PORTRAIT SERIES : OLIVIA LOPEZ

Minimal, effortless, comfortable

 

Where is your favorite place you have travelled to? Why?

Recently I spent a chunk of summer in Mallorca and fell in love with the island. Mallorca’s beaches are so diverse and everyday my friends and I ventured off to a new part of the Balearic island and experienced a different type of coastal landscape.

 

What is in your carry on?

My uniform pieces are a blazer, a silk slip dress, a pair of jeans, bodysuits and a swimsuit, along with my Contax GT or Leica camera.

 

What's the most surprising thing you learned while writing Lust for Los Angeles?

That a lot of the cultural trends in California are steeped in the city’s history. For example, when Santa Monica was developing as a neighborhood, it was home to wellness treatment centers, catering to snowbirds who wanted to spend the winter out West seeking healthier lifestyles.

 

What is your favorite decade of fashion?

I will forever be a fan of 1960’s ready-to-wear but with 1970’s evening fashion.

 

Do you collect anything from each place you visit?

I collect jewelry, ceramics, baskets and books from my travels.

 

 

How does your heritage inspire your work?

Filipinos are generally warm, hospitable, and open, and I find that
these cultural traits is what informs my love for the hospitality industry.

 

What would you say is your favorite and least favorite part of social media?

My favorite part of social media is truly the ability to connect with people around the world, and allow your point of view and creative expression to be discovered.
My least favorite part are the presumptions and judgements made when social media is part of your work. My account, as is many others, is a work persona, and often Instagram doesn’t offer room to reflect layers. My favorite author Jia Tolentino wrote a great essay about this — when your work is dependent on the visibility of social media, it chains you to maintain a character persona that your audience follows you for.

 

What does a typical day look like for you?

In LA, my days start early as I typically hit the ground running to respond to Europe and East Coast emails, but it usually means that my afternoons free up for yoga or a sunset hike after 3pm. Usually in the evenings I’ll have apero or dinner at a friend’s house in the canyons.

 

 

How many languages do you speak?

I studied Latin, French and Spanish and was born in a Tagalog-
English household. While I can read French proficiently, speaking is still a bit of a struggle.

 

Do you travel alone?

I do both, I travel with friends and I travel alone — it just depends on the trip.

 

Do you have any traveling hacks that are not generally known?

For packing: Packing cubes are honestly a god-send and is the most
effective way to pack if you lean on the more maximalist side of
packing. These are efficient for long-haul trips, when you’re visiting
destinations with vastly different climates. Also my little secret to getting through customs in five minutes after an International flight is Mobile Passport. It’s free app, that gives you the rapid access of Global Entry without the process of going through Global Entry.