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December 25th 2004 Merry Christmas Girls! As a little Christmas gift to you, I am posting below 3 new HOLLYWOULD Bachelors. Each of these boys are “HOLLYWOULD Approved”, which means we know, love, and can personally vouch for them (in this case, “we” means my sisters and I). If they all weren’t so young I would be dating them myself, but since I’m not, I highly recommend you email them before someone else does! Who knows who you might end up with in 2005… BACHELOR NUMERO UNO
HOLLY’S NOTES I’ve been lobbying for this one to become a brother-in-law for years, but apparently he and my little sis are destined for nothing but friendship. He is a total catch, and since we can’t have him in our family, I recommend you take him for yours! BACHELOR NUMERO DOS
HOLLY’S NOTES Not only is he cute, smart, and sweet, but he's got the best six pack in town! BACHELOR NUMERO TRES
HOLLY’S NOTES My sisters and I agree, this one is serious marriage material. Just don’t ask him about his altitude sickness. December 23rd 2004 I'm at home for the holidays with my family and there will definitely be more on that later, but in the meantime, here's a great article by Heather Salerno for The Journal News. Thank you Heather! Stay tuned for a little Diary present to all you girls on Christmas Day... THE JOURNAL NEWS Holly Dunlap breezes into her NoLita boutique early one Friday, along with a gust of chilly wind. Tall, tan and blond, dressed simply in jeans, boots and a black jacket, she's the founder of the hot fashion house Hollywould, whose candy-colored shoes have had Hollywood high-stepping for years. And considering she flew in from Los Angeles mere hours ago, Dunlap's pretty darn perky. Oh, I wasn't aware we'd be taking pictures, she cheerfully tells a photographer. Let me just put on a little makeup. She darts into and out of a back room, and when she returns, all thoughts of a dreary New York day disappear. Dunlap's changed into a pink, orange and yellow halter dress of her own design — complete with shimmering Hollywould high-heeled sandals — and she looks like a Hawaiian sunset. Adding dangling coral earrings, she flops casually onto a bench and smiles when complimented on the quick and easy transformation. That's kind of the goal of Hollywould, she says. To look really high fashion and sexy, but feel a little more comfortable about it. Since Dunlap introduced her first wood-soled platforms four years ago (Marisa Tomei bought the first pair ever sold), the single 32-year-old has built Hollywould into a $4 million company that has so much buzz, Vogue magazine granted it a coveted four-page spread in its November issue. Dunlap's now expanded her business to include a line of silk jersey dresses, sold exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue and at Hollywould's Manhattan and Palm Beach shops. The designer's philosophy of fashion-meets-function has drawn a fair share of A-list customers, who've turned to Dunlap for a bit of fun and flash on their feet — along with some much-needed comfort. (All of Hollywould's shoes are made with silicone pads that cushion a celeb's tired tootsies during a night of walking the red carpet.) Sarah Jessica Parker boogied in canary-yellow satin Hollywould sandals in a Gap ad. Lil' Kim never travels without her metallic rainbow giraffe-print boots. Mischa Barton of The O.C. loves the neon-colored ballet flats. And like her shoes, Dunlap's flirty frocks have already developed a well-known fan base: Serena Williams sported Hollywould's Blue Jewel, a turquoise number with a plunging, crystal-studded neckline, for VH1's Big in 2004 awards show earlier this month. I wanted a dress that travels really well … and was easy to wear, Dunlap says. It's for a girl with a Dolce & Gabbana lifestyle, but with an easier price point. Still, Hollywould is hardly cheap chic: Dunlap's dresses range from $600 to $1,400. As for her shoes — which cost between $200 and $900 — the colorful, whimsical footwear co-exists quite nicely with high-end mainstays like Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo and Stuart Weitzman. Most of our shoes are more fun, girly, feminine, Dunlap says. People go to Manolo for work. People come to us for their parties. Partying is an area in which Dunlap is an expert. She chronicles her liquor-laden, star-studded evenings in a diary on her company's Web site, www.iloveHollywould.com, which attracts about 8,000 readers each day. Among her latest entries: Rocking out at Plum and Lucy Sykes' New York birthday bash; sipping champagne with Chloe Sevigny in Beverly Hills; drinking from P. Diddy's chalice (yes, the Diddy brings his own chalice) at an L.A. hot spot. Her boozy blog's so popular, Hollywood has become interested in Hollywould. Dunlap's in talks about a possible reality TV show, but she says she doubts it will happen. A film crew recently trailed her for two days, and she says she didn't get any business done while they were taping. Unlike, say, Donald Trump, she has only eight full-time employees and can't delegate much of her work. I realized I wouldn't be able to do my normal job, she says. My designs have to be done well. It can't just be smoke and mirrors. Dunlap's passion for fashion has been apparent since she was a child growing up in Scottsdale, Ariz. For her 7th birthday, she asked for a sewing machine. While in grade school, she drew a picture of Princess Leia — dressed in Valentino. At 15, she trekked off to New York for summer classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology. A friend helped her land an internship with designer Carolyne Roehm — where she was paid in Manolo Blahniks. Looking back, I don't know what I was thinking, she says about moving cross-country at such a young age. I got an apartment and lived with these models I met at a nightclub. The '80s club scene was also where she picked up her nickname. Everyone who went out had these club names, like Wall Paper, so my name became Holly Would, she laughs. People called me that because I was always dressed flashy and did dramatic things. She continued at Carolyne Roehm until her sophomore year at Parsons School of Design; when Roehm's business folded, Dunlap moved to Parsons' Paris campus. She went to work for Christian Lacroix, and later, for Vivienne Westwood in London. Then, at 25 and living back in America, Dunlap scored the head design job at Lilly Pulitzer. She's credited with resuscitating the line, giving new life to those famously preppy prints. Yet once she got the idea of opening her own shoe company in her head, she couldn't shake it. So Dunlap moved to Tuscany in 1999 after a year of teaching herself Italian with Berlitz tapes. I just had to go there and pound the pavement until I finally found a factory that would work with us, she says. And they only made shoes with wood bottoms, which is why we started with wood bottoms. I had no other choice! Her first year, Dunlap sold 250 pairs of shoes. This year, she's expected to top 20,000. Whether it's shoes, dresses or her other accessories, Dunlap is a hands-on designer. She totes a sketchbook everywhere to note her inspirations, and she lives in Florence for eight months a year. (There, she says, her life is very grubby; she's in the factories most days overseeing production.) She has an apartment near Washington Square Park in Manhattan, too, that she shares with two roommates. Since she's hardly ever there, her bedroom is used more as storage for her 600 pairs of shoes. I kind of built my room around my shoes, she says. And while Dunlap says Hollywould is doing quite well, she doesn't quite consider herself a true success yet. There's this gold Hermes watch that has an 'H' on it that I'm in love with, she says. I've wanted it forever, but we still haven't hit that level for me to afford that. So if you ever see me wearing that watch, you'll know we're beyond profitable. December 17th 2004 There is no place like London at Christmastime. Today it’s a sunny, solid 52 degrees and it still feels like Charles Dickensville to me. Everything about these people is just so “Christmas-y”. The British were all born with permanently rosy cheeks and noses, and all of the children sound exactly like Tiny Tim. I even feel like it’s Christmastime when I’m in London in July, so being here this week is practically making me want to wear reindeer ears, snowflake sweaters, and Christmas light jewelry (all of which I’ve seen for sale today), but with much self-discipline (and because my credit card won’t work), I have auspiciously refrained. I’m here for a bit of business and a bit of pleasure, the latter which came in the form of a fabulous dinner party I attended last night. The soiree was thrown by my friends Lucy & Mark Cornell, who are experts when it comes to all things epicurean, but most especially and most importantly, booze. Our party venue was a very James Bondish, top secret dining room in the bowels of the kitchen of The Dorchester Hotel, where a table for 10 had been prepared to perfection. If you’re wondering why, when The Dorchester has plenty of lovely dining accommodations upstairs, we chose to dine in the basement kitchen: you simply haven’t met the Cornells. We were served a delicious seven course meal and delicous seven course drinks, with each new entrée explained in elaborate detail by The Dorchester’s thickly accented Bavarian head chef. My dinner partners, cricket star Matt Fleming and jet-setting tobacco peddler Rob Byrans, provided endless entertainment and at the end of the evening we all agreed that the 1990 Krug champagne was, by far, the most superior bubbly ever tasted. I’m now on a mission to track some down for New Year’s Eve, and I highly suggest you do the same. Speaking of New Year’s Eve, it seems that all of you HOLLYWOULD Girls are heading for St. Barts. Lately, whether it’s been at our store in Nolita, Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills, or Harrods in London, girls buying HOLLYWOULD have all been telling me they are headed for St. Barts to ring in 2005. What a lucky bunch! As usual, I have no idea where on earth I’ll be spending New Years, and will probably make that decision around 10pm that same night. This typically leaves me and whoever I’m with at the local dive bar, which means that unless we want to ring it in with sparkling wine from The Price Club, we may need to bring our own Krug. Note to self. December 13th 2004 In case you haven't heard... HOLLYWOULD is Hiring!!!
Please email letters & resumes to: jobs@ilovehollywould.com and please tell all of your genius fashion friends! xoxo, Holly December 12th 2004 Every time my mom reads this diary she sends me worried emails about drinking too much. Well Mom, you needn’t worry any more, because after last Saturday’s birthday party for Lucy & Plum Sykes, I am never drinking again. Seriously. As you can imagine, the most fashionable twins in the world (Plum & Lucy), really know how to throw a fabulous party. For those of you who don’t know, Lucy is the Editor-at-Large of Marie Claire magazine, and has just launched a magnificent line of children’s clothing called “Lucy Sykes Baby”, which all of you young moms must track down for your stylish kids. Lucy’s twin Plum is a fashion editor at Vogue, and also happens to be the author of the now infamous Bergdorf Blondes, which will make a great Christmas present to any of the literate fashionistas in your life. It’s amazing that one womb could produce a pair of such talented, chic twins! Both Lucy & Plum looked drop-dead gorgeous, as did the rest of the Sykes family including the lovely Alice & Sasha, and the rebel-rousing brother & brother-in-laws, Tom Sykes, Euan Rellie, and Chris Floyd. The list of other party attendees read like a W magazine “Suzy” column, with all of my favorite editors, designers, stylists, and fashionistas present for the fun (see photos right). The festivities began with an open-bar sit-down dinner at Bungalow 8 (who knew Bungalow 8 served food?!), but I opted for the more liquefied version of dinner by having 3 watermelon martinis right off the bat. After a few hours at Bungalow and a few more (too many) watermelon martinis, I decided to head downtown to a loft party in TriBeCa with my partners in crime for the evening, Rebecca & Rory Guinness. Nothing beats a house party in NYC, and we all ended up dancing the night away until breakfast at 6am, and were home and fast asleep just as the sun began to rise on Sunday morning. Despite having a tremendous time, my Sunday afternoon (and the entire week that followed) were so excruciating that I have vowed that alcohol shall never touch my lips again. Seriously. Well, at least not until Christmas Day. December 7th 2004 More on Plum & Lucy Sykes' birthday bash later, but for now I wanted to post the long overdue photos of our night on the town with Elle magazine! As all of you know because you've all read the December issue of Elle, during fashion week we decided to rent a stretch-SUV and crash parties in the HOLLYWOULD dresses. The night ended very late and very drunk, and here (see right) are some photos to prove it... December 4th 2004 And finally, the scoop you’ve all been waiting for… the LA party. For those of you who don’t know, we (HOLLYWOULD) threw a party this week at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills and invited all of our favorite Hollywood friends. The technical purpose of the party to launch our dress collection, but because I absolutely adore Los Angeles, I used it as an excuse to drink way too much and stay out until 3am. The party pictures will post next week, but in the meantime here’s the dirt… The soiree was co-hosted by our very favorite starlet and fashion icon of the decade, Chloe Sevigny. I’ve had the honor of getting to know Chloe a bit this year, and she is so much fun and so fabulous that she would deserve her “Coolest Girl in the World” title even if she dressed like a slob. Thankfully though, she doesn’t. Chloe showed up wearing our HOLLYWOULD Black Ruffle Dress, which she had customized (of course) with a vintage cameo, and looked like a million bucks. When it comes to fashion, that girl has the Midas touch. Our DJ for the evening, Sean Patrick, was rockin’ all the greatest hits and before we knew it the party was in full swing. All of our other celebrity faves came out to support, including the gorgeous Jessica Capshaw in our HOLLYWOULD Pink Shell Dress, the lovely Emily Mortimer in our HOLLYWOULD Black Ruffle Dress, the adorable Michelle Tractenberg in our HOLLYWOULD Teal Ruffle Dress, the striking Jamie-Lynn DiScala in vintage HOLLYWOULD Black “Jane” Shoes, the beautiful Kelly Rutherford (of Melrose Place fame!), the elegant Kelly Rowan (of OC fame! Our favorite show!), and last but not least, the stunning Mena Suvari who has been wearing HOLLYWOULD for years. Thank you girls for all coming out and supporting our cause! We love you!!! Also in attendance at the party were my nearest & dearest friends & family, who I will mention here so they can add one more google entry to their repertoire: Lily Dunlap, Nancy & Matt Grimes, Sarah Mowrey, Claudia & Tony MacKenzie, Dana & Larry Stuckey, Karla Staab Lindeman, Phillip Schnieder, Terrye Underwood, Jack Selby, mom & dad, the fabulous Saks Fifth Avenue staff, and everyone else who came to represent. You are all stars! From the party I headed to dinner at the Chateau Marmont with my co-host Chloe, where we made the ill-fated decision to switch from champagne to gin & vodka. Probably a bad idea, but you only live once. Also at Le Chateau were pals Bethany Black and Sparrow, along with serious Hollywood types who I would probably recognize if I didn’t live in Italy, where The Cosby Show is still prime time. Over dinner we pondered our nightlife options and decided that there was really no point in trying to be chic in the land of Von Dutch & Juicy Couture, so we may as well head out on the town in search of Ashton & Demi. The hot spot on Weds night, as our DJ Sean Patrick had informed us, is a little club called “Guys” on Beverly & Robertson. We were all a bit puzzled by the strict door policy and tight security until P.Diddy showed up wearing at least $500K worth of bling, and was shortly followed by Paris Hilton, Ellen DeGeneris, Vincent Gallo, Jessica Capshaw, the boys from Maroon 5, and probably many, many more stars (again, due to my lack of American TV, I only recognize members of the Huxtable family, and only when they speak in dubbed Italian). At Guys, we all proceeded to consume far too much alcohol, and I vaguely remember P.Diddy trying to get everyone to drink from his “chalice” (Yes, he had his own “chalice”. So Medieval chic. “B.Y.O…Chalice”. Diddy rules.) when the last thing anyone needed was more booze. I awoke the next morning completely hung-over and still slightly drunk, trying to remember how on earth I had ever gotten home. LA rocks.December 3rd 2004 So much to tell about our LA party, I don't even know where to begin. Am still nursing my hangover and will have to write later. In the meantime, big shout out to Serena Williams for looking stunning in our Blue Jewel HOLLYWOULD dress at the VMA's (see photo right). We love you Serena!!! December 1st 2004 J'adore LA. I am here for a big party we are throwing tonight at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills with our favorite A-list, superstar, gorgeous, fashion goddess Chloe Sevigny (FYI: Dec 1, 6-8pm, third floor, champagne, you're invited), and I can't get enough of this town. Today while I was hanging out with our dresses at Saks, the lovely, talented, beautiful Serena Williams came in and tried on the Blue Jewel dress and looked breathtaking. She plans to make the dress into a mini and wear it the the VMA's tonight, so look out for a beauty in blue! Serena, by the way, is divine in person, and has a body that is somehow a cross between Naomi Campbell and Marilyn Monroe. I don't know how anyone can be so cut and so curvy all at once, but Serena has it mastered, as you will see tonight on MTV! In the meantime, stay tuned for the post-party recap on Thursday... |
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2010
