February 2006

February 28th 2006
New York City

Our favorite New York Society Website http://www.newyorksocialdairy.com/ has posted our Mexican Fiesta Palm Beach Party Pics on their site today.  If you aren't a regular NYSD reader, dahling, you must become one now!

February 27th 2006
New York City

Palm Beach Party Pics are up (see right)!   There is much more to tell but the latest from HOLLYWOULD is that the legendary, beautiful, lovely, talented Sharon Stone will be wearing a HOLLYWOULD dress to an upcoming VIP event, so keep your eyes out for gorgeous Sharon looking divine in HOLLYWOULD!

February 24th 2006
Palm Beach, Florida

Oh girls… there’s so much to tell about our party weekend in Palm Beach, but this article from our favorite Palm Beach paper, The Palm Beach Post, sums up the party so deliciously that there really isn’t any need to scoop further… Unless you want to hear about how we stayed out at McCarty’s until 3am while one HOLLYWOULD staffer (who shall remain nameless) smooched a boy in bright green pants (who shall also remain nameless) while the rest of us threw down so many mojitos we’re still recovering.  And… big shout-out THANK YOUs to all of our co-hosts who looked gorgeous in head-to-toe HOLLYWOULD, including the lovely Talbott Maxey, Ginny Bond Donahue, Nicole Munder, Binkie Orthwein and Emilia Fanjul.

Anywho… if you couldn’t make our big soiree, here’s the best recap in town:

PALM BEACH POST - She gets buys

By Aime Dunstan

Friday, February 24, 2006

Swans flocked and parrots squawked.

When fashion designer Holly Dunlap visited Palm Beach to launch her spring shoe collection, she had a little help from the well-heeled crowd.

To attract the young, socially involved set — the target market for her Hollywould line — Dunlap called on a few well-connected friends to spread the word. The women — Celerie Kemble, Phoebe Gubelmann, Talbott Maxey, Ginny Bond Donahue, Nicole Munder, Binkie Orthwein — lent their names to the invitation. And the P.R. firm owned by Emilia Fanjul, fellow swan and former Palm Beacher herself, distributed it among the Who's Who of Palm Beach and New York.

It worked; nearly 250 people filled Via Mizner — accompanied by a few tropical birds brought in just for the party.

"There were so many young faces, which was so wonderful.... I think that's just starting to happen," said Munder, 29, of West Palm Beach. "Since I moved here, I've really never attended an event that was so highly attended by young people."

Dunlap, 33, credits her following among the social, 20- and 30-something crowd with her ability to identify with her customers — and to the fact that she's never designed anything she wouldn't wear.

"I am always designing shoes with my friends, sisters and customers in mind," said Dunlap, previously the head designer for Lilly Pulitzer. "I am well connected to my customer, because most of them are my friends, and we grew up with similar experiences and attend similar functions in our lives.

"I wouldn't be a good designer for someone who wasn't social and didn't love fashion."

Ginny Bond Donahue said Dunlap's shoes cater to her sense of style — and her narrow feet.

"She's right up there with Manolo (Blahnik) and Jimmy Choo in terms of elegance and style and real comfort," said Donahue, 34. "I'm not the kind of girl who will wear something that's really uncomfortable. I'm not that committed."

The inscription on the bottom of her Hollywould "Juliette" sandals echoed her philosophy: It's hard to look sexy when you feel hurt. "When I saw that, I said, 'She's my best friend!' "

HOLLY DUNLAP

33, creative director of clothing and shoe company Hollywould

Marital status: Single

Education: Parsons School of Design, Paris

Palm Beach Connection: Though she's never lived in Palm Beach, Holly often vacationed here.

Favorite places in Palm Beach:

For post-gala drinks: "The Leopard Lounge — I just love it; it's such an old haunt. It's not the youth of Palm Beach, but it's quintessential Palm Beach." She also loves hanging by the pool at The Colony hotel.

For comfort food: Hamburger Heaven or Chuck & Harold's

For the home: Mecox Gardens!

For spending time with friends: Cucina Dell' Arte

For a dinner date: Café Boulud at The Brazilian Court

Charities she supports: "Hollywould supports a zillion charities each year, but my personal charity is The Brooklyn Learning Center in Brooklyn, which offers free tutoring, GEDs, ESL, and college prep courses to people who cannot afford them and want to learn English or go back to school," she says. "Being independent and not living off government subsidies does a lot for people's self-esteem... and ends up making them better citizens in the end."

Her Nest: Her Manhattan apartment, downtown in the heart of Greenwich Village near Washington Square Park, sports tropical décor. "Even in N.Y., it's very Palm Beach. I have coral walls... My décor is always by the beach even though I'm in Manhattan."

Her pond: "Unfortunately, it's huge. I live seven months of the year in Florence, Italy. So really my home is Florence. Ideally my second home would be in Palm Beach, but it's not, it's New York. And Palm Beach is my third home."

Favorite Palm Beach memory: "I used to just walk around barefoot all the time. Which is so great, walking down Worth Avenue barefoot — and I know people still do — and going into the stores with my mom barefoot."

Has Palm Beach changed over the years? "To me, it's always been so glamorous. I remember just walking around as a child and being mesmerized by how beautiful everybody was... It's the most effortlessly glamorous spot in America by far. And I think it always has been. Anyplace where men can feel confident in pink pants!"

How do you feel about the word socialite? "It's really part of my job to be out there, so twist my arm, I'm out all the time," says Holly, who says she spends at least two nights a week supporting charities or friends' events. "I think most of the socialites — I call them socialites because people call me that — most of us are really hardworking girls trying to promote something.... Everyone feels like they're working when they go out at night. It's part of the machine of N.Y. It keeps the fashion business in business and it keeps the charities alive. I've come to think of it as a compliment, I don't mind it."

Holly adds most socialites have job titles attached, such as designer-socialite or restaurateur-socialite. "I think if your only job is socialite you're just a lucky girl."

— Aime Dunstan

Baubles, Bacardi and Red Bull

The feed: Tortilla chips, guacamole and selections from the salsa bar, courtesy of La Salsa in West Palm Beach.

Keeping Tab: Bacardi Big Apple 'Hollywouldtinis' and Limon Mojito 'Stilettos' flowed from the outdoor bar. On a retro note, baristas mixed Tab Energy soda — named for the cola of yesteryear — and Bacardi Big Apple to form a low-calorie cross between a Red Bull and a Jolly Rancher.

Bejeweled: Arizona-based jeweler Gauthier lent bling to Dunlap, her four co-hosts and other guests of note, including Emilia Fanjul Pfeifler, president of Emilia Fanjul Communications in New York and daughter of Palm Beach's first family of sugar.

$50 off: Every woman received an issue of Aventura magazine, a Gauthier signature pen, a Gauthier jewelry catalog, $50 Hollywould gift certificate, Lancôme Soleil- Flash Bronzer, Lancôme Juicy Tube in Simmer, Lancôme L'extreme black mascara. The hostesses also received a Hollywould gift certificate and a Zino platinum cigar, for the men in their lives, of course.

February 23rd 2006
New York City

I promise to post all of the Palm Beach scoop by tomorrow, but for now here is a fashion show review by our favorite fashionista website www.fashionwiredaily.com:

Holly Dunlap, creator of Hollywould, the chic downtown boutique known for its coveted selection of shoes, has grown tired of the predictable, lackluster look of the New York trendsetter.

"I've seen too many girls wearing shorts with cowboy boots and long scarves and I thought, we've got to do something," Dunlap told FWD at Christie's Auction House during the launch and cocktail party for her Fall 2006 collection.

So in lieu of a runway show, Dunlap opted for two art installations that featured lavish carpeting, old paintings, marble sculpture, and Victorian couches, in a effort to recreate something along the lines of a sitting room in a classic new York apartment during high tea circa 1940.

To add to the scenery, Dunlap recruited some friends, dressed them in outfits and shoes from her new collection, and literally put them on display. As they chatted and sipped appletinis, the audience got to scope out the new collection.

And when your friends are the crux of New York's premiere socialite circuit, including Tinsley Mercer Mortimer, Annie Churchill, Gillian-Hearst Shaw and Theodora Richards, it's easy to capture an audience.

"This is an interesting way to do it," Tinsley Mercer Mortimer said regarding the evening's set up. "It's fun because we're all friends. We're just sitting here, talking, having drinks."

"It's like being at a cocktail party!" added sister-in-law Minnie Mortimer, showcasing the $495 pearl sandal. "It feels like a family affair."

The theme for the collection and for the evening was old-world glamour. Shoes for Fall – from peep toe pumps and slides to platform sandals – were adorned with Swarovski crystals, feathers, pearls, and seashells. The garments were constructed from rich fabrics like velvet, silk charmeuse, and stretch satin, in an attempt to capture the look and feel of old Hollywood. From the 1950's photographs of Willy Maywald, to antique furniture and artwork, Dunlap looked to American Classics to create the line. Even her mother's engagement party dress from 40 years ago played an integral part in inspiring the collection.

"The dress my mom wore to her engagement party was this beautiful early ‘60s, late ‘50s black dress that is just timeless," said Dunlap. "To me it was the quintessential classic dress that is always in style."

Traces of her mother's dress, a black tulle number, showed up in pieces from her new collection, like the Gala Tulle Gown ($3895) worn by rock royalty Theodora Richards. The gown, which literally takes two to maneuver, was easily the most stunning dress of the evening, featuring layers upon layers of tulle with a sheer chest and Swarovski crystal embroidery.

"I only have a little bit of bling on tonight," said Richards of the Lockes Diamonds she sported with the gown. "This dress doesn't need anything else!"

Lockes Diamantaires was in the house as a premiere guest, being the exclusive jewel sponsor of the 2006 Hollywould collection. Chief Operating Officer Hillary Beckman dished to FWD about the collaboration.

"Holly's pieces tonight are all about glamour, decadence, and class," said Beckman. "Our diamonds naturally complement that because we're a true luxury brand. It was the perfect fit."

All of the ladies wore Lockes for the evening, including Dunlap, who sparkled in a simple, but stunning necklace. The most talked about bling of the evening however, was the estate piece worn by social butterfly, Annie Churchill. The 1940's original, which featured hand-cut graduated diamonds is "well over a million dollars" according to Beckman, which goes along well with Dunlap's general theme for the Fall 2006 collection – looking like a million bucks.

February 17th 2006
Hollywood, CA

I love Hollywood.  I’ve been staying at the Chateau Marmont for the last few days and a bit of sunshine and celeb never did anyone so much good.  Yesterday I was paid a visit from my next door neighbor, Francis Bean Cobain, who a sweet, well-mannered, beautiful child and happens to love our HOLLYWOULD ballet flats.  This morning I ran into Garcelle Beauvais who is as nice as she is gorgeous, and who you will hopefully see wearing HOLLYWOULD to her upcoming red carpet events.  Then, I ran into the lovely & talented Melissa Sagemiller, who is currently filming The Guardian with Kevin Costner & Ashton Kutcher, and may be seen in The New York Times wearing HOLLYWOULD soon as well.  And then, just when I thought my celeb spotting was over, I ran into our favorite Wedding Crasher Isla Fisher, who is hilarious & beautiful, and just happens to be engaged to Sacha Baron Cohen, better known as Ali G.  Awww yeah.

And now, as promised, the real scoop behind HOLLYWOULD’s Fall 2006 Fashion Show…

For those of you who couldn’t make it, the new HOLLYWOULD Fall 2006 Collection was presented last week at Christie’s Auction House during NYC’s Fashion Week.  Rather than have the traditional model catwalk presentation, I wanted to do something special that would show the clothes on the girls who actually wear them, so I decided to use some of my favorite NYC friends as the models instead.  As you can see from the photos right, they all put Giselle & Co to shame, and everyone loved their starlet poses in vignettes of furniture from Christie’s collection.  Big, huge, gigantic shout-out to all of the HOLLYWOULD models including Theodora Richards, Tinsley Mortimer, Minnie Mortimer, Dabney Mercer, Gillian Hearst-Shaw, Allison Sarofim, Sessa von Richthofen, Annie Churchill, Gigi Stone, Michelle Barish, Lara Meiland, Melanie Charlton, Lily Bunn, Kathryn Bonahan and Lauren Remington Platt.   You girls RULE.

And while we’re on the subject of shout-outs, I would love to thank all of our co-hosts for the evening, including Air France, Lancôme, John Frieda, Lockes Diamonds, and Bacardi Big Apple.  If you read this diary faithfully you know how much j’adore Air France (see Nov 5, 2003 diary entry) as I fly their airline so often I practically consider it my second home.  Lancôme was nice enough to send their superstar makeup artist Gucci Westman to do everyone’s makeup, and by the time she was done we all felt like superstars ourselves.  John Frieda was nice enough to send their superstar hairstylist Sally Hershberger to give all the girls Rita Hayworth waves which looked super-glam and super-divine.  Lockes Diamonds was in charge of the jewels, and at the end of the evening we were all practically in tears having to give their gorgeous gems back.  Of course, we couldn’t have had as much fun as we did without the help of a whole lotta Bacardi Big Apple, which makes a dangerously good Apple Mojito.  Dangerously good.

And last but not least, a colossal shout-out to everyone at Christie’s Auction House for hosting our big soiree and letting us use their marvelous antiques as our backdrop.  We love you Christie’s!

Am now off to Palm Beach for yet another HOLLYWOULD soiree, so stay tuned...

February 15th 2006
Hollywood, Los Angeles

So much to tell!  It's Valentine's Day and I've spent the afternoon at the Chateau Marmont sipping cocktails in the sun.  The Chateau is celebrity packed as usual, with Lindsay Lohan living next door to my room, Courtney Love across the hall (I accidentally recieved her Valentine's Day flowers just minutes ago) and Mischa Barton eating in the lobby with Cisco as I type.  However the big news, the news I have been meaning to write about since last week, is the scoop from our fashion show in NYC which was a huge success thanks to so many people, who I plan to thank in an elaborate diary entry by this evening.  In the meantime, you can read the review below from our favorite website http://www.runwaytoretail.com/ below:

New York’s “Hollywould” Golden Girls are “Les Liaisons Charmantes”

Creator of the HOLLYWOULD brand, Holly Dunlap, introduced her fall 2006 collection “Les Liaisons Charmantes” at New York’s Christie’s Auction House (at 20 Rockefeller Plaza) February 8th during New York Fashion Week. The dazzling collection was presented by Dunlap’s muses, New York’s hottest and most respected social figures who were behind velvet ropes seated on Victorian furniture styled by Christie’s very own Sarah O. Doherty sipping cocktails. Ultimately styled in Hollywould dresses and heels and decadent diamonds by Lockes Diamonds, NY’s favorite socialites were made-up by Lancome’s resident makeup artist Gucci Westman and hair by John Freida’s Sally Hershberger, including Gillian Hearst-Shaw (who donned the Beau Pearl Print Gown $1,195 and the Belle Patent Round Toe Pump at $515), Tinsley Mercer Mortimer (who wore the Franciose Navy Velvet & Tuille Dress $1,195 with the Marilyn Plastic Slides $395) and sis Minnie, Gigi Stone, Theodora Richards (wore Gala Tulle Gown $3,895 and Glam Swarovski Elastic Sandals $1,205), Annie Churchill to name only a few. Not to be outdone by the guests (many of which also donned Hollywould) including socialite and president of Emilia Fanjul Communications Emilia Fanjul Pfeifler, Plum Sykes (who wrote “the it” book Bergdorf Blondes) and Princess Firyal of Jordan.

For this savvy collection, Dunlap was enveloped with a variety of countless inspirations – including the 1950’s Paris Photographs of Willy Maywald, the dress her mother wore to her engagement party 40 years ago, furniture and fashion that tell a story and increase in value over time. For the color palette, dark hues with jewel tone accents made the cut. Fabrics of dark navy velvet, black pois tuille, silk charmeuse, stretch satin and black glitter lurex with pearl prints on jersey and silk and Swarovski Crystal embroideries made their Hollywould '06 debut. Guests toasted to the collection sipping on “brilliant” spirits provided by Bacardi Big Apple.

The first line of HOLLYWOULD shoes appeared at Bergdorf Goodman in the spring of 2000, since then things for Dunlap have never been the same. She used the inspiration of west coast glamour, fused it with her personal experience in print and apparel design and a love for shoes. Instantly a star was born. Then, to meet the huge demand that HOLLYWOULD had sparked, Dunlap created a colorful, flirty clothing collection to compliment what she had already established. HOLLYWOULD dresses debuted in 2004.

Dunlap's story is one of hard work and high fashion dreams come true. She began as an unpaid intern at 17 (well, she was paid in Manolo’s), attended design school in Paris and worked for Christian Lacroix and Vivienne Westwood. Then, for 3 years, Holly was the head designer at Lilly Pulitzer. It's only fitting that a woman with her credentials would start her own fabulous line.

HOLLYWOULD shoes and bags are available at over 60 better boutiques and department stores worldwide. The most recent clothing collection is available at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.

...More about the show and Los Angeles tomorrow, I promise!

February 8th 2006
New York City

Today is the day of our big fashion show!  I will give you the fully loaded update tomorrow along with plenty of photos of the new Fall 2006 Collection!  xoxo, Holly

February 6th 2006
New York City

This story has absolutely nothing to do with anything fashion or otherwise, but I just had to tell someone, so it may as well be you:

Yesterday I was at the airport coming back from a trip when I ventured in to use the ladies room.  Following behind me came a young mom and her three kids, the oldest of whom was a very curious 5 year old boy.  The mom seemed a bit exasperated traveling with such a brood, and asked her kids to wait outside the stall while she used the loo.  While she was inside I watched her son starring intently at the vending machine in the bathroom, particularly curious about the sign that said “25¢” and the icon for “tampon”.  As soon as his mom came out of the stall the boy excitedly exclaimed, “Mommy, do you know that if you put 25 cents in this machine it gives you a whole stick of dynamite!?!” 

Kids rule.