La Perla

So what are we going to be eating this month? Rachel, what about you?

I'm looking forward to checking out La Perla.

Uh, that means pearl in Spanish.

It's, like, this not-so-secret coffee window at that furniture and vintage shop Galleria Paloma in Inglewood, so a little bit north if you're in east.

Basically, you tell a story about a man that wronged you or a time that...

It's for 'La Perla,' which is about, like, a player.

Like, any time that maybe you've been the player, you've been played, whatever." And I was like, "Oh my fucking God." Obviously screamed.

Screamed, cried, like, shit in my hand, started clapping.

I go

to Puerto Rico, I'm in La Perla.

You know the vibes.

So I was actually

going to know like real talk.

It's funny that you brought that up because- When I went to Puerto Rico, my father specifically told me not to go to La Perla.

And I don't know why he would tell me that.

So I was like, what? I was 26.

I go to

Puerto Rico, I'm in La Perla.

You know the vibes.

So I was actually

going to know like real talk.

It's funny that you brought that up because- When I went to Puerto Rico, my father specifically told me not to go to La Perla.

And I don't know why he would tell me that.

So I was like, what? I was 26, 24, whatever.

They probably would.

But one thing also that I did that is not recommended if you do go to Puerto Rico is you're not supposed to go to La Perla.

why why why why so la perla is basically like the dangerous part of puerto rico like i guess the best way to describe it is like going to the bronx here in new york right yo but apparently like the hood type that's what people say or whatever a lot of people say that like it's like a bad rap you're just not supposed to do certain stuff which obviously i didn't do certain stuff but um she's like ratcheting ghetto But basically, like, I ended up meeting, like, this group of girls that ended up basically, like, taking me to that spot, right? And I was a little, I didn't want to go.

I'm not going to lie.

But I was like, you know what? Fuck it, bro.

And, you know, I did it for five years, and I feel like I really, like, kind of learned the ropes of e-commerce and fashion on that.

Even though I didn't have my own brand, I was multi-retailing lots of other brands, like La Perla.

And also, in that period, I also found, like, I was so interested in the construction of lingerie.

It was something that really... you know, how it shaped a woman's body.

There's been super lekker stroopwafels, kaastengels.

What else was super lekker? The La Perla, the pizza place.

You guys gotta check that out if you're ever in Amsterdam.

The appeltaart at Slagerom, uh, at Winkel 43.

Yeah

... which is La Perla, which has a really interesting history behind it.

Can you tell us a little bit about that visit?

Yes.

So I felt like I needed to get out of the United States.

I felt like [laughs] I was like, is it possible that this is just kind of like our psychodrama, like our sexual baggage, and that when I leave, you know, I will find kind of the pure essence of lingerie, um, and [laughs] like kind of depoliticized, um, and yes, La Perla, I refer to La Perla in the piece as the Vatican of lingerie, and it very much is.

You know, it's just this kind of iconic luxury brand.

But when I was like looking into La Perla, I found that they also were experiencing this incredible kind of political upheaval.