La Patiala is a luxury encyclopedia that covers travel, food, wine, spirits, style, beauty, watches, jewelry, and lifestyle.
Founded in 2021, La Patiala is a digital destination designed to ease the apprehension and intimidation many people naturally exhibit toward luxury goods of all kinds. Our mission is to empower readers to travel, shop, and collect with the utmost confidence.
We provide the essential information regarding who and what you should know about luxury: brief overviews of the subject, explanations of terminology, insights into objects’ and experiences’ quality and value, and brands and places we recommend — an easy-to-browse, encyclopedic A-to-Z guide and trusted insider source to global luxury in all its forms.

About Kristen Shirley:

Kristen is a New York-based luxury expert, writer, editor, and stylist specializing in travel, fashion, fine watches, jewelry, wine and spirits. She is passionate about craftsmanship, rare gemstones, and supporting independent designers. 

Kristen is the founder of La Patiala, the luxury encyclopedia, and is currently a contributing editor for leading publications, including Forbes.com and Bloomberg Businessweek. Her work has appeared in Departures, Business Insider, Robb Report, Travel+Leisure, Nobleman, Maxim, Food & Wine, The World of Fine Wine, and Editorialist, among others. Previously, she was the Luxury Editorial Director at Elite Traveler, where she led the print and digital teams and spearheaded a redesign of the print edition and the website. Kristen began her career at ELLE in the fashion department, where she trained under former style director Kate Lanphear before becoming the Associate Market Editor. 

Before moving to New York, Kristen earned her Bachelor of Arts in French at Georgetown University, studied abroad at Université Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris, and attended international high schools in Frankfurt and London. Kristen speaks French, which is handy when interviewing Swiss watchmakers and many of the world’s top chefs. She loves traveling, especially to a tropical locale where she can scuba dive and have a glass of rosé on the beach. A bit of a foodie, she is obsessed with sabering Champagne, shucking oysters, and all things caviar.