I survived an over-the-top baby shower… thanks to a Hollywood stylist.
For a chick who playfully calls herself “The Fab Mom,” (that would be me), I’m gonna let you in on a little secret: I tend to cut corners and keep a sensible attitude about all the fabulous things life has to offer. I plan my parties under a strict budget. I do things on the cheap. I don’t buy all the crazy-expensive baby gear that’s out there. There it is: I’m out.
So when expecting Hollywood stylist Anya Sarre recently invited me to experience her “over-the-top baby shower” (her words, not mine), I was skeptical. WOULD I FIT IN? This is a girl whose work I’ve been a fan of for awhile now… a gal who’s got super high-end taste for clothes, shoes, bags and now, baby gear. Yes, my taste is similar to hers, but the difference is that she will actually buy the goods… and I usually won’t. Truth is, I was scared of what I’d experience. Would there be a bunch of Hollywood types looking me up and down and wondering why I wasn’t wearing $800 shoes or carrying a $3,500 bag? To hell with it. I went anyway. I was too excited and curious. And I do love a great party.
And a GREAT party it was. It may have been pegged as a baby shower, but this was a Tinseltown soiree at it’s best…. poolside, high atop the trendy Andaz Hotel on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood… just before sunset… Voli Vodka cocktails flowing… complete with a ‘nautical chic’ theme, incredible blue and white Bella gift totes that contained more fab stuff that you’d ever imagine and liquor-infused ice cream from a company called Drunken Udder. Only in Hollywood.
The only thing that confirmed to me I was in the right place when I got there were the Quinny strollers displayed next to the bar. Oh, and the clotheslines of designer baby outfits which included a onesie that read “I left my Louis in the jet.” And then there was Anya, dressed in a beautiful custom-made yellow dress by Chagoury Couture in Beverly Hills, rocking sky-high YSL heels, and buzzing between welcoming her guests and shooting on-camera segments for one of her many jobs.
I know, I know… it all sounds so “Hollywood.” But here’s the kicker: It kind of WASN’T (in a good way). According to the few people I talked to, there was a good, even mix of friends from home, family members, colleagues from work and even her doctor in attendance. This wasn’t a party stacked with a “who’s who” roster just for the sake of creating a crowd of insiders for PR purposes. (If you were a “who’s who” and were there… I’m sorry but I didn’t recognize you!) The people I talked to were nice, interesting and came from different aspects of Anya’s life. Sorta like a “real, normal’ baby shower. Huh.
But it was what they said about Anya that really caught my attention: She’s real. She knows who she is. She’s fun. She makes you feel good. In Hollywood, that can be rare… especially at an “over-the-top-baby-shower.”
As I watched Anya circulate the party, I came to understand it too. She may have had a larger-than-life “Chanel diaper bag” cake created by famed Beverly Hills bakery Hansen’s Cakes, but she made each and every guest feel welcome, part of the group and loved. She was glowing as she introduced her guests to each other. I saw her approach some of her old friends from out of town, asking them if they were comfortable and if they had a chance to meet the shower hosts, etc. She gleamed when she talked about NOT choosing to find out the gender of her baby before the birth. (A practice that I’ve been a longtime fan of.) I even got to know her a bit and found out her most UNfabulous traits during pregnancy.
She may live and breathe a fab Hollywood lifestyle, but it seems like Anya’s going to be a regular mom like the rest of us… except she might beat us all in the fab baby gear department. But that’s her thing. She’s honest about it. It makes her happy. And that’s the most fabulous part. Congratulations, Anya! And thanks for the good time!
Have you been to an over the top baby shower? How was it?
