Get Dressed With Lauren Conrad

I have to admit that I wouldn’t know Lauren Conrad if I passed her on the street. Cute, blond Southern California natives run amok in Los Angeles. I’m not sure I’d notice anything to set her apart, at first glance. Obviously, I’d be mistaken. Conrad and a group of friends were followed around during their senior year for MTV’s reality show called “Laguna Beach: The Real O.C.” While day-to-day petty high school dramas may not tittilate anyone over 25, Lauren did compile a throng of pre-pubescent fans, invitations to the see-and-be-seen events in L.A., and the ultimate in knowing you're famous in Hollywood: blogger bashes on Perez Hilton. While it’s not a far leap from being a non-actor on TV to branding a clothing or accessories line, as proven by Daisy Fuentes, Paris Hilton and that sensationalistic very real TV “personality” from a decade ago, Monica Lewinsky, who handed over a dirty dress and launched a handbag line, Lauren a Laguna Beach native has proven herself rather clever-er than most blond beach babies to parlay her 15-minutes of fame into an actual business.The Lauren Conrad Collection would appeal to women from 18 – 80 and reflects the California lifestyle: easy, breezy with a throw-it-on-and-hop-in-the-ragtop kind of feeling. The fabric drapes nicely and the colors and prints are pleasing to the eye without being outlandish. There’s a look of modern convenience to the line with a throwback to classic styles. In short, I’d wear it. (Although, in all honesty, I could probably get something similar at American Apparel for about half the price...) I stopped in at Lauren’s launch party at Intuition, a trendy little boutique in West LA to raise a glass to the reality show personality-turned-designer. The cocktails were supplied by two of my favorites: Martini & Rossi Prosecco and Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur. The signature drink of the event was appropriately called “The LC.” (Very cute.)Oh, and did I mention the hunky bar boys passing them around? There are times it truly doesn’t suck to live in LA. Even without a camera crew in tow.The LC 1 part Domaine de Canton3 parts Martini & Rossi ProseccoGarnish with an orange twist and serve in a champagne flute