Is Lauren Sherman the east side Anna?
Plus brand misfires, DTLA dinner reservations, and a major Silver Lake sale.
Happy Friday, everyone. It’s hot in Los Angeles. Today’s the longest day of the year, and tomorrow’s the official start of summer. I hope you’re all finding a beach or a pool this weekend — we made it.
Last night I stopped by the official soft opening of Bar Bacetti (I originally thought it was Wednesday, but I was wrong. Oops!) I was thrilled with the offering — there’s still an excellent wine selection and the vibe is objectively great, plus there’s pizza now. The $26,000 espresso machine was sadly not on display, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t still exist.
As always, follow along on Instagram and share the Rag with your friends.
Is Lauren Sherman the east side Anna?
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve uttered the words “Did you see Lauren Sherman’s email today?” Lauren writes, without a doubt, the best fashion and beauty newsletter out there. Line Sheet (for Puck) has all the scoops and intel you could ever want, plus some of the most refreshingly honest commentary I’ve seen. You know what Lauren likes, but you also know what Lauren doesn’t like (which is more important than you think). I’ve been a subscriber since Line Sheet’s inception, and I’ll continue to be until the day she decides she’s done.
Though she’s often tracking global fashion trends in New York, or Paris, or Milan, Lauren’s an Eagle Rock resident with her finger on the pulse of how these trends play out (or don’t) on the east side. I sat down with her at Lamill to get her take on the latest east side looks, her favorite neighborhood spots, and what’s driving her absolutely crazy.
And to those who have a problem with the title — yes, I know Anna Wintour is an editor, and Lauren is a writer, but I’d argue their influence on sartorial matters to those who matter is….not so dissimilar.
Here’s our conversation, edited for clarity and conciseness.
You moved to the east side from New York. What do you love, and what do you miss?
I love the weather, I love the daytime restaurants. I love eating lunch at a restaurant in LA. I love that everything’s still kind of new, the midcentury of it all. And the terrain. Everybody is more chill, and I’m not like that, so I like being around that world. I miss walking everywhere.
New York’s more spontaneous, but some people say there’s more space to be creative in LA (literally and metaphorically). Do you believe that?
Totally, I think what it gives you is space to focus. Because there’s so much going on in New York that you can have a very full life and never do any work. There’s constantly something happening and you’re far too scheduled out. You’re never alone with your thoughts. Whereas here, I have a lot going on, but I have time to think about the work I’m doing. And the space thing is real. Like, yes, it’s very expensive to live here, but the reality is, our 2,000-square-foot house on the hill in Eagle Rock…in New York that would be a basement apartment in Boerum Hill or whatever.
What’s your favorite east side trend?
I really love how the young girls have taken the Miu Miu styling to heart. I often go to Sqirl around 11am on Saturday mornings, and it’s become a mecca for girls having brunch together. And they’re all wearing vintage bags from The RealReal, slip skirts, knee boots, and everything’s thrifted. It feels like a moment of European fashion, but in a way that could only happen here. There’s not really a need or desire to look polished.
Least favorite?
Oh my God, it drives me insane that people wear sweatshirts from Set. It’s just like…you make all this money and that’s what you’re spending it on? People are starting to pay a little more attention to how they get dressed every day, but there’s also this faction of people who are like, “I don’t care.” And that part…I just don’t understand it.
Your top three east side spots are…
I’d say my number one is Sqirl still. We’re huge fans of Jessica’s. We have lunch there every weekend when we’re in town. I really like Café Telegrama and Ètra. Café Telegrama is the place I take people who are in town from New York or Europe and need a break from the Chateau, Sunset Tower, and SVB. Oh, and Kumquat in Highland Park. They do a great job, and there’s a good playground next door for my kid.
Are you familiar with the Hillhurst coffee war? There’s a Peet’s opening on the same stretch as Maru, Blue Bottle, Coffee Bean, and Starbucks. And people have thoughts.
Are you kidding? That’s so funny. I mean, Maru is the most serious of those, of course. I like Blue Bottle. I’m a big almond milk person, but I don’t like Califia – I’m very particular. And the great almond milks of the east side are at Blue Bottle. I like Canyon a lot, too, but they don’t have a great almond milk, so I won’t go out of my way to go there.
I love the toasts there.
Yeah, they're great. It's very fun. I love that stretch. I mean, one of the big reasons we moved to LA was that original Cookbook on Echo Park Avenue. It was when Marta and Robert owned it. I love Jon and Vinny, but when Marta and Robert owned Cookbook, it was so special, and I was obsessed with it. The place that we first lived in when we moved to Silver Lake was a 13-minute walk from there. We had a mattress sent to our friend's place when our stuff was getting shipped across the country. She brought it over, and we put the mattress up, cleaned out the refrigerator, walked to Cookbook in our masks, stood in line and bought groceries at Cookbook that first day.
What’s worth going west of La Brea for?
Gjusta, it’s still so good. LA Homefarm sells some of their products [in Eagle Rock]. I’d also say the Hammer Museum. South Beverly Grill is definitely worth it for me. I’m trying to think of what else I do over there…the answer is not much.
Switching gears a bit, which brands are you most excited about right now, and what should east siders be investing in?
I’m very interested in this brand Literary Sport. It has a terrible name, but it’s sort of inspired by The Row and Phoebe Philo. It’s activewear, and it’s legit. I’m wearing a pair of their bike shorts today. It’s like…if you’re going to be in stretchy pants, but you also think you have taste. For me, though, it’s really about shopping vintage. The LA uniform is vintage jeans and a sweatshirt. Scout and RLT are really good at more affordable prices – you can find vintage Armani, that type of thing. There’s not a lot of new stuff that’s exciting to me right now. I think the key is figuring out how to shop.
What’s something you’d pay any amount of money for?
An extra day of the week.
What’s on its way out?
I think minimalism as a trend is on its way out.
Whose style do you envy?
Jen Brill. She’s the creative director of HommeGirls and lives on the east side. There was a Burberry event at Flamingo Estate recently, and she showed up in vintage jeans, a little LESET tank top, and these Marc Jacobs Louis Vuitton platforms, and she just looked amazing. There are so few people who are actually cool, and Jen is very cool. And I think the girl who owns Des Pair Books looks amazing and seems like she has her shit together.
Where do you go if you want to get dressed up?
I would say…definitely a restaurant in West Hollywood. But you know, the place I think people are the best dressed is Barra Santos in Glassell Park. You go there and you see people in amazing outfits. That, to me, is sort of the epicenter of east side fashion.
You operate at the intersection of fashion and media, the latter of which is in a moment of upheaval. How do you feel about the future of the industry?
What I think is that there’s a huge opportunity in local news, and I’m not just saying that because I’m talking to you. I’ve always believed that if someone can figure out a model to make local news profitable, there’s a huge value in it. Media isn’t going away, but it’s attracting a different kind of person, and you have to think of it differently.
What advice do you have for young creatives in 2025?
You just have to put in effort every day, because that’s the only way you get better. Very early in my career, someone told me to write every day. I do believe in that whole ten thousand hours theory. Just work really hard, and don’t be discouraged. You also can’t say, “I’m only going to be happy if I have this [specific] kind of career.” You have to be open to what the world offers. The more you put out, the more you get back.
🍽️ And now for some table scraps…
You might have to forgo your phone for Sabrina Carpenter’s LA shows. She’s considering locked pouches for her concerts. But probably not for a few decades. Right now her “skin is soft and supple,” and she does, in fact, like the photos.
Dodger Stadium denied entry to ICE agents yesterday. Now we’re just waiting on a statement from the organization.
The Rag had the news last week, but Men & Beasts officially opened on Wednesday. Eater has a nice photo spread if you want to see some of the dishes.
Half of women feel misunderstood by brands. A whopping 49% of women surveyed by Wasserman’s global impact platform report feeling unseen by the brands trying to sell them stuff. I’d venture to guess this is because so many brands are marketing to a very monoculturish idea of an online woman, when — spoiler alert — many people actually do have distinct tastes and points of view about what they want to wear and use.
Everybody is crashing out. The NYT has a fun piece for those unfamiliar with Gen Z’s current favorite term for melting down.
Please keep your DTLA dinner reservation. Protests are happening during the day, but Jenn Harris confirms it’s perfectly safe to go downtown for dinner. Bavel is one of my longtime favorite restaurants in LA, and it (along with so many others) desperately needs customers right now.
Tenniscore is really in right now. This trend started last year, but I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen wearing tennis skirts as part of their regular daytime outfits recently, and how many people I know who’ve taken up tennis itself as a sport. Ella Emhoff (who I’m generally very into) looked great in tenniscore at Lacoste’s Fall 2025 show, Loewe’s still riding the Challengers wave, and Kith just launched a capsule collection with Wilson. I’ve been saying I’m going to pick up tennis for years. Will it actually happen this year?
“Eric Dane, who famously bathed with two women, is now tangled up with three.” I could never come up with a better headline for this article.
Another LAT headline I really liked this week:
That 4.4-acre Silver Lake property I featured a few weeks back sold for above the asking price. $10mm!!!!
If you’re looking for a cute place with income potential, consider this bungalow in Echo Park. The house itself is pretty perfect, and there’s a freestanding Airbnb in the back. The listing claims it generates about $45k a year in extra income for the owner. Not bad, not bad.
Have a great weekend, everyone. See you Monday <3