HOLLYWOULD follows in the footsteps of couture shoe labels such as Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo. The main difference is the slightly lower price and the cool, young vibe the brand imparts.
HOLLYWOULD’s Creative Director, Holly Dunlap, began her career in fashion at the age of 17 as an intern for New York socialite designer Carolyne Roehm. During her time with Roehm, Dunlap was not paid a salary, but was compensated with the next best thing: Manolo Blahnik shoes. It was love at first sight. Dunlap attended design school in Paris and landed any young designer’s dream job – a starting position with Christian Lacroix upon graduation.
She then moved to London to work for her long-time fashion idol, Vivienne Westwood. A true Californian, Dunlap began to miss the sunny beaches of Los Angeles and returned to the States to work as a celebrity stylist and shortly after was hired as the Head Designer at Lilly Pulitzer. In 2001 HOLLYWOULD added handbags to its collection and in 2004 Dunlap began making party dresses to coordinate with her shoes.
She describes the HOLLYWOULD girl as “social, fun, independent, feminine and very fashionable, but [they] don’t take fashion too seriously.” Fans of her line include Reese Witherspoon, Cameran Diaz, Liv Tyler and she also made custom shoes for one of Britney Spears’ tours.
