Aerin Lauder doesn’t make it to Los Angeles often, but the City of Angels is close to her heart. “I am very Palm Beach and East Hampton, but there is a side that I love about California and I never want to leave. When I come, I get so happy when I see the palm trees and there’s a wonderful sense of carefree, easy and friendly that you don’t really see in many other places,” she said.
The New York businesswoman was in town to celebrate her spring 2018 Aerin Collection by Williams Sonoma and Williams Sonoma Home, with a dinner co-hosted by her friends Jennifer Meyer and Crystal Lourd. The event also drew Isla Fisher, Selma Blair, Ali Larter, Annabelle Wallis, Molly Sims, Sara and Erin Foster, Jacqui Getty, Cassandra Grey, and designers Monique Lhuillier, Rachel Zoe, Rachel Roy, Lisa Marie Fernandez and Tori Praver.
“It’s a touch of East Coast comes to L.A.,” said Lauder of her table settings on Sunset Tower’s pool terrace. “We love the style of California, it’s a very popular market for us.”
Of her namesake company, which just celebrated five years, she said, “It’s blown by; it’s been exciting, fulfilling, scary, but I love it. I was just talking to Alexandra von Furstenberg and Rebecca de Ravenel, who are here tonight and also created amazing brands and we are really very proud of what we’ve done.”
Lauder’s three-day trip included a personal appearance at Williams Sonoma’s Beverly Hills location, meals a pizza restaurant and Nobu Malibu, and a visit to Nordstrom at The Grove, which is her best account in the U.S. for Aerin Beauty.
“It’s nice to see everyone gathered in their pretty dresses,” said Lourd. “I don’t do this so much anymore, so when it becomes less of an everyday thing, it feels more special.”