Lavender, Blood Orange, and Hazelnut.

I found Chocolate surprisingly mild, not too chocolatey or sweet. The flavor was just okay, but the outer crust was perfectly chewy and crumbly. Lavender was extremely plant-y in taste, which I liked. But then again, it’s my favorite scent and flavor for teas, ice cream, and just about everything else. Blood Orange was by far the best. Everything about this macaron worked. The beautiful red shells and orange filling, the balance of fruity and sweet flavor, and the melt-in-your-mouth texture. YUM. Hazelnut was my least favorite. I found it way too sweet, and the orange color threw me off…like my eyes and my taste buds couldn’t reconcile which was the correct sensation. Overall, I liked these macarons but would skip Chocolate and Hazelnut next time.

After eating four of these sweet confections by my lonesome, I was high on sugar and started wandering down delicious macaron memory lane. These are my all-time favorites.

Chantilly in Lomita, California.

Photocredit: patisseriechantilly.com/cookies

Simple, quality macarons. I really loved the Matcha, which was just delicate enough without being watered down. I remember the Chocolate being good, too. It’s a cute Japanese bakery aside from the macarons as well.

Paulette in San Francisco.

Photo Credit: http://curiousmango.typepad.com/curious-mango/2009/07/paulette-macarons.html, July 30, 2009 via curiousmango.typepad.com

As you can see from the photos, this is a super cute shop that offers a decadent macaron experience. I wanted to squeal when I walked in and saw the impressive array, but the stern Paulette made that impossible. Not that she said anything. She didn’t need to. It was all in the disdainful way she looked at me when I spilled a crumb on the shop floor in my excitement to eat my Earl Grey Tea macaron. I was glad to wrap up our 12-pack to go! No flavor stood out in a bad way, but Caramel and Passion Fruit were especially to-die-for.

Okay now back to the real world where the perfect spring day in LA awaits. I hope that wherever you are and in whatever sort of weather, yummy macarons will bring you a taste of springtime, too!

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