Leore Hayon Likes Girls, Forests and Franklin Village

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• Photo by Kat Borchart for Mr. Kate Jewelry
• Photo by Graham Dunn
• Photo by Adam Rindy
• Photo by Emman Montalvan
• Photo by Graham Dunn
• Photo by Josh Robenstone
• Photo by Emman Montalvan

When we first laid our eyes on Mr. Kate's dreamy new lookbook, we thought two things: 1) We want to live in this jewelry and 2) Who's that girl? After doing some professional research (i.e. Googling), we tracked down the lookbook's model, LA's own Leore Hayon. From striking green eyes to perfectly bold brows to a gloriously wild mane, there's no doubt that this 22-year-old beauty is poised for stardom. We met up with Hayon to learn about her craziest shoot, her Girl Habit and her top LA hangouts.

You have a very unique look. What's your background?
"I'm Israeli, Moroccan, Swedish and Italian. My dad's tall and dark and my mom is blonde with freckles, so I'm a complete mix of the two!"

How did you get into modeling?
"I was working at my local skate shop in high school and someone from American Apparel scouted me. It wasn't until I graduated from college last year that I decided to take it a step further. I sent my photos to PhotoGenics and they called me in that day! I've been with them for eight months now and I love it."

What magazines and brands have you modeled for?
"Insight, DC Shoes, LF Stores, Forever 21, TOMS, Mr. Kate, See You Monday, Foam Magazine, Elle France, Cake Magazine...I'm sure I'm forgetting some. There are so many!"

You looked amazing in Mr. Kate's lookbook. How did you guys connect?
"Thank you! I was sent on a casting for it and when I met the designer Kate [Albrecht], we just clicked. I think we had this instant hair connection. Our curly locks gravitated towards each other! [Laughs]

How was it shooting in a forest? It looked magical.
"Mr. Kate's shoot was so much fun! It was one of those days where I said to myself 'This is my job, really?' I love forests, and working with an awesome group like them just made me so happy. The shoot's photographer [Kat Borchart] is now a good friend of mine, too. In fact, we recently took a road trip to Vegas together!"

What is the craziest shoot you've ever been on?
"It would have to be for Puma Social. We shot it all in LA for four days, mostly in Venice, for print and commercial. I became super close with everyone on the set and it was just a good time. The last night of the shoot we danced the night away at a bar and shot into the morning, sliding around in the Venice skate park on our bums at sunrise."

What inspired you to start your blog, Girl Habit?
"I think girls are the most beautiful things on Earth. I can look at photos pretty much all day and usually what grabs me is the girl in them. I also have a second blog to document my work and personal life."

What are your top five favorite blogs?
"There are so many that I know I haven't discovered yet, but my top picks at the moment are Oracle Fox, Wolfcub, Wild at Heart, Fashion Gone Rogue and Ben Trovato. If I'm not on one of these, I'm usually exploring Tumblr to get my fix."

What do you do on your downtime?
"If I'm not home with my kitty, I'm usually at a show of some sort, both art and music. There are so many great venues in Echo Park and Silver Lake for music, like the Echo (1822 W Sunset Blvd) and Echoplex (1154 Glendale Blvd), The Satellite (1717 Silver Lake Blvd), Bootleg Theater (2220 Beverly Blvd) and Lot 1 Cafe (1533 W Sunset Blvd). And if it's residency night, that's even better. I love discovering new bands!"

Where do you like to go out to eat in LA?
"My favorite restaurants are in Franklin Village and are pretty much stacked next to each other. La Poubelle (5907 Franklin Ave) and The Oaks Gourmet (1915 N Bronson Ave) are amazing. And Real Raw Live (5913 W Franklin Ave) is a great juice spot next door."

And finally, where do you shop?
"If I'm not eating or seeing music, then I'm definitely vintage shopping. Nothing feels better to me then a good vintage find. Squaresville (1800 N Vermont Ave) is a rad store in Los Feliz. Also, you can never go wrong with the Rose Bowl Flea Market!"
· Leore Hayon [PhotoGenics]
· Mr. Kate Walks Us Through Her Dreamy New Jewelry Collection [Racked]