Bottega Louie on the Cheap

FIDM GUIDE TO DOWNTOWN LA

Need a dose of glitz ‘n glamour to fuel you through your next fashion college design challenge? Head over to Bottega Louie, just 2 blocks from the Grand Avenue campus, and close in spirit to a crazy noisy New York lunch spot. Louie is packed with people who look like they have jobs in finance and fashion—people who dress for work.

The best away to soak up the atmosphere on a student budget is to skip the wait service and sit in the front of the restaurant. Cold cases hold a selection of standard salads and sandwiches for self-service. The adorable tuna or chicken salad sandwiches and tiny ham and cheese baguettes are all under $5. Which means you might be able to get out for under $10 with a drink. That is, if you can skip the spellbinding pastry case that runs the length of the high ceilinged, white marble space.

Or go straight to dessert! Order a gorgeous red berry mini-tart, a frosty cupcake, or the dangerously addictive macarons that have inspired a cult following on Yelp. The beautifully graphic bite-sized meringue sandwich cookies come in exotic flavors like rose and earl gray. With a cup of tea or hot chocolate and a couple of cookies, you and your friends can sit and people watch for at least an hour, dreaming of fashions to go with those perfect pastries.

Bottega Louie is at 700 S. Grand Ave.

Phone 213.802.1470

 

 

 

 

Nickel Diner’s Retro Pastries Perfect

FIDM GUIDE TO DOWNTOWN LA

When the need for a donut strikes, downtown foodies and fashionistas head to the Nickel Diner at 5^th and Main. Since it opened in 2008, Angelenos of all ages have been lining up for the best donuts, cupcakes, and homemade pop tarts in town. Among the diner’s national fans are Oprah Magazine, Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and the New York Times. 

The urban pioneers who started Nickel in one of the grittier patches of downtown LA, did it right. They excavated an old storefront, lovingly restoring great old hand-painted signs, and then redecorated with cozy burgundy leather booths, dark wood moldings, old milky glass fixtures, and patinated ochre walls. Best of all, the food focuses on yummy, lunch counter favorites like cinnamon-dusted French toast and a Dutch baby apple pancake for breakfast; standard salads, sandwiches, and burgers for lunch, and a soul-satisfying Mexican pozole. The most expensive item is about $12. Service is quick and friendly.

The pastries deserve their own special Hall of Fame. Maple glazed bacon and fresh strawberry glazed donuts coated with snowdrifts of tart, sugary crumbs, adorable glossy chocolate ding-dongs with white icing, peanut butter potato chip cupcakes, red velvet cake, and more. Your appetite is guaranteed to kick into gear the moment the sample donut holes are plunked on your table. Coffee, served in sturdy white ceramic mugs, is surprisingly good. So next time fashion college stress strikes, don’t despair! Gather up a bunch of friends and experience the Nickel—a very delicious taste of regentrified downtown LA.

Nickel Diner is at 524 S. Main St., LA 90012, 213.628.8301. Closed Monday. Open 8 am to 3:30 for breakfast and lunch.

 

 

Let Them Eat Cake

Lady Gaga is a fan of her "couture cookies" and now 19 year-old Ange Dela Cruz is a bit of a media darling thanks to her online bakery The Sweet Life. “I name my desserts after style icons or pop-culture concepts. I usually start out with a name, then build a product from there. I love icons that epitomize glamour and lavishness,” she recently told the Inquirer.

Her cupcakes have names like Chanel, Satine, and Marie Antoinette. “I’m really inspired by Marie Antoinette and her frivolous lifestyle,” Dela Cruz says. “I love fashion, pop culture, and the arts. I basically fused all that and came up with a lifestyle concept for my products.” Dela Cruz resides in the Philippines, but is going to be studying at FIDM in the near future. We can't wait to see if she brings her bakery biz with her!

FIDM Summer BBQ with Fashion Cafe

FIDM Student Activities held a BBQ in the park at the Los Angeles campus this week. Students enjoyed a beautiful summer day and a tasty meal provided by Fashion Cafe.

Burgers and veggie burgers were served with chips and ice cold sodas. Over 200 lunches were sold for the event with a generous portion of the proceeds to be donated to the Susan G Komen Foundation. --Harriet

Students Celebrate Multicultural Ice Cream Day at FIDM

Did you know that July is National Ice Cream Month? FIDM students on all four campuses celebrated by sampling ice creams from around the world at the Multicultural Ice Cream Day hosted by Student Activities.

Student favorites included Kulfi, from India in Saffron, Rose and Cardamom flavors.

Blood Orange Gelato, from Italy, and Raspberry Sorbet from France were also big hits.

For the adventurous, there was Dondurma, a stretchy ice cream from Turkey, Red Bean Mochi from Japan and Red Fire Ice Cream from Brazil.

Everyone agreed it was a delicious way to learn about world cultures!  ––Harriet

VIP Exhibition Opening for The Wizard of Oz

FIDM Museum & Galleries hosted a VIP opening on June 9, 2009 for The Wizard of Oz anniversary celebration! Check out the celebrities who came to join the festivities along with some of our other highlights, including the fabulous jewelry debuted by Tarina Tarantino.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Images courtesy of LookbookLA.com

- Arali

Fine Foods in Los Angeles

Not only does Los Angeles have everything from authentic to high-end restaurants, Southern California is filled with nifty places to go out for a quick bite or a dinner date. Here are some recommendations from FIDM Students…

Katsuya – Sushi, Hollywood

M Café – on Melrose

Green Earth Café – Near Rhodeo Drive

Ruth Chris – on Beverly Drive

Yardhouse– L.A. Live (downtown)

The Firehouse – Venice

Blossom- Downtown Los Angeles

Toast- near Beverly Center

Sanamluang– North Hollywood

California must-have fast food according to Interior Design major, Erica Gibb - “IN-N-OUT, it’s good all around…”

“There is this French restaurant in Colton called Jean’s that has great authentic food, reasonably priced, very homey and the owner whose actual name is Jean is from France.” – Manuel Oyerevdes, Fashion Design.

“Firehouse in Santa Monica is an antique firehouse that serves amazing sushi and other great food!” – Katrina Jackson, Merchandise Marketing.

Now that Downtown is in the process of being revamped with live entertainment, L.A. Live has great restaurants and entertainment only a couple blocks from FIDM!

For a great book to guide you in dining and shopping in Los Angeles, check out EAT: Los Angeles at thefidmmuseumstore.org.

Need more downtown tips: Head to FashionClub.com!

- Arali

 

Stylish, Eco-Friendly Coffee Cup

It's not something you wear, but the "I Am Not A Paper Cup" porcelain cup with silicone cover is certainly a cool fashion accessory.

It looks just like the cups we get from a coffee shop and throw away (and, as someone once said, "Where IS this 'away,' anyway?")

If you want one for your own, look here. --Belissa

Just Launched: Monique Lhuillier For Royal Doulton

FIDM Grad (and America's hottest wedding dress designer!) Monique Lhuillier has collaborated with legendary fine tableware company Royal Doulton to create MLforRD, a collection of several different china patterns, stemware versions, and flatware styles.The pic below is of Monique's "Femme Fatale" dishware.

Monique, third from the left above, has designed wedding and red carpet dresses for such celebrities as  Eva Longoria, Reese Witherspoon, Katie Holmes, and Angelina Jolie. See lots of pics of celebs in Monique Lhuillier gowns on the FIDM Blog.

Watch Monique chat about designing wedding gowns for her mega-celebrity clientele in FIDM's "Here Comes The Bride" video. --Belissa

 

Blogger Gypsy Purple Loves All Things French

Blogger Gypsy Purple is a "Francophile," which means she adores all things French. On her blog you'll find amazing, picture-filled posts on fashion, art, architecture, and especially event design. She's based in South Africa, but she ferrets out content from world-wide sources. She found this dramatic picture of a candle-lit patio, right, on a blog called Hidden in France.

She discovered these beautiful pictures of food, below, on the French site Cote Maison.

Here's a photo from a vintage "hire" shop in England called Idyllic Days where you can rent vintage china and accessories for parties and events. What a great idea--entrepreneurs, are you listening? Following her links always takes us to places we've never been before! --Belissa