February 2009

December 30th 2008
Nolita, NYC

My Dearest HOLLYWOULD Girls,

After nine years of lots of work and loads of fun, HOLLYWOULD and I are taking a nice long vacation.  In 2009 you may find us surfing off the beaches of Brazil, skiing in the mountains of Switzerland, sailing near the shores of Italy, and sunning on the sands of Palm Beach, and wherever we are, we’ll be thinking of you.

When will we be back?  Maybe very soon, but hopefully not until we’ve had time to master our surf & snowboard skills, write at least one book, learn at least one new language, visit at least 3 exotic places, and learn how to dance the tango.

As far as fabulous shoes, handbags, and dresses are concerned, your vintage HOLLYWOULD will have to suffice for a while, and in the meantime we would love to have you join our facebook group “I LOVE HOLLYWOULD”.

Much Love & Happy 2009,

xoxo Holly

PS – Huge, Mega, Insane, Super-Big, Uber, Ultra Gigantic Awesome THANK YOU to everyone who has ever worked at HOLLYWOULD (we have a special facebook group for you too, called “I WORKED AT HOLLYWOULD”) and to The Original HOLLYWOULD Gang who made it all happen:

Leslie Ternes Smith

Isa Moneypenny

Erin Mullaney

Ashley Auchenbach Bartolotta

Derrick Miller

You guys rock.

xoxo

Hol

December 17th 2008
Manhattan

xoxo Big Shout-Out to everyone who came out to HOLLYWOULD’s Christmas Kegger on Sunday!  Thanks for coming out to help us tap it in style.

My Sunday began at my church in Brooklyn, which is conveniently located just next to the only keg distributor in NYC who is open on Sunday.  I’m not sure how often this comes in handy for other church members, but it certainly made life easy for me.  I had enlisted my friend Hannah to help me pick up the kegs after church, where we had planned to meet a “Man With A Van” I had hired to help us transport our lager back into Manhattan. 

I am no stranger to the whole “Man With A Van” system, so I was prepared for the usual beat up white van to arrive with an older-than-you’d-expect man who, despite his apparent age of nearly 75, is able to lift 250 lbs barbells over his head with one hand.  As you can imagine, Hannah and I were quite dismayed when instead of one strong 75 year old Popeye, three high-as-kites 35 year old Rastafarians arrived in a graffiti-covered U-Haul truck and told us to get in the windowless back, or let them transport the kegs without us.  Call me what you will, but there was no way in Hades I was getting into the back of a windowless U-Haul with 3 Rastafarians at the helm, and certainly not a chance in Heaven I was going to let them take my beer without me.

Desperate for a solution, we spotted two handsome young lads returning empty kegs to the store, and despite the fact that they looked severely & brutally hung over, begged them for a ride back into Manhattan.  Before we knew it we had crammed 2 kegs, 2 body bags of ice, and 5 grown adults into a small black Jetta, cranked up some Biggie Smalls, and were headed towards freedom over the Brooklyn Bridge.  Big Ups to Eduardo and the boys for saving the day.  Next time CNN has their “CNN Heroes” special, I am going to nominate you. 

From there the rest is history, and hopefully the party photos suffice to let you know an excellent time was had by all.

My next adventure is a wild boar hunt in Tuscany, so stay tuned for updates from Italia….

December 16th 2008
NYC

I’ve had far too many Christmas cookies and drank way too many Christmas cocktails, but alas, Christmas only happens once a year.

My weekend began with a lovely holiday party hosted by star New York designer Erin Featherston in her gorgeous TriBeCa apartment.  It’s a bit rare to get invited to house parties in NYC because most New Yorkers can’t fit more than three people in their living rooms, so Erin’s shin-dig was a real treat.  If you don’t know about Erin you must not be paying attention to your Vogue, because she makes to-die-for frocks that are absolutely heavenly.  Her apartment was no less heavenly itself, and we all had a marvelous time drinking champagne in fabulous company.  

The highlight of the evening was a tipsy photo session with the girls, where everyone shared their secrets for getting a great shot.  Sarah Sophie Flicker claimed that convincing the camera you’re having “The Best Time Ever” always produces a winner, while Kate Schelter said that the “Hair Flip” just before click is the only way to go.  Much to the annoyance of the men in attendance we practiced both methods at least 20 times, and while Kate’s “Hair Flip” certainly does produce a certain Charlie’s Angels je ne sais quoi, Sarah Sophie’s “Best Time Ever” theory proved to be the real winner.  File it in your brain girls: channeling your “Best Time Ever” equals the prize shots.

After Erin’s we headed to the birthday party of Alberta Ferretti’s oh-so-fabulous PR star Cena Jackson at The Eldridge, where we ordered a round of shots within 5 minutes of darkening the door.  I ended up leaving in a haze of Stevie Nicks, which might explain why I was an absolute disaster in my dance class the following morning.  Oh the dance class…

I had bribed my friend Jennifer Bell into joining me as a guest at my gym, which is the Reebok Sports Club on the Upper West Side and happens to be NYC’s Mecca for professional athletes and fitness junkies.  Being the jock that I am, I spend most of my time sitting in their sauna and eating at their café. There’s no better workout than drinking a peanut butter milkshake while eating a grilled cheese sandwich after a long sit in the sauna.  I get tired just thinking about it.

Needless to say, when I asked Jen to join me she wasn’t exactly afraid of working up a sweat, but was at least looking forward to a healthy morning activity.  Not so much.  Three minutes into our dance class, realizing I was far too uncoordinated to participate in any of these “Fame! I’m Gonna Live Forever!” shenanigans, I nodded to Jen that we should slip out, which we promptly did.  From there we spent a total of 4 minutes on the elliptical machines before deciding it was definitely time for a mimosa brunch.  ‘Tis the season.

The following day was the HOLLYWOULD Christmas Kegger, which deserves its very own diary entry, so stay tuned…