May 2006

May 22nd 2006
New York City

Word from our Nolita shop is that this weekend we sold my favorite dress, the rainbow colored “Tie Dye Esmerelda”, to a girl to wear for her wedding in New Hampshire.  I adore the idea of a Rainbow Bride and I’m sure Jerry Garcia is smiling down from above.

Speaking of things that Jerry Garcia would love… there is a rumor on the street that HOLLYWOULD is having a keg party tonight, and that rumor is untrue.  The thought did cross our minds, but with this cold weather we’ve decided to wait until the sun is guaranteed to shine before we kick off summer.

Since we’re on the topic of parties and fun summer events… please note that you will not be invited to any HOLLYWOULD parties, sales, or goodtime extravaganzas unless you have taken time to register as a HOLLYWOULD VIP on this site, so register today!

May 17th 2006
New York City

It’s been a week full of star sightings chez HOLLYWOULD!  This week we’ve had a shower of requests for HOLLYWOULD from every chic star under the sun, including… Oprah Winfrey, who will be wearing HOLLYWOULD on her upcoming trip to Africa; Eva Longoria, who will be wearing HOLLYWOULD on the season finale of Desperate Housewives, as well as at the Cannes Film Festival next week; Famke Jansen, who will also be representing in HOLLYWOULD at Cannes; Joley Fisher, who called our store herself and will be wearing HOLLYWOULD to the Upfronts this week; and the lovely Miss Chloe Sevigny who personally stopped by the shop last week to pick up some HOLLYWOULD for herself, including our White Nantucket loafers, Black Audrey d’orsay ballets, and Beige Smooch peeptoes (a note from our store manager mentioned that Chloe was particularly sweet & polite!).  As you know, all of these women are talented beyond comprehension, beautiful beyond belief, and chic beyond measure, so we are thrilled & delighted to have them wearing HOLLYWOULD.  Thank you ladies!  We love you all!

May 16th 2006
Rainy NYC

One of the advantages of living in an overcrowded city like New York is that before you get dressed in the morning you can look out your apartment window to see what everyone else is wearing.  Any New Yorker knows you should never base outfit decisions around one person’s look, as some people like getting wet, think 40 degrees is warm, and believe flip-flops work in the snow.  However, usually by the time 8-10 people have passed below you can tell who has done their weather forecast homework for the day, and can base your ensemble around their wardrobe decisions. 

Today when I looked out my window I saw nothing but umbrellas from above, which is always a horrible sign.  The only look that truly works for days like these includes pajamas, a cashmere blanket, and Made-for-TV-Movies, but for those of us to have to work, outfit decisions must be made.  I chose to wear a totally inappropriate floor length leopard print dress with magenta Converse sneakers, only because I couldn’t stomach another day of wet jeans & rain boots which, if the forecast is correct, will likely be my uniform for the next 7 days.  Quelle pluie.

While we New Yorkers are busy puddle jumping, HOLLYWOULD girls in sunnier cities are happily enjoying their summertime sandals & halter dresses.  Oh to have a bit of sunshine…

Speaking of sunshine, this month’s HOLLYWOULD CUSTOMER OF THE MONTH AWARD goes to Mrs. Susan Alexander, who looked fabulous wearing her favorite HOLLYWOULD shoes at a recent party at her house in Palm Beach!  Mrs. Alexander not only has great taste in fashion, but also has such great taste in friends that everyone she invited to her soiree also turned up in HOLLYWOULD shoes, which means they must all be extremely chic.  For being such a fabulous HOLLYWOULD customer, Mrs. Alexander will receive a $100 Gift Certificate to use at the HOLLYWOULD store in NYC or Palm Beach, or shopping online on this site.  Thank you so much for being such a fabulous customer!

Apply now!  If you think you have what it takes to be a HOLLYWOULD CUSTOMER OF THE MONTH, email shop@ilovehollywould.com a photo of you wearing your favorite HOLLYWOULD and tell us why you love it! Be sure to title your email CUSTOMER OF THE MONTH.

May 15th 2006
New York City

Hello Girls!  I know you’re all already addicted subscribers to http://www.splendora.com/, so you’ve probably received today’s email about your special discount on my favorite shoe of summer, our Silver Greta Flip-Flop.  In case for some reason your email is down, here it is but remember, you must be a Splendora subscriber to get your deal, so sign up today!

WE'RE HOT FOR HOLLYWOULD (by the girls at www.splendora.com)

Who needs a summer fling? After Labor Day, they never call, they never write. Invest in a lasting relationship this summer with HOLLYWOULD’s brand new silver “Greta” flip-flop. The dazzling aqua and crystal stones are sure to make you glow like any lady in love. And just in case you find Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome, the Greta has a built in comfort pad, perfect for moonlight strolls on the boardwalk. So find your perfect mate at http://splendora.com/link/3016, where the Silver Greta sandal is 25% off for Splendora subscribers from May 12th through 19th only! Use the discount code “summerlove” at checkout, and have no regrets!  

May 8th 2006
Florence, Italy

Despite the fact that my beau thinks I sometimes describe events to be more glamorous than they actually are (see April 29), my Saturday night needs no help or enhancement in the glamour department.  The evening began with a call from my pal and Italian PR guru Ileana Turrini, who told me to meet her at 9pm at Porta Romana – and that she would be in a blue Lamborghini.  Nice. 

Ileana and I had made plans to attend an African themed party at her pal’s “house”, Villa Mangiacane, which isn’t exactly what we American’s would call a “house” unless of course, your name is Tori Spelling.  Villa Mangiacane is just outside of Florence in the vineyard laden hills of Chianti, and is the former estate of the famous Machiavelli family.  The villa is over 500 years old but in perfect restoration with amazing fresco ceilings and terrazzo floors, and could probably sleep 80 people comfortably in a pinch.

The party is an annual event thrown by the villa’s South African owner Glenn Cohen, this year benefiting Africa, for which the some 150-200 party guests fly in from all over the world to don their party costumes and partake in an evening of revelry.  I am usually the girl most prepared for any sort of costume party, as my closet is full of only two things, (1) HOLLYWOULD, and (2) fabulous but often useless vintage ensembles which include everything from leopard jumpsuits (yes, plural), to an array of genie/belly dancing outfits, to a plethora of 1980’s prom dresses, to an abundance of 1970’s sequin disco dresses, to a profusion of 1960’s neon cocktail dresses, to costumes from every nation around the world, including Africa.  Sadly, I can’t always travel with my entire ready-for-anything wardrobe, so I found myself empty-handed in Florence without a trace of animal print jumpsuit or Hausa Riga robe in sight.

Everyone else at the party, however, looked fabulously attired, and it was clear that Roberto Cavalli’s shops had been raided from Moscow to Monaco.  I spent the evening in my not-so-African outfit drinking Villa Mangiacane Chainti, dancing to the Black Eyed Peas (unavoidable in any Euro setting), eating African dishes I couldn’t quite identify, and seeing old friends and making new ones until it was too late to stand.  Big shout-out to Glenn for the oh-so-glamorous soiree, and to Ileana for being such a star!

May 5th 2006
Florence, Italy

The latest word from NYC is that Sharon Stone has requested HOLLYWOULD to wear to the Cannes Film Festival later this month!  We’ve always considered Sharon Stone the ultimate beauty, so we are thrilled and honored to even be considered in the running for this gorgeous fashion icon’s wardrobe! Thank you Sharon for being such a loyal supporter of young brands like HOLLYWOULD.  We know that the big brands pay celebrities beaucoup bucks to wear their frocks, so the fact that a mega-star like Ms. Stone wears HOLLYWOULD out of love makes us adore her all the more.  Such class!  Such style!  Such grace!  We love you Sharon!!!

May 4th 2006
Florence, Italy

I love Italy.  No, I’m not one of those Americans who thinks Europe is superior and is constantly complaining about how everything in Europe is better than the USA.  To those Americans I say, ‘good-bye and good-luck’.  That said, every country has its pros & cons, and for all of Italy’s mafioso ways, these people sure do know how to live.  Take, for example the three “F”s:  Food, Fashion and Fitness.

When it comes to food, anyone who has ever eaten in Italy knows the cooking here is molto delizioso.  What most people don’t know is that it’s the ingredients that make the food so good, not the recipes.  In the USA, for example, when you go to buy an apple, it is big, shiny, and flawless, but tastes a bit like Styrofoam.   If you go to the market in Italy you will find small, dull looking apples with holes and worms, but they taste sweet enough to serve as dessert.  Because Italians don’t use pesticides, hormones, and genetic engineering for their food like we do, they are cooking with the purest, best ingredients.  If you’ve ever had mozzarella & tomatoes in Italy and then tried making the same, simple 2 ingredient dish in the USA when you returned home, you’ve definitely experienced the difference. 

As far as fashion is concerned, there is no better dressed nation on the planet than Italy.  Whether the milkman or the mayor, every man in Italy looks impeccable 100% of the time.  An Italian man wouldn’t be caught dead in anything but a smart suit, and during daylight hours it’s hard to tell the difference between Mr. Warbucks and your bus boy from last night’s dinner.  The women are no different, which is evident the minute you set foot on a beach, where every bikini has a matching hat, towel, pareo, shoes & sunglasses, mascara is in full effect, and sunbathers wear more gold jewels than Cleopatra.  Oh to be that chic.

Of course, if you’re going to dress like a million bucks every day you’ve got to be fit enough to flaunt it, which is where the Italians really win the prize.  My gym, for example, offers massages after each work out, an on-premise skincare specialist, and my favorite class of all… Hydrobike.  If you read this diary you know how much I looooove Hydrobike, which is basically a spinning class that takes place under water.  There’s really no better incentive to get in shape than to be forced to work out in your bikini, which is why I’ve been pedaling like Lance Armstrong.

Mamma mia, la vita Italiana è veramente bella!