kelly_lee_headshot_600For the 5th annual Legends of La Cienega event, the La Cienega Design Quarter has created a brand new Blog & Social Media Ambassador program to highlight design blog professionals in Los Angeles. They will be sharing content about Legends 2013 on their blogs and social media channels, and we’ll be introducing LCDQ enthusiasts to their blogs and lifestyle content.

Our second Ambassador for 2013 is Kelly Lee.  Kelly is a Beverly Hills-based style expert and writer. She shares ideas and inspiration for living a charmed life on the popular website KellyGolightly.com, a sparkling style guide for the modern-day Audrey Hepburns of the world. Kelly has appeared on The Martha Stewart Show and the FAWN network dishing out fashion, entertaining, and lifestyle tips and advice. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

We asked each Ambassador a few questions – check back each week in April to learn more about our 2013 Blog & Social Media Ambassadors for Legends 2013!

Q1:                  Is this your first year attending LCDQ’s Legends of La Cienega?  Either way, what excites you about this year’s event?

A1:                  I’m a style and design enthusiast (okay, addict) and am thrilled to discover so many fabulous designers and creativity at my first LCDQ Legends this May.  When creative minds get together in person, the possibilities are endless, (and it’s this in-person interaction and collaboration that is so often missing in the blogging world). I’m excited to share new and exciting trends and discoveries in design with Kelly Golightly readers.

Q2:                  What does the theme, Time Capsule, mean to you as a designer and blogger?

A2:                    My aesthetic is quite vintage modern, in both my fashion choices and my interior design tastes. I’m greatly inspired by the past (Audrey Hepburn is my style icon as her style proves to be both charming and timeless, and if I could live in a Slim Aarons photograph, I would), but translating that in a current, modern way is what Kelly Golightly is all about.  Of course, when it comes to sharing this vision, I embrace future-thinking mediums such as Instagram and Pinterest, where fellow design enthusiasts can come together and share in the fun.  To me, this is what Time Capsule is all about, and I’m thrilled to come along for the ride.

Q3:                  If you were going to design a window this year, how would you get started and find inspiration?

A3:                  I love a mix of online and offline inspiration.  My first stop would be design blogs and Pinterest, where I go for endless design inspiration.  I’d pin the images, objects and rooms that inspire me most.  I’m very lucky in that I get to split my time between Palm Springs and Los Angeles, two design meccas, so my next step would be hitting the streets and shops (hello, LCDQ!) to bring the vision I’ve curated on Pinterest to life with one-of-a-kind objects.

Q4:                  Why do you think it is important for designers to hit the streets and develop relationships with the shop owners and their teams in the LCDQ?

A4:                  As much as I love gathering inspiration online, there’s nothing quite like shopping in person. First, there’s so much to discover — many one-of-a-kind pieces that you won’t find online — and the tactile experience of shopping in person is so important.  You need to see how a couch feels before you buy it; see how a fabric drapes before you invest in it, see how the light affects the color of the object of your affection.  All things that sadly we can’t do online quite yet. Plus, the relationships with shop owners are invaluable.  If you’re on the hunt for something specific, they often know where to find it or will scout it for you.  Plus, if we want these shops to exist, we must support them — besides, it’s really fun!

Join the Legends 2013 conversation on social media by following @lcdqla on Twitter using #Legends2013.  Also, “like” our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/LCDQLA)!  See you at Legends this May 8-10!