I landed in L.A. at 8:30-ish Sunday morning, having left New York at 5:30, which is something I will never do again, because apparently I can’t sleep on planes anymore. So I proceeded from the airport to my hotel for the first half on my stay, the (rather lovely) Silver Lake Pool & Inn, where I passed out on a lounge chair by the pool till it was time for check-in.

I wandered around in a zombie-like haze for the rest of Sunday, then slept like a rock and in the morning, got together with my dear friend Robin (above). She and I worked together at Lucky, where she was a rising star publicist, and we used to travel together for parties and events in other cities,  and when we did, we invariably shopped. When I come out to L.A., she always makes time to take me around, and Monday she turned up with a printed out list of all the places we might hit.

Our first stop was Just One Eye,  the kind of cavernous, beautiful, art-filled, and very pricey store that seems ideally suited for L.A. It was full of pieces by big name designers and brands I’d never seen before too, and the sensibility reminded me just a little bit of the Milan super-boutique 10 Corso Como.  The staff was super-sweet and helpful—which is something I always appreciate in a store where I can’t afford a thing.

I went mildly nuts for this diamond and sapphire ring, which exceeds the GOACA price limit by a rather good bit. I don’t think it looks quite as amazing here as it does in person—it’s just really stunning. Amazingly, it fit me, which never happens when I’m trying on rings, but I hightailed it on out of there before I could even consider pulling the trigger.

Next, we went to Melrose Place, which is a real street: a tiny one that used to be lined with antique stores, but is now full of  luxe brands like The Row, Chloe, and Isabel Marant. We went to the Rachel Comey store because I coveted the jumpsuit Robin was wearing, and  Reader, I bought it.

I also—in a fairly uncharacteristic move—bought these big old statement-y Rachel Comey earrings. I haven’t worn anything this big in my ears since the 80s, but I’m very much digging them.

I did not purchase but did try on these mules, which were deeply comfortable and pretty cute. But even though I am working through my aversion to the color brown, I find the notion of brown footwear to still be a bridge too far.

I’d never been to the L.A. Zero+Maria Cornejo, which is also on Melrose Place, because I try not to go to stores in other cities that we have in New York. But we were right there, and I was a little curious, so in we went. What a gorgeous, light-filled, lovely place.

This GOACA price-limit-exceeding leather  jacket caught my eye, but again,  I left before any real damage could be done.

Next, Robin thought it might be of interest to me—from a purely anthropological perspective, of course—to check out the new Westfield Century City mall, which is supposed to be the fanciest mall in America. It really is rather something, a sparkling clean, mostly-outdoors shopper’s paradise that has a caviar kiosk instead of an Orange Julius.

We kicked around the main floor of Nordstrom for a bit, checking out some crazy-pricey Gucci sneakers that Robin (correctly) remarked looked a lot like Skechers, and made our way to the beauty department, which is self-serve, like at Sephora. I am all for this beauty self-serve model, and believe that more department stores should follow Nordstrom’s lead (or maybe they already do?) I seem to make a habit of always buying lip color when I’m away, who knows why, and this time around, I went for Laura Mercier’s Velour Extreme Matte Lipstick—the shade is called Fatale, and, like all of my lipsticks, it is berryish in hue and very, very matte.

The next day, I hung out with my cousin Ben, who I love like a brother. We dined on lunch here (and spied Ruth Reichl  at a neighboring table, which made us feel good about our restaurant choice). Afterward we stopped in to a cute store I’ve heard about called The Odells, which sells stuff for men and women.

I purchased this light blue button-down and am wearing it even as I type.

And I didn’t purchase, but did sort of love this blouse, which is the type of piece I always buy on vacation when I get caught up in the energy and aesthetic of wherever I’m visiting.

I know we just had a whole post on black jeans, but then I went and bought these good boyfriend jeans  from R13, a brand I’ve kind of been over lately, but then I saw these and was too intrigued not to try them on. I like the high-but-not-too-high waist (I know I always say that, but it’s important to me) and the slightly cropped leg. R13 costs a fortune, so check out this pair from Madewell if you’re interested in something similar but cheaper.

How perfect is this Anine Bing fleece? The leather details really make it, but the colors are also outstanding.

Everybody’s beginning to show spring clothes, and while I’m far from ready for that, I do keep seeing items that appeal to me, like these easy army green pants that just look like you could spend your whole weekend (or vacation) in them.

I think this utility shirt is really snappy, and would be so perfect for layering. In the spring, I’d wear it as a jacket.

I am so deepy tempted to order this adorable mini-tote from Kule for my trip to Los Angeles—I always feel like I’m not wearing enough color when I’m there, and this would perk things up so much,.

I think the print on this unbelievable polo shirt would look so great peeking out from under a blazer.

I may have to walk over to the Vince store on Prince Street to check out this white striped popover, because it looks like a good top for Los Angeles, maybe even for the plane. It’s nicely polished but also a little slouchy, and looks like it would be really comfortable.

I don’t usually wear a lot of white shirts when it’s cold out, but they’ve been on my mind lately, for whatever reason, and this one has such feminine details for a menswearish shirt.

Here’s another Vince top I feel I must venture to their store and see for myself about. Such an elegant dark floral.

This tennis sweater is such an old-school classic, and reminds me of one my dad wore in the 70s.

Such a fun messy polka dot print on this blouse.

I’ve got concerns about the fit of this leather shirtdress—it looks awfully boxy—but I’m also intrigued. It’s well-priced, for a leather dress, and I really like the shirt collar and almost kimono-ish sleeves.

This query comes from my podcast partner Tally, and when she says “long dangly necklaces,” I am taking her to mean chains with some sort of charm or stone hanging from them. I think these lips are cute and even a little sexy.

A cool horn pendant is a statement-y item, and this one is small enough not to feel too statement-y.

The combination of freshwater pearl and garnet here is quite winning.

A wee circle clustered with diamonds—so low-key luxe.

I love a coin necklace, and this one has an image of Aphrodite on it, which is cool.

The combination of pine wood with aquamarine here is both unexpected and really chic.

A sword like this is so tough girl—but in a quiet way.

And I’m crazy for this cherry pendant: so cheery and fun.

A bold crescent moon  that’s appealingly retroish too. And very well-priced.

I want a monstera plant, but they’re toxic to dogs, so I might have to content myself with this cute monstera leaf pendant.

This cast-in-gold shell is very of-the-moment, and has a beachy feel that always feels quite welcome to me this time of year.

A scarab is an ancient Egyptian symbol of immortality, transformation, and protection, and this outlined version is really nicely graphic.

This dented heart by James Colarusso is something I’ve had my eye on for years—the dent gives the heart a nice little bit of edge (N.B.: chain sold separately)