Los Angeles Hits Dallas With Style as Lauren Santo Domingo Touts a New Book From Tania Fares

There were many reasons I was very quick to RSVP to a recent luncheon hosted by Nasiba Adilova in celebration of the new book Fashion in LA, edited by Tania Fares and Krista Smith.

Firstly, as a Los Angeles native, the city’s style is ingrained in me. Every time I return to my hometown, I breathe a sigh of relief for the city’s casual air, its creative diversity, and its colorful, anything-goes fashion sense.

The book, which debuted on November 6 and is published by preternatural maker of beautiful tomes, Phaidon, digs deep into the roots of Los Angeles style, from its cache of design talent (see: Rosetta Getty, Racquel Allegra, Anita Ko, Jeremy Scott, and Rodarte — the latter which recently showed its spring 2020 collection at my beloved LA spot, Huntington Gardens) to exclusive interviews with the likes of LA-based fashion photographers Chantal Anderson, Cameron McCool, and more.

Aside from finally getting to flip through the gorgeous, technicolor book and its homage to my home city in person, I was thrilled to make the acquaintance of Moda Operandi founder, Lauren Santo Domingo, who was in town to help raise a glass to the new book. Santo Domingo was quite the girl-on-the-go, having hosted a dinner in Houston at the home of Lynn Wyatt earlier in the week.

I have long admired Santo Domingo from afar — her style is edgy and forward-looking without being gauche; and her enviable business savvy has made Moda the leader in luxury e-commerce, both from its efforts in employing innovative technology and strategy to its perfectly edited point of view.

Moda Operandi also has a reputation for being the first to collaborate with young, up-and-coming designers who are on the verge of hitting the big time — several of whom are featured in Fashion in LA.

In chatting with Santo Domingo that afternoon, I was thrilled to learn about her love of Dallas — and of her many longtime friends, here. I’m already plotting ways to get her to come back: A pop-up Moda Operandi shop would be perfect for holiday shopping, no?

Tania Fares, a writer, editor, and ambassador to the British Fashion Council, was also in attendance on the book-tour whirl. As any editor (magazine, book, or otherwise) can attest, the act of publishing something is no easy task. In the case of Fares, her beautiful book is a testament to her keen eye, design sense, and rich understanding of what makes Los Angeles LA.

And finally, attending any sort of event at the beautiful home of Nasiba and her husband Thomas Hartland-Mackie, is a treat to be sure. She is a consummate hostess: Lunch was elegant and service was divine; the group of ladies in attendance was warm and conversational; and the tabletop, from flowers to china to flatware, was color matched to the book’s cover.

Fashionable, indeed, in every possible way.

PC Seen: Co-hosts Nancy Rogers and Sue Gragg, plus Marisa Howard, Kimberly Schlegel Whitman, Nancy Dedman, Tina Craig, Lisa Runyon, and Kameron Westcott.