Hi! I’m out of the office, so I’m going to turn things over to our friend Jim Williamson for his take on all things Goop. So let’s just get right to it today shall we? I have shipments to track and schedules to keep. Last night, the party of the night was at the Goop pop-up shop in Highland Park Village with none other than Gwyneth Paltrow herself in attendance. I have to say, it is a great looking space designed by our own design diva, Michelle Nussbaumer, in collaboration with Goop. I would be remiss if I failed to mention the custom modern leather dining chairs we had Cowden Bell make exclusively for the event.They turned out great. Thanks, Cowden!
The space has an open and clean feeling, and of course, all the items were very well curated, with many chosen specifically for this pop-up. And speaking of curated, have you seen Veranda or as I like to call it, “The Nuss Is Loose” edition? At first I thought it was a coffee table book of Michelle’s work—there are so many pages. You go Nussie! We have always loved your style.
But let’s get back to Goop, shall we? I am sure many of my loyal readers probably want to know more, and I know some have questions, as we have mentioned Gwyneth in passing before in the blog. I have to say, my phone was blowing up with texts mere seconds—okay, minutes—after Max posted my pic with GP.
The questions came in: “Has she read your blog?” “How did you get into this party?” “Can you get me into the Vanity Fair Oscar party now?” “Does she realize you aren’t vegan and that you probably have a fur somewhere in your wardrobe?” “Was she nice?” And then there was this one: “U *&^%$! She is my favorite and you look like you are all “Hey Girl” with her. I hate you—in a good way.”
But before we answer these questions, let’s set the stage and start from the beginning. Jimbo is involved so you know something awkward happened. We arrived exactly 15 minutes after the scheduled start of the party. We approached the velvet rope and went up to the girl with “the list.” She asked my name and then she looked at her list. She flipped pages, looked, and flipped again. Nothing. Then she asked, “Could it be under another name?” The line behind me was beginning to grow, and I could tell Max was about to go all Scooby Doo on me. (“Ruh roh!”) So I began throwing out all the names of people I spoke with to confirm I was on said list. I also began scrolling through my phone for the evite, all while the blush of possible social embarrassment began to show up on my cheeks.
Again, she said, “Sorry, I don’t have your name.” I looked at Max, and he gave me the classic Max eye roll. Then she told me to wait while she slipped off and whispered to another girl in all black while some burly guards stood in front on me. There was some back and forth and some looks. I was thinking that this was like another time I was “on the list,” but the bouncer was all like, “Access denied.” That was until Lady Bunny, who I did not know, came up and said she liked my long eyelashes (they had been groomed with some clear gel by a make-up artist just prior), and boom! I was in. Alas, I didn’t see any drag queens coming to my rescue at this event so hope was beginning to fade.
But our girl in black returned and apologized and in we went. We strolled around the store, sipped Champagne, and checked out the beautiful crowd and merchandise. Then Gwyneth appeared. She looked amazing. No shocker there. Max told me to get my picture taken with her. Me being me, I was just ever so nervous. I mean what if she was like “Sorry no picture for you,” or what if I tripped and spilled something on her? But in the end, I put away my drink and approached.
I am now an authority since I spent a full two minutes with GP. No, she doesn’t know that I’m not a vegan. She doesn’t know about the vintage fur that may lurk in one of the closets. No, I did not have to do a cleanse prior to meeting her. No, she has not read my blog (yet). And the final and all-important question that was asked over and over again: “Was she nice?” Now the world has kind of been hating on GP for some time. It is hard to avoid hearing about her life if you read pretty much anything or turn on a computer. I also have to admit, I might have fed into some of the negativity.
Well, I am here to tell you that she was nice, and she seemed genuine. She was polite and even said she loved the chairs and she thanked me, which is sometimes a lot more than I get during any given business day. I think she knew I was nervous during the picture taking process, as she gave my shoulder a little squeeze. So there you have it. I think I have been Goopified! I didn’t plan on it happening but it did, and I am not ashamed.
I leave you with this image from last night showcasing exclusive Goop merchandise, and it also just happens to show that very special chair. Go there now and see it for yourself.
Happy Friday!
