Get ready to think pink in the New Year, or rather, magenta. Pantone recently announced their Color of the Year for 2023: Viva Magenta. The authoritative consultancy that’s christened an “it color” every year for more than two decades, may have declared a polarizing hue yet again, but sometimes that’s the point. The incoming year’s vividly vibrant and rich beet-water shade is described as “vibrating with vim and vigor, a shade rooted in nature descending from the red family demonstrating a new signal of strength.”
As we look ahead to 2023, I expect to see Pantone’s Viva Magenta lend itself to many facets of our day-to-day lives. The “it” color influences product development and purchasing decisions in all sorts of industries including fashion, art, design, hospitality, and travel. With color playing such an impactful role in shaping consumer behavior, here are a few of spots in Los Angeles already rolling out the magenta carpet.
Los Angeles-based contemporary artist Erica Everage showing at Hotel Figueroa
SEE: Historic Hotel Figueroa’s 2023 Featured Artist Exhibit
With a long history of showcasing the works of local independent female creators, the nearly century-old Hotel Figueroa kicks off the new year with Los Angeles-based contemporary artist Erica Everage for a yearlong exhibition as the hotel’s 2023 Featured Artist. Featuring a fully immersive experience during her year-long residency, Everage’s exhibition, In Her Image, is an expression of primal feminine creative energy featuring vibrant colors, including Viva Magenta. An interpretation of little-known goddesses and symbols of feminine power, Everage’s oil and wax on canvas Rebel Caryatid, takes inspiration from the discourse of archaeomythology (the study of archaeology through the discipline of mythology). Her Hotel Figueroa exhibition of nearly 20 pieces reimagines these bold figures as taliswomen, totems of unabashed feminine energy, presiding over a realm of existence that champions feminine embodiment, creativity, and empowerment. The show launches in March 2023 and running through February 2024.
Raspberry Beret Cocktail at Providence Restaurant
SIP: Michelin Starred Providence’s Raspberry Beret
At L.A.’s lauded two-Michelin starred fine dining restaurant, Providence, South African-born Beverage Director Kim Stodel is masterfully crafting timeless cocktail classics but using premium ingredients that are special, rare, and hard to find. Before indulging in an unforgettable 8-course meal at one of most revered fine dining establishments, Stodel sets the tone for the rest of the evening with the introduction of his new Raspberry Beret Cocktail ($19). Topped with Raspberry Hibiscus Espuma, the cocktail acquires its brilliant Viva Magenta color from farmers market fresh hibiscus and perfectly ripe raspberries.
Midnight Vultures Cocktail
SIP SOME MORE: Drink Like a Rockstar at Grandmaster Recorders with Midnight Vultures
In Hollywood’s buzzy Vinyl District, you’ll find the star-studded recording studio-turned-modern Italian restaurant Grandmaster Recorders. A storied music venue located in the cultural and historical heart of the music industry, GMR honors its rock ‘n’ roll roots through its design DNA and music program with nods to the former legends who once recorded their greatest hits within the same walls including David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gwen Stefani, Foo Fighters, and Kanye West. Head Mixologist Milosz Cieslak is bringing rock n’ roll back to Hollywood in the former recording studio turned epicurean haven with an array of vibrant magenta-hued cocktails including Midnight Vultures ($18), comprised of Mezcal, Ancho Reyes Verde, Campari, Prickly Pear, Cilantro and a Lime, Salt, and Tajin Rim. Alternatively, head to West Hollywood sister restaurant E.P. & L.P. and order the Purple Rain ($21), an L.P. Rooftop classic with Hibiscus-infused Gin, Lavender Honey, Lemon Juice, Peychaud’s Bitters, and garnished with an Orchid.
Savory iced beet salad at Camphor in LA
SAVOR IN STYLE: L.A.’s Michelin-Starred Camphor Introduces A Savory Iced Beet Salad
At Camphor, DTLA’s modern French bistro with Indian sensibilities and a newly minted Michelin Star winner, Co-Executive Chefs Max Boonthanakit & Lijo George are bringing a refreshing take on salad by way of a new savory iced beet salad. The new shaved iced salad (yes, it’s made with shaved ice!), features a frosty mix of pillowy-soft shaved ice laid atop pickled beets, mandarins & chives, finished tableside with a pickled beet dressing. A play on a staple street food found at food stalls and roadside pit stops across Kerala, India (where Chef George is originally from), Camphor’s new take on the classic was inspired by a nostalgic episode of Migrationology. The series spurred them to put their own bistro spin on this Kerala classic with a refreshing and unexpected tart, bright and playful ‘salad’ that’s anything but.