Lauren Conrad first rose to fame on Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, an MTV reality series that chronicled the lives of a handful of Laguna Beach High School students. When Conrad moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the fashion industry, MTV followed her up the coast, creating the hit reality series, The Hills, which prominently featured Conrad and several of her friends.
In the years that followed, Conrad launched the LC Lauren Conrad collection exclusively at Kohl’s, which includes apparel, fashion and fine jewelry, footwear, handbags, bedding, and more. She also became a New York Times bestselling author and a social media powerhouse with more than 10 million followers.
Where do you live? Laguna Beach.
Why there? I loved growing up here so when it became time to raise my kids with my husband, it was an easy move from Los Angeles.
Who or what is your greatest California love? It’s always going to be the beaches for me. All of the beaches in our area are really special, different coves and bays. They all have their own vibe and character. Plus, we live on the beach.
What is the biggest misperception about Californians? I think one thing that's maybe just not understood about California is the variation in landscape. A lot of people think of Southern California as beach. But we have mountains, farms, and deserts. And we have big cities. Forests. And there's just so much here. There's something for everyone.
What is the stereotype that most holds true? Traffic.
What is your favorite Golden State splurge? I really wanted to have a super fancy answer here, but I have small children. For me, it’s a day at Disneyland.
Time for a road trip—where are you going? This is not with kids because my youngest gets car sick. It would be with my husband, driving up the Pacific Coast Highway. I actually went to school in San Francisco, and I love that drive. But something a little closer is Montecito. For a special occasion, we love staying at the Rosewood.
If you could decree an official state culinary experience, what would it be? This is how much I love In-N-Out. I don't eat red meat, and I'm lactose intolerant. I get a veggie burger, which is essentially, like, all the vegetables plus the special sauce on bread. It’s literally vegetables and bread. And fries and a lemonade.
What does sustainability mean to you? It’s about small choices. When it rains, I throw big plastic bins outside to collect rainwater. And we compost our food and we grow our own greens. And we try not to use any one-time use plastic.
Where would you go for the ultimate shopping spree in California? South Coast Plaza near me, which has every high-end store you could think of.
Best California song? It’s actually “California,” by Phantom Planet, which was the theme song to The OC. It's a little dorky. But I actually really liked that song in high school before it was on that show.
How would your California dream day unfold? It would be with the first snow, or whenever we have a big snow. We will drive up to the mountains for the day and let the kids play in the snow and build a snowman. And then, we get right back in the car and drive home. We do this every year.