A Fashionable Life: Erica Pelosini and Louis Leeman In Los Angeles

Striking a pose with her 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230SL Pagoda. Hat; choker; bandana; earrings; bracelets; rings; dress; coat; and briefs, all from Dior. Boots, Christian Louboutin.

For the longest time, Erica Pelosini Leeman, the pint-sized style star known for her eclectic fashion mix, always thought of herself as a New Yorker—dressed to the nines, wearing statement heels, riding downtown in a yellow taxi, and strutting about Fifth Avenue with an effortless urban attitude.

This all changed in 2014, when she walked into the pristine surroundings of Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles, where The Last Sitting’s famous set and Marilyn Monroe’s beauty were immortalised by photographer Bert Stern for Vogue in 1962. After a six-month stay here, the allure of LA had become undeniable, and Erica realised that she wanted to call LA home. Perhaps, the modern-day Hotel Bel-Air helped sell the California dream with its pink stucco façade, glistening swan lake, the Wolfgang Puck restaurant, and sensuous interiors restored by Alexandra Champalimaud. “The synergy between the arts and film industry here is so infectious,” Erica muses. “Spending my childhood between the historical centre of Florence and the Italian countryside, I have a penchant for the big city life, while still being close to the sea.” 

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Custom Italian marble table and Florence Knoll sofas

Every morning, Erica sits by the pool, planning her next big project. Currently, she is producing and starring in a docuseries titled Total Models with E! Entertainment, slated to air in February 2018, alongside models Nadine Leopold and Devon Windsor. This comes naturally as she’s art directed Farfetch’s film series The Unfollowers in 2015, where influential names in the fashion industry such as Michel Gaubert and Vera Wang have shared their inspiring stories.

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