I always thought the buzzy city of New York was my spiritual American home until I went on a road trip around California last year and the sprawling, sundrenched city of Los Angeles stole my heart.

The people who live there are some of the friendliest and most positive I’ve ever met. It’s packed with enough juice bars, veggie restaurants and yoga studios to keep the health-loving side of me very happy indeed. And the laidback style of its coolest residents is the kind of look I would wear year round if we were blessed with better weather in London.

Unsurprisingly I returned home with a much heavier suitcase than the one I arrived with.

Back in London I get my daily hit of California sun from Sincerely Jules, a blog chronicling LA-based uber-blogger Julie Sarinana’s life, style and travels.

Whether she’s at home in LA, or jetsetting around the world, she’s never less than perfectly put together in an effortless-looking kind of way, mixing casual with smart, and high street with high end, to create a look that’s a little bit sophisticated and a lot cool all at the same time.

Signature pieces include slouchy slogan t-shirts, camouflage printed everything, chic blazers, plaid shirts, easy-breezy dresses, short skirts, cosy knits and ripped jeans that are just the right side of ruined.

And boy can she accessorise, with statement sneakers adding an edge to smart looks, high heels making a casual look work appropriate, designer bags adding a touch of luxe, jewellery running the gamut from delicate to chunky, and aviator sunnies topping everything off.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I covet practically everything she wears.

Until I work out how I can have one of those lives where I spend half the year in LA (our winter, obviously) and the other half in London I’ll be regularly checking Jules’ blog for endless style inspiration and sunny escapism. Sigh.

All photographs above by Temoc Gonzalez (Jules’ boyfriend fyi).