Design addicted? If so, West Hollywood is the place to stay in Los Angleles for both global and local designers as it is the new fashion mecca on the west coast. Think Christian Louboutin, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Stella McCartney, Balenciaga, Alberta Ferretti, Maxfield and local favs such as Kitson, Sorum Noce and Makeup Mandy just to mention a few.

On a stinking hot day, we ventured down to The Avenues of Art & Design and found oasis from the Pacific Design Center to cool boutiques and ateliers which tracks back to the golden days of Hollywood of shopping catered to movie stars and the rich elite. Officially organised in 1996, the Avenues seek to protect this legacy of quality, style and experience. We surely had a big day soaking in fashion, interior design, furniture, home decor, arts, food, spirits and the Californian sun. You can sit and enjoy the streetscape at the famed “Entourage” locale, Urth Caffé or fine dining from the Soho House, Cecconi’s.

We wanted to make the most out of our shopping day and decided to also head to the opposite end of Melrose Avenue towards Hollywood where LA street fashion hails and also pop into a traditional American hamburger diner. There also seems to be a tattoo palour in every corner and we bumped into a Canadian girl who proudly showed us four tattoos she got on various body parts during her one-week visit so far. If you want to stay on the high end of fashion, West Hollywood is also very close to the exclusive Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills. West Hollywood is indeed an eclectic place to stay with easy access to everything.

In the glitz and glam, there are many hotspots for celebrity spotting and to be seen at. One of the “it” places to wine and dine right now is Boa Steakhouse, the new über-chic flagship restaurant in West Hollywood. This is not your normal steakhouse with its urban hip feel featuring an inviting bar, funky lounge areas, luxurious leather booths and an outdoor patio under the night sky. Getting a seat outdoor seems as hard as finding a needle in a haystack. Oh well, at least we got a window seat with prime view of everyone strotting in as on a red carpet. Suddenly, a black limousine pulls up, there are paparazzis, flashes and men in suits but we have no idea who they are. We joke that they probably get seated at the table next to us and ironically they do whilst we continue enjoying the scene.

Oh, the food and drinks you ask? As with anything in America the meals at BOA are huge and they sure know how to cook a good steak. The quality and service at this trendy restaurant actually exceeded our expectations but we will not go into details of the menu as we were mainly here for the experience and let our lovely local friend show off his town. Loved the ambiance and good company!

We also managed to get on the guest list to Skybar which is a bar you seem to not able to get into unless you are “somebody” or a hotel guest at The Mondrian. It wouldn’t be a Hollywood hotspot if they didn’t have any red tape and door bitches hey! Positioned on a hill, Skybar boasts fabulous views of Los Angeles by night. It is an open air space with ivy-covered pavilion above the pool and outdoor living room. Redesigned by Tim Andreas of Banjo with custom-designed furniture handmade from San Miguel de Allende in Mexico, the luxurious lounge seating and day beds make you just want to float into the night. Unfortunately, we did not spot any stars other than those up in the balmy night sky.

If you enjoyed this feature, you may want to Sign-up to our mecho e-newsletter for our latest style updates, giveaways and other juicy stuff. Don’t forget to check out any current Competitions & Giveaways

Join us on:

Discover More Stylish features below:

• Andaz hotel & RH restaurant, West Hollywood
• The Standard Hotel, NYC & Hollywood
• Omar Seluj sunglasses in limited edition
• el Jimador Mexico City underground party, Lo-Fi Sydney