Magazines and media may have segments dedicated to the dos and don´ts, but when it comes to fashion, Nicole Richie takes a very non-judgmental approach. “I don´t know that I would ever say that I´ve seen a mistake,” she tells Yahoo Style at her first House of Harlow 1960 pop-up store at The Grove in Los Angeles.
“You gotta represent who you are. Wear clothes how you want to wear them. Wear jewelry how you want to wear it. And that´s the point of fashion! You use it as a form of self-expression. If you use it in that way, it actually can be a lot of fun.”
The fashionista lives by this mantra now, however, admits that she wasn´t always so kind to herself while reviewing some of her past fashion regrets. “When I was 7/8, I was obsessed with Punky Brewster. At the time, I wore uniforms and there was no way for me at all play with fashion so I would do it with my socks and shoes. I would wear green socks and a red shoe and then a red sock with a green shoe. I just really was trying so hard to be like Punky Brewster,” she says, calling it her worst fashion faux pas to-date. There was also that whole over tweezing her eyebrows phase, which she has since made peace with.
Richie´s present day “wear what you want” mentality has trickled down to her children, Sparrow, 7, and Jack, 5. “They are not really interested in me picking out their outfits at this point,” Richie admits. “I let them wear whatever they want. I am not going to tell them what´s right or wrong to wear.” Her husband, Good Charlotte´s Joel Madden, however, doesn´t always agree with what comes out of his kids´ closets. If he had it his way, his son would be donning vintage Ramones t-shirts and 24/7 toddler rocker attire. “Joel doesn´t like the way that I dress Sparrow,” jokes Richie. “He likes to help out with the picking out of Sparrow´s clothes.
He´s like, ‘Let me do it!”
As far as her own fashion, Richie aims to dress in a way that makes her feel comfortable in her own skin. And from there she amps it up with bold and daring accessories. “I always think of myself as a t-shirt and jeans person who just accessorizes a lot. I love to be comfortable. That´s the number one for me, especially in the summer. I like to feel like I´m not really wearing anything.” In the hot SoCal months, Richie keeps her makeup to just an under eye concealer and loathes the feeling of too much clothing on her skin. “I like wearing camisoles. They are always my summer go to.” And while having kids hasn´t kept her from running errands in swoon-worthy attire, motherhood has made her somewhat re-evaluate her fashion choices. “My son is going through a stage where he likes to lift my dress up if he´s shy at all so I try and wear pants around him,” she says, with a smile.
Richie´s most signature accessory is arguably her ever-changing locks, which have portrayed a rainbow of colors, including her latest hot pink pixie. “It was a very spur of the moment decision,” she says of her current do. And one thing the 33-year-old fashion mogul loves about going short is the ease involved with styling it.
“I just put coconut oil in it and slick it back. That´s my go to.” While she loves to change up her mane, Richie is always game to follow any tips she can to keep her hair as healthy as possible. In lieu of frying it with a blow dryer, for instance, she purchased a salon style hooded dryer to sit underneath at home.
But though she receives endless praise for inspiring people to dye their hair everything from lavender to green and blue, Richie says she doesn´t officially endorse damaging your tresses for beauty. She even tried to advise her sister Sofia against bleaching her hair last year. “I always tell people not to dye their hair. I´m like, ‘Don´t do it! But I do it anyway!´” she exclaims.
This summer will see Richie relaxing with her family in Los Angeles and enjoying as many days outdoors as possible. While keeping hydrated is a warm weather beauty must of hers, the fashion designer hasn´t yet mastered the art of staying out of the sun. “I know I probably should be at this stage in my life,” she reveals. “And I always say, ‘this is my last year´ but I love the sun. It´s like drinking water for me. I love it. I have to get my tan going. I gotta do me on some level!”
But before she hits the beach, Richie will spend the beginning of July tending to her House of Harlow 1960 pop-up shop where she is unveiling a never before seen apparel collection. Among the items featured will be the line´s top selling Chelsea sunglasses, vintage silk camisoles, Richie´s entire home fragrance collection, and her latest venture, a fine jewelry line of crystals lined with 14kt gold. “I picked every crystal,” explains. Richie. “You´ll see any blue crystal has a shorter chain and that´s so it lies on your throat for your throat chakra. We also did smoky quartz and rose quartz to fall on your heart for your heart chakra. So it´s all very much a representation of just everything that really inspires me,” she says, of her newest collection.
Richie´s House of Harlow 1960 is open now at The Grove in Los Angeles through July 16. Go to the House of Harlow 1960 website for more information.