The Melrose Place family has a gem of a new neighbor: Neil Lane. The Diamond Man finally opened his La Cienega boutique, right above Monigue L’hulier’s store, just slightly north of Melrose Place, on Wednesday night. And it shows just what rocks can buy, with his turnout: Kate Walsh, Rachel Griffiths (in an American flag shirt for the election, even though she’s Australian), Debi Mazar, Tori Spelling, Carmen Elektra, Dana Delaney, Nicky Hilton – it had a high density of celebs for a store opening, but then, Lane has surpassed Martin Katz as the king of Hollywood award shows and diamonds. Lane was in a tiny antiquary mall on Beverly Boulevard for many years, where he created birthday gifts for Annette Bening and Goldie Hawn, but when a fire ravaged the building, he decided to get serious about a real boutique that befits his celebrity clientele. No recession visible here. There were diamonds and gowns galore, just in time for November sweeps and the tv ratings blitz – and time to start planning those Golden Globe and Oscar jewels.
