Los Angeles

 I'm blessed. In my career business travel has generally been to places like Los Angeles, Paris, and London... I'm usually traveling with a brand that stays in excellent hotels. We fly nicely too. There have been trips that included a California road trip on the back of an Indian motorcycle, an invitation to the Academy Awards, a journey through the Loire Valley to poke around old castles, a night at The Royal Albert Hall where we watched the new Bond film with the Queen Of England. Not bad, right?   

Well, I am here to say it's not bad, definitely. In fact, it can be quite spectacular, but it's still business travel and it can kick you in the behind. When I went to the Academy Awards I was so burnt out from a week of pitching the media I couldn't WAIT to get out of there. The thought of the Governor's Ball and the Vanity Fair party made me want to scream. At the VF party I asked my date if I could cruise. He didn't care, the place was jammed with celebs and that's pretty much what he had come to see. At the door, photographer Patrick McMullen asked where I was going; he couldn't believe I was leaving. I didn't hear his protests; I was running down the block trying to grab a cab, no mean feat in LA.

Anyway, all this is to say that business travel can be a drag even when its not. I am SUPER thankful for all I've been given, all the trips and all the experiences. But you know, I'd sure like to get on a plane and just be going somewhere fun to see someone I like (or maybe with someone I like) and not have to be preparing for meetings, meetings and more meetings. I'm not really complaining, I'm just saying... Lol

I was quite recently turned on to the super fabulous blog P.S. I Made This. Like many, I was briefly entranced by the Do It Yourself revolution precipitated by “Trading Spaces” a few years back (does anyone have as much spunk as Paige Davis?). But also like many, I got over it in a hot flash and moved on to reality TV shows about obese people and ne'er-do-well teens from the LA suburbs. But I digress.
 
P.S. I Made This rocks my world. Author and rad gal Erica Domesek shows all us lesser abled fashion followers how to whip up our very own faux fur wrap a la Kate Moss or create a feather shoulder embellishment that looks runway ready. Her straightforward formula of showing us a chic collage of high fashion imagery to prove the next big trend followed by a quick step-by-step guide on how to Do It Ourselves is, quite simply, genius. All I have to say is: Watch out Christopher Bailey, Laura C. Thomas is all over the equestrian brooch.
 

Source: psimadethis.com

I remember it well…
I was the little girl that thought it was completely necessary to wear bright red lipstick for the elegant (invite only) occasion of reading a fashion magazine. No excuses, some of us are just born with glitter in our veins. I saw the world through the glossy pages as a chic fantasy.
 
And then I grew up…
I now know the reality of this fantasy. With the state of the economy, most publications are fighting not to fold and optimism is often left at the door. Life isn’t a piece of cake these days. It’s actually a cupcake.
 
Glamour Magazine is launching a new marketing campaign bursting with cupcakes, lollipops, hearts & balloons (this speaks directly to my inner child). “Live for Glamour” cupcake ads will be projected onto New York City stores, including Barneys New York, Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale’s and Saks. Billboards will appear in high traffic areas across New York City and Los Angeles.
 
Cupcakes can be found behind the scenes at Fashion Week as well! Even designers experience mortal cravings. Charlotte Ronson and Thakoon are known for eating cupcakes backstage. Of course we love love love Magnolia & Crumbs. However, I want to bring the spotlight to Cupcake Republic, featured at The Purple Lab Scoop Event for Fashions Night Out. Each cupcake is made with organic and natural ingredients. It gets even better: No Eggs, No Dairy, No Guilt. Need I say more? Let your inner child indulge.
 

Source: fashionista.com

I find myself working out of our scrumptious little LA office every couple of months. What I lose in the time difference between here and New York, I gain back in the sunshine, shopping and plethora of In-N-Out Burgers (about 10 pounds to be specific in this case). And while I like LA a lot, it is certainly a different playing field than New York City.

For one, publicists rather than PR firms rule Los Angeles. We just took a meeting with a young eco-conscious accessories designer who is looking to take her business to the next level. She seemed incredulous when I explained that as her PR firm we would not only develop meaningful stories around her brand, but also help her form strategic brand alliances and secure editorial product placement in fashion magazines and on celebrities. We’re a full service PR firm; it’s what we do. The concept seemed foreign to this young native Californian who admitted that she had never been to the Big Apple. She explained that she had only ever worked with a single publicist before who essentially slotted her in when opportunities came her way. By comparison, I think our team seemed like a pack of hungry bulldogs. Let’s hope in the best way possible.

Another point of difference is the workday structure. In our field, there are an awful lot of after work drinks that happen—and after work usually means 8 or 9 pm EST.  A New Yorker’s working lunch is usually shoveling tossed salad into one’s mouth with one hand as we type with the other and the phone dangles precariously from the crook of one’s neck—chic visual I know. However in LA, the working lunch takes on a whole new meaning. We met a client at Craft in Century City for a “working lunch” and were surrounded by agent and publicist types that seemed to be doing the same. Even more amazingly, we actually got a lot of work done AND I was able to eat an amazing meal of Hawaiian Blue Prawns. Magical.

So while I think it’s great that we bring that good old New York up an' at 'em sensibility to a market that may be lacking a certain degree of gumption, I also think Lala Land can teach us New Yorkers a thing or two about the whole work-life balance.

Source: images.businessweek.com, dailypress.com