May 2003

May 31st 2003
New York City

It's true, yesterday was my birthday.  Below I am including just one of the fantastic birthday emails I received from our fabulous customers, which proves once again  that HOLLYWOULD girls are, in fact, the coolest girls in the world:

Dear Holly,

Go shawty, it's your birfday, we gonna party like it's your birfday...sip baccardi like it's your birfday, cuz we don't give a f*$%# cuz it's yo birfday...in honor of 50cent, have a wonderful birthday!!!!!!!!!!!

Sincerely,

Grace

Touching.  Anyway, so despite the fact that I was severely jet-lagged, we did end up having a petit champagne soiree chez HOLLYWOULD where I started the evening by saying, Well sure, just one glassand ended the evening by slurring, Why not have margarita number four?.  Needless to say, I spent a lot of today muttering, My head hurts.  All of our favorite girls stopped by for the party, and we'll post the pics as soon as the hangovers wear off. 

It sure feels good to finally be 26.

May 28th 2003
Florence, Italy

For some reason, whenever I go to check my email, almost 99% of my inbox is full of spam.  Most of the subject headings say things like 'It's me, Jenny.  I just set up my webcam in my dormroom'. or 'Brittney... no longer a little girl!'.  How do these people find me?  Needless to say, I never open any of them.  However, today I recieved some spam with a subject heading I just couldn't pass up: 'American women are spoiled. Try a Russian Mail order bride.'  For obvious reasons, I love this email...

*American women can have attitudes that are difficult to deal with.
*They are often demanding and hard to please.
*Russian women on the other hand are so unspoiled.
*Russian men are often abusive and disrespectful toward women. This is what Russian women are used to. Compared to that, the life you can give her will make her so happy and grateful. Russian women tend to be devoted adoring wives.
*Russian women see American men as kind, sensitive, respectful, understanding, compassionate and dependable. Many American women take these qualities in American men for granted. However, because of what Russian women are used to, they will never take these qualities for granted. These qualities make American men very appealing to Russian women.
*Russian women are rarely overweight. They seem more concerned with their appearance.  Very attractive women are common in countries of the Former Soviet Union.

So great.

May 24th 2003
Florence, Italy

Am screaming.  Hyperventilating.  Ecstatic.  Elated.  Crying tears of joy.  Why?  Well, word from the office has it that none other than Her Posh Royal Highness .... Victoria Beckham, will be wearing HOLLYWOULD in an upcoming magazine editorial!  Apparently someone from her posh camp gave us a ring and said HOLLYWOULD shoes were specifically requested for the shoot.  How much do we love Vicky?  Wife of soccer-hotty David and mother of fantastically named children, Brooklyn & Romeo.  So posh.  And have you seen her posh house?  If you read OK! magazine like I do (see Jan 26), you've seen every nook and cranny.  Am almost done with my Spring 2004 Collection and think I just might name it Posh 4evah.  I can die now.

Since we're talking about musical geniuses, I have to mention that another one of my heroes (though for different reasons), Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth was spotted shopping at HOLLYWOULD again this week (see April 16)!  She is soooo lucky I was out of town or I definitely would have made her autograph my laptop. 

And, while we're on the subject of geniuses in general, we do have to mention that literary superstar Danielle Steel came (in person!) to our Splendora.com event at Riley James in San Francisco last week (see May 15) to buy even more pairs of HOLLYWOULDs!  I think she now probably has as many pairs of our ballet flats as we have of her books, which is a lot.  According to Erin, the San Francisco event was a ton of fun and you can find pictures from her trip on this page by scrolling down.

Ciao ciao...

May 21st 2003
Florence, Italy

Reason #247 to steer clear of booze can be found in this week's New York Magazine, where I am quoted saying something about christening the toilets at the new Soho House.  Thank you gossip columnist Marc Malkin for interviewing me at my most drunken moment.  Marc is pretty sassy, so I'm sure his reply is, No Holly, later you were actually much, much more drunk.  True dat.  For everyone who wasn't in on the conversation, the other side of the story was that fashion's favorite photographer Roxanne Lowitt was on a mission to photograph every room at the new Soho House, and asked me to pose in the bathroom, where I sat on the toilet, lid down, fully dressed, etc.  It was perfectly innocent, but probably not one of my classier moments.  Oh, the trouble that one drunken night has caused...

The girls at the HOLLYWOULD office have decided that our problem (we all have the same drinking habits) with booze cannot be defined as run-of-the-mill alcoholism, but more as binge drinking.  Since they all attended southern schools (UVa, W&L, Vanderbilt, etc), they are very familiar with this term as down south binge drinking is viewed less as a problem, and more as a way of life.  You see, it's not that we drink often (I haven't had sip since that fateful night May 12), but when we drink, we d-r-i-n-k.  The idea is this:  Why even have a glass of wine with dinner if you aren't gonna follow it with shots, stay out 'till 5am, and end the night high-fiving the bouncer who's kicking you out of the club?  Girls, this isn't a classy way to live.  So, my new mid-year's resolution is No More Binge Drinking.  We'll see how long it lasts, but I have to at least stick to it when Marc Malkin's around....

May 19th 2003
Florence, Italy

We love the New York Times!  Apparently in yesterday's Sunday Style section of the times there was a profile on What I'm Wearing Now that featured me in our adorable HOLLYWOULD Pink Erin shoes and Pink Sally handbag.  I haven't seen it but the girls at the office said we own the NY Times a big, big kiss!  Thank you Times!  Of course, I was very excited by the news as were my friends around the country who read the Times and called to leave me sweet messages, such as great write-up, great picture or, your hard work is paying off, etc.  As I listened to my messages and thanked God that I have such nice friends, I wondered if anyone in my immediate family would call.  After all, I have 4 siblings and 2 parents who I had emailed about the peice as soon as I heard the news.  At the end of a long list of fantastically thoughtful messages from friends was one lone message from one of my sisters.  It went a little somethin' like this:

Hi Hol.  Heard you're in the Times today.  Do you have my pink sweater you borrowed at Easter?  You know, you can't just come to town with nothing but a carry-on and expect to wear my clothes the whole time.  I wear that sweater a lot and haven't seen it since you left.  And what about my hair clip?  I know it's just a hair clip but you borrowed it to wash your face and I wear it when I run and haven't been able to find it since you left.  Call me about the sweater.

To my sweet, sweet sister:  I don't have your freakin' sweater and am wearing your hair clip at this very moment.  xoxo, Hol

May 15th 2003
Florence, Italy

After reading today's Women's Wear Daily coverage of Monday's CFDA party, I have decided, once again, to give up drinking. They have a perfectly good quote from me, which I'm sure I said and even prefaced with Dude, but the problem is that I don't even remember the interview. Must we use every party as an excuse to get as drunk as Avril Lavigne at the Grammys? This teenage behavior has got to stop.

So, it's a good thing I'm in Florence instead of in lovely San Francisco this week, or I would be in trouble. You see, we (as in HOLLYWOULD) are having a big soiree this Saturday at one of our favorite SF stores, Riley James. If any of you read this diary, you are well aware of my sidekick Erin Meeker (see April 25th) and her ability to be the life of the party, so we are sending her out as my drinkin' & dancin' replacement. The event is being co-hosted by our ever-stylish friends at Splendora.com and is being sponsored by Vermeer Dutch Liquors, who are so kindly donating delicious chocolate martinis all day long to make the shopping experience even sweeter! And, if you've never paid a visit to Splendora.com, you must go today and subscribe to their Friday for Play newsletter to learn about all of the important things in life, like shoes, make-up, and Ashton Kutcher.

So, if you are in the Bay Area this Saturday, please stop by Riley James to preview our Fall 2003 collection (you'll be the first to see it!) and to make sure Erin isn't drinking all of the chocolate martinis by herself!

May 13th 2003
New York City

Poor Jamie Kennedy. How in the world Malibus Most Wanted star Jamie Kennedy ended up having to babysit me in the wee hours of this morning is a very long and blurry story, but I will do my best to tell it here:

The evening began with a cocktail reception thrown by Vogue for the nominees for the CFDA Swarovski Perry Ellis award. If you read this diary you know that we were nominated for this award and have used it as an excuse to throw parties and wear cute outfits. Last night was no different.

The event officially started at 7pm, but somehow the girls at the office got wind of news that the open bar began at 6:30, so we decided there was no harm in showing up early. Our fellow nominee, the fabulously talented Zac Posen was there when we arrived, and moments later the Empress of Fashion, Vogue's Anna Wintour, made an entrance in a metallic leather trench looking as chic as she is thin - and that's fabulously chic. Someone was nice enough to introduce me to Anna and she was extremely kind despite the fact that I was too star struck to speak. After all, Anna Wintour is to fashion as Michael Jordon is to basketball, so meeting her in person was quite a thrill for a girl like me. As the evening progressed the place got packed with New Yorks finest fashionistas including Carolina Herrera, Behnaz Sarafpour, Ivanka Trump, Vera Wang, Nadja Swarovski, and HOLLYWOULDs favorite PR gal Liz Cohen (looking fabulous in a hot pink Chloe dress!).

My favorite moment of the party, however, occurred when I found out that there were people picketing outside of the event with a picture of my head on a stick. I clearly had to find out what I had done to deserve such fantastic attention, and ran outside to meet my fans. There they were, in front of the entrance with my head on a long stick, along with the heads of all of the other CFDA nominees including Zac Posen & Behnaz Sarafpour. I never quite figured out what they were protesting, but they were nice enough to let me pose with my popsicle head and I thanked them profusely for choosing such a flattering head shot and invited them to picket our store anytime. Such nice new friends.

After way too much schmoozing and champagne we decided to head off to our dinner, which Nadja Swarovski was hosting at the swanky new Soho House Hotel in the meat-packing district. It was an intimate star-studded event with everyone including Michael Kors, Diane Von Furstenberg, Narcisco Rodriquez, Oleg Cassini, Philip Bloch, Lauren Bush and Eva Herzigova in attendance. As a result of the previous partys open bar, I was feeling very, very chatty and had lengthy conversations with all of the above, which unfortunately I dont remember. I do, however, remember that Oleg Cassini is pretty much my new hero, as he is 90 years old and still quite the playboy. If you don't believe me, just visit his website at http://www.olegcassini.com/ and click on 'the man' to see to for yourself. Amazing.

From the Soho House we headed to hot spot Bungalow 8, where Amy Sacco had a table and champagne waiting for us. As usual, Bungalow was packed with a slew of movie stars, including aforementioned Jamie Kennedy, Famke Janssen, Alicia Silverstone, Tracy Morgan (aka: SNLs Brian Fellows) and our personal favorite Amy from Everwood. Amy refused to fill us in on future episodes of our favorite cheesy WB show, so unfortunately we can't tell you what will happen to Collin after his seizure. Shucks. As the evening progressed and someone kept feeding me watermelon martinis (yummy!), I became instant BFFs with Jamie Kennedy (wearing track suit and visor), who I referred to the whole evening as 'The Grown Up Seth Green'. They really are identical twins except for the fact that Seth is 4'1 and Jamie is 6'1, and Jamie has not yet been Punk'd. (I know this little monolog has thoroughly confused my mom and anyone not addicted to MTV, the WB, SNL, and teen movies, but for those of you in-the-know, I hope I'm making sense.). Anyway, Jamie and I decided that I needed to set him up with Ivanka Trump, who was also at Bungalow dancing the night away in a gorgeous dress by Behnaz Sarafpour. Ivanka is sweet, smart, and innocent and Jamie seemed like a nice guy, so I made the introduction and hopefully we'll see her on his arm when he goes to accept his Oscar for Best Actor for Malibus Most Wanted. Jamie, treat her well.

May 9th 2003
Florence, Italy

The weather here is gorgeous. Last night was the perfect evening to have an outdoor summer drink, so I met my friend Vivia Ferragamo for cocktails on the rooftop of the newly redone Hotel Continentale. For those of you that dont know, Vivia has recently launched her own line of fabulous clothing, handbags, and (you guessed it) shoes. The line is called Vivia and is based in London but will soon arrive at fine stores here in the USA. Im planning to place a very big personal order, so you may see me in head-to-toe Vivia this fall, with the exception of my HOLLYWOULDs. Because Vivia lives in London but makes her goods in Florence, the poor girl has a back-and-forth life like mine, so we have a lot in common. As we were sitting on the rooftop sipping Mojitos and champagne while discussing our mutual boy troubles (why are boys so impossible?), I felt a strange man caress the back of my neck in a most unsettling way. Just as I was about to turn around and throw my drink in his face he said, Holly?, at which point I realized it was none other than my former boss from Christian Lacroix, Gerald Schmorl. Now, Gerald is someone who I hadnt seen since ages ago in Paris, so I was delighted to run into him on a rooftop in Florence. He informed me that he is now working not only for Lacroix but also for Gucci, and if you know anything about the politics of LVMH & Gucci Group, you know that he is the fashion equivalent of a double agent. From the Continentale I tagged along for dinner with an entourage of Gucci designers, each one nicer than the next, which only confirms that despite the rumorsfashion people are indeed fantastic.

May 7th 2003
Florence, Italy

Im here in Italy to design HOLLYWOULDs Spring 2004 collection, and I was feeling less than inspired when I woke up this morning. Usually when I need a bit of inspiration I do what most designers do: head to the library, museum, cinema, nightclub, and/or shopping. Today, however, the sky was so clear and the sun so bright that I hated to waste it indoors when I knew I could be sailing, sunning, and soaking up inspiration at Italys most luxurious seaport, Portofino. We arrived at the port just in time have a seafood lunch and a bottle of wine, and then took the boat to a little private beach for the afternoon. Portofino is generally a great place to get inspired, as much from the natural beauty of the port as from the amazing yachts and five star tourists. The town was preparing for a weekend regatta, so the place was packed with sailors (as in Americas Cup, not Popeye) who always look super foxy in their zinc oxide and Sperry boat shoes. Ahh sailors. Anyway, I ended up returning to Florence completely sun-kissed and inspired, but youll have to wait until Spring 2004 to see the results!

May 4th 2003
Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris

The man at Hermes hates me.  I think I spend more time each month at this airport than I spend awake in my NYC apt.  As a result, the bored employee at the Hermes Duty Free has gotten to know me very, very well.  It's not that I ever spend a dime there, it's just that there is nothing I would rather do than unfold and fold his towels.  You see, Hermes has the most gorgeous beach towels you've ever seen and I just love to look at them.  Each one is a different print, and you can't really see the whole print unless you unfold and spread out the towel.  Well, since I've got time to kill and the shop is always empty, I love going through his whole stack.  He always looks over my shoulder impatiently only to watch me refold each towel and put it back perfectly in place as if I have OCD.  When I replace each towel I like to say, in French, see, that wasn't so painful at which point he grunts and walks away completely annoyed.  My favorite thing about these towels, other than the design, is the price.  Each towel costs roughly $400 which I think is a great price for a beach towel.  And, if you think that's expensive, try buying one at an Hermes store in the USA, where they are about $700.  What do you do with a $400 (or $700!) beach towel?  You can't really use it by the pool, or the chlorine will make it fade.  You could try it at the beach, but what about the sunscreen?  And when it gets dirty, do you throw it in the washer?  At $700, I think it deserves a dry clean.  I love going over these points with the angry salesman, which makes him want to murder me.  But, the towels are beautiful, and I always promise him that someday I'll buy one.  And maybe some day, when I've got $400 to burn and time to kill at Charles de Gaulle, I will.

May 2nd 2003
New York City

Today The New York Times came to our store to take pictures of What Im Wearing Now, and in an effort to appease my mom I decided to wear a Nice Girl outfit today. Heres the deal: the low-cut one piece numbers Ive been wearing around town havent quite cut the mustard with mom. You have to understand that my mom is a dead ringer for Grace Kelly, clothing and all, and she only likes me in monogrammed pink or white ladylike dresses, not Bond Girl garb. I have filled her days with strife by going thru every non-Grace-Kelly, not-so-classy phase in the book, and here I will list a few of my favorite looks from my childhood:

Diana Ross in Mahogany (sequins & blue eyeshadow), Charlies Angels (super short tennis shorts), Daisy Duke (cut off jeans & suntan hose), Made for TV movie Paper Dolls (feathered hair & low cut tops), Cyndi Lauper (lots of hair spray and neon), Break Dance Queen/Cosby Show (one glove & shoulder pads), Madonna (hairspray, black eye-makeup, Boy Toy belts), Splatter Paint Surf Chick (anything Mr. Zoggs), Rapper Chick (MC Hammer pants), Heavy Metal Chick (concert t-shirts & lip-liner), Punk-rock Chick (kind of the same, but with fishnets & Creepers), Goth Chick (just more black make-up), Alternative Rock Chick (add plaid pants), Dead Head (beads, dread locks, no shoes), Club Kid (feathers, false eyelashes & platforms), and the ugly list goes on and on.

And, just when my mom thinks I have finally grown up and stopped dressing like a freak, I pull out the old one-piece jumpsuit and/or anything white leather. Mom, just to warn you, it will never stop.

May 1st 2003
New York City

We love Kate Hudson! Today we got word that shell be wearing HOLLYWOULDs for some upcoming photo shoots, so youll have to look out for shots of Kate in our shoes! Speaking of girls we love, two of our favorite longtime customers Patricia Herrera and Stacy Lapidus of Vanity Fair stopped by the store today to pick up yet another pair of our ballet shoes. Both of these girls deserve credit for making our ballets famous, as they have worn them on photo shoots far and wide, spreading the word among the jet-set crowd we love.

Speaking of celebs in our hood today Erin spotted super fox Luke Wilson (sporting a handlebar mustache) and Leslie spotted Leonardo DiCaprio just around the corner. All in one day! The height scoop (which is a big concern as we all live in 4 heels) is that Luke is about 510, and Leonardo is about 61. Go Leo.

In other news, the worst picture ever taken of me was in The New York Post today. It was a prime example of my mullet haircut. Have you ever seen a horrible picture of yourself and thought, If thats really what I look like, please shoot me.? Well, today the entire population of New York City got to see that picture of me. Needless-to-say It wont be posted on our website any time soon.

Speaking of pictures, yes, we do have more kegger pics to post and will do it soon. If you want to see additional kegger pics you can log on to fantastic party picture website http://www.patrickmcmullan.com/ and click events and then go to April 24 and click our CFDA party.