My, my, my. Nicole Richie has come a long way since The Simple Life, her reality train wreck, er, show with former bestie Paris Hilton. Now a mother of two and a style icon, as opposed to a knotty-haired celebutante who wore platform flip flops and cut-offs, Richie designs '60s-inspired accessories for her House of Harlow 1960 line, as opposed to relying on too much spray tan as her sole accessory.
She has evolved from the boho chic hippie look of her Rachel Zoe days. Remember when those two had a falling out? It was a fashion breakup that shook me to my core, since Zoe was largely responsible for helping Richie, who has been owning her light purple hair this year, shed her too tight, too short, too trashy look in favor of loose, flowy layers and patterns. Postscript: Richie and Zoe have since made up.
Richie has actually grown from those Zoe-approved signatures, as well. She is much more ladylike nowadays, pairing wide-legged trousers with violet locks, so she still has an edge. Her accessories are almost always of the statement sort and she isn't afraid of florals. In fact, her look is very statement in general.
I miss her former pairings, like peasant tops with skinnies and thong sandals or slouchy boots and Balenciaga motorcycle bags. But the Candidly Nicole star is 32 now and her style reflects the businesswoman and mother that she is.
These are 12 times she demonstrated her signature style on Instagram, plus tips to channel her vibe yourself. Trust me, it's super simple.
1. Statement Shades
Richie's sunnies are always gigantic. Like this black pair, which take up half her face, for She looks like an adorable alien. Go big or why bother — that's my philosophy when it comes to sunglasses.
2. Wide-Legged Trousers
These wide-legged trousers, paired with a lacy mint top showing just a hint of skin, are professional without being stiff or boring. The driving mindset here is finding the perfect balance between top and bottom. If the pants are flowing, the top can be cropped. Use those milemarkers when trying this style.
3. Statement Accessories, Too
Shades aren't the only statements that Richie makes. She is known for her jewelry. The huge, starry necklace and hand charm are insanely unique. A necklace that big usually means you need to keep everything else low key, but Richie throws that rule out the window and has fun with mixed materials and sizes. Why don't you try it? Pile on multiple monster accessories and have fun.
4. Skinnies
N. Richie doesn't solely stick to volume with her pantalones. She still dons skinnies here and there, like these leather leggings, which are inherently rocker chick. Richie added a dose of class with the blazer — If you want to try to get away with wearing leather pants to work, this is the way to do it. Add a pair of kitten heels, too.
5. Slicked Back
Richie often slicks her hair back off her face and forehead, usually in a bun. She's rocking some Mouse Ears in this candid pic with pals, but once again, shades play are part. This pair is smaller and more classic.
6. Stacked
This throwback pic, of her mid-to-late-twenties boho chic style, finds her with tons of bracelets. She still stacks them but these golden gobs of different shapes and sizes represent a, well, gold standard in accessorizing. The key here is mixing bracelets of all different dimensions, which ups the cool factor of this look.
7. Silver, Too
Alternately, she also wears silver. Stacking similarly shaped silver bangles worked with her black top and lavender hair. This is another way to do the stacked bracelet trend when you don't want to overdo it or want to keep the jingling to a minimum.
8. Eye Drama
Richie can usually be seen with a dramatic cat eye and liner that extends beyond her eye, like so. Guys, I've already discussed how to do this with Benefit's gel pen and with this handy dandy gel eyeliner tutorial. So if you want to copy Nic's cat eye, read my guides, please.
9. This Is How You Do Boho Chic
I personally think the Richie take on boho chic or hippie chic is more wearable than when Sienna Miller did it. This throwback shot is vintage Richie. What to take away from this snap is how she plays volume and loose layers, even in the slouchy boots. Once again, she mixes materials and the high and low. My advice is to pair a high-end piece with vintage or thrift scores to get close to this.
10. Not Afraid Of Florals
Florals are often viewed as the domain of church-going grannies but Richie brings the pattern into vogue with her topper. It's not something all of us can pull off, but the message she imparts is that bold, big patterns are fine even when you're petite.
11. Separates
Another Richie staple is mixing separates, which she often does with her pants and tops, rather than going matchy-matchy with sets. This is fairly common among most of us, though.
12. Doe-Eyed
We've established that Richie's cat eye and flick are staples since they are. But here she is without that attention-grabbing, competitive purple hair and this is where you can appreciate her doe-eyed stare. To replicate, grab a wand of your fave mascara that curls, lengthens, and volumizes and apply at least three coats to each eye. Smudge some kohl shadow underneath, too.
Images: Nicole Richie/Instagram (12)
