nicole richie

Shocking, isn't it? Most of us (myself included) thought this day would never come, but ... we actually like this purse hook. In fact, we love it.

When you have a luxury handbag, you don't want it on the floor -- it's dangerous and usually dirty -- but you don't want to cheapen its glamour by hanging it from something that looks like it came from the dollar store. Pavina finally has the solution with its line of Handbag Holders, available for $45 - $68 from marlobrands.com.

Above is the Pavina Olivine, a perfectly lovely, $45 purse hook that finally does a little justice to our beautiful handbags. It's more like elegant jewelry than the plastic junk we've seen (and scorned) before. It's no wonder that Pavina already has quite a celebrity following, including Angelina Jolie, Nicole Richie, Alyson Hannigan and Gwen Stefani, among others.

The Handbag Holders are made to support up to 25 pounds, and have padding on their flip sides to prevent damaging any restaurant tablecloths or hardwood bars (see gallery). Each design is lead-free and handset with Swarovski crystals and semi precious stones.

We had to see it ourselves -- and try it out in several New York City restaurants -- to believe it. These Handbag Holders really are classic looking, unobtrusive, and while most people didn't even notice them, when they did, we got compliments. And our purses have never been safer.

Nicole Richie may be a new mom to little Harlow Winter but she isn't slowing down when it comes to new business ventures. Her newest endeavor is launching her own line of costume jewelry. She's working with an artist named Shelley Gibbs and jewelry maker Mouawad (the same company that produces Heidi Klum's jewelry line) and seems really happy with how easy the process has been and how flexible everyone has been in working with her new parental responsibilities.

Richie isn't stopping at jewelry, either. Stay tuned for her new fragrance and children's clothing line coming out soon too.

While Nicole Richie was pregnant with daughter Harlow, her and boyfriend Joel Madden started the Richie-Madden Children's Foundation. Madden said, the foundation was an idea the couple had when they found out they were expecting. "We grew up in Los Angeles," he said, "and we want our child to be a part of the community, and to know that there's a responsibility to help the community". The foundation provides direct assistance to those in need (disadvantaged children in the U.S. and worldwide), however their broader mission is to raise awareness of issues such as health care, education and human rights. The organization is still in the early phases but Joel and Nicole wasted no time getting started. In January they organized a surprise baby shower for 100 expectant mothers at the Los Angeles Free Clinic in Hollywood, they gave out tons of gifts including Baby Bjorn products, cribs, mattresses and toys from Fisher-Price! To find out more about their mission and how you can help visit richiemaddenfoundation.com!

From Bill Gaynor of Legacy Properties:
--Rock and roll impresarios Janet and Jack Boyle recently purchased a 5500 sq ft ocean front home in Kennebunkport for $3.55 million.
Dr. Neil Warren of E-harmony.com fame recently moved into another Kennebunkport estate. Neil and Marilyn Warren completed the construction of his 12,000 sq ft home that they paid $3,000,000 for in and is said to have invested another $3 million in the finish work.

From the NY Post's Gimme Shelter:
--Rumor has it that Britney Spears has been looking for a West Village loft in the $9 million price range.
Jessica Simpson has also been spotted touring New York listings including one on West 17th Street with a $3.99 million price tag.
--The co-op apartment that served as the office of late historian Arthur Schlesinger has already gone to contract after only two weeks on the market. The two-bedroom apartment had a $1.5 million asking price.
--After selling the townhouse on East 62nd Street that he owned for 20 years, director Martin Scorcese has bought another vintage home just two blocks away. He paid $12.5 million for a six-bedroom townhouse.

From US Weekly:
--Parents-to-be Nicole Richie and Joel Madden recently made an offer on a home in a gated Southern California community only to be denied by their potential neighbors over fears of the swarm of paparazzi that follow the couple.

From Berg Properties Celebrity Big Time Listings:
--Singer Michelle Branch has sold her five-bedroom, 5,296-square-foot house in Calabasas, Calif. for $2,940,000.
--Is Nicole Scherzinger, formerly of the Pussycat Dolls, the owner of the house that Daisy Fuentes sold last year in the Hollywood Hills?

From The Insider:
Earlier this week I mentioned that Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch had entered the early stages of foreclosure but his representative says that he is just in the middle of refinancing.

From the NY Observer's Manhattan Transfers:
--Bruce Willis has bought the three-bedroom apartment of Donald Trump enemy Eugenia Kaye at Trump Place's 220 Riverside Boulevard for $4.26 million. Willis was reportedly renting a condo at Trump International on Central Park West for around $50,000 a month.
--Even though Mark Rachesky, the chairman of Leap Wireless, paid $20 million last year for an 18-room apartment at 998 Fifth Avenue, he and his wife, Jill, have now paid $33,444,500 for a duplex at 834 Fifth Avenue, where Rupert Murdoch owns a triplex penthouse. The couple haven't listed their 988 Fifth Avenue co-op yet. Billionaire Len Blavatnik, who we mentioned earlier this week for his possible $125 million apartment purchase, also bought an apartment there last year for $27.5 million.
Acotr/writer Peter Masterson and his wife Carlin Glynn have sold their penthouse duplex at 1165 Fifth Avenue for $10.875 million to hedge-fund star Brenda Earl.
--Mariska Hargatay spent $7 million last month for a a penthouse at the block-long O'Neill Building in the Flatiron District. Rock manager Cliff Burnstein and Sabra Turnbull also recently bought in the building, taking the second top-floor penthouse, for $7,215,000.

From the Real Estalker:
--The Real Estalker Mama does some digging and unearths the fact that Will Ferrell is the owner of one of the homes formerly owned by serial real estate lover and leaver Ellen DeGeneres. His home in the Hollywood Hills was listed at $9,900,000.
--Cinematographer Lance Accord has listed his gorgeously secluded home in the Beachwood Canyon area for $2.325 million (that's the pool, shown above). This one is amazing, check out the property website here.
-- Hillary Swank is looking for a place in New York and may have picked up a two bedroom unit in "Superior Ink" building in the far West Village (via NY Mag).
--Kanye West has relisted his home in Beverly Hills. He bought in February for $7,150,000 and has now relisted at $8,699,000. The property is in tear-down condition but does include plans for a two-story contemporary home. As the Real Estalker aptly notes, that's a whole lotta money for some plans.
--Star stylist Rachel Zoe has put her home on the market, it's our estate of the day later today.
--Robert C. Wright, the chairman and CEO of NBC Universal has put his penthouse at The Heritage at Trump Place" on the market for $14.75 million. Wright and his wife bought the nine-room residence in March 2007 for $10,695,000.
--Mariel Hemingway and Stephen Crisman have put their six-bedroom home in Westlake Village on the market for $3.199 million. The listing is here.
--Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis have purchased a 150-year-old mansion in Somerset, England.

From the LA Times Hot Property:
--Beck and his wife Marissa Ribisi have bought a home on the Estside for $7 million.
--Former hockey star Luc Robitaille and his family have bought a home in Santa Monica which was priced at slightly more than $4.6 million. Their house in Holmby Hills is still on the market for $3.849 million. The property webiste is here.
--Actor Malcolm Gets has listed his home in Los Feliz for $1.099 million. The listing is here.
--Michael Schur, Emmy-winning co-executive producer and writer on NBC's "The Office," and his wife, J.J. Philbin, co-executive producer and writer on NBC's "Heroes," have put their Miracle Mile home on the market at $1.649 million. The property website is here.

Stylist Rachel Zoe, famous for working with young Hollywood stars including Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan is launching her own handbag collection with Judith Leiber.  According to WWD, Zoe, who is a vegetarian, has a love for animals skins and her Rachel Zoe for Judith Leiber line uses lizard, crocodile and python, among  other materials. There are two basic styles that Zoe created with Frank Zambrelli the creative director of Judith Leiber: the Medusa style a satchel with ruched side pockets and the Cleopatra, a rectangular minaudière. The bags feature a gold fob with  two snakes coiled around a ring. The bags will launch in September in Neiman Marcus and in Judith Leiber stores and will sell for  $2,000 to $10,000.