Fashion Meets Afternoon Tea: Inside The Devil Sips Tea at The London West Hollywood
The London West Hollywood’s newest afternoon tea, The Devil Sips Tea, is a high-fashion fantasy channeling ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ in every detail.
- By: Ani Gutierrez
On a sunlit afternoon in West Hollywood, fashion didn’t take to the runway, it sat down for tea instead.
At The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills, the usual afternoon tea service has been reimagined into something far more stylish and editorial. In anticipation of The Devil Wears Prada sequel buzz, the hotel is debuting The Devil Sips Tea, a limited-time experience that reworks traditional tea time through a distinctly fashionable lens, trading it for something that feels lifted straight from the film. What follows is an afternoon that feels polished, intentional, and entirely at home in the world of a high-powered fashion editor (and those who wish they were).
I arrived dressed accordingly: silk skirt in motion, heels announcing every step, and a vintage Valentino lace top that felt like a quiet nod to the women who made me fall in love with magazines in the first place. If Miranda Priestly herself had walked in, I’d like to think she wouldn’t have been entirely displeased.
The tea room was bright, airy, and softly buzzing with that particular kind of LA chatter that signals something insider. Along one wall, clothing racks doubled as decor, folding photoshoot energy into the afternoon’s experience. It’s playful in spirit, but sits with the clear intention of an editorial spread brought to life.
The menu is organized like a carefully curated wardrobe, divided into “The Savory Collection,” “Couture Sweets,” and “The Beverage Edit,” each category carrying its own sense of intention. Even the names land as subtle nods for those fluent in the language. Case in point: the “Editor-in-Chief” egg slider (truffled, naturally), and the “Clacker Cucumber,” cut with a precision so exact it would make even a sample size seem generous.
We began with tea, settling on The Beauty Closet Botanicals, a floral blend that tastes as delicate as it is delicious, before shifting, naturally, to the Cerulean Martini. Yes, cerulean and yes, the reference lands exactly as it should.
Between sips and bites, the experience unfolds with the polish of a high-gloss editorial brought to life. Lemon tarts arrive crowned with flowers in full bloom, cookies shaped into stiletto silhouettes with signature red bottoms, and every detail lands with intention. The distinction is in the details, from the precision of the plating and the knowing names of each drink, to the way the room is styled just enough to subtly recalibrate how you sit, sip, and take it all in.
More than anything, The Devil Sips Tea feels like a love letter to those who grew up treating fashion magazines and editorial films like a blueprint. Those who understood early on that magazines, fashion, and the way they were framed weren’t just aesthetic, but a form of language, power, and identity. Sitting there, martini in hand, it was easy to slip back into that origin story.
We stayed longer than expected. Tea turned into cocktails, and small bites into lingering conversation. Outside, the afternoon moved on as usual. Inside, it stretched just a little beyond its scheduled time, unhurried and unbothered. For those couple of hours, that was more than enough.
Launching April 4 through June 28, The Devil Sips Tea is offered Saturdays and Sundays from 12 to 3:30 p.m. at The London West Hollywood. For those wanting an excuse to dress the part, sip your tea, and channel your inner Miranda Priestly, reservations are available via OpenTable.
In a city that values image and a well-placed outfit, an afternoon like this isn’t just another tea service, it lands as a knowing homage to the editorial world so many of us grew up chasing. If you happen to leave with a slight buzz, a sharper fashion perspective, and the sudden urge to rewatch The Devil Wears Prada, simply consider it part of the experience.
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