I’m bold sometimes.  Shameless really.  I had moved with my kids to Santa Monica, just a few blocks from a coveted, very hard-to-get-into nursery school.  Circle of Children.   I knew someone (hadn’t seen him in years) that was famous, actually, his wife was the famous one, and I read somewhere that their kid went to this school.     I totally used the connection, dropping the name at my interview — without permission — and got myself, or rather my son Barnaby, in.  I said I was shameless.  A mother’s gotta do what a mother’s gotta do.  Not only did I use that connection but I revealed to close friends my secret entree into this “private club” of a preschool, and they got their kids in too.

This place totally catered to celebrities, so much so, that when I met a big-name actress at a party, she told me she pulled her son from the school because of the obsequious manner in which famous parents there, including herself, were treated.   And she is really famous, but it sickened her.   And there was a hierarchy; we, the not-remotely-famous, were put in the lower, B group, and not with the A-listers.    The parents of Barnaby’s group were television actors, or people who created TV shows, and losers like me.  Barnaby was an outside kid.  Literally, kept outside.   Inside, with a roof over their heads, were the name kids.   Each morning, I threw on my sweats (confession: I didn’t throw them on, I slept in them), pinned up my hair, applied no makeup and dropped my kid off, having to pass Spielberg, Rob Reiner, Tom Hanks and sometimes Schwarzenegger.   Daily.   Oy, it was annoying.  Your kid is only three or four years old, you can’t just drop him on the corner and say good-bye.  You had to park and walk in each day, passing these people like you were on a studio lot.  Preschool is not AA, I can break anonymity here.  At a certain point each day, the B group got to mix it up with celeb kids, and on one particular day when I went to fetch Barnaby, a teacher pulled me aside.  Apparently Barnaby hit the Hanks kid.  The teacher had both kids in tow.  I looked down at my son and said, “Say you’re sorry to Chester, Barnaby.”  “I’m sowwy, Chester.”  “Great, let’s go.”  I always wanted to get out of there fast.  I felt like we were imposters.

The two years had sped by and now I had moved with my kids to the Palisades.  I would carpool to Circle with Rebecca, a woman on my block who had a few kids at the preschool.   Around the time Circle decided Barnaby needed a third year there to fully prepare him for kindergarten (although nothing would prepare him for the nasty kindergarten teacher he ended up with), I went into business with my friend Libbie.  Libbie had started to design a line of dresses that were very unique and made from one-of-a-kind vintage French fabric.  I told her that I felt I could rep the line.  I was probably unqualified for the job, had no experience selling anything … unless you count acting in commercials and selling products by smiling into the camera.   Maybe that does count.

The only place that I thought to sell Libbie’s clothes was at my friend Darlene’s very hip store on Melrose called Comme Des Fous.  But before I could call for an appointment, our mutual friend Kimme, who sold her amazing jewelry there, got the dresses into that store.  I was out of ideas before I started.  Then one day, as Rebecca was picking her kids up after a play-date, I told her how groovy these clothes were and that she should really see the line.  Rebecca, who always dressed impeccably, said she didn’t buy clothes that much, in fact, the cashmere sweater she was wearing was from Costco.   Rebecca promised to call some of her friends.

And call she did.

In just a few weeks time, I was the most popular go-to woman at that fancy preschool.  Word of mouth spread fast among those label-loving shopaholics.   Everyone had to have this new line … and I had the “heroin” they all wanted.  The must-have coat of the season was a swing coat with handmade (by Kimme Winter) enameled buttons.   My all black wardrobe was temporarily replaced by a lot of vibrant colors.  I was suddenly sporting green brocade shell tops with satin cigarette leg pants, hand-painted at the ankle by Libbie herself.  I was dressing clients for the Oscars.  And I myself wore a silk organza pale white skirt to the ground with slits way up the sides and a backless mustard-colored beaded shirt to the Emmy Awards.  The word about Libbie Lane’s line of tres chic grew like Versace-infused wildflower.  Soon, stylists and magazines were calling, all clamoring to get into the private atelier at Libbie’s Beverly Hills home.  Our first big client was Rosanna Arquette and soon it was everyone from Madonna to Salma Hayek.   I guess we could have started a whole new celeb-oriented preschool with the clientele we were getting.

Libbie went from designing clothes to interior design and currently has a line of one-of-a-kind totes.  Everything from white eyelet to French vintage floral silk satin material, all with leather straps.  When John Travolta’s wife saw one of Libbie’s new purses, she just had to have one.  See, things have come full circle — of celebrities.

Oh, one more thing.  Barnaby finally completed his three years at Circle of Children.  Fittingly, in addition to a diploma, he received a video of his pre-K graduation ceremony shot by Steven Spielberg himself.

 

Fresh Pea Soup Recipe that Speilberg is rumored to love by Ina Garten– not that you should believe everything you read online!

Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
1 cup chopped yellow onion
4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
5 cups freshly shelled peas or 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen peas
2/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup creme fraiche
1/2 cup freshly chopped chives
Garlic croutons, for serving
Directions
Heat the butter in a large saucepan, add the leeks and onion, and cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the onion is tender. Add the chicken stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the peas and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the peas are tender. (Frozen peas will take only 3 minutes.) Off the heat, add the mint, salt, and pepper.

*Puree the soup in batches: place 1 cup of soup in a blender, place the lid on top, and puree on low speed. With the blender still running, open the venthole in the lid and slowly add more soup until the blender is three-quarters full. Pour the soup into a large bowl and repeat until all the soup is pureed. Whisk in the creme fraiche and chives and taste for seasoning. Serve hot with garlic croutons.

 

Tags: fredde duke, Freddie Duke, Freddy Duke, Libbie Lane clothes, Libbie Lane purses, Pea Soup recipe, preschool, pulling strings to get into schools, schools filled with celebs, treated like a second class citizen because you're not famous in Hollywood

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