who what wear x vans los angeles city guide

A curated city guide with Vans and Who What Wear.

As much as every part of town has a plethora of exciting things to offer, nothing beats my own hood in DTLA. Downtown reminds me of my other home NYC: Tall, towering skyscrapers, lots of pedestrians (and their cute dogs), and a bustling city vibe make for an invigorating place to call home. Driving around in Los Angeles is wonderful and convenient, but being able to take daily strolls through your neighborhood to hang out or run errands is just as enjoyable as getting to your destination. I've put together a city guide for you that highlights my 5 favorite spots in LA.

VERVE COFFEE ROASTERS

- How I would style my Vans at this spot:

Verve is where I go to get most of my work done before starting my day. That usually means that I have to dress both comfy (for hours of work) and cute (for playtime after). I'd style my Vans in a chill but polished getup, like this tee + leather overalls combo.

- How this location makes me feel:

What I adore about Verve is that it makes great efforts to be a lush, relaxing oasis in the middle of a busy, industrial part of town. Downtown doesn't get greenery - you'd be hard-pressed to find trees, much less a patch of grass. Verve lines their patio with tons of foliage; it really makes me feel welcome.

- Some special moments I've had here:

I never bought into the whole working-at-a-coffee-shop thing until Verve. I started coming here when I first moved to downtown, because I was lagging on getting internet at my loft for a little while. I ended up loving working here so much that I came almost every day for two months. Verve became a part of my normal routine after that.

THE LAST BOOKSTORE

- How I would style my Vans at this spot:

Any trip to The Last Bookstore means I am plopping myself in a big, soft armchair with a stack of books and not moving for hours. This requires ultimate lounge wear. My Vans tank, sweats, and flannel are perfect for couch potato-ing.

- How this location makes me feel:

There are few places in this world where you can be surrounded by people, everyone will leave you be, and you feel completely at peace. A bookstore is one of those places for me.

- Some special moments I've had here:

Every moment here is special, but entering with a friend, separating and doing our own thing in silence, and rendezvousing after some time to show off our finds is always magical.

SCENT BAR

- How I would style my Vans at this spot:

Patronizing Scent Bar is a self-indulging hobby I've taken on in my adult years. It's a pristinely curated shop, and I want my outfit to reflect that. I wore my nicest moto jacket with white jeans and a Vans top.

- How this location makes me feel:

Fragrance is one thing on which I can wax poetic endlessly. I find it almost therapeutic to pull up a barstool, sample workers' suggestions based off my preferences, and just muse together on how beautiful and intricate scents are.

- Some special moments I've had here:

Scent is acutely tied to memory, so discovering new fragrances with my long distance boyfriend and buying them for each other helped tide us over in our moments apart.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART (LACMA)

- How I would style my Vans at this spot:

When you dress for a museum, you can either have your outfit be as loud as the artwork, or you can dress simply and let the art speak for itself. I did the latter with this midi dress (one of my favorite Vans pieces, actually).

- How this location makes me feel:

I have a connection with LACMA on a multitude of levels: I always enjoyed visiting new exhibitions growing up, but as an adult, I started getting sneak peeks at them through LACMA and Instagram...such a treat! And, this wall pictured is one of my favorite spots to shoot in Los Angeles: it's angled and geometric (very me), with a row of palm trees peeking out over the top if you shoot at the right angle.

- Some special moments I've had here:

My favorite LACMA moment by far was the #EmptyLACMA experience featuring the (then) new Pierre Huyghe exhibition. A lucky number of us had breakfast together and wandered through the exhibition an hour before the museum opened, and two days before the exhibition itself opened to the public. This exhibition is my favorite to date.

GJELINA

- How I would style my Vans at this spot:

Being that I was in surf- and skate-ruled Venice, right along Abbot Kinney, I felt extra at home with my Vans. I wore knee high socks with my oversized Vans tee dress.

- How this location makes me feel:

This restaurant is my favorite in LA, hands down. I always come feeling hungry and I always leave feeling full (and maybe even a bit tipsy).

- Some special moments I've had here:

I pretty much bring everyone I care about here because I'm insistent on their need to try Gjelina.

Check out my Who What Wear city guide here, and check out these spots! I'm sure you'll love them as much as I do.

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Photography by Megan Batson.