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July 31st 2003 Girls, I am going on Diary Strike. Thats right, Ive got loads of new party pictures to post & gossip to give, but youre not gonna see any of it until you do me one tiny, little favor: Find a CEO for HOLLYWOULD Or, at least spread the word so we get some good resumes. Ive been our official CEO up until now, but its time we got help from a pro as I would much rather spend all of my time doing the job I love most: Design. So girls, if you want cute shoes Im gonna need your help. But before you dust off your own resume and send it in, there are two big must-haves that this person must have: 1) At least 2 Years Experience in and Executive Level Position with a Luxury Fashion Brand or Luxury Fashion Retailer. 2) An Entrepreneurial Mindset. In case any of this is confusing: 2 Years Experience = 730 days Executive Level = CEO, CFO, COO, GMM, DMM, Pres, VP, etc. Luxury Fashion Brand = Made in Italy products Luxury Fashion Retailer = You know who you are: BG, NM, SFA, Barneys, etc. Entrepreneurial Mindset = We share bathrooms, printers, and staplers. We answer our own phones, write our own memos, and upon occasion assemble our own IKEA office furniture. There is no receptionist, no corner office, and no flying First Class. This wont change soon. We know there are a ton of you HOLLYWOULD fans who are absolute geniuses and could run this company with your eyes closed, but in the case of this position we do need the experience listed above. If you have this experience, please email your resume to jobs@ilovehollywould.com We will not accept phone calls, faxes, or drop-in applications. We will not reply to your email unless you clearly fit the criteria listed above (so sorry, no time!). The Diary Strike ends as soon as we get 10 qualifying resumes. Please forward this info to your fashion friends. Our love sees no color, race, creed, sex, or age (ie: we dont discriminate). Thank you!!! July 29th 2003 Today we had every mans dream, Marissa Tomei, pop in the store for a major shopping spree. When we last took a poll amongst our straight male pals for Hottest Chick in Hollywood, Marissa won the prize. Its no wonder with all HOLLYWOULD she wears! Look for her in our to-die-for white Kissers, hot quartz Tara boots, and ladylike blush Ballets, all with matching Positano clutches! (see Collections Pre-Fall page to copy her look!) This past weekend we headed out to The Hamptons to participate in Super Saturday, the famous designer garage sale that benefits the worthy cause of ovarian cancer research. There we sold shoes to the sweet and polite Lauren Bush, who told us she already owns some HOLLYWOULDs, which proves the girls got taste. We also sold shoes to my personal fashion hero and icon of style, Bianca Jagger, who has inspired many an outfit in my closet and shoe in my collection, to say the least. She is the ultimate Goddess of Cool. And, last week we had the lovely Liv Tyler shopping chez HOLLYWOULD, who is as sweet as she is pretty, which makes her one of the nicest girls alive. We also had the Queen Mother of Hip Hop, Janice Combs (aka: Puffys Mom) stop by for a pair of shoes, and despite her diva status she is truly tons of fun. Between Miss Tyler, Miss Combs, and Miss Jagger, there seems to be only one degree of separation between HOLLYWOULD and the Pop Music Hall of Fame. Rock On. July 25th 2003 Currently sitting on airplane, finally on my way back to NYC. Its been a hectic week as usual. Between getting HOLLYWOULD Spring 2004 samples finished and Fall 2003 shoes shipped, Ive also managed to have dinner in Florence with my pal Victoria Hennessy (of Ferragamo), wake up to 5AM alarm with slight hang-over and fly to London for a breakfast meeting and then lunch with my other pal Tara ffrench-Mullen (of Jimmy Choo), make a quick trip to Harrods (which as the best shoes in town), fly back to Florence same day, wake up early this morning, and head to NYC via Paris. I think I log in more air miles than your average stewardess. I am happy to announce that my home-away-from-home, Charles de Gualle Airport has just surprised me with a beautiful new terminal called E. I used to fly out of Terminal B, which was fancy enough, but now theyve really outdone themselves with E. Since I spend more time at this airport than my NYC apartment (see Jan 21), I feel a bit as if Ive been on Trading Spaces and I really love the outcome. I mean, guys, B was already nice with all of the glass and stainless steel, but I really just adore what youve done by adding the wood to capture that homey feel in E. Oh, and I love the new flat-screen TVs and flight monitors! How did you ever manage it for only $1000? (This paragraph is lost on anyone who does not watch as much Trading Spaces as I do. It is truly must-see TV.) Anywho, now its back to NYC and straight to the beach! July 20th 2003 Whenever I get to Italy I have to adjust my Gaydar. For those of you who dont know (Mom, I think you may be the only one), Gaydar is a form of radar for detecting gay men. Much like adjusting to jet-lag, it usually takes a few days for me to get my Gaydar in sync. Last night, for example, I was out at a club here in Florence with some of my friends when a very nice guy came up and started chatting with me. Just because he was wearing a mesh logo D&G t-shirt and skin-tight snake-print Cavalli jeans with a gold Moschino belt and Versace jeweled man-sandals, silly me thought he was gay. It took about 30 minutes of conversation and a full back rub for me to realize that Lorenzo here was actually hoping to get luckywith me! On the other hand, by the time I get back to NYC, my Gaydar is usually so out of whack that I can be walking down Christopher St. past a barbershop quartet of tan muscle boys in hot-pant sailor suits singing Hello Dolly and think they all want me. There has to be a balance. When I worked for Lacroix in Paris, my boss (whos name I will leave out to protect the innocent) and I made up a list of 5 questions to ask boys to determine whether or not they were gay or straight. Of course, none of these questions are fool-proof, but nevertheless I think you will find them useful: 1) What is your Favorite Sport? The straight answer is, Um, I guess I would have to say hockey. Yeah man, hockey. But, Im also really into fly fishing. While the gay answer is, Sports? Geez. I guess its a tie between diving and figure skating? 2) Who is your Favorite Painter? The straight answer, Um, like, art painter? Oh yeah, I love Salvador Dali. That melting watch is so cool. I have a poster of his from when I Euro-railed through, um, Europe. The gay answer, Where do I begin? Lately anything at The Tate gets me really excited. But I guess right now Im having more of a Ross Bleckner moment. Yes, Ross Bleckner. 3) Who is your Favorite Designer? The straight answer, Like, um, fashion designer? Is Orvis a designer? Such a foxy answer . The gay answer, with perfect French accent, is, Hedi Slimane pour Christian Dior is genius. (Hedi, you know I love you too!) 4) What is your Favorite Vacation Spot? The straight answer is, Telluride, which explains the horrible granola earth-muffin fashion youll find there. The gay answer is, Mykonos, which is explains the fantastic all night clubs youll find there. 5) What is your Favorite Movie? The straight answer is always, The Godfather. I can already see his bedroom: framed Godfather poster next to framed Salvador Dali melting watch next to autographed Gretsky hockey stick from which hangs Telluride ski pass all resting on Orvis catalog. The gay answer, depending on the man, is usually something starring Rock Hudson or Catherine Denuve. I couldnt agree more. Of course, there are always grey areas. If his favorite sport is tennis, painter is Van Gogh, designer is Ralph Lauren, vacation is London, and movie is Casablanca, I dont know what to tell you. The only answer here is to get him drunk and make him come out for a night of karaoke. Straight boys stick to Sinatra and/or Credence Clearwater Revival, while gay boys, much like me, cannot get enough Diana Ross and/or Barry Manilow. If he choses any song from the movie Grease, Im still on the fence (unless its Hopelessly Devoted, which equals gay, or Grease Lightning, which equals straight). Speaking of music, everyone has to go buy my pal Mobys new single One For The Ladies. It rocks and will be on repeat at the HOLLYWOULD store for the entire month of August. Trust me, you gonna luv it. July 16th 2003 The girls from the office have informed me that none other than the beautiful and lovely Blaine Trump has been shopping chez HOLLYWOULD again, as well as the foxy and talented Gabrielle Union. They did not come together, and I bet their names have never, and will never, be used in the same sentence again. Only at HOLLYWOULD, dahling. Since anyone who reads their Suzy knows who Blaine Trump is, I will also tell you that in person she is astoundingly beautiful, doesnt look a day over 28, and on top of it all is gracious and charming. A true lady. And, if you havent yet clued into Gabrielle Union, it only means that we do not have the same taste in movies. Gabrielle starred in not only Bring It On, but also Bad Boys 2 and cinematic masterpiece, Deliver Us From Eva (co-starring 5 time Oscar winner Mr. LL Cool J). Look out for Gabrielle wearing HOLLYWOULD for all of her upcoming events, including P. Diddys party this week. The girls from the office have also informed me that HOLLYWOULD is prominently featured not once but twice (!) in the newest issues of both Vogue and W magazines. Words cannot describe how much we ADORE these two mags, and their editors are not only glamorous and beautiful, but truly fun party girls, which only makes us love them more. Thank you girls! You rule!!! July 13th 2003 Have just stumbled off the plane from Tokyo (see July 11), only to see that I have received over 30 angry emails from Harry Potter fans (see July 2). Will get to that in a second, but first I must tell you who I sat next to on the plane: The One And Only . The Original . The Legendary Ike Turner! As in Tina Turner. As in Made-For-TV-Movie, Ike & Tina. Yes, its true, I am that lucky. In his white sans-a-belt suit, white loafers, and more gold than King Tut: Ike Turner. The man rules. And, although he and his band-mates were seated at least 4 rows from one another, it did not stop them from yelling between rows to play a very loud guessing game that had something to do with the names of the original cast members of The Jeffersons. Amazing. Ike was also traveling with his blond haired, blue eyed ladyfriend who kept giving me looks that implied, Hands off sister, hes mine! (Note to self: If ever get boyfriend, insist on being called his ladyfriend instead of his girlfriend. For example, when he says, Mom, I would like for you to meet Holly, my new ladyfriend it will sound much classier than if he had merely used girlfriend). Onto Harry (again, see July 2). Of the many emails I received, my favorite comes from our fabulous friend Jackie, who not only works for the publishers of Harry Potter (Scholastic), but was actually the one who rang the bell to open the stock market the day the book launched. Here is her appeal: Dear Holly, How dare you make such accusations about Harry Potter fans? I don't go around making blanket statements about HOLLYWOULD fans (i.e. they are chic, fashion-savvy, and utterly irresistible). No, no. Anyway, maybe you could pick up a few tips from the new book. Harry gives some very important insight on how weird girls with crushes seem to boys. I promise Harry Potter's not Dungeons & Dragons at all; it's much more Bed Knobs & Broomsticks (with Angela Lansbury and the dad from Mary Poppins), which is kind of close to High Society. And come on, you have to admit those Hogwarts capes are pretty fabulous. xoxo, Jackie HmmmI havent exactly changed my mind, but Jackie does deserve props as she came straight to our kegger from knee surgery and drank like a champion all night long, which clearly makes her opinion on any subject at HOLLYWOULD highly influential and respected. Will have to keep you posted ps- Jackie, wanna publish my Guide To Hipster Tokyo book? (see July 11) July 11th 2003 Tokyo is by far the coolest place on the planet earth. I have to admit that I was dreading this trip, as I imagined Japan to be nothing more than a sea of Sushi Only restaurants. However, because the Japanese are total and complete geniuses, they have imported Americas finest eating establishments to Tokyo, including Wendys, TGI Fridays, Starbucks, Pizza Hut, and Burger King. This place rocks. My trip began with a welcome from one of my best friends in the world, Yukie, who used to be my roommate in Venice Beach and now lives in Tokyo. Because she knows me like a book, she immediately pointed me in the direction of the high-rise teen-Mecca store, 109, and I fell instantly in love with Tokyo forever. First of all, 109 is floor after floor of Japanese teenager shops, each with their own theme. By now most of America has seen pictures of crazy Japanese teenage girls, but nothing can prepare you for the reality of 109. Each store blasts music so loudly the shop girls have to use mega-phones to speak (no lie), and the place is eight floors of a 24 hour rave. The Japanese teens have so many subculture themes its hard to begin, but two of my favorites were the Hip Hop Cheerleader Girls and the Stranded On A Desert Island Girls. The Hip Hop Cheerleader Girls all wear sports jerseys made into micro mini dresses with big Air Jordan high-tops, sideways baseball caps, lots of ice, and false eyelashes. They all have permed hair (amazing!), dark fake tans (fabulous!) and long fake nails with many, many charms hanging from each nail. It was really hard for me not to just move to Japan and become a Hip Hop Cheerleader right on the spot, until I saw the Stranded On A Desert Island Girls The Stranded On A Desert Island Girls all have long, bleached blond, extension infested hair done to look as much like Christina Aguillara as possible. They all have blue contact lenses and black dark tans. Some of them wear zinc oxide on their noses (too good to be true), and they all wear torn up leopard mini ensembles a la Tarzan & Jane. Amazing. Andthey do their make-up to look sunburned complete with parched lips. So beautiful it brought tears to my eyes. The purpose of the trip, much to my dismay, was not to hang out in 109 all five days. I was actually there for work, which at HOLLYWOULD means: hanging out with the hippest fashion editors, checking out hippest stores (which all carry HOLLYWOULD, of course), visiting the hippest art galleries, drinking at the hippest bars, and going to the hippest nightclubs to hear the hippest bands. After one week there I am ready to publish my book called The One Week Guide To Hipster Tokyo, and am looking for a publisher. Anyone? Unfortunately I do not have any pics of the fabulous teens from 109, but I do plan to post some great party pics asap. Big shout outs to Yukie, Ako, and Yukiko. Arregato! July 5th 2003 I dont usually do shopping reports on this diary, but yesterday I had a few extra minutes to spare and decided they would be well spent if I pretended I was a very rich Arab princess in desperate need of expensive fine jewelry. Of course, I have no reason to buy fine jewelry (I would rather spend money of things of lasting value, like shoes and cocktails), but it is always fun to pretend, so I decided to check out all of the shops in the square I like to call Place du Ritz. This, as you may have guessed, is the square where the fancy schmancy Ritz Hotel resides, along with every other fancy schmancy jewelry store in Paris. Here is my report, on jewelry shopping at the Place du Ritz: Dior Jewels: Love the fake stuff you can get at their clothing shops, but unfortunately the real stuff doesnt look much different. A bit disappointing. C- Bulgari: My snobby British friends have always called it Vulgari and I never understood why until this visit. Again, thanks but no thanks. C Chaumet: A bit classic for my taste, but so bourgeoisie youve got to love it. B- Chanel: Fantastic! I have always loved the fake stuff, but their real jewels are absolutely divine and original. They also have some very foxy salesmen, which may have swayed the vote, but I give them an A+. Van Cleef & Arpels: Clearly targeting the Asian market, and personally I cant really get into small clover and butterfly charms. However, they do have the biggest rocks on the block, and do sell diamond tiaras, so well put them on the good list. B Cartier: Love all the Chinese themed jewels, but the rest of the stuff is a little bland. B+ Boucheron: Who has been keeping this place a secret?! Am not even trying to kiss up to our friends at Gucci (who owns Boucheron) when I tell you that these are by far the best jewels in town. Amazing chandelier earrings, fantastic coral cuffs, and huge diamond studs that would make P. Diddy, Usher, and Justin Timberlake cry in unison. Seriously modern, seriously beautiful stuff. Please give Boucherons name and number to anyone looking to buy me jewels. A+++ July 2nd 2003 An email I received today: Dearest Holly, Is the SECRET CRUSH history? Anyone who watches soaps knows you cant just pull him from the plot unless you kill him off. Give us the scoop! Love, The Girls at - - - - Pictures, Hollywood, CA Girls, I have removed your company name so that you dont get fired for pondering my love life instead of, um, working. Unlike the soaps you mentioned, the infamous Secret Crush story does not have a Hollywood ending (which is why I havent been filling you in). But if you really need the scoop. If you read this diary, you know that I have had a Secret Crush for far too long. The crush has never evolved into anything more than just that, and quite frankly the girls in the office have been getting sick of it. So, about two weeks ago I ran into said Secret Crush and he finally asked me out on a date. I dont really think he wanted to (the words seemed to fall out of his mouth accidentally), but a date is a date. Anyway, the girls chez nous insisted that this date be productive, and I would have to choose to either Lose The Crush or Make It Happen (should be a reality show, no?). Anyway, since my Secret Crush has never allowed me to learn much about him I decided to make a list of things I could try to find out that would make me finally Lose The Crush: 1) HES REALLY INTO YOGA: Sorry girls, but guys who sit Indian style (or whatever yoga people call it) wear berets and are trippy. 2) HES A SCIENTOLOGIST: I dont mean to offend our Hollywood constituents, but doesnt this religion involve aliens? 3) HES A VEGAN: We could never go to BBQ (my favorite NYC restaurant, see April 14), and that would make me sad. 4) HES A COMMUNIST: I'm the least political person youll meet, but can we agree that communism just doesn't work? 5) HE WEARS A THUMB RING: Unless youre trying to win American Idol, thumb rings are out of the questions. Come to think of it, maybe they're so lame they're cool. You know what else is so lame it's cool? The Caesar Haircut. Like, George Clooney ER style. You know who is sitting in his Aspen home wearing a thumb ring & caesar haircut at this very moment? Antonio Banderas. I am clairvoyant. He is also wearing a mock-turtleneck, high-waisted jeans, and square-toed mule shoes. His man-purse is on the chair next to him. Antonio rules. Anyway, where were we? So, Secret Crush came to pick me up looking dapper, and unfortunately as the night progressed I realized that he probably fit none of the 1-5 descriptions above. To make matters worse, he brought along his sister (and her boyfriend - it was a double date) which would have been great if she was mean and horrible, but she was sweet and adorable, which just added more points for his team. Ugh. As the evening wound down I knew I was in trouble. I had promised the girls I would either Lose The Crush or Make It Happen and I was clearly not Losin' The Crush and he was clearly not Makin It Happen. At the end of the night he walked me home and said goodbye..without a kiss. Shah-nizzah*. Making It Happen, at least With Holly, was not at the top of my Secret Crush's To Do list. As a result, I had no choice but to find some way to finally Lose The Crush. It wasnt until three days after our date that I remembered 8 fatal words he had said to me that evening, which would help me to accomplish my goal. They were: ''I'm so excited for the new Harry Potter.'' At the time I didn't flinch, but as I walked to work that morning, past a line at Barnes & Noble filled with people who had spent the night waiting for the new Harry Potter, I realized that single, 31 year old guys who like Harry Potter wear capes, carry magic wands, and are freaky. The many vacations I had imagined spent sailing with Secret Crush in the Mediterranean instantly became cross-country Winnebago trips to Potter Conventions and Renaissance Fairs. The evenings spent listening to reggae, watching the sun set, BBQing, and drinking margaritas, were instantly exchanged for evenings spent listening to Enigma (remember that Gregorian chant hit?), pondering Stonehenge, contemplating crop circles, and looking for the hidden meaning to Lord of The Rings. Our little sun-filled, beach-front shack with a porch was transformed into a dark Gothic lair with lots of drippy candles, pewter goblets, and airbrushed moonscape paintings. Now girls, I know I'll never find a (straight) guy who wants to spend his life reenacting scenes from High Society (best movie: Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, rent it), but I can't be expected to spend mine in a smoke filled basement playing Dungeons & Dragons. So there's your scoop. Am off to Paris tonight....a tout lheure. (*Mom, thats the new way of saying shucks. You should try it.) |
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2010