September 2003

September 26th 2003
Paris, France

Girls, so sorry Ive been such a diary slacker!  Ive been living out of a suitcase between Paris, Florence, and Milan for the past 10 days and this jet-set life is beginning to make my head spin.  So much to tell I dont know where to begin

The most exciting news from NYC is that the divinely talented and truly magnificent Sophia Coppola has been shopping chez HOLLYWOULD this week.  Were particularly honored to have Sophia wear HOLLYWOULD because (a) she has fantastic taste and always looks amazing, and (b) she is known to be quite loyal to a certain other designer we love (hint: shes his model & muse).  Were so happy she has officially added HOLLYWOULD to her repertoire of style. 

Since I have been stuck in Europe I have only been able to read about Sophias new film Lost in Translation, but I can assure you I will be first in line to see it as soon as I get back.  The reasons I will love this movie are endless.  First, it is directed by Sophia who made our other favorite move, The Virgin Suicides.  Second, it takes place in one of my favorite cities on the planet, Tokyo.  And third, but most important, it stars my all time favorite actor and childhood crush Bill Murray.  Who rocked Caddyshack?  Who rocked Ghostbusters?  Who rocked What About Bob?  Who even managed to rock Groundhog Day?  Always Bill.  Sophia, youre a genius.

September 16th 2003
Florence, Italy

Libby Calloway, you rule.  For those of you girls who dont know Libby, she is our favorite fashion writer for the New York Post and undoubtedly the only reason I made the cut for their 50 Best Dressed list this past Sunday, amongst some true fashion icons including Chloe Sevigny, Nicole Kidman, Cecilia Dean, and Milla Jovovich!  Thank you Libby, and thank you New York Post!

Now girls, the moment youve all been waiting for, at the request of my mom (who is sick of reading about drinking binges and boys) ...  the official:

HOLLYWOULDS HOTTEST LOOKS FOR FALL 2003 / WINTER 2004

(modeled by supermodel look-a-likes, the HOLLYWOULD staff)

Photo 1: Erin is wearing HOLLYWOULDs lavender Vixen shoes and Portofino bag.  The Vixen is a shoe that lives up to its name, and I have been sporting my around Italia in every color of the rainbow.  A great shoe for a hot date or night on the town, it looks to-die-for with everything from skirts (pictured) to jeans or wool pants.  Foxy.  The Portofino bag is every fashion editors favorite.  You may have seen it in W magazine (twice!) as it is fast becoming the ultimate symbol of in-the-know-luxury for this winter.

Photo 2:  Erin is wearing HOLLYWOULDs gold Tunisia shoe and Positano clutch.  The Tunisia is one of my favorite shoes Ive ever done.  With its dusty gold & silver flower it makes a great dress-up shoe without too much glitz.  I love this shoe with fall neutral pastels like cream, camel, and green (as pictured on Erin!), but have been known to wear it with a bright coral colored Valentino dress and gold jewels.  The Positano clutch makes a great dress-up bag for the same reasons it is elegant and luxury but in a neutral way.  Love this bag in all colors!

Photo 3:  Leslie is wearing HOLLYWOULDs gold Madge shoe and Carrara bag.  The Madge is the lower version of the Vixen shoe and is great for every day.  As you can see here, it looks great with a knee length suit, and works for any daytime event (including shopping!).  The Carrara bag is a great shoulder clutch with enough room for real life possessions but enough flair for any fashion event. 

Photo 4:  Leslie is wearing HOLLYWOULDs brown crocodile Temptress shoe with Sally bag.  If youve been reading your fashion mags you know that crocodile is the must-have for fall and looks great when paired with textured fabrics like tweed, plaid, and herringbone.  You may have seen our crocodile Temptress in Vogue as the best way to wear crocodile sexy.  Weve had all the stars pulling this shoe to wear with everything from Prada suits to slinky Gucci dresses.  The Sally bag is a fabulous day bag that has the perfect mix of preppy and punk to play both sides of the fence.  Carry this bag to lunch with your friends and youll be the envy of every girl in the restaurant.  I promise.

Photo 5:  Rachel is wearing HOLLYWOULDs one-of-a-kind white Charlotte shoes.  We made these shoes especially for our store so that rule-breaking city girls like me and Rachel could wear white pumps (gasp!) past Labor Day (gasp!) and into winter (gasp!).  Ive always been a fan of white pumps worn in the dead of winter, but Ive also always thought Jerry Hall was a fashion genius, so its up to you.  I think these look fab with jeans as pictured, and I will be sporting them with my white leather (gasp!) Alexander McQueen dress!

Photo 6:  Rachel is wearing HOLLYWOULDs rose Kisser shoe with rose crocodile Sally bag.  I dont mean to play favorites, but the Kisser is the ultimate hotsy totsy shoe for fall.  In this new dark rose color it looks great with fall colors like camel, cream, grey, and black.  I adore this shoe and will probably wear it out tonight in Paris with dark black tights (yes, even with open toes) and my black mini Balenciaga dress.  (For details on the fabulous Sally bag, see Photo 4).

Photo 7:  Courtney is wearing HOLLYWOULDs purple & black damask Marley shoe and Fiore clutch.  This shoe was named after our favorite pal, actress Marley Shelton, because it is classic but flirty, and looks gorgeous at every event.  I just wore my Marleys out with a black lace Blumarine halter dress, but they are also a fun way to dress up jeans or black pants.  The Fiore bag is the must-have compliment piece, because if youre going to wear purple & black damask shoes, you must have the matching clutch, dahling.

Photo 8:  Courtney is wearing HOLLYWOULDs brown quilted Maxwell shoe and brown crocodile Positano clutch.  The Maxwell is the closest thing we have to the perfect work shoe.  Because I hate the thought of work in general, I had to add a suede pom pom to the top of the shoe to give it a bit more fun than your average girl at the office.  Ill be wearing this with my pom pom peeking out from under my brown wool trousers this fall, and it looks great with a tweed knee-length skirt.  Thanks to Vogue editor Meredith Melling-Burke, our Positano clutch has been sold-out for weeks.  We have just ordered more from the factory here in Italy, so if you want this bag honey, youre gonna have to get in line.

To get any of these hot looks, call Rachel at 212.343.8344 (ext. 2)!

Knock 'em dead.  xoxo, Holly

September 12th 2003
Florence, Italy

I have just received a phone call from NYC informing me that I am going to be in the New York Post this Sunday as one of New Yorks 50 Best Dressed.  The person who made this list deserves a big, giant smooch for including me, but I am more than slightly worried that this is a joke and that the article may really be New Yorks 50 Worst Dressed, with a picture of me in my work-out gear next to Rosie ODonnell sporting her post-show biker look.  And God only knows what photo they have dug up to use.  After my E.T. shot in Harpers Bazaar (see June 7) its probably a good thing Im not in NYC to answer the phone call that is sure to come Monday morning from the casting agents for Aliens 8.  Whatever the case, be sure to pick up a copy of The Fabulous NY Post this Sunday because if it truly is a Best Dressed list, the other 49 members will undoubtedly be HOLLYWOULD girls!

September 7th 2003
Florence, Italy

My lovely weekend began with dinner out in Tuscany with my fabulous friend Jasmine Sforni, or The Countess, as I like to call her (see March 31), and ended with dinner in Florence with my other fabulous friend Victoria Hennessy, or Ferragamos PR Star, as I like to call her (see July 25).  Both of these girls were lucky enough to spend the entire month of August on holiday, one sailing in the Mediterranean and the other sunning in St. Tropez.  Now, Im not one of those ridiculous Americans whos always saying Europe is so much better (because FYI, its not), but we could learn a few things from Europeans when it comes to vacation days.  I dont think Id get any arguments if I stated that Europes six weeks a year beats Americas two weeks a year, even from GW himself.

September 5th 2003
Florence, Italy

Have just received a distraught email from my mom about my August 28^th diary entry.  Although she does express concern about my carefree attitude towards alcohol abuse, the more important issue seems to be what my future husband and future in-laws will think when they read it.  I find it hilarious that my mom is worrying about this imaginary family's decision to call off the wedding based on one diary entry.  Mom, it was only one night.  I was perfectly tame the rest of the summer.  So, maybe I drank too much and passed out on the floor of the airport at 7am, but I dont think that's reason enough for them to ban me from their family.  As a matter of fact, I think they should be proud.  Whoever they are.

September 3rd 2003
Florence, Italy

We also received a frantic phone call from one of our customers who was robbed over the weekend! It seems the burglars stole all of her HOLLYWOULDs but left all of her other designer shoes behind. Clearly these thieves had excellent taste.

Have just arrived in Florence where everyone is slowly returning from their August holiday. As you know, Italians like their sun and some of my friends are completely unrecognizable with their new dark tans. I know they all think getting black-tan is very chic, but Ive been having flashbacks from the movie Soul Man ever since I got off the plane.  Fine film, but cmon.