August 2004

August 27th 2004
New York City

Every time the girls in the office head out on an errand they run into celebrities.  They always come back over-excited about having just seen Jake Gyllenhal, Kirsten Dunst, Owen Wilson, Crispin Glover, and just this week… The Olsen Twins.  Of course, the minute I hear there is a celeb in the ‘hood I run around the block five times trying to find them and only run into our UPS man, Crenwich.  And although Crenwich does have a certain level of celebrity status amongst all of our Nolita neighbors, it just really isn’t the same.

Today my celebrity-spotting luck changed when I went to get a burrito and ran into Vincent Gallo, who was making a deliberate effort to copy Crenwich by pushing a UPS style trolley down the block.  I will admit that spotting Vincent did make me feel a little bit better, and I’m not saying he wasn’t fantastic in Graffiti Rock, but let’s face it, he ain’t no Olsen Twin.

Speaking of celebs, tonight (fingers crossed) I hope to attend the fashion show of other celebrity twin Venus Williams, who is sure to be the next Karl Lagerfeld.  Will keep you posted…

August 25th 2004
New York City

Big shout out to Jessica Joffe of The New York Observer for her rockin’ article today (go to http://observer.com/pages/financial.asp to read article), and to the mystery writers at www.gawker.com for never missing an opportunity to dish some dirt.  We love ya both!

August 24th 2004
New York City

The latest news from HOLLYWOULD is that Nicole Kidman will be wearing our shoes in the fabulous new movie, Bewitched.  We are thrilled about this not only because we love Nicole, but also because we know this movie is sure to be a hilarious hit with Will Ferrell as “Darren” and Shirley McLain as his meddling mother-in-law.  Can’t wait to see Nicole in HOLLYWOULD!

In other celebrity news, today we’ve also received the call from the lovely Mena Suvari, who wanted to order a pair of our hot new “Farrah” boots (see “collections”) which are fast becoming the hip celebrity favorite.  We love you Mena!

And last but not least, if you’ve recently flipped through a copy of UsWeekly, InTouch, or Star, you may have noticed Paris Hilton sporting HOLLYWOULD to all of her recent events, including the marriage of her sister Nicky Hilton in Las Vegas.  Thank you Paris & Congratulations Nicky!

Am off to Balthazar for dinner and then The Grammercy for Kate Schelter's Tuesday night soiree.  More to come...

August 21st 2004
New York City

I have just returned from the opening of the new Hard Rock bar at Foxwood Casinos, which was a blast.  It’s not so much that I love casinos (they remind me of airports) but even losing money can be fun as long as you’re in good company.  The party was quite a star-studded event, and I don’t mean to brag but I did get to meet… Michael Bolton’s brother.  Finally, there is only one degree of separation between me and the world’s most famous soft rock balladeer. 

Other mentionable celebs included actress/rocker/celebrity-wife Jada Pinkett Smith (who has a rock band that sounds like a girl version of Lenny Kravitz), actress/rocker/scientologist Juliet Lewis (who has a rock band that sounds like a girl/scientologist version of Lenny Kravitz), actor/heartthrob/gambler Ron Livingston (who is in the upcoming film “Pretty Pursuasion” with Jamie King, who wears HOLLYWOULD in the movie), actress/icon/beauty Chloe Sevigny (who is always divine), and the male cast members of The Sopranos (who, not too surprisingly, seem to have a taste for the “Hooter’s Girl” aesthetic).  There is much more to tell but sleep depravation has severely impaired my writing ability, so I'm off to bed.

August 19th 2004
New York City

My mom hates it when I talk about drinking on the diary.  She says it makes it seem like all I ever do is go out drinking, which really isn’t true.  In fact, only twice in my life have I ever had so much to drink that I actually made myself sick.  The first time was when I was 15 years old, at a party on the last day of school my freshman year in high school in Arizona.  Too many Bartles & James fruit punch wine coolers really did me in, which isn’t too surprising considering the quality of the beverage.  The second and only other time I have ever drank so much I got sick was Tuesday night.  Oh, what a night.

The evening began at my pal Kate Schelter’s party on the roof of the Grammercy Park Hotel.  Apparently Kate’s petit soiree has become the only place to be on Tuesday night, which was evident by all of the stars in attendance, including Gretchen Mol, Jimmy Falon, Chad & Farrell (N.E.R.D.), G.Love, Mickey Madden (bassist for Maroon 5), Joe & Spencer Sweeny, Matt Damhave, Jamie Dutton, Abby Klein, Claudia Vick, a pair of foxy 16 year old
twins who we were told are appearing in the upcoming Wimbledon movie with
Kirsten Dunst, and an strange dancing man dresses as a ninja – don’t ask. 

After far too much champagne at The Grammercy, Kate and I taxied down to lower east side hangout Happy Endings along with Jimmy F, who had us laughing to the point of tears with his genius impersonation of Teddy Ruxbin, The World's First Animated Talking Bear.  You youngsters will never remember Teddy Ruxbin, which is why Generation X is far superior.  Anywho, at Happy Endings we ran into more of our gang, and I made the unwise decision to switch to vodka, and then gin, and then Pabst Blue Ribbon.  Ouch.  At 5am I found myself making a pact with Paul Sevigny to take a limo packed full of kids up to the opening of the new Hard Rock at Foxwood Casinos, which is where I am heading today.  Stay tuned…

Big shout out to Kate Schelter for being the official diary photographer lately!   

August 12th 2004
Telluride, Colorado

You may be wondering what on earth I’m doing in Telluride, Colorado.  It certainly isn’t the fashion capital of the world, but it happens to be my family’s favorite vacation spot and since I have no say in the matter, I am stuck here.  It’s not really that bad (it’s actually quite beautiful), but it does lack a certain glamour that I generally need to survive.  When I asked my parents why they couldn’t get a place in say, Aspen or Vail (where people go hiking in Cavalli), they replied, “Oh no, those towns are far too flashy!”  In my opinion, there’s no such thing as too flashy.  Clearly they don’t understand that vacation spots should be measured by how often Donatella visits; and she has never, and will never, set foot in Telluride, Colorado.

My problem with Telluride is really my own fault.  Despite my being an expert packer for more glamorous locations, I never know what to bring to Colorado.  For example, today I decided to try my luck at my favorite sport, shopping.  I had heard there was a good thrift shop in town where Ralph Lauren finds all of his inspiration and despite the fact that I am not really a “prairie skirt” kind of girl, at least it was fashion. 

Before heading into town I planned my outfit carefully, the goal being to look as much like a “Telluride Local” as possible.  I chose a pair of cargo pants and tank top that seemed hippy enough, and headed into town.  The minute I stepped off the gondola (you get into town on an earth-friendly gondola); I realized I had gone all wrong.  Everyone immediately noticed that my cargo pants did not zip off at the knee, and that my tank top did not have “White Water Adventure Tours” emblazoned across the chest.  Instead of Oakley sunglasses attached with foam croakies, my gold Chanel shades (with no strings attached) weren’t exactly “x-treme” (everyone here is “x-treme”).  Rather than the obligatory Patagonia fanny pack, my oversized metallic gold HOLLYWOULD tote screamed “fashionista”.  And the ultimate tip-off… my gold jewel encrusted HOLLYWOULD sandals worn in lieu of Telluride’s mandatory Tevas.  Can we all agree that velcro shoes are for children and the mentally challenged? 

I returned from my shopping excursion empty-handed as it seemed as if Ralph had beaten me to the shop, leaving nothing but well-worn “WE MISS JERRY” t-shirts and Dancing Bear bandanas.  But do you want to know a secret?  After seeing all those Oakley-wearing, Patagonia-toting, Teva-clad pro-snowboarder foxes in town, I have a feeling that I could get used to this kind of granola life.  In fact, I fear that if I stayed in Telluride for just a few weeks longer I might just fall in love, buy that “WE MISS JERRY” t-shirt and Dancing Bear bandana, and stop shaving my legs forever. 

Luckily, I am off to Los Angeles tomorrow where I will be reminded that there is a happy medium somewhere in between Janis Joplin and Christina Aguillera.  Thank God for silicone implants, spray tans, acrylic nails, hair extensions, and Juicy Couture.

August 4th 2004
New York City

Last night began with a HOLLYWOULD company dinner at Los Dos Molinos, and ended in a blur at the Grammercy Park Hotel.  We were at dinner to celebrate having everyone back from Italy, and the last day of work for our fabulous intern Callie Kant. 

Los Dos Molinos is one of our favorite NYC Mexican spots not only because they have fabulous food, but mostly because they serve margaritas in bucket-sized goblets.  The rule at HOLLYWOULD company dinners is always the same:  HOLLYWOULD pays for the food and the first round of drinks, but cannot be held responsible for rounds 2-17.  It does help, however, when the first “round” comes in a glass the size of your head.

From dinner we all headed across Grammercy Park in our high heels to the Grammercy Park Hotel’s High Bar, where I was co-hosting a “Love Boat / Acapulco Lounge” themed party with my pal Kate Schelter.  As you can see from the photos, the HOLLYWOULD crew did a fairly nice job of dressing in theme, as did most of our other guests.  The DJ for the evening was Abby Klien, who played an amazingly appropriate and danceable mix of Andy Gibb and Musical Youth.  Abby rules. 

We all stayed out dancing until the wee hours and are paying for it dearly today.  Stay tuned for more summertime fun …

August 2nd 2004
New York City

I love New York in the summertime!  I have just arrived after having spent a full six weeks in Italy and it’s good to be back in the USA.  Of course, there is nothing to complain about when it comes to summertime in Tuscany, but the old cliché is true:  Nothing beats the energy of New York City.

I spent the day yesterday with pals Kate Schelter, Olya Thompson, and beautiful little baby Anastasia (see photo), eating ice cream, drinking wine, and checking out all of the new shops downtown.  There is isn’t anything better on a summery Sunday afternoon than the ice cream/wine/window-shopping combo.

On Saturday when I arrived in NYC, the first thing I did was head straight to Frederik Fekkai  with a copy of Us Weekly, InTouch, and The New York Post.  In this day and age it’s important for a girl to be up-to-date concerning current affairs, so it was imperative that I learned all of the latest news about Jessica Simpson, Paris Hilton, and The Olson Twins.  So much has happened since I was away!

If you’ve never been to Frederik Fekkai, you really haven’t lived.  It’s the only place to go for hair in NYC, and you must ask for George for color and Patrice for cut.  George is from the North of France & Patrice is from the South of France, so between the two of them you are guaranteed to come out of the salon looking like a dead-ringer for Catherine Deneuve in Belle du Jour.  Who could ask for anything more?  And, the greatest thing about Frederik Fekkai is that he has just opened a salon at the Brazilian Court, so next time you’re down visiting HOLLYWOULD in Palm Beach you’ll be able to touch up your highlights just like home (not that we all aren’t naturally blonde, but sometimes the blonde just needs encouragement).

This week is sure to be party-packed, so stay tuned…