Courtney Love puffed away in one corner, trying to avoid a greasy guy
who was determined to catch her eye, while Lindsay Lohan and Angie
Harmon hugged and giggled for the cameras. Dustin Hoffman wandered by,
and Paris Hilton spent the whole night with her cell phone glued to her
ear. What brought out the stars in force? Prada, darling. Miuccia Prada
invited a sea of her famous friends to the launch of her special
exhibit, "Waist Down: Skirts by Miuccia Prada," a massive retrospective
of her designs from 1988 to today. Installed at her Prada Epicenter on
Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, the touring exhibition will be on display
through Aug. 27. But everyone who is anyone was there Thursday night as
Prada welcomed Hollywood's elite to her opening party. "Her clothes are
just so wonderful," said the gorgeous Harmon, showing off her summery
dress and large black leather handbag. "I'm willing to buy Prada, since
I have two daughters and I know that I can pass down the pieces to
them, and they will always be classics." So many stars agreed, it was
slightly mind-boggling. Upstairs, a bevy of beauties - Rebecca
Romijn, Amber Valletta, Eva Mendes, Heather Graham and Mary-Kate Olsen
- checked out the skirts, while in the jam-packed downstairs, Nicole
Richie, Amanda Peet, Kelly Rowan, Jeri Ryan, Lake Bell, Patricia
Arquette and Michelle Rodriguez nibbled on Dungeness crab, giant prawns
and sugar-soaked strawberries. Prada-loving guys turned out, too, from
Joaquin Phoenix and Sir Ben Kingsley to LL Cool J, Heavy D, Justin
Bateman and Giovanni Ribisi, but it was ultra-cool singer Lyle Lovett
who put his finger on just what makes Prada the fashion choice for
stars in the know. "I've been wearing Prada for a long time," he said.
"I always come back to Prada because of how good her clothes make me
feel. "They are so comfortable, you never feel like you're wearing a
costume when you've got Prada on - you just feel great." Once the
opening wound down (around midnight) most of the famous Prada-clad
crowd went on to the party's after-party at the Chateau Marmont,
proving once again that one fantastic fete - even if it is Prada -
just isn't enough when it comes to making a splash on the Hollywood
scene.