Hippie chic! The Hills star Lauren Conrad shows off her curves in a Seventies-style red tie-dye dress

She was once famous for her reality show, The Hills, and then she carved out a successful career as a fashion designer.
Now the 26-year-old is a best selling author.
No matter that she's busy typing away on a computer these days, Lauren Conrad still manages to always look trendy.

Windy: Reality star turned author Lauren Conrad went for some retail therapy today in Beverly Hills

On a shopping trip in Beverly Hills yesterday, she wore a long-sleeved form-fitting red and white tie-dye dress.

She rounded off her day time look with a pair of gold flat sandals and some shades.
A brown leather Chloe bag slung over her shoulder, she fed money into a parking meter before entering the store.

How long will this take? Lauren seems to be figuring out how much money she needs to feed the meter

The time she took to go shopping was time away from work, however.
Publisher Harper Collins is awaiting her new novel.
The blonde star released her first novel, L.A. Candy in 2009.

It's a match: Lauren wore red nail polish to match her red tie-dye dress

Following the writer's rule of 'write what you know,' the book was about a young woman who moves to Los Angeles and becomes the star of a reality show. It became a New York Times bestseller.
On April 3, she released The Fame Game.
The second book in The Fame Games series, Starstruck, is due to be released in November.
She's also writing another book, titled Lauren Conrad Beauty.

Back to work: Lauren held her car keys in her hand