Inspired by the Hollywood Hills, grunge and the Nineties sisters, Sophie and Ella Berman founded vintage clothing and accessories site London Loves LA in 2010. The pair took time out from sourcing retro Californian pieces to chat Paul Rudd, tartan and sunflower print dresses...
When I look in the mirror I see...
Ella: My hair and my eyebrows and not much else! Those are the two features that need to be approved before I can feel happy with the way I look. I don't wear much makeup in the summer because it's TOO hot, so recently I haven't actually had to look in the mirror as much as usual. I probably look terrifying!
Sophie: A 14-year-old boy... I think that pretty much sums up my style!
If I was stranded on a desert island with only one dress it would be...
Ella: My favourite dress in the world. A vintage black lace A-line I picked up in Bushwick in New York. It's the perfect length for me and is so easy to wear with a black beekeeper hat and Nineties Raybans. It would also cover me up a little as I don't tan well and I'm not sure my skin would fare well on a desert island for too long!
Sophie: My sunflower print dress that I've had since I was nine! I've rediscovered it and live in it right now.
What I was at school I wanted to be...
Ella: A writer of a literary agent. I've always loved pop culture and fashion so I knew I wanted to do something that involved them both. My sister Soph was wearing bindis, buffalos and fairy wings to school WAY before it was cool so we should've know then!
Sophie: A photographer or a Spice Girl. I love photography which is handy because it's a huge part of London Loves LA. I remember watching the film Crazy/Beautiful when growing up and the main girl, Nicole, kept these amazing scrapbooks of photos and memories and I wanted to create them for the rest of my life. We make scrapbooks all the time for LLLA, and our next photoshoot is entirely based around them.
My biggest style triumph was...
Ella: Finally learning how to nail a smart-casual dress code by mixing vintage pieces with my existing favourites. Thankfully.
Sophie: Learning that sometimes situations will arise when it's not okay to dress like a teenager. I went to my best friend's wedding recently, and with help from my friends, I dressed like a grown up AND it was fun.
If I could be any character from film or literature I would be...
Ella: Duh! Cher from Clueless. What an incredibly wardrobe (all that tartan!), house AND Paul Rudd as my boyfriend. I could also legitimately live in the Nineties forever. Perfect.
Sophie: Weetzie Bat from the book, Weeszie Bat. She's amazing and we love all the same things already so I wouldn't have to change too much.