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Click Here to see the Millionaire Makeover! When male millionaires can't find romance, they can pay $10,000 to an exclusive dating service for head-to-toe makeovers, wisdom from a dating coach and set-ups with women who might be perfect for them. Meanwhile, women sign up to meet them for free On a sunny Sunday afternoon at a swank bachelor pad in the Hollywood Hills, Renae, a 29-year-old actress/writer, and Steven, a 39-year-old lawyer/producer, lounge together on a wraparound deck drinking bloody marys and taking in the stunning panoramic view of L.A. They lazily discuss jumping into Steven's candy-apple-red Corvette Sting Ray and heading to the trendy Bar Marmont for Cosmopolitans, dinner and plenty of champagne. They are on their fourth date and things are going well. Very well, especially considering Renae was plucked by Steven from a file full of hundreds of other single women. That's right. Renae met the very eligible, wealthy Steven through the Millionaire's Club, a dating agency launched in January 2000 that is geared toward finding male multi-millionaires a love connection. For $10,000 a year, a lonely Goldfinger is given photos and stats on over 100 women that the Millionaire's Club owner, Patti Stanger, has personally selected from the thousands of letters and e-mails she receives monthly from women hoping to meet a George Clooney look-a-like with a Bill Gates bank account. The women Patti selects are automatically entered for free into the database, which she dips into to find dates for male members. As far as the men's screening process, Patti doesn't ask for paycheck stubs. But she does meet with each potential member, asking him how many houses he has, where he vacations and what kind of car he drives, to test if he's legit or not, (though ultimately, the Club's five-figure fee weeds out the Hefs from the Hef-nots.) "If they flinch, I tell them to forget it," Patti says, recently enforcing her policy with a Beverly Hills doctor who whipped out a calculator to assess costs. The women Patti selects for her service are mostly successful actresses, models and career women, many of whom want to meet a marriage-minded man with stability and success. "I know that it seems like the service is for the men, but I'm also doing it for my sisters," says Patti. "I'm trying to make men better for them."
As testimony to her dating altruism, Patti, whose grandmother and mother were also professional matchmakers, has masterminded a one-of-a-kind dating service that plays a dual role of Cupid and Svengali. As part of the ten grand annual membership fee, Millionaire's Club offers men not only unlimited dating, but also a free hour-long session with dating coach David Wygant (additional sessions are available for $100 an hour), and a half-hour consultation with Gary Stollman, Ph.D., a Beverly Hills psychologist, who says he helps the millionaires "get real on having a relationship." Patti also offers her own services as a one-on-one personal shopper and stylist for the filthy rich but fashion-challenged, for a relative bargain price of $800 a day. "These guys need some help," Patti explains. "Like a relationship rehab." The Pygmalion part of Millionaire's Club was prompted by Patti's observation that many of her clients walk in with unrealistic expectations and end up frustrated, which is bad for business. "They want the cheerleader they couldn't get in high school," Patti explains. She describes the men-most in their late 30s, 40s and 50s-as ultra-picky, particularly about women's appearances. "I have guys who look at a woman's picture and say things to me like, 'Her left eye is weird' or 'Her breasts aren't high enough,'" she says with disgust. "So I give the men the girls they want and when the girls are not interested, the men are miserable." Since Patti's women are not paid escorts, but women looking for a relationship, they are often devastatingly blunt when Patti makes her customary post-date follow-up call. Then, Patti relays the information. "She said you're old and overweight," Patti tells a client about last night's date. "She said you were boring . . . and what did you wear? This is my second complaint about your clothes." Patti insists the men in the service ultimately appreciate her comments, though. "Most of the guys know I'm trying to help. This is how we tear down their egos and create a soul." Though the women in Patti's service do not need makeovers, they have other needs. "I am attracted to ultra-successful, ultra-powerful types," says D'arcy, 32, who has been with Millionaire's Club for four months. "I like to be with the man who's number one at what he does." D'arcy prefers men at least twenty years her senior-bonus if he's divorced or widowed with adult children. Patti says D'arcy is one of the more popular girls, no doubt due to her mermaid-length hair, great figure and profoundly deep . . . tan. In fact, D'arcy is so into suntanning, her license plate reads TOBTAN and her e-mail address is TANQT, for "tan cutie." Susie, a 33-year-old teacher who has been with the service five months, says the men are nice, but her dates have lacked romantic chemistry, "and some of these guys could use some new sexy clothes." The Million Man Makeover At 7:00 a.m. on a Saturday, Patti is focusing on her two latest projects, Fernando, 43, a financial wizard, and Tim, 46, a broadband Internet mogul. Both men have gotten negative feedback from women on their dating attire, and now it's Patti's turn to step in. Imagine Pretty Woman, but with Julia Roberts telling a rusty Richard Gere to get a haircut and some decent-looking shoes. Fernando arrives early in his silver Porsche 911 for his 8:30 a.m. haircut appointment at Frédéric Fekkai, a tony Rodeo Drive salon where celebrities such as Reese Witherspoon and Elisabeth Shue get their locks shorn. A slim 5'6" wearing tapered jeans and a flannel shirt, Fernando sits in the chair obediently, while Patti clucks instructions to Guy, the hair stylist. As Guy trims Fernando's hair, Tim ambles in, around 6'3" with a strapping, ex-football player's build. Tim, who's wearing a red bowling-style shirt, black jeans and bone-colored nubuck shoes with black socks, boasts that he likes to dress like no one else does, to which Patti scoffs, "You didn't wear that on a date, did you?" When Tim nods, she mutters, "God help me." After Fernando's $75 haircut, the trio's next stop is Armani. Patti barks out orders to bustling sales people for shirts! shoes! pants! In an hour, Fernando has traded in his sloppy Joe look for a stunning slate-blue cashmere T-shirt, wool pants and a purple mohair zip-up sweater. He has also scored a black leather jacket that will look great with his '98 custom Harley. The women in the store smile approvingly, while Patti fusses with his shirt and jacket collar. "God, you look so gorgeous!" she shouts. "The women are going to love you." Without even looking at the price tags, Fernando slaps down his platinum card, dropping over ten thousand dollars in less than 60 minutes. At Barneys, it's Tim's turn. According to Patti, Tim has been "a project in the works." In the four months he's been with Millionaire's Club, Patti has encouraged him to get his teeth fixed and slim down. Tim has complied and is already 30 pounds lighter. Today, with Patti's guidance, Tim tries on a green leather Jil Sander jacket. "You look like Sean Connery!" coos Patti. Tim smiles, looking pleased, and walks off with the jacket-plus a sweater and beige Jil Sander trousers.
Now, Who Wants to Meet a Millionaire? Saturday night at the Beach House, a cool, cozy bar in Santa Monica, the newly decked Tim and Fernando meet to have dinner and drinks with David Wygant, dating coach and author of an upcoming book on dating titled, I Can Talk to Anybody. What's Your Excuse? Both Tim and Fernando have met with David a number of times before, seeking guidance on how to treat the women they get set up with through the service and on ways to meet women. Two days ago, David took Fernando to an organic grocery store known to be a great pick-up scene. Fernando chatted up a woman by the mixed bins. Handsome, enthusiastic and slightly ribald, David is a cross between actor Alec Baldwin, motivational speaker Tony Robbins and shock-jock Howard Stern. He is at turns encouraging, hilarious and insulting. "When a man approaches a woman, he should utilize the atmosphere," lectures David, as he nurses an after-dinner brandy. "If you walk up to a woman and say [David does a classic meat-head voice], 'Yo! You look like you work out!' Forget it, you're dead." Though David defines a bar as "just about the worst place to meet women," he is out with the millionaires tonight to help prove that they can meet women anywhere and everywhere, provided they have the right attitude. "You have to be present and focused, but without expectations," says David. When Fernando laments how he wussed out when he approached a woman recently, David warns him of the perils of hesitation. "It's called the Two Second Rule. If a woman looks at you and you count more than two seconds before you approach, then you might as well count two hours, because it ain't gonna happen." After dessert, without comment Tim gets up, walks over to two beautiful women sitting on a sofa and starts a conversation. The women are leaning in, laughing at what he is saying and flipping their hair. Inspired, Fernando approaches two women at the bar and opens with a self-deprecating comment about the new clothes he's wearing from Armani. David watches them with fatherly pride. Later, Tim tells how much David has helped him with women: "He's taught me how to relax and not expect so much. It's made a huge difference." As proof, Tim has had seven dates in the last two weeks and has two more in the upcoming week. Bolstered by their success, the three men later approach a table of four women in their twenties wearing tube tops and leather halters. The three chat amiably with the women, who do not appear at all annoyed by their presence. David talks a lot about "sealing the deal," getting a woman's phone number. Though tonight no deals were sealed (the blonde wouldn't give her num-ber to Tim, and Fernando didn't ask for any), clearly these men's egos are firmed up. "Well, at least I've gotten a lot of compliments on my jacket," Tim says optimistically. The evening ends on a still-single, but high note. And as Fernando climbs into his stretch limousine and mentions checking out a hot new bar in West Hollywod, an observation Patti recently made comes to mind: "Relationships never last in L.A. If you're in something for eight months, that's like forever. Everyone is always looking to upgrade, to the BBD, the bigger better deal." For information about how women can obtain free
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