StyleWinterFashio

nistaKate

Nicole Richie and Gazette style editor Eva Friede sat down to talk

about Nicole’s new Winter Kate line of clothing last week. This is

an edited transcript of their conversation from Montreal Gazette.

Q. There’s a growing cult of Nicole, with people just mad about your

style. What do you attribute that to

?

“That’s a very nice compliment. Thank you. I re

ally am one to dress for

comfort. The big challenge I find is th

at there’s not a lot out there that’s

extremely comfortable but are great statement pieces.

“A big inspiration behind this collection was to make things really easy,

things that move well and that you can just throw on without thinking about

it.”

Q. So many celebrities, so

many fashion lines. What se

ts this one apart?

“I can’t speak for other people and their lin

es because I have no idea what is

going on there.

“I 100 per cent design everything, every single piece. I would never put my

name on something I would not wear myself. This is not an endorsement

deal. I really took this on as a designer and it’s

something I take seriously

and hope to do for a long time.”

Q. What advice can you give to girls who want to

be a size 0?

“I’m in no positio

n to give that kind of advice, because I don’t know what it’s

like to be there. I can only hope that women are just happy in being them-

selves.”

Interview

Q. Comfort, ease, sta

tement pieces, a touch of boho – what else can you

add to describe your inspiration?

“With this collection, I was really inspired by the ’60s and ’70s. I t

hink that

time was really great and I thought for spring and summer, it

would be a

good inspiration, because in the summer when you’re hot you just don’t feel

like you want to wear really anything.

“I just w

anted the clothes to be very easy to wear.”

Q. How did you hook up with Brian and Rick Cytrynbaum

(the Montreal brothers who hold the license and

produce her footwear and fashion)?

“They came to L.A. and I had them come over to my house

just to vibe out. I p

ulled out my favourite vintage clothes

and things that I truly love, and hung them over my lamps

and over my couches, just so

they could see a room that

was me and explained who I was and where my mind

was at. And we just kind of sat there for three hours

and kind of vibed. They’re such experts in this, a

nd

it was just a perfect fit.”

Q. When you’re not wearing your own line,

what do you wear.?

“I actually wear Winter Kate every day, but I’m actually just a

jeans and T-shirt kind of person.”

Q. Skinny, wide, blue, frayed?

“I wear bell bottoms, I wear skinny jeans, ju

st kind

of whatever is on the floor.”

Q. Where do you think you can take this line?

Can it become a major part o

f the

fashion landscape?

“One can only hope. I feel blessed to be even here

today. We just finished fall, and it’s a completely

different look – very tailored, clean lines, black,

white, grey, just totally different. I h

ope to keep

reinventing the line through every season.”

Q. You’re engaged?“I’m only talking about the line to-

day”.

Q. We’re in this democratization

phase in fashion now. What’s the

next big thing in fashion?“I really try and not pay attention to

trends because I think it’s important

for every woman to know who she is

and know her body and what looks

good on her and what doesn’t. For

instance, I’m 5’1 so I can get away

with wearing short-shorts or short

dresses and it means something to-

tally different than someone wearing

it who’s 5’9.“If the biggest trend in the world is

knee-length everything, that doesn’t

mean I would necessarily wear it.”

Q. Are we entering an age of indi-

viduality?“I hope so, yes.”

Interview

Nicole Richie

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