OCCUPATION: Designer, Entrepreneur
MY STYLE: An urban, metropolitan mix of high and low fashion, with varying energies
I LOVE L.A. BECAUSE: Both Los Angeles and New York have a lot to offer in terms of culture and art, but I love L.A.’s environmental feel and the mix of cultures
Il Pastaio
Gourmet magazine called Il Pastaio a “taste of heaven” and Kimora Lee Simmons agrees, calling it her “favorite place for a mid-day meal.” Owned by renowned restaurateur and Italian native, Giacomino Drago, it has been making fresh, homemade pastas since 1994. The menu has something for everyone, with Italian classics like pasta with meatballs and more adventurous combinations, like pumpkin tortellini and seafood risotto with squid ink sauce. While you can’t get these delicious dishes delivered home, you can call ahead and order take-out. In typical Italian style, the Drago family’s teeming members are only matched by their passion for food. So enter one of their seven restaurants in the Hills and you will feel like you’re not only in Italy, but also like you’re at home.
MOCA Pacific Design Center
While most people go here for work and not play, the Pacific Design Center (PDC) is always a fun experience. On the outside, the building is a surrealist playground with different brightly-colored facades and giant sculptures of household objects (like a chair, for example) are riddled throughout the landscape. The inside of the huge space, which may not be as appropriate for children, is filled with hundreds of showrooms for designers, architects, and decorators. Kimora Lee Simmons is a frequent visitor and says that it is a “great place to find inspiration.” Occasionally, the center hosts exhibitions, lectures, and screenings, but for a more extensive collection, drop by MOCA’s other two locations in the city.
Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market
Open every Sunday (weather permitting), the Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market is an easy place to go to get fresh, seasonal California foods. “I just grab my tote and go,” says Kimora Lee Simmons. If you’re not trying to do a quick grocery trip, bring your kids to the Kid Zone where the Cookin’ Kids program offers free classes on nutrition and cooking every second Sunday. Attendees can even meet the farmers who produce the market’s featured item of the month and taste their crops. Kids can also ride ponies and play at the petting zoo every second and fourth Sunday. And don’t miss the annual pie baking competition and chili cook-off!
Kitson
This store is a hot spot for celebrities like the Kardashian sisters, Heidi Klum, Channing Tatum, and Alicia Keys, and Paris Hilton has been photographed with the signature blue Kitson bag in her hand many a time. While most celebs are there to be seen and not to shop, Kimora Lee Simmons goes with her daughters and “always [finds] the cutest things.” With T-shirts for toddlers that say, “I left my Louis in the Jet” and brands like Alice and Olivia, J Brand, Hanky Panky, and more, it is no surprise that the clientele is as sparkly as the jewelry. Despite Kitson’s exclusive image, though, some items in the store are actually very reasonably priced; you just have to do some digging.
Sunset Tower Hotel
Checking into this Art Deco landmark is the fastest way to feel like a Hollywood star. Each room has floor-to-ceiling windows, and the views are sure to make you feel like the tower’s original occupants: Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Frank Sinatra among them. The Tower Bar, located in gangster Bugsy Siegel’s former apartment, serves top-notch food in a space reminiscent of a 1940s supper club.