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Photograph by Sarah Carmody
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A public-service announcement to you starlets, B-listers and run-of-the-mill red-carpet walkers: Cindy Lee wants to root around in your closet. She’s on a mission to cop your T-shirts, your track pants, your sandals—she’ll even snag your old purses. And get this: She wants to sell them on eBay.
Simmer down and save your rant about the gossip-hungry jackals who get fat off your life’s leftovers, Mr. Pitt. Lee and her out-of-town business partner, Susie Busch-Transou, want to do good with your hand-me-downs. QLu, their fledgling online enterprise (myqlu.com), auctions items donated by celebrities and gives a healthy chunk of the proceeds—try 40 to 70 percent—to charities of their choosing.
And thanks to Busch-Transou’s enviable Rolodex (yes, she’s one of those Busches), they’ve already amassed an impressive roster of contributors, from Nelly and Faith Hill to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Hugh Hefner.
Lee, a Clayton native, admits to a few celebrity crushes (“I’d love to have one of George Clooney’s T-shirts as my nightshirt,” she says), but she promises that this endeavor is about making positive connections, not facilitating obsessions. Of course, it’s only fair to point out that after winning a pair of jeans, one excited customer wrote in: “Yee-haw! I can say I’ve been in Tim McGraw’s pants!”
This raises an interesting question: Most of QLu’s inventory is of the everyday variety—Nelly’s sweat pants, Hef’s silk robe—so could celebrity skivvies be next? “We’re trying to steer clear of undergarments right now,” Lee says. That’s all right—it’s not like you’ll find many of those in Hollywood these days anyway.
So what's all the stuff in the photo? Lee helped us identify every item. (Editor's note: Because this photo was taken in early May, the items shown here are no longer up for auction.)
1. Leah Remini's Yves St. Laurent gown
2. & 3. Nelly's Vokal jersey and jacket
4. Kathy Griffin's clutch
5. Chris Farley's Marquette University rugby hat
6. Hugh Hefner's Playboy 25th Anniversary 1979 collectible satin jacket
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s gold Pumas
8. Nelly's NBA jacket
9. Nelly's Nike Air Derrty shoes
10. Farley's Comedy Central hat
11. Playmate Holly Madison's Playboy Bunny purse.
12. Hefner's silk robe
13. Faith Hill's champagne shrug
