The Importance of Being Holly

The Ralph Lauren store in the Cherry Creek Shopping Center is filled with people dressed much nicer than the typical shopper on a warm evening in late March. That's because the store is hosting a breast-cancer benefit; 15 percent of the proceeds from the night's sales will go to the Men for the Cure Foundation.

Not that all the patrons know that. One 17th Street lawyer who obviously showed up just for the cocktails and the company asks Holly, "So, what's this a benefit for?"

Holly has come to support her friend Shelly DeHaven, whose husband, Channel 4 general manager Walt DeHaven, helped organize the event. As Holly and Channel 4 weatherman Ed Greene chat toward the front of the store, in walks Tom Shane. Suddenly, the air seems colder. He tells Holly that she looks lovely and plants an obligatory kiss on her cheek. A minute later, his wife arrives.

"Hi, Holly," Valere Shane says.

"Hi, Valere," Holly says back.

And with that, the Shanes head toward the back of the store, never to cross paths with Holly the rest of the evening.

After Monica Kosi arrives, Holly hears all about the blue cashmere sweater her friend just bought for her Siamese cat. "Isn't it cute?" Kosi coos.

"I didn't know cats wore sweaters," Holly says.

Kosi has more on her mind than just cat sweaters, however. She's got a big date later, but she won't tell Holly with whom. She hints that it's someone Holly introduced her to. When Holly figures it out, she decides to let Kosi in on a secret of her own. The strapless black dress that she's been receiving compliments on all evening is from -- gasp! -- Forever 21. Kosi hardly bats an eye. Even though she's dressed almost head to toe in Chanel, she couldn't care less what other people are wearing. But some do. Kosi was once approached by a woman at a charity event who nodded to her gown and said, "I've worn that exact same dress three times already." She's still recovering from the slight.

And just because Holly owns her fair share of Gucci and Prada doesn't mean she can't thumb her nose at the brand-obsessed once in a while. She wanted to see how many people she could fool with her $11.90 dress. The answer? A lot. Some friends she met up with later at Brix even told her it was "very Chanel." But at a different event, an acquaintance noticed her costume chandelier earrings and said, "Why do you spend all this money on clothes and then wear an $80 pair of earrings?" The earrings were a treasured gift from a friend.

"While I enjoy fashion, being fashionable has nothing to do with spending a lot of money," Holly says. "Rather, it's driven by individual flair and self-expression. I do feel a certain amount of internal pressure to look nice and present myself in a certain way, especially if I am directly involved in an event. I view it as part of the job."

Even to the most casual appointments, Holly makes sure to look her best. Like during a visit to David Barnes at the warehouse-like home of Scenographics, a set-design company that's making backdrops for the "vignettes" at the Mask Project gala. Dressed down but still haute in a sheer white top with pieces of turquoise sewn in, Miss Sixty jeans and a Von Dutch trucker hat -- the latest in white-trash chic -- Holly swaps ideas with Barnes for interactive sets that guests can pose in front of for pictures. (Hospice of Metro Denver sells sponsorships of the vignettes to corporations and individuals as an additional way to raise money.) Holly suggests building an American Idol set, complete with karaoke machine and Simon Cowell impersonator. And since Rich loves comic books and may put his own collection on display at the event, they discuss having a superhero vignette in which patrons could have their photo taken with Spider-man or Catwoman. The next day, Holly presents her and Barnes's ideas to the Mask Project planning committee.

Just as she's bringing one event to a close, she's busy beginning another. After leaving her Mask Project meeting at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, Holly heads to Harrison Memorial. As she steps out of her Jag wearing Jackie-O-style sunglasses, a woman arrives carrying an undernourished puppy. The woman momentarily looks at Holly, taken aback by the sudden appearance of a starlet look-alike.

Inside, Holly meets with Andrew MacArthur, Harrison's interim executive director, and Stephanie Klestinec, the development manager, about dates and themes for the next Mutts & Models. Several ideas are tossed out, such as setting up tents to mimic New York's fashion week, holding the show at the old Firehouse Car Wash on Sixth Avenue or modeling it after the famous masked balls of Carnival in Venice. But nothing sticks until days later, when Holly has a flash of brilliance: Why not have a futuristic fashion show and call it "Petropolis," after Metropolis, one of her favorite films?

MacArthur and Klestinec love the idea. And they love Holly. "It's truly amazing what she's done for the notoriety of this animal hospital," MacArthur says. "We had a corps of older donors in the past, but we've really expanded our donor base with this event. Holly has single-handedly put us on the map."