Let Us Transport You to California for 10 Minutes of Escapism

Here at Who What Wear UK, we’re all about bringing you the latest and greatest shopping edits, trend reports and cult beauty straight from the front line. But we’re also about inspiration and exploration, with a love of women who are unafraid of playing with their style. At the beginning of 2020 we launched a travel-inspired series  Fernweh Diaries where some of the industry’s most free-spirited, adventurous women travelled the world and reported back on what they found. Fernweh is a German word that means to have a craving for travel and adventure, something we relate to—now more than ever. Little did we know how the world would change this year, but we will continue to share these travel stories to allow you to experience some wanderlust from the comfort of your living room. After all, escapism has arguably never been so important. 

In this latest installment, cool girl Jessica Skye—DJ, yogi and influencer—shares her love for Los Angeles’s laid-back culture, and documents the week of sun and surf she had before travel restrictions were put in place. 

Any trip I take needs to be an adventure. I just love to feel free, and throwing yourself into new locations with new people and new experiences does the trick for me. It makes you grow as a person, keeps your mind open and offers constant perspective, growth and inspiration. That’s why I’m so drawn to Chloé’s new Nomade Absolu fragrance—the fresh scent reminds me of the excitement of picking up and exploring. Travelling isn't on the cards for anyone for a while, and even though we don't know when we will be able to explore beyond our own neighbourhoods, I have found comfort in revisiting past travel memories and thinking of places I'd love to go back to one day. The place I will always revisit is Los Angeles. 

I always think about what I like to get from a trip: going where the locals go, getting an authentic sense of a place and getting off the beaten track. I always try to take advantage of what a specific place has to offer, especially if it involves surfing or snowboarding. When my husband and I came to pick where to go for our last trip before the restrictions were put in place, California was top of the list as I’d always heard about how you can surf in the morning and head to the mountains for a shred in the afternoon, which is honestly my dream.

As well as following the sun and swell, most of my trips feature some combination of wild desert, palm trees and beach life. As a DJ, somewhere with a good nightlife and music scene is high on my priorities, but I also live for yoga, so Los Angeles felt totally perfect for me. I knew it had a buzzing scene as well as a huge focus on wellness to balance it out. I can never stay in one place for too long, so we booked a flight and headed to the West Coast.

What we found did not disappoint, and I’ve since been totally converted to the laid-back Californian way of life. It really does have it all: the weather, the healthy lifestyle, access to the ocean and mountains, and a super-spiritual side with palm readers and yoga studios on every street corner.

Each day of our trip was different, but mostly our Californian lives revolved around exploring, eating (trying new restaurants is a passion of mine), exercising and getting in as much nature as possible. It’s truly amazing the difference warm weather, blue skies and sea can have on the mindset. I’ve never felt more motivated to get up and get out there.

We took pleasure in the simple things, which always grounds me when I’m travelling. With the time difference, we were lucky enough to wake up early and see the sunrise every morning. We took morning hikes up Runyon Canyon, ate ramen at Killer Noodle and enjoyed checking out the shops and cute cafés on Melrose Avenue and Sunset Boulevard. Then we’d head back down to Venice Beach in time for sunset over the skate park.

Chloé Nomade Absolu is always my favourite fragrance to take away with me as it’s so fresh, fruity and warm in a way that reminds me of holidays when I’m back at home. The story and inspiration behind the scent are about all things free spirited—adventure, sensuality and escape, which are all characteristics I naturally gravitate towards.

I’ve 100% always had a nomadic mindset and just love venturing into the unknown. I’m not one of those people who need a plan, and most of my life’s most epic adventures have been the ones that have come during journeys I took on a whim like this one. If it wasn’t for my insatiable hunger to travel, I wouldn’t have discovered yoga, which I found whilst travelling around Bali, and I would never have become a DJ if I hadn’t discovered house music on trips to Ibiza and Berlin. By 2012, I was making a living from both of these things, so a nomadic lifestyle has clearly shaped who I am today. While all explorations have currently been put on hold, that isn't stopping me from dreaming of past and future trips—and this California escape is a getaway I think back on the most. 

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Up next, how to escape to the countryside the fashion-girl way.