HOW I MET...DIDDY

They were filming BC's shoot for the pilot of a reality show featuring the Combs family

It's funny the things one experiences when one's not expecting it. I just wanted that to sound like an idiom, but the "one" I'm referring to is, naturally, myself.

Like the rest of the world--ok, for a hell of a lot of us in the U.S. anyway--I kind of followed the whole J.Lo-Diddy love affair. From the hook-up, to the crazy shootout at a NY club that, I believe, left someone dead--it all seemed like a crazy ride. So that's pretty much all I knew about Diddy--the fast life, the girlfriends, the whole Mo' Money Mo' Problems deal.

So it was a surprise when a then-acquaintance suggested a cover shoot with Kim Porter, who is the mother of 3 of Sean "Diddy" Combs' children. Shalena Smith of Gaga Designs (she designs gorgeous nurseries for celebrity families), whom I met at one of BC's events, told me about her friend, the headturning, towering Kim.

Up to the shoot day itself, held in their Calabasas, CA home, I wasn't certain if Diddy would be joining in. So when I saw him at their kitchen watching television once I arrived, I mustered up my courage and asked (very) nicely. Not sure if I remember right, but it seemed my voice was but a whisper. I still wasn't used to talking to Hollywood celebrities then, since BC was only about a year old. So I go, "Mr. Combs, are you joining the photo shoot?" He answers, "Nah, this is Kim's shoot." (It sounded like a "nah" but with a straight face, so maybe it was a "nahr?") And I explain, "Actually, the photo shoot is for Kim and the twins, so it's really for your family." I showed him the magazine, and the Sean John Kids ads (he's actually our advertiser), and he says, "Oh, if it's for the girls, sure." Score one for BC! No one was really keeping score, but who cares? I felt like it was a step in the right direction for the magazine...and to this day, it remains one of our best and most enjoyable photo shoots.

Diddy loved these Zutano outfits I picked out (thank God) for his uber-cute twins. He even helped me change his girls, which I didn't expect from someone with nannies and assistants all around. Kim Porter is a hands-on mom herself. And I don't know how she does it, but that body has already churned out 3 kids.

As a stylist, it is heartwarming when the talent loves what you've picked out for them, since it's a nod to your taste. For this shoot, my heart was full because when the twins would come out after every layout, the family would literally clap and exclaim how adorable they looked. They kept asking where I found the stuff, and even Diddy asked if the girls could keep all that I brought. Kim also loved the clothes I was able to pull for her from Dolce & Gabbana, Ben Sherman, Diesel, etc.

So anyway, that's how I met Diddy. My friend, the ever-talented Meeno Peluce (who is the brother of Punky Brewster, Soleil Moon Frye) was the photographer, so it was a great day all around. A few months after, the twins celebrated their birthday and gave copies of BC to all the guests (like Gwen Stefani) who attended. The Combs family is love...




By the way, apart from Shalena being in the photo shoot, making sure things went well, there was another celebrity in the house while we were shooting: actor Blair Underwood (whom you might know as Dr. Leeds in "Sex and the City"). Don't know why he was there to this day...

(Photos by Meeno Peluce and Reggie Regala; Styling by me)