Meet Ms. Butterworth

I had the pleasure of meeting up with my virtual blog-crush in person this past fall in a little coffee shop in Manhattan. I have been reading Lisa Butterworth's One Hot Child in the City blog for over a year now and have come to look forward to her daily sartorial wonderments. She was definitely a huge force behind me creating LPC and it was such a joy to get to hang with her in real life! Check out my mini interview with Ms. Butterworth (best last name ever, ain't it?) below and make sure to check out her blog as well!





Where did you grow up and where do you live now?

I grew up in Southern California in a little town called Glendora, east of Pasadena. If you’ve ever seen the 1991 Vanilla Ice cinematic masterpiece Cool As Ice (so bad it’s good!), then you know my hometown well (it was filmed there). Now I live in Brooklyn, where we have things like seasons.

Tell us a little about your blog. What inspired you to create it in the first place? What is your favorite part about blogging?

I have a really terrible memory (my boyfriend will gladly corroborate that story) so Hot Child in the City kind of started as a place to collect all the things I like: movies, music, day-to-day adventures, fashion, and style stuff. But what has become my favorite part about blogging is something I never anticipated: meeting so many other amazingly creative and inspiring bloggers.

What inspires you on a day-to-day basis?

It’s weird, I ask people that question in interviews all the time, but now that I’ve been asked, I realize it’s a super hard thing to answer! I guess I find inspiration practically everywhere, but often in the little things, like a girl’s crazy nail polish color that I spot on the subway, or some amazing paper craft in an Anthropologie window display, or an old movie I decide to watch at 4 in the morning when I can’t sleep. I also have a super pop culture–savvy boyfriend who tips me off to all kinds of things I should know about and am lucky enough to be surrounded by ridiculously creative friends and co-workers. The best thing about creativity is that it’s highly contagious.


What do you do when you're not blogging?

During the day I’m the associate editor at Bust magazine (holla!), so even when I’m not in the office working on whatever issue is coming out, I’m constantly on the lookout for awesome gals doing awesome things. I also love eating and baking and biking and reading and flea marketing and road tripping and daydreaming.

What do you miss most about Los Angeles?

In-n-Out? I kid! (Sorta.) I miss my family and friends somethin’ fierce but it’s been so long since I’ve lived in Southern California my nostalgia for the City of Angels is vague. Before I moved to New York, I spent six years in San Francisco and my longing for that lovely town is much more acute. I miss getting a morning latte at Ritual Coffee and watching dusk fall over the city from Dolores Park. I miss 2am burritos at El Farolito’s and walking to the GGB with my bf. I miss the farmer’s market at the Ferry building and the view from China Beach. I miss brunch at Boogaloos and record shopping at Amoeba. Somebody stop me! This could take hours…

I write a lot about music on La Petite Choue. Do you have any favorite musicians that you love?

Oh man, where to start? I’ve got my forever favorites like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan and the Velvet Underground. PJ Harvey and the Pixies and Radiohead, too. I love old girl-group stuff (Shangri-Las, Ronettes), and of course my brother’s band is awesome (Nodzzz!). Lately I’ve had Akron/Family, Bat for Lashes, Beach House, Thee Oh Sees, Brilliant Colors, and Zee Avi on rotation.

Your blog talks a lot about your favorite things. Can you give me your top 3?

Eep. And I thought the inspiration question was hard! I have a million “favorite” things and they change every day so I’ll just tell you what I’m loving right this very minute: pumpkin spice lattes, midnight movies, and my new tangerine Kitchen aid stand mixer. Oh, can I add one more? The Steven Alan flannel I’m wearing as I type this!!


What advice can you give to people who are trying to start up their own blog?

Hmm…just write about the stuff you love. Really groundbreaking advice, right? But it’s true, if you like something, other people are bound to dig it too. Don’t be afraid to dork out, either, that’s the fun part!