Harajuku Lovers Launches
(LOS ANGELES) It was almost 1am when Gwen Stefani finally showed up at her Harajuku Lovers LA launch at The Hollywood Entertainment Museum, home of the former Max Factor Museum. Stefani arrived straight from her concert at the Hollywood Bowl, with a crew of dressed-to-the-nines Japanese girls in tow. To get to the party, guests rode an enormous elevator that had a small bar serving glow-in-the-dark drinks in plastic test tubes. Upstairs, DJ and documentary filmmaker Jauretsi Saizarbitoria (in a hot pink dress) spun old-school disco and rap. The music was so slamming that Demi Moore's daughter, Scout, spent hours gyrating like an MTV video star with a small posse of her teenage friends. The Daily is now totally obsessed with Scout, who boogies better than anyone we've seen out in a long time (and we go out a lot). Nearby, Scout's step-dad, Ashton Kutcher (in black jeans and a black leather jacket) had his arm around wife, Demi. At one point, Ashton, Demi, and Scout were all moving to the music while simultaneously tapping out emails and text messages on their T-Mobile Sidekicks. In L.A., a family that Sidekicks together, stays together.
Harajuku Lovers T-shirts, sweat pants, and panties printed with cartoon bananas hung from clotheslines that were strung across the room. Stefani handpicked the food, which included veggie tempura, sushi rolls, and miniature red velvet cupcakes. Designer Jared Gold told us that he is looking to open a store soon in Los Angeles (either on Fairfax Avenue or in Echo Park). Gold already has two shops-one in Seattle and one in Salt Lake City. Wearing a powder blue tux straight out of the prom scene in Carrie, Gold was thrilled when he found a bow-tie in one of the pockets on the ride over to the party. "I bought this suit at a Mormon thrift store in Salt Lake City," he reported. "It came with two pairs of pants. I have no idea why they included an extra pair. Maybe they assumed the buyer would somehow ruin the first pair." Also in the crowd: Daryl Hannah in white jeans and ankle boots, Robin Anton, founding member of The Pussycat Dolls, The Los Angeles Times' Booth Moore, Scott Baio (making out with a young blonde in a corner), Vogue's Amy Hall Browne, writer Peter McQuaid and actress/Zac Posen muse Paz de la Huerta, who hung out mostly by the DJ booth.
Hosted by Interscope Records and Jerry Leigh Entertainment, Stefani (who was dressed in L.A.M.B., of course) received two honors from Interscope's Jimmy Iovine. The first was for her song "Hollaback Girl" being the most legally downloaded song in history (sorry Limewire fans). Thus far, a million people have DL-ed the ditty. Iovine also gave Stefani a plaque for her solo album going six-times platinum. That's even more platinum than Stefani's locks, which had been styled that night into a Marilyn Monroe-like flip by hair guru Danilo, who stayed by her side throughout the evening.
PETER DAVIS
