September 2005

September 28th 2005
Milan, Italy

During Milan fashion week the streets team with fashionistas decked out in their usual head-to-toe black uniforms looking, in my opinion, rather unfashionable.  I’m of the fashion school that believes that people with a true sense of style should know how to incorporate color into their daily ensembles, and that head-to-toe black is just plain lazy.  If you don’t believe me just ask some of my favorite fashion heroes:  Emilio Pucci, Hamish Bowels, Emmanuel Ungaro, Missoni, Roberto Cavalli, Valentino, and my former boss Christian Lacroix, who I happened to see on Tuesday wearing a hot pink blazer in the epicenter of Milanese fashion, 10 Corso Como.  Now that’s chic.  So, next time you’re leaving the house and you glance in the mirror and find yourself looking like Morticia Addams, for God’s sake, be creative and throw on some red shoes, an orange scarf, lime green gloves, a purple hat, or a magenta belt, but do not leave the house without a bit of color!

September 26th 2005
New York City

I’ve just returned from Paris where I was visiting friends and attending the “Premiere Vision” fabric show.  For those of you who don’t know, “Premiere Vision” (or “PV”) is where all designers go twice a year to pick out fabrics for next season.  Last week’s fair showcased all the hot trends for Fall 2006, and I will give you one hint:  HOLLYWOULD’s current Fall 2005 collection will still look VERY good come Fall 2006; proving once again that HOLLYWOULD is always a good investment!  Shameless plug, I know.

While in Paris I managed to see my fabulous friend Victor Glemaud, who escaped NYC to move to Paris and work for Patrick Robinson chez Paco Rabanne.  Say that fast 3 times.  This fashion week will be Patrick’s first runway show for Paco, so be sure to check it out on style.com.  Victor and I managed to stir up trouble having dinner at Davè, which is an experience unto itself.  In case you’ve never been to Davè, it is the fashionista’s must-visit restaurant on a trip to Paris, not so much for the food, which is excellent Chinese, but more for the atmosphere, which is Karl & Yves.  That kind of rhymes.  Davè was kind enough to sit down with us and dish at least 20 years worth of fashion wisdom & gossip, dating from the disco days to au currant.   The man is a walking encyclopedia of inside fashion scoop, and I highly recommend our fashion gossip friends at The Daily eat their breakfast, lunch, and dinner chez Davè while in Paris next week for the shows!

I’ve decided, by the way, that Paris has definitely earned its title of the World Capital of P.D.A.  You can’t even take a walk through the park that isn’t PG-13, and it seems that Les Parisians can’t get enough of each other.  Love is certainly in the air, and most probably in the water.  More Evian please.

In non-French (but still très chic) news, there is much ado at HOLLYWOULD’s Palm Beach retreat this week!  If you happen to be lucky enough to make it down to PB this week, you can enjoy the benefits of the HOLLYWOULD INSANE SALE all day Thurs, Fri, and Sat.  The prices are too discounted to mention, and the merchandise is our adorable Spring/Summer 2005.  To celebrate this annual sale, our fabulously chic store manager Emily Perrotto (who recently had her own page in Ocean Drive magazine- that’s chic!) will be hosting the HOLLYWOULD Girl’s Night Out party at Cucina this Saturday beginning at 8pm.  And, any girl who shows up in HOLLYWOULD shoes will receive a free HOLLYWOULD cocktail!  (Boyfriends, friends, husbands, and significant others welcome, but please refrain from wearing your wives’ shoes just to get a free drink.  It’s not worth it.  Really.)

September 16th 2005
New York City

This week I’ve received a zillion emails from girls wanting to know how they can get the new Fall 2005 collection from HOLLYWOULD.  One of the emails came from a certain celebrity someone looking to buy a gift for another certain celebrity someone who just gave birth to a baby boy.  Anywho, with our NYC store under construction and our Fall items not yet pictured on our website, I know it can be a challenge.  But, fear not fashionistas & celebrity moms, the new & improved HOLLYWOULD store will open in October, along with the launch of the new & improved HOLLYWOULD website, and you're gonna love it!  In the meantime, those of you who want to be sure you get first dibs on those chic pony ballets, foxy metallic gold boots, or gorgeous teal dresses, can feel free to shop HOLLYWOULD on three of my very favorite websites:

• www .saks. com
• www .neimanmarcus. com
• www .netaporter. com (Europe only)

Happy Shopping!

September 14th 2005
NYC

It’s only Wednesday of New York Fashion Week and I’ve already given myself a bad case of Strep Throat.   It all began this past weekend with Ashley’s bachelorette, and then Monday night with my pals Hanuk, Barbara, & Elisabeth heading to back-to-back parties; starting with Patrick Robinson at Saks Fifth Ave and ending with Patrick McMullan at Ferragamo.  Congratulations Patrick R on your fabulous new collection, and Patrick M on your fabulous new TV Gig!

I’ve decided that if I’m going to go out on the town during fashion week like I used to, I’ve really got to start training a few weeks in advance.  Training for fashion week is much like training for a marathon in the sense that you need to build up your body to be able to accept the final challenge without collapsing or making yourself sick (as I already have).  Unlike marathon training, however, fashion week training does not require strenuous exercise, protein shakes, or consumption of carbohydrates.  In fact, it requires the polar opposite.

Holly’s 30 Day Pre-Fashion Week Training – A Beginner’s Guide

• Eliminate all “meals” from your diet.  You will need to train yourself to survive on gift-bag snacks and fancy hors d'oeuvres for 10 days straight.
• Start wearing stiletto pumps every day, all day.  You may even want to sleep in them.  During fashion week you will need to wear stilettos 22 hours/day, so kick off those flip flops and get used to the pain.
• Have a glass of champagne at breakfast, two gin & tonics at lunch, and three vodka martinis at dinner every day for at least 4 weeks prior.  You will need to build up your immunity to alcohol, and this is the best way I know how.
• Brush up on your celebrity knowledge because if you mistake Britney Gastineau  for Nicky Hilton, Eva Longoria for Jamie Lynn Discala, or 50 Cent for Kanye West, we might have to take away your tabloid subscriptions.
• Train yourself to function on 2 hours sleep.  If you really want to experience the fun of fashion week whilst not getting fired from your job, you will need to stay out until 6am every night and show up for work by 9am.  I’m giving you an hour to primp here, which you’ll need for photo ops.

Those tips should get you started.  I made the mistake of not taking my own advice and have ended up paying dearly by being forced to head to bed with a Z-Pack while everyone else enjoys the fun.

PS - Congratulations to Britney Spears & Kevin Federline on their brand new baby boy! 

September 12th 2005
New York City

What a weekend.  It’s been a long time since the girls and I stayed out ‘til 6am, hijacked a limo, and dirty danced with unsuspecting strangers, but thanks to Ashley Auchenbach’s bachelorette party this Saturday night (see photos right), we’re all back in the game. 

Cocktails started all too early chez nous, around a table of gifts that can only be described as so Naughty by Nature they were totally Down with OPP.  From there we all busted a move to dinner and ate food seasoned with Salt ‘N’ Pepa to our heart’s content.  Despite the fact that we had all been mixing beer, wine, & spirits like Sir Mix-a-Lot, we decided to Kris Kross downtown to a party near Cypress Hill (kind of).  We ended up at Sway, where Da Brat doorman made us feel like Black Sheep by telling Ashley she had to check her “Bachelorette Paraphernalia” (tiara & boa) at the door.  Luckily the music was strong and the place was filled with Bone, Thugs & Harmony, so we had no problem getting our Tag Team groove on.  Ashley found a dance partner in a fellow named Tony Tony Tony, and we all body rocked until PM Dawn. Needless to say, everyone woke up in a House of Pain feeling like Color Me Bad and headed to brunch for some TLC.

Congratulations Ashley, you (DJ E.Z.) Rock!

Sorry, it's just that I've been wanting to pay tribute to the musical legends listed above for a very long time, and this just seemed like the right time to do it.  Tone Loc 4evah.

September 10th 2005
New York City

Oh girls, where to begin?  I know I’ve been negligent when it comes to writing this diary, and since there is so much to tell and so little time to tell it, I’m going to have to resort to list-format to fill you in:

• Last week we had our fashion show for HOLLYWOULD Cruise 2005/Spring 2006.  I have posted the photos (right) so you can plan your future wardrobes accordingly.  Everyone loved the show and the collections will be available at all of your favorite luxury shops around the globe come springtime.
• I have a huge crush on www.fashionweekdaily.com.  I know, I know, it’s weird to have a crush on a fashion website, but those of you who read it know exactly what I mean.  For those of you who aren’t addicted yet, you really can’t call yourself a fashion fanatic unless you read it every single day. 
• Thursday night I attended the store opening party for James Perse’s new shop on Bleeker Street, which was hosted by everyone’s favorite Voguette, Meredith Melling-Burke.   The new store is divine with cotton tees so soft you might just fall asleep wearing them.
• Today, whilst having brunch on Central Park South, we ran into David Arquette and decided that Courteney Cox is married to a Stone Cold Fox. 
• This week I met Lindsay Lohan.  When I called my little sister to tell her, she answered her phone by saying, “This better be really, really freakin’ important because you know you are interrupting The OC season premiere!”  Of course, when I told her I was only calling to tell her I had just met our favorite fashion star Lindsay Lohan, she agreed that this bit of information ranked right up there with “Finding the answer to world peace”.  We love you Lindsay and can’t wait to see you wearing HOLLYWOULD in weeks to come!