The Importance of Being Holly

But in a celebrity-starved town like Denver, Holly is as high-profile as any politician. For that reason, a public argument between friends last November turned into a mini society scandal. Backstage at a fashion show benefiting cystic fibrosis, a verbal spat erupted between Holly and event sponsor Valere Shane, the wife of diamond dealer Tom Shane. Valere Shane reportedly got upset when the models in her fashion show started flirting with a soap star she'd flown in for the soiree. "They were all acting like teenage girls around him," says Charlie Price, whose salon caters to a lot of society women. "But Valere thought Holly was the worst."

Although Price says the flirting was entirely innocent, Shane confronted Holly. And when patrons went to the Palm afterward, Holly confronted Shane right back -- a scene that made Bill Husted's column in the Denver Post. "It was a disagreement between two girlfriends that was blown entirely and unfairly out of proportion because it made for a good story," Holly says. "Valere and I have been out since then. We are friendly with each other. Our husbands are friends. It's a non-issue."

Valere Shane declined to comment.

Martha Kelce, a real estate broker who spent fifteen years on the society scene before she got divorced in 1997, consoled Holly after news of the Shane spat hit the press. "I told her, 'Have you ever heard of anyone else clearing out the Palm?'"

Kelce can laugh about such fumbles now; after all, she's been through worse. "There were people who were happy I was getting a divorce because they knew I wouldn't have any money left. Rumors spread that I had a boyfriend. It was very painful," she says. "One of the things I tell Holly is, if you ever do have trouble with your husband or with a friend, don't tell anyone, because they'll make a mountain out of a molehill."

Kelce first met Holly while planning Do at the Zoo and decided to take the upstart socialite under her wing. "I was absolutely delighted to have a young woman like her take over. I was chair of the event in 1992; I've chaired almost every event in Denver. We older women can't do it forever," Kelce says. "I have a lot of girlfriends who are as rich as Holly, and they spend their days going to lunch, shopping and getting their nails done. Well, Holly does all that plus."

That just makes Holly a hot topic for gossip -- even before the infamous fight. "Privileged, wealthy men are allowed to go out, have a little too much to drink and flirt, but if women do the same, they're whore-y. The difference is, men won't go after each other, but women will," Price says. "It's a lesson in female politics to watch these women; they don't deal with things in a direct way at all. It's like a bad beauty pageant: The person who gets the most attention becomes a target. I've had older women come into the salon and say that Holly should watch out for her reputation. Some of them say that Holly needs to settle down, have kids and not go out so much.

"Her image as a party girl is what some people choose to define her by, but she's the real deal," Price continues. "She doesn't just lend her name to an event; when she agrees to do something, she does what she says, and she does it with enthusiasm. I haven't seen anyone else as involved in charity events since Arlene Hirschfeld. People are extremely jealous of Holly. She's pretty, smart, rich and fun. I think a lot of these women are pretty and rich, but they aren't so smart or fun."

The people with good things to say about Holly far outnumber those who don't -- and those in the latter camp won't say so publicly. "There are a lot of people who think she's catty or gets her hair done too much, but I have never seen her be rude or utter a mean statement," says Holly's makeup artist, Gina Comminello, who has known her for seven years.

Price agrees: "No matter where Holly is, if I run into her, she'll stop what she's doing and give me a kiss, whereas other clients will totally ignore me."

Regardless of how kind and gracious Holly tries to be, there is one topic that irritates her: kids. Practically every day, someone asks her if she has children, and when she says no, they either react with sympathy or ask about her reproductive health. "I feel like I do a lot of things later in life, and having kids may be one of them. Quite frankly, the thought of having a child is kind of terrifying, because I'd still want to have my own life," Holly says. "I just wish people would spend more time on positive pursuits and that people would accept that I'm a very independent person and always will be. There's a bumper sticker I like that says 'Focus on Your Own Damn Family.'"