Sitting in a green room that used to be a dressing room at Neiman Marcus NorthPark Center, Nicole Richie now comes off as a poised and professional businesswoman.
This is a far cry from the starlette’s persona five years ago as a Hollywood party girl. In the past, Richie was known for her late night antics, such as hitting the Los Angeles club scene with her now deceased former fiancé, DJ A.M. and the likes of Lindsay Lohan.
After a hit reality show, publicized stints behind bars and in rehab, a drawn-out cat fight with former best friend Paris Hilton, a dramatic weight loss and a “New York Times Best-Seller” tell-all book, 28-year-old Richie is on her feet as the designer behind accessories brand House of Harlow and her new clothing line, Winter Kate.
Named after the two middle names of Richie’s daughter Harlow, Winter Kate supplements the same vintage aesthetic style of her jewelry line House of Harlow that launched in 2008.
“Designing clothes is something that I have always wanted to do,” Richie said.
But with two kids under the age of three and a mid-February engagement to long-time boyfriend Good Charlotte front man Joel Madden, the settled-down Richie admits the days of wild partying are behind her.
“I knew it would come later on in life because it is a big undertaking,” Richie said, referring to the launch of her career as a designer. “The right opportunity came along and I decided that now was the time to do it.”
Winter Kate reflects Richie’s personal style and her love for vintage clothing. It is filled with 60s- and 70s- inspired maxi dresses and kimonos.
“I would never design something that I wouldn’t wear myself,” she said of the flower-child feel of her 37-piece collection.
Richie’s style has evolved over the years from skimpy and revealing red carpet numbers to her now everyday chic, hippie look.
“I think that there is a piece out there for everyone,” Richie said of the collection (that starts at $35 and goes up to $598). “We have the really elaborate vintage-inspired kimonos where the prints and the colors are really bold, and then we have the very simple camisoles that are very great staple pieces.”
As for fall, Richie is going in a different direction with less color and cuts opposite of the spring styles you see in stores right now.
“Fall is pretty different. There are much cleaner lines and a lot of black, white and gray,” Richie said. “It is a little bit more sophisticated, because I tend to dress more sophisticated in the fall and winter.”
She has her hands full with her clothing line Winter Kate and her accessories line House of Harlow, but the celebrity–turned-businesswoman says there is even more to look forward to in the near future.
“I also have a show that I am developing for ABC and a book coming out in the summer, so I have a lot going on work-wise,” she said.
Although Richie keeps busy by dipping into television and publishing projects, she says fashion is her true delight.
“It is my passion and I do hope that I get to do it for a while,” she said.
Judging by the crowd that turned out to catch a glimpse of the petite star at Neiman Marcus in NorthPark on March 4 as she launched Winter Kate, her job as a designer looks pretty secure.
Hundreds of people lined up for hours waiting for Richie to make her in-store guest appearance.
As she made her way down the escalator from the third floor to the second, customers, fans and even some SMU students in the crowd cheered in excitement.
“This is outrageous, but we love Nicole Richie so it is worth it,” SMU sophomore Emily Bates said, one of the fans that turned out to meet Richie.
“We waited for an hour to see Nicole,” freshman Taylor Martin said, who carpooled to the event with a bunch of friends from the dorms.
Although most admit they came out to see Richie because of her celebrity status, senior Paige Noble made the trip to check out the designs.
“I only knew she had jewelry, so I was really excited to hear she had a clothing line,” Nobles said, who describes Richie’s style as “bohemian and edgy, yet modern and girly.”
As for the enthusiastic Dallas fans eager to meet Richie and snag pieces from her Winter Kate collection, the star says she keeps her success in perspective.
“I try not to make such big expectations,” Richie said. “I take it as it comes and I feel very blessed.”