PaperCity Magazine

PaperCity Dallas September 2022

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" Swimmin' pools, movie stars." Those insightful lyrics from the Beverly Hillbillies theme song came to mind as I packed my Louis Vuitton weekender for a trip to the sunny Left Coast. I had been summoned by the divine Becca Cason Thrash for a series of parties and art tours she was hosting in Los Angeles to raise funding for and awareness of the American and International Friends of the Louvre (read about those fabulous soirées on pages 68 – 72). So why not extend that sojourn and share my go-tos for a whirlwind adventure — four days, which turns out to be 5,760 minutes in the land of swimmin' pools and movie stars. Having lived in L.A. in my 20s (a younger chapter with better, resilient skin), I'll always feel like L.A. is in my blood. This is an en plein air city meant to be lived outdoors, with its omnipresent golden rays and temperate temperatures allowing for short hemlines during the day and a chic Cucinelli cashmere sweater in the evening. Glamour runs amok — thus, the reason it's likely the epicenter for TikTok creators and "influencers." Entire complexes — high-rises on Santa Monica Boulevard — house this crowd. You might call them TikTok think tanks. Like those oft-photographed precarious case- study homes poised like a Jenga game, you must always be extremely careful when describing this city. It's a fine line between lionizing and judging it. It's a town of decadent excesses and a plethora MINUTES ENCHANTMENT By Billy Fong of holier-than-thou tree-hugging Prius drivers. One could, however, wax poetic over the abundance of exceptional architecture and landscaping. Many hillside homes seem to dangle delicately on their stilts, as if a strong wind might blow them over at any moment. The whole city resembles a stage set for a glamorous and slightly dangerous place. Simply look to one of David Hockney's famed swimming-pool paintings, which could be a movie poster for a sexy murder-mystery film. Like most major cities, L.A. has a multitude of neighborhoods, each with its distinct flavor, style, and denizens. Malibu's gilded shoreline and hills are populated with lithe blondes slinking about in bikinis (hello, Malibu Barbie — or, rather, Pamela Anderson) and sun-kissed surfers. WeHo (West Hollywood) is filled with fabulous LGBTQers and a multitude of watering holes and gyms. And let's not forget Holmby Hills, the wealthier section of Beverly Hills with its gargantuan homes (wink- wink, The Manor, the 50,000+ square foot sprawling mansion that Aaron Spelling built with his Charlie's Angels and Dynasty money) behind imposing gates. WHERE TO REST YOUR WEARY HEAD Perhaps half the fun of visiting Los Angeles is securing a suite at a favorite hotel. And there are lots to choose from, with daily rates that echo the price of the most coveted luxury-house handbags. Like starlets, they're continually getting facelifts, giving us a reason for a return stay to see what's new. Hotels are vital to this town — celebrities decamp there for months on end — leaving with bills comparable to the cost of buying a home in Plano. The Beverly Hills Hotel: Perhaps Fran Lebowitz put it best: "Los Angeles is a large city-like area surrounding the Beverly Hills Hotel." This grand dame, known to many as the Pink Palace due to the abundance of that hue alongside green (banana leaves and palm fronds galore), is celebrating its David Hockney's A Bigger Splash, 1967, at Tate, London RICHARD LESLIE'S POP ART: A NEW GENERATION OF STYLE (TODTRI) (Continued) 74

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