Life in shoe business
Hilary Duff says she has about 110 pairs of shoes, and 25 pairs of boots
May 03, 2007 04:30 AM
Rita Zekas
Shopping columnist
Hilary Duff's assistant stylist, Ashley, stands outside the hotel interview suite holding a pair of powder blue patent leather Miu Miu double-strapped Mary Janes (size 6 1/2) while Duff wraps up another interview.
The actor/singer was in Toronto promoting her album Dignity, but we were here to talk shop.
Duff, 19, cops to being a shopaholic and diehard shoe wh*re.
"I probably have 110 pairs of heels and flats, and about 25 pairs of boots," she says. "I love clothes. I have a huge fetish for shoes and clothes and makeup."
She is working a pair of jewelled false eyelashes and a girlie red mini dress, whose designer she doesn't recall.
"Look at the label," she instructs. It says "Collette Dinnigan," who is Australian.
"Naomi Watts wears a lot of her clothes," Duff says. "I do like labels: Coco Chanel, Balenciaga, Marc Jacobs, Yohji Yamamoto and a Japanese line called Hysteric Glamour."
She is wearing a pair of black patent Marc Jacobs stilettos, embellished with faux jewels, which pick up the big, black Lucite jewellery on her ears and wrists. Some of these bijoux were purchased in Bulgaria – "There was some crazy shopping in Bulgaria" – while shooting the black comedy film War, Inc., starring John Cusack and his sister, Joan, and in which she plays a tacky European pop star named Yonica.
Cusack wrote the part for her. In fact, he was responsible for blonde Duff going brunette.
"Everyone on the movie agreed that my hair should be dark," Duff says. "It was black at first. It was dyed in October and I'll keep it for a while: I feel more mysterious as a brunette but I feel blonde inside. People treat me differently (as a brunette); people take me more seriously. I think I'll get chunky blonde highlights."
Duff says she is always up for a good sale, even though she makes millions from her records; films; her line of clothes, stuff by Hilary Duff, available at Zellers; and her scent, With Love... Hilary Duff.
"I like expensive things but, I'm not crazy," she demurs. "I saw this bag at Holt's, it was really gorgeous, but it was too much money."
What about the $90,000 Jacob and Co. watch she bought? It's now an embarrassment, she insists. "I'm wanting to get rid of it – there are hungry people out there." She wants to sell it and give the proceeds to charity.
The 2006 Zandl Report, a U.S. trend report covering developments in the youth market, noted that Duff was voted the top person girls age 8 to 12 want to meet. The target demographic for Duff's clothing line is age 7 to 14.
There is a Hilary Duff Barbie, with apparel and accessories inspired by Duff's fashion line, and a Hilary and Haylie Duff Shopping Barbie.
She plans for an older line.
"I get college girls telling me they can't fit into the clothes but I have a home line at Target that has bedding, lamps, decorator pillows and picture frames. Some of it is romantic and very girlie, and you're going to college, so it's got to be affordable."
Did Duff have any fashion icons growing up in Texas?
"I grew up in hill country so I'd say no," she says. "One movie I watched was Grease! I loved Sandy's black Spandex, her hot shoes and black leather jacket. My love of shoes also came from Dirty Dancing. I love old stuff; I love Vivienne Westwood. I mix high fashion with street fashion. I shop H&M and Zara – they have good, basic things."
In 2005, Duff shot Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and The Perfect Man in Toronto. She shopped Holt Renfrew, TNT, Over the Rainbow and Queen West. "Aritzia has cute stuff. They gave me three coats. And I love Pusateri's," she adds.
"I never get time to go shopping and I love it so much," she says. "I went to Holt's right after I got here straight from the airport yesterday. They were closing but they said, `Shop as long as you want.'"
She picked up two skirts, sunglasses and a head scarf.
Duff doesn't have a "look," per se. It depends on the day.
"I wake up a different mood every day," she explains. "I can be girlie and I can be rock chick. But I'd never wear a total matchy-matchy outfit. I never match a bag with a belt and shoes.
"And I don't understand the fad for clear plastic purses. The inside of mine is such a mess, why would you want to look inside?"
She is tiny, 5-foot-2, and fluctuates between size 2 and a size zero. She was encouraged to drop weight by being dubbed "Puff Duff" because she had allegedly gained 15 pounds.
"It was a couple of years ago in a Toronto newspaper," she recalls. (Not the Star.) "I don't know how much weight I've lost. I did make an effort because I'm older now and I can't eat what I did when I was 12. I exercised on tour, I did Pilates and I went swimming."
Shopping burns calories, too.
She planned to shop Bleu Comme le Ciel jewel boutique across the street from the hotel.
Hilary Duff says she has about 110 pairs of shoes, and 25 pairs of boots
May 03, 2007 04:30 AM
Rita Zekas
Shopping columnist
Hilary Duff's assistant stylist, Ashley, stands outside the hotel interview suite holding a pair of powder blue patent leather Miu Miu double-strapped Mary Janes (size 6 1/2) while Duff wraps up another interview.
The actor/singer was in Toronto promoting her album Dignity, but we were here to talk shop.
Duff, 19, cops to being a shopaholic and diehard shoe wh*re.
"I probably have 110 pairs of heels and flats, and about 25 pairs of boots," she says. "I love clothes. I have a huge fetish for shoes and clothes and makeup."
She is working a pair of jewelled false eyelashes and a girlie red mini dress, whose designer she doesn't recall.
"Look at the label," she instructs. It says "Collette Dinnigan," who is Australian.
"Naomi Watts wears a lot of her clothes," Duff says. "I do like labels: Coco Chanel, Balenciaga, Marc Jacobs, Yohji Yamamoto and a Japanese line called Hysteric Glamour."
She is wearing a pair of black patent Marc Jacobs stilettos, embellished with faux jewels, which pick up the big, black Lucite jewellery on her ears and wrists. Some of these bijoux were purchased in Bulgaria – "There was some crazy shopping in Bulgaria" – while shooting the black comedy film War, Inc., starring John Cusack and his sister, Joan, and in which she plays a tacky European pop star named Yonica.
Cusack wrote the part for her. In fact, he was responsible for blonde Duff going brunette.
"Everyone on the movie agreed that my hair should be dark," Duff says. "It was black at first. It was dyed in October and I'll keep it for a while: I feel more mysterious as a brunette but I feel blonde inside. People treat me differently (as a brunette); people take me more seriously. I think I'll get chunky blonde highlights."
Duff says she is always up for a good sale, even though she makes millions from her records; films; her line of clothes, stuff by Hilary Duff, available at Zellers; and her scent, With Love... Hilary Duff.
"I like expensive things but, I'm not crazy," she demurs. "I saw this bag at Holt's, it was really gorgeous, but it was too much money."
What about the $90,000 Jacob and Co. watch she bought? It's now an embarrassment, she insists. "I'm wanting to get rid of it – there are hungry people out there." She wants to sell it and give the proceeds to charity.
The 2006 Zandl Report, a U.S. trend report covering developments in the youth market, noted that Duff was voted the top person girls age 8 to 12 want to meet. The target demographic for Duff's clothing line is age 7 to 14.
There is a Hilary Duff Barbie, with apparel and accessories inspired by Duff's fashion line, and a Hilary and Haylie Duff Shopping Barbie.
She plans for an older line.
"I get college girls telling me they can't fit into the clothes but I have a home line at Target that has bedding, lamps, decorator pillows and picture frames. Some of it is romantic and very girlie, and you're going to college, so it's got to be affordable."
Did Duff have any fashion icons growing up in Texas?
"I grew up in hill country so I'd say no," she says. "One movie I watched was Grease! I loved Sandy's black Spandex, her hot shoes and black leather jacket. My love of shoes also came from Dirty Dancing. I love old stuff; I love Vivienne Westwood. I mix high fashion with street fashion. I shop H&M and Zara – they have good, basic things."
In 2005, Duff shot Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and The Perfect Man in Toronto. She shopped Holt Renfrew, TNT, Over the Rainbow and Queen West. "Aritzia has cute stuff. They gave me three coats. And I love Pusateri's," she adds.
"I never get time to go shopping and I love it so much," she says. "I went to Holt's right after I got here straight from the airport yesterday. They were closing but they said, `Shop as long as you want.'"
She picked up two skirts, sunglasses and a head scarf.
Duff doesn't have a "look," per se. It depends on the day.
"I wake up a different mood every day," she explains. "I can be girlie and I can be rock chick. But I'd never wear a total matchy-matchy outfit. I never match a bag with a belt and shoes.
"And I don't understand the fad for clear plastic purses. The inside of mine is such a mess, why would you want to look inside?"
She is tiny, 5-foot-2, and fluctuates between size 2 and a size zero. She was encouraged to drop weight by being dubbed "Puff Duff" because she had allegedly gained 15 pounds.
"It was a couple of years ago in a Toronto newspaper," she recalls. (Not the Star.) "I don't know how much weight I've lost. I did make an effort because I'm older now and I can't eat what I did when I was 12. I exercised on tour, I did Pilates and I went swimming."
Shopping burns calories, too.
She planned to shop Bleu Comme le Ciel jewel boutique across the street from the hotel.
