This month was full of to-ing and fro-ing — warm summer afternoons spent sharing meals al fresco with friends, and evenings that turned cool enough for getting dressed up and heading out to events. Dinners with my husband, long walks with the pups. Along with ample sunshine, May also brought a slew of incredible events to Los Angeles. For starters, Jonathan Anderson presented his first cruise show for Dior at the David Geffen Galleries’ wavy megastructure of concrete and glass. It was a love letter to the world of film and a cinematic reminder of the house’s longstanding relationship with Hollywood. But there were plenty of other happenings, too, like an Ann Demeulemeester record release party at H.Lorenzo’s new flagship and a sleek new restaurant that’s perfect for dressing up for a night out. 

The most exciting new store to check out?

OK, this store isn’t new — it opened toward the end of 2024, but it was new to me. I only recently popped into Kiko Kostadinov’s flagship in Los Angeles’ Melrose Hill neighborhood. The London-based, Bulgarian designer founded his namesake label after graduating from the prestigious Central Saint Martins in 2016. He initially launched it as a menswear brand before bringing on Laura and Deanna Fanning, also Central Saint Martins graduates, as the womenswear designers. (Kiko and Deanna are now married.) 

Inside the brand’s Los Angeles store, you’ll be able to peruse the brand’s quirky, utilitarian-inspired garments and shop pieces from its long-running collaboration with Japanese sportswear giant Asics. My husband snagged a fun pair of cobalt-blue sneakers, which takes its design inspiration from a 1950s marathon tabi shoe. 

The most stylish place to secure a dinner reservation?

Bar di Bello, hands down. This Milan-inspired bar and restaurant in Silver Lake is the perfect place to dress up for a sexy date night with your partner. The interiors are clad in warm wood, and heavy red velvet curtains block out the daylight, creating a dark, moody ambiance that always feels like nighttime. Don’t miss: the steak tartare, the roasted oyster and maitake mushroom salad, and the squash blossom and zucchini pasta. 

The coolest purchase of the month?

Well, it was technically an April purchase, but I’m still swooning over my two-tone slingbacks from Chanel’s spring-summer 2026 collection by Matthieu Blazy. This was not an easy get. As everyone knows, Blazy’s Chanel — especially the shoes — are in very high demand.

The biggest fashion news in the city?

It has to be Dior’s cruise 2027 show, which took place at the newly opened David Geffen Galleries on the LACMA campus. This incredible new museum, which peers over Wilshire Boulevard, was a $700 million-dollar project that’s been in the works for about 20 years. It finally opened its doors on May 4, and a little over a week later, became the backdrop to Jonathan Anderson’s cinematic ode to Hollywood. Just months after debuting his “New Look” in Paris, Christian Dior went on a tour of the United States and called California “paradise on earth.” 

Throughout his career, he dressed some of the film industry’s most iconic stars, from Marilyn Monroe to Marlene Dietrich, who famously gave an ultimatum to Alfred Hitchcock when filming the 1950s film Stage Fright, saying, “No Dior, no Dietrich.” Fittingly, Dior transformed the scene outside of David Geffen Galleries into something straight out of a film noir (a style that emerged in the ‘40s and ‘50s) set. Think: high-contrast lighting, with deep, dark shadows and bright highlights. The clothes were, of course, full of vintage glamour — flowers, feathers, and lots of sequined sparkle. 

The most rewarding conversation with an industry creative?

Earlier this month, I sat down with Athena Son, who used to work as a fashion buyer and store manager at H.Lorenzo and has a wealth of experience in the industry. She recently launched a nifty new app that is able to curate products based on the exact vibe, place, and occasion you’re going for. We talked about how she blends AI-driven tech and human curation to give shoppers inspiration and ideas — opening them up, aesthetically speaking, to a whole new world of emerging designers and global brands that fly under the radar. Our entire conversation can be found here. 

Top item on the wishlist this month?

It’s probably this soundtrack vinyl from Ann Demeulemeester’s spring-summer 2026 runway show. Earlier this month, H.Lorenzo threw a record release party with a live performance by Aimee Nash and an exclusive Alan Vega DJ set by Billy Idol. The event took place at the multi-brand boutique’s new flagship space in Los Angeles.