From Paris Hilton’s velour tracksuit-sporting best friend to married fashion designer, Nicole Richie talks about her – and her family’s – eclectic style.

Nicole Richie, 30, has come a long way. Or more accurately – her style has come on leaps and bounds since she first frittered into public consciousness alongside heiress Paris Hilton in reality TV show The Simple Life , almost a decade ago.

The sickly pink dresses have been replaced by elegant evening gowns and the Juicy Couture tracksuits traded in for skinny jeans.

“Too many to mention, but that is what fashion is all about!” Richie responds when asked about her previous fashion faux pas . “I think the similar outfits that my mother and I wore together to red carpet events when I was young have to be up there!”

Now overseeing two fashion labels – Winter Kate, her mid-priced boho casualwear brand and House of Harlow, her accessories line, Richie’s wardrobe is in plentiful supply.

Based in sun-soaked Los Angeles, it is now her two children, daughter Harlow, 4, and son Sparrow, 2, who influence the way she dresses. “I wear comfortable clothing so I am free to play” she explains, adding: “I’m an emotional dresser so it depends on my mood. I do not plan my outfits and just go with what I feel fits best for the day.”

Lucky for little Harlow, she is set to inherit an array of red carpet creations by her mother’s favourite designers – notably Emilio Pucci and Julien Macdonald, thanks to Nicole’s knack for archiving: “I try to edit my wardrobe regularly and store key pieces for my daughter for when she is older” says Nicole. The bespoke Marchesa gown she wore to marry her punk rocker husband Joel Madden will undoubtedly be the highlight.

Talking of which, Madden, the Good Charlotte singer with a penchant for baseball caps, tattoos and anything black, couldn’t be more different – sartorially speaking – from hippie-dresser Nicole. Hasn’t she ever wanted to give him a makeover?

“My husband has great style, so I wouldn’t try and change that for the world” she says, revealing that they only go shopping together when buying gifts for their children (a statement and fact men all over the world will no doubt be delighted to hear).

Laid-back Nicole finds her style icon tag “flattering” but cites her mother Brenda Harvey (ex-wife of singer Lionel Richie, who both adopted Nicole) as her fashion inspiration.

Top of her agenda is to continue to develop her brands, because, as she rather modestly confesses: “I just love to see everyday people wearing my designs.”

Jul 11, 2012 – Telegraph – Written by Olivia Lidbury