There's less than a month to go before Nicole Richie's capsule collection for Macy's hits stores and online and to keep the anticipation up, the retailer released this exclusive video yesterday to show off the line.
In the video Richie explains that one of the aims of the collection was to make sure that the pieces would transcend from day into night, something she stressed when she started the collaboration, but more interesting than that was the sources of inspiration for the line. Naturally, music was a big factor but when asked about her ultimate style icon in music she surprised me, naming Keith Richards. 'He's very much his own person and has his own style and I'm drawn to that.'
Since the news broke about the collaboration it's become easy to forget that in working with Macy's, Richie follows in the footsteps of leading designers like Karl Lagerfeld and Giambattista Valli. Not bad for someone who was more originally seen as nothing more than Paris Hilton's BFF, no?
Nicole Richie is doing it all. Aside from working on her three fashion lines, she's also in the midst of promoting her soon-to-launch collection for Macy's and now, the campaign for her debut fragrance has just dropped too.
As I recently reported the fragrance, which is said to be a combination of 'blackberry and Seville orange, along with lily of the valley, sandalwood and Moroccan rose', hits stores in September and the campaign was shot by Anthony Mandler. 'I always shy away from anything that's too girly, but I consider myself a feminine girl,' Richie said after shooting the campaign. 'Anthony knows how to shoot something and make it feminine and sexy. but no so in-your-face girly,' and she's right. While the campaign does feel feminine, it's done in a sensual way.
Since she announced that she's teamed up with Macy's on a limited edition capsule collection, Nicole Richie has been teasing us with mini previews of the line and now the final campaign images have dropped.
Rather than opting for a model, Richie showcases the line herself and the move makes sense. 'Nicole is pretty savvy when it comes to the fashion business and understanding consumers,' Macy's chief marketing officer Martine Reardon said in a statement. 'She's a real fashion influencer,' so it only makes sense that she tapped into her own star and style power by modelling the collection herself.
Based on the images, it's plain to see that, like her other lines Winter Kate and House of Harlow, you can actually see her wearing all of it and while that sunds pretty basic, past celebrity lines show that's not always so common. As a result, the collection will definiely go down well with her legion of fans. As Richie promised, the collection includes a ode to the seventies along with 'a strong mix of masculine and feminine: print chiffon mixed with faux leathers' and easy pieces that will 'compliment the modern woman'.
When news broke that Nicole Richie is working on a partnership with Macy's Impulse line, not much was said in regards to the details besides the fact that the line will include a 'strong mix of masculine and feminine pieces.
That all changed last week when she attended a party to celebrate the launch of the upcoming line wearing a blouse from the line. According to reports, the collection features similar styled pieces in chiffon and printed styles along with faux leather pieces and bold coloured statement jewellery.
Nicole Richie has been keeping busy. Last month she confirmed that she's working with Macy's on a capsule collection and back in October she revealed that she's been working on a debut fragrance and this week the first image of the bottle was released.
The scent, which is in partnership with TPR and is set to hit stores in September, was apparently inspired by her mother's layered scents when she was a child. 'I have a very traditional Southern mom - you never left the house without lotion,' she told WWD. 'Over her lotion went oil and perfume - she was very put together from head to toe. It wasn't just a one-dimensional smell - there were many different layers' As far as her own scent goes, the smell is a combination of blackberry and Seville orange, along with lily of the valley, sandalwood and Moroccan rose.
Regular readers will know just how much of a fan I am of Nicole Richie. Over the years her red carpet appearances have become as strong as her much-loved off-duty style and yesterday was a case in point.
To attend the 4th annual FiFi Awards held at the Lincoln Center in New York, the designer chose this S/S12 Emilio Pucci dress and everything about it works. The only thing that let the look down was the heavy shoes and the overly formal hair style.
Nicole Richie recently confirmed that she is working on two new product categories of House of Harlow 1960 but what she didn't reveal is that she has also been hard at work on another big line. Today WWD reports that the 'Fashion Star' judge has signed on to design a limited-edition capsule collection for Macy's.
'Nicole is pretty savvy when it comes to the fashion business and understanding consumers. She’s a real fashion influencer,' Martine Reardon, Macy’s Inc.’s chief marketing officer, told WWD. 'She’s got a very definitive look, very free style and bohemian chic, and our collection will definitely pay homage to her style.'
Back in February Nicole Richie confirmed that she is working on new product categories but would not reveal what they were. Today, though, we finally know what the first new range is and it's bags. Rather than introducing a few key styles, Richie has opted for a fully comprehensive range under her House of Harlow 1960 label, which will feature everything from clutch bags to embroidered and beaded shoulder styles. The collection, which hits stores from September, comes in rich autumnal shades like teal, gold and emerald.
As I write this post the weather outside is less than pleasant (I blame the good weather from the past few weeks for getting me excited for summer prematurely), which makes now the perfect time to start planning your sunnies before summer really begins. When it comes to shades, nobody does it quite as well as Nicole Richie and the Olsens and with that in mind it comes at no surprise that their respective lines, Elizabeth & James and House of Harlow 1960, are delivering some of the best styles this season.
Over the past year I've been sporting my tortoiseshell wayfarers but Richie's House of Harlow 'Chelsea' shades in black will definitely be my go to pair of sunglasses this year. If you're looking to make an investment the round-framed styles from Linda Farrow for The Row are equally as good, especially if you like the black version that Mary-Kate Olsen has been sported over the last few years. For more wallet friendly styles, head to Topshop who have very similar styles but for less than £30 or if the cat-eye is your shape of choice, Whistles do the perfect reinterpretation of Tom Ford's much loved frames.
Nicole Richie is doing really well. Her House of Harlow 1960 and Winter Kate lines are extremely successful and last month saw her launch her new apparel and handbag collection for QVC.
Along with celebrity designers like Victoria Beckham, though, there's no denying that Richie had a point to make when she decided to turn her hand to design, but the challenge is one that she embraces. 'I view challenges as positives, and it's all about learning and growing,' she told WWD. 'I face challenges every season, but that's what this business is all about. You have to study your craft, and I'm learning everyday.' She continued: '[My name is not on the label because] it is not about me. I wasn't the product to speak for itself and have a customer go after it or stay away from it based on the product not the name. That's very important to me.'
This all seems like a far cry from her days starring alongside Paris Hilton in 'The Simple Life' but as you know, she recently returned to reality TV for NBC's new fashion reality show competition, Fashion Star. 'I'm looking forward to American getting to know the journey of these 14 amazing designers,' she told the title. 'There [will be] a lot of bumps in the road, but it's important to not lose sight of who you are as a designer and never forget who your customer is. I try to pay as much attention as I can to customer feedback and really listen to what they want.'
