August 2007

August 28th 2007
New York City

There’s an amazing song by Jonathan Richman called “That Summer Feeling”, which describes exactly how I have always felt at this time of year.  Summer isn’t even officially over and I already miss it.  In early May I always warn myself that this day will come and that I better make hay while the sun shines, but it does always go by too quickly.  No one ever says winter goes by too quickly, but summer is a different story.  The end of summer always feels like the end of an era.

That said, September isn’t the least bit dull, and I’ve always thought New Year’s Eve should be swapped for Labor Day because September is really the beginning of the New Year.  September is when school starts, Fashion Weeks begin, leaves change, and sundresses are replaced by sweaterdresses.  As quickly as summer can fade away, fall can creep up on you and, as I have learned the hard way, leave you without a winter wardrobe if you haven’t done your shopping on time.

Last year I knew I was in desperate need of a nice winter coat, but decided to wait for cool weather to buy one.  It wasn’t that I wanted a sale, it was more that I didn’t have room in my closet for one more thing that I didn’t absolutely need.  So, there I was in November heading to make my purchase on a cold and drizzly day, and all I could find were racks & racks of bikinis and beach cover-ups.  In case you haven’t noticed, Fall clothes are leaving stores earlier and earlier each year, making it nearly impossible to find anything good unless you plan ahead.

This year I have vowed not to make the same mistake and, because I don’t feel like marching around town to try on turtleneck dresses, I have just ordered my entire Fall wardrobe online.  I highly recommend you do the same, and check out our new Fall collection online while you’re at it.  You’ll notice we’ve already begun to sell out of sizes, so if you wait another week the good stuff just might be gone forever.

And while you wait for your new wardrobe to arrive, don’t forget to enjoy these last few days of Summer!

August 25th 2007
New York City

The girls at the shop just emailed to tell me that Marisa Tomei was shopping at HOLLYWOULD today.  We love Marisa, and way back when HOLLYWOULD had our first shipment ever of shoes to a little legendary store in LA called “Diavolina”, Marisa Tomei came in as they were unpacking the boxes and bought the very first pair, becoming HOLLYWOULD’s First Customer Ever!  We were just as thrilled then as we are now, and love Marisa for not only being a beautiful, fabulous actress, but for also being such loyal HOLLYWOULD fan! 

And speaking of gorgeous girls we love, as I was browsing through my latest issue of People, I came across a photo of the lovely Chloe Sevigny’s shoe closet which, amongst many Chanels & Balenciagas, prominently featured a HOLLYWOULD shoe bag.  She is divine.  Thank you Chloe, you rule! 

In less important but extremely tabloidy news… yesterday I was stuck in traffic in front of the Ritz Hotel and saw none other than hair guru to the stars, Ken Paves, waiting for his car.  As usual, he was immaculately coiffed and tanned, and seeing him lugging his bag into the back of an SUV was nothing short of a “They’re Just Like Us!” page coming to life before my very eyes.  Oh the excitement.  Oh Ken.

August 22nd 2007
New York City

We love these photos of Lindsay & Sharon wearing HOLLYWOULD!

August 18th 2007
New York City

This past week has been a whirlwind, but I was lucky enough to attend the premiere of The Nanny Diaries, starring Laura Linney, Scarlett Johansson, Alicia Keys and superfox Chris Evans.  I’m never sure if I want to see film interpretations of books I’ve read because often times the characters I’ve built in my head aren’t done justice on screen.  In this case, however, the film lived up to every aspect of the book, and if there were any variations in plotline my memory conveniently blocked them out. 

The after-premiere dinner was held at Swifty’s, which is the famous NYC spot for the “Ladies Who Lunch” set, as well as yummy mummies who are able to dine out at noon… due to their full staff of nannies.  In other words, it was the perfect spot for the dinner, and my lovely eating companions Carolina Neri, Annelise Peterson & Cora Jackson and I agreed that Scarlett Johansson was fabulous, Laura Linney was a genius, Alicia Keys was amazing, and Chris Evans was just plain hot.  See the movie!  (Yes Mom, even you will like it.)

And speaking of hotness…  We haven’t officially announced it yet, but the new HOLLYWOULD Fall 2007 Collection hits our store this Wednesday and the waiting lists for shoes, boots, belts and dresses are already getting mighty long.  I highly advise anyone who wants their size to email or call and reserve so we can ship it out to you the minute it hits the floor.  I am personally heading down to the store on Wednesday to claim my new Fall ensembles because I can’t risk missing out on those riding boots, those studded belts, those comfy jersey dresses, and our new patent leather ballets.  See you there!

August 12th 2007
New York City

So much to tell!  First I will start with the information that matters most:

HOLLYWOULD Say Good-bye to Summer Sale

All your favorite shoes, handbags and dresses

Up to 70% off!

Two Ways to Shop:

On-line: August 13 & August 14

www.hollywould.com

In-Store:  August 16, 17 & 18

11:30am - 7:00pm

HOLLYWOULD

198 Elizabeth Street , NYC

For more information:

212-219-1905 or www.hollywould.com

I was down at the store this week and the sale is going to be insane.  If you’ve ever needed an excuse to buy yourself something nice from HOLLYWOULD, now is the time, but shop early because sizes are limited!

Now, onto less important things…

Thursday night I headed out to Coney Island to see everyone’s favorite French electro band, Daft Punk, play in concert under the stars.  There is nothing better than a concert at Coney Island, and seeing Daft Punk there, all decked out in their cute robot costumes and spaceship light pyramid, was supreme.  Big shout-out to Julien for hooking up the tickets, and to our awesome party posse for the evening, Polina, Teresa, Herron, Tim & Futura.

From the show we all headed to Futura’s house in Williamsburg to learn the fine art of playing a video game called Ghost Recon, which entails competing on a live team with people from all over the world.  The male species’ fascination with Xbox never ceases to amaze me, but even I must admit that playing Ghost Recon with someone across the ocean is terrifically cool.  Now I want an Xbox, but fear I might drop out of society forever in order to become the Female Ghost Recon World Champion. 

From our Ghost Recon demo we headed back into Manhattan for burgers at Corner Bistro, which Polina swears are the best burgers in NYC.  I tend to think The Burger Joint is really King, but nonetheless managed to scarf a delicious one down before we all headed to The Beatrice Inn.  As usual, the Beatrice was bangin’, and jam-packed with everyone I love in NYC, including Victor Glemaud, Melissa Bent, Matt Damhave, Genevieve Jones, Brian Coats, Nicole Hanely, Bonnie Morrison, Benjamin Cho, and the divine Chloe Sevigny.   I could have stayed forever but since it was a school night, headed to bed to dream of French robots.

Last night Hanuk and I hit the town again hard, with dinner at La Cantina and then LIT, Heather, Le Beatrice, and finally cheese fries, mac & cheese, and cheesecake at Florent at 3am.  Ouch.  The health kick starts today.

August 8th 2007
New York City

We love www.style.com!  To find out why, just visit...

http://www.style.com/shopping/guide/fall07/index.html 

...and keep clicking through until you find HOLLYWOULD's hot new fall Lolita peeptoe in gold! 

A big huge THANK YOU to the editors at everyone's favorite online encyclopedia of fashion, Style.com!

August 6th 2007
New York City via Capri

The word from NYC is that everyone’s favorite Big Love wife, Chloe Sevigny, was recently in the store shopping chez HOLLYWOULD.  We love Chloe more than words can say and are thrilled to have her beautiful presence even grace our doorstep.  Thank you Chloe!

In other big news everyone’s favorite Trump, Ivanka, was named one of Vanity Fair’s “Best Dressed” of 2007, and is featured in the magazine wearing HOLLYWOULD.  I have yet to see it but must thank Ivanka in advance for always looking so gorgeous in her HOLLYWOULD!  We love you Ivanka!

I have just returned from spending a long weekend in Capri, which I highly recommend.  In case you’re lucky enough to be headed there in the next few months, here is a list of must-see and must-do’s on the island:

Hotel: The JK Place Capri is the hottest new spot on the island, and while I was there none other than Princess Caroline of Monaco was also a guest.  This place is quickly beating out the Quisisana as the place to see and be seen on the island, and has such a great spa, fabulous pool, amazing service, and to-die-for interiors, that we gave it a Six Star rating.

Cashmere:  Occhi Addosso, or “Eyes Open”, has the best cashmere in town for when dinner on the boat gets a bit chilly.  Their signature color cashmere is a bright mint green which cannot be found anywhere else.

Linen:  Capri’s most famous shirt maker, 100% Capri, has beautiful shirts and pants for men and women.  Everything in the store is made right there on the island, including bed sheets that need to be kept so crisp your maid will want to fire you.  Everything at 100% Capri is white, and they don’t plan to add color anytime soon.

Late Lunch:  La Fontelina, which can only be reached by boat, is a great place to sit for hours and eat delicious sea food while sipping peach white wine sangria.  Come for lunch around 4pm and stay for sunset.

Boat Snacks:  For packing lunch for a day of sailing, try cheese from Ferraro, wine from Capanina, and fresh bread from Sfizi di Capri.

Gelato:  The best fresh gelato on the island comes from Raffaele Buonocore who makes the famous Capri flavor “Fantasia di Capri”, a mix of cream, toasted almonds, and Nutella.  Buonocore also makes great take-out pastas, meatballs, and pastries for the boat.

Cocktails:  While all the sailors and locals sip apertivo in the Piazzetta, another great place to have cocktails is still the Hotel Quisisana’s Krug Bar.  Both venues are great for people-watching, but for those who want privacy and romance, there is no better spot than the terrace of the Hotel JK.

Dinner:  The only spot for locals is Aurora, where we sat next to the owner of Ferrari and the national football team, who was eating pizza with his girlfriend who was roughly 40 years his junior.  Nice.  Everything on the menu here is great, but starting with their flat pizza breads is highly recommended.

Caftans:  To look like an updated version of Talitha Getty, head straight to Lady Capri, where you’ll find bohemian beaded chiffon caftans that go all the way to the floor, and are perfect for a chic aperitivo on the yacht’s helicopter landing pad.

Coral & Terracotta:  In order to fit in with the sailors you’ll need at least one piece of coral jewelry (yes, men included), and my favorite spot for deals also happens to be the oldest store in Capri, Adele and Silvia, which also sells traditional terracotta pottery.  This little gem of a spot is run by the fourth generation great-great-grand-daughter and is a rare and dying breed of store on this little island, which has recently been invaded by the mega-brands.

Interiors:  Whether for the yacht or the home, the new Flair store on Capri is a divine little jewel box.  If you’re already furnished to the hilt, this little shop will make you want to buy one more home just to be able to shop for it.

Perfume:  Anyone who has been to Capri knows of the Carthusia perfume factory, which was started by monks on the island in 1948.  As with everything good in life, this perfume can now be found around the world but their factory shop is still worth a visit, as you’ll find scented soaps and sachets you can’t get anywhere else.