FASHION

BEST FRIENDS IN FASHION: EVA DOLL AND ROBIN VAN HALTEREN TALK L.A. FAVORITES

PHOTOGRAPHY

EVA DOLL

WEB EDIT

GRACE GARRAHAN

INTERVIEW

by EVA DOLL & ROBIN VAN HALTEREN

Eva Doležalová, also known as Eva Doll, can do it all. A Renaissance woman by definition, she has experience as a director, producer, screenwriter, model, and actor. More than just a captivating beauty, Eva is classically trained in acting and speaks a laundry list of languages. Over the past several years, she’s discovered a passion for screenwriting and directing films. In 2016, her first short film Sound of Sun that she starred in alongside Suki Waterhouse and Sean Penn was met with critical acclaim.

Model Robin van Halteren, self-described as a “very nerdy person,” is similarly intellectually inclined. Her interests skew more towards social media, as she runs her own YouTube channel. Van Halteren films vlogs, Get Ready With Me (GRWM) videos, and longer-form discussion videos that are a candid look into the life and mind of the model. She loves fashion, but nothing too new: van Halteren is nothing short of a thrifting expert.

These effortlessly chic women spent some time together in Los Angeles, where they found the best European-style bistros and coffeehouses on this side of the pond. These bi-coastal friends sat down over the phone to discuss their favorite haunts in L.A., plus their top picks for fashion and beauty.

Eva Doležalová: Hey, Robin!

Robin van Halteren: Hey, Eva!

Eva: How is New York?

Robin: I love New York. I am very happy to be back here and see all my friend and enjoy the nice weather. And you know...fall season!

Eva: Nice. Oh Beautiful, beautiful. And so what do you like about LA the most when you work here? Because you’ve been here for a month for the first time?

Robin: Yeah I was in LA for about a month, for work, and what I really, really love, it’s kind of cliché, but it was the weather. I mean, waking up to good weather every day, is truly a blessing, especially if you come from a somewhere as cold as Holland. It’s just like really nice, wake up and, you know, being 99% sure that the weather’s going to be good, instead of not really knowing what you’re up to. So, I think that’s what I really love about L.A. It’s just a very relaxed vibe.

Eva: Tell me, what was your favorite thing to do while you were at L.A., except Café Figaro?

Robin: You know, what I did was go to bookstores, grab coffee… I love hanging out at Café Figaro. Yeah that’s what I really liked to do. I’m a very nerdy person, so…

Eva: Which bookstores did you like the most? Because I think they want names.

Robin: There was one really close to Figaro that I loved, and then there was one in Eco Park... and I want to find out now what it’ called…

Eva: Yeah, its’ called Skyline Book.

Robin: Oh, yeah, that’s the one.

Yeah that’s the one like close to…

Eva: Close to Café Figaro, where we used to always go. So my favorite place, as coffee wise in L.A., is definitely Bistro Figaro, because everybody speaks French, there’s French food, French wine.. and you can sit outside in the terrace and even have a little cigarette, if they’re not looking.

Robin: Yeah it’s the best. It’s so nice, the European vibe... I’m so happy you introduced me to that place. It’s the best. I think after we went there, I hung out there at least 3 to 4 more times.

robin van halteren in ganni_7

Gannis top | Les Inconnus scarf | Kristina Fidelskaya pants. Photography by Eva Doll.

Eva: Oh yeah, oh yeah. Tell me your favorite fashion designer.

Robin: I don’t know. I personally buy a lot of vintage. And for me it’s not necessary that I stick to a certain designer that I’m really passionate about. For me it’s just like... is the cut nice? Is the material nice? How does it look when you walk? I see trends nowadays. Some like to stick to a certain style. Then again, it can really go up and down. Sometimes I really love a designer, and then a collection comes out and I’m like…no…no.

Eva: I know I agree. I mean, I had it with like Helmut Lang or Acne, when I was like obsessed with them, and then… but I think my all-time favorite, if I had to choose, maybe Yves Saint Laurent, might be.

Robin: Yeah. Yes, definitely.

Eva: And also Vanessa Bruno actually, this French brand. I don’t know if you know it.

Robin: No, no. I don’t think I know it.

Eva: Beautiful it’s very elegant, very Parisian, chic… and it’s just very high quality, beautiful pieces…

Robin: Yeah that’s what I love. I love clear cut but still feminine.

Eva: Oh yeah, definitely. And I know you that you’ve recently bought this amazing Louis Vuitton vintage bag.

Robin: Yeah, I’m so, so proud. I found this bag in like, a vintage store.

Eva: What else did you buy?

Robin: I mean I bought that, and then what else? I think… I kind of tried to buy less. Like I really force myself to not acquire as much stuff as I used to do. Because, you pretend to see things and you’re like, “Oh I need that, this, I need that,“ and I’m really trying to minimize my closet to the essential pieces. But I mean, I also got like a very good light trench coat which I’ve been wearing every single day here, for $1, at a dollar store, so…

Eva: Oh, your famous trench coat. I remember it! What brand is it? Is it like an unknown vintage brand?

Robin: Yeah... unknown vintage brand… It’s called Missie Harbor Original.

Eva: Ohhh! Nice. That is a beautiful trench coat. I like the Brioni’s trench coat.

Robin: Oh! that’s so nice. I think a good trench coat can make everything look good.

Eva: Oh yeah definitely. That needs to be in every woman’s closet. Or like an English one, you know like Burberry or something. It has to be. It’s part of… part of the wardrobe. What are your favorite beauty products at the moment?

Robin: Umm my favorite beauty products at the moment are: I have a mask from Glam Glow called The Power Mask, which I really, really love, and it keeps my skin very clear... and then I got this hydrating mask from Beauty Bio, and I’ve been using it for about a week, 2 weeks now, and it really makes my skin very moisturized. I applied it this morning, and my skin is still feeling and looking very hydrated. So that’s a part that I really love because I naturally have quite dry skin. So I really love those two.

“For me it’s not necessary that I stick to a certain designer that I’m really passionate about. For me it’s just like... is the cut nice? Is the material nice? How does it look when you walk?”

Eva: Oh wow! Beautiful.

Robin: And I’m obsessed with this perfume. It’s like a perfume my mom had in her perfumery. Because she used to have a perfumery for 23 years.

Eva: I think my favorite of all time maybe will be by now Galimard Chamillard, that’s like a perfume that Brigitte Bardot and all the French actresses back in the 60s used to wear. and I just heard they stopped making it so… umm but even the bottle and everything, it’s so... It’s so chic. And the smell is fantastic.

Robin: I feel like, you know, perfume should really be this moment of luxury for yourself, where you’re just indulging, smelling really nice, having a nice little bottle… it makes me feel good when I wear perfume.

Eva: Also Bernadeau are amazing. Bernadeau, the perfume lines, they’re fantastic. If you haven’t tried it, you must have a look at the Bernadeau, they have gypsy. Oh, and also, we forgot to mention the vintage where we used to go. It’s also in Los Felz, it’s called Squares Ville, and that’s where we got all our vintage sweaters and bags and shirts…

Robin: Oh yeah, yeah! That’s like, that’s the favorite place.

Robin van Halteren in Hema_2

HEMA bra | Vintage gold necklace. Photography by Eva Doll.

Eva: Nice! Beautiful. Favorite places for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? That’s tough.

Robin: Ohh… that’s gonna be hard. But I feel like one of my favorite places is actually Café Gratitude.

Eva: Really?

Robin: And it’s kind of a very hipster-ish place, but the food is just so good. I mean you have to say this thing: instead of ordering, you do like an affirmation. So for example a salad bowl will be called like Pure, and then you have to say I am Pure.

Eva: Oh yes! That’s that place!

Robin: I usually don’t do that. But the food is really, really good.

Eva: No, no, no. That’s not for us Europeans.

Robin: That’s a little too much. And when I was in LA, I went to have coffee at Javissa every day, because it was close to my apartment. But then I have a place in Venice, which I really, really loved when I stayed there: The Great White, I think they have the best breakfast there. It’s like Australian food, but it’s so good. It’s such a nice place, and it’s close to the beach, so I really loved going there as well.

Eva: Next time I will take you to Little Next Door in L.A., it’s a French restaurant also sitting outside, and it’s like a bigger sort of menu, also amazing wines and everything… It’s one of my favorites. And also an Italian restaurant, also in East L.A., which is called Little Doms.

Robin: Ohhh! I’m already excited.

Eva: Oh, yeah when you’re back, I’m taking you there.

Robin: Yeah. Well thank you for your time, it was so nice talking to you again. And I will get back to you in LA soon, so we could catch up over coffee.

.

Eva: Yes, and we will go back to Squares Ville and Bistro Figaro, and I will take you to the new places: The Little Next Door, and The Little Dance.

Robin: Yes, for sure.

Eva: Beautiful. Well thank you.

Robin: Thank you, love.

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