Hollywood fashionistas descended on Rodeo Drive’s chic Michael Kors boutique to celebrate the Emmy nomination of the popular designer competition series Project: Runway, hosted by Heidi Klum and the jovial designer Kors himself. And even at nine months pregnant, the German supermodel turned heads in a way that might have stoked the envious ire of the other ladies in attendance, were she not such a sweet and gracious hostess.
Heidi was the centerpiece of the celebration, absolutely aglow at nine months pregnant in a short, sexy black Michael Kors dress with a kicky dose of flapperish fringe. “I didn’t want to wear a big old thing, at nine months,” Heidi told me. “I want to have something cute. ‘Give me something short and fun,’ and so he gave me this French dress. He really thinks about his woman and what they need. People catch up more and more to the idea that maybe pregnant women want to look cute too, and not just wear big tents.”
After twirling around to set the fringe a-spinning, the model mom-to-be decided she wanted to get off her feet and we settled into plush sofa at the center of the store as she received guests. Since this is her first baby with new hubby, pop singer Seal, but her second spin at motherhood, Heidi reported that this pregnancy had provided few surprises. “My skin is better than the first time around and I didn’t get as big,” she revealed, “but then, you know, you get big all the way in the end. So maybe now I’m going to blow up like a balloon!”
“The cool thing is that Heidi is a new kind of pregnant,” said Kors. “I think that it’s great when you see girls who are pregnant just sort of embrace their body rather than try to hide it. She has great legs when she’s not pregnant, and she’s got great legs pregnant. So why not go for it? She’s not about sort of covering up and hiding. She’s like, ‘You know what? This is my shape and I’m going to show it off.'”
Even with a nine-month bump, Heidi planned on looking gorgeous and glam at the upcoming Emmys, revealing the previous Project: Runway winner Jay McCarroll would design her frock for the big night. In fact, she’s kept in close contact with many of the up-and-coming designers who have appeared on the show. “Kara Saun did a lot of things for me. I had a lot of events in Germany where she made outfits for me especially now that I’m pregnant. I was looking for stylish, cool things and so she made a lot of things for me. She also designed clothes for me for the second season. And Kevin John, one of the designers, made clothes for me for the second season.”
Debra Messing arrived early in a lush green strapless dress with a banana leaf pattern that was oh-so-old-school Beverly Hills. She spent much of the party chit-chatting with her pal Kors. “He’s my go-to guy,” Debra told me. “I wore him last year to the Emmys. He was the first person that I went to. It was my first public appearance after giving birth and I wore him to the Emmys prior to that as well. I wear him as often as I can.” Except when she was still carrying her son, that is–Debra wasn’t sure the designer would have enough material to cover her. “I was the size of Montana,” she laughed. “I was coveting the day that I would be able to return to wearing Michael Kors, and I’m back to that day!”
As he watched the lovely famous faces posing in his clothes, Kors shared his thoughts on the influence of celebrities on fashion. “It’s a nice thing that people in the public eye are wearing the clothes rather than just models. People can associate with a celebrity. People go, ‘Oh, you know what? I always love the way Sharon Stone looks’ or ‘I love the way that Jennifer Lopez works.’ And then when they see them wearing something, it’s not that they’re necessarily going to buy the exact same dress, but it lets them know that that designer might have something for them.”
The adorable Kors-adorned Isla Fisher of Wedding Crashers showed up, but was so itty-bitty she easily disappeared within a circle of friends that surrounded her. On the flipside, Amazonian Rebecca Romijn was a surprise guest in skintight Hudson jeans, looking svelte and sexy and ready to be painted Mystique Blue for X3, now shooting. Arriving toward the end of the evening Rebecca curled up on the sofa with Heidi, where they gabbed and giggled like old girlfriends.
Eventually Debra joined the dazzlers, perching on the arm of the sofa, and the three of them started playfully putting on pouty puckers for the popping flashbulbs. And if they were trying to kiss up to the press with their kissy face routine…it worked.
