5 Style Lessons Courtesy of Nicole Richie

17 Jul 5 Style Lessons Courtesy of Nicole Richie

Here on The City, we are all about cultivating personal style, luckily, we can look to some of our favorite celebrities for a few style lessons.

The older I get, the more I am drawn to women who make their own rules. Whether it’s the way that they live their lives, how they climb the career ladder, or simply get dressed. I like a woman who isn’t afraid to be herself. And someone who can rock lavender–and now blue–hair is someone who clearly knows who she is and what she wants to say as a woman.

I can’t remember when I really started paying attention to Nicole Richie. I just remember her wedding dress and how she looked like an edgier, more rocker version of Grace Kelly.

When her father, Lionel Richie, was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award during the BET Awards, I kept my eyes glued to the screen hoping for a glimpse of the mother-of-two. No dice. I just love any chance I get to see her style in action. Thankfully, her AOL web series turned television reality show, #Candidly Nicole, is premiering on VH1 tonight.

And I can’t wait. In honor of weekly doses of Mrs. Madden, I thought it would be the perfect time to explore her sartorial choices with 5 tips the we can apply to our sense style.

Ready?

1. There Are No Rules

I mean, duh. This woman wears what she feels. I am really envious of the way that she switches her hair color. She wore silver hair to last year’s Met Gala, dyed her locks lavender and now, she’s sporting blue-hued follicles. Can I tell you a secret? I want to dye the tips of my hair cobalt blue. Or get a leopard streak in the back of my head. I think I could pull it off in my field, but I’m nervous. When I see Mrs. Madden though, it’s a reminder that they’re are no rules.

2. Layer Up

I went on this date once with the designer of a pretty big fashion label. This little French man who was twice my age (I didn’t know it at the time). He knew that I was a fashion writer, but thought for sure that I had some artistic side hustle, because I “dressed like an artist.” Nah, homie. I just get cold easily and like to layer up. I’m always looking for new and interesting ways to layer and Nicole nails it every time. Although, she said that she learned this from Harlow. “My daughter actually taught me this trick,” she told Elle magazine. “She is the girliest girl ever, so the only way I can get her dressed in the winter is to put turtlenecks under her dresses. And I think that’s so chic.” Agreed. Good eye, young Harlow.

3. She Wears the Pants

I’m sort of like little Harlow in the sense that I don’t like to wear pants. True story, my Internet connection is titled #NoPantsAllowed. My neighbors are probably like, ‘There goes the neighborhood,’ huh? I just don’t feel ladylike in them. I will pick skirts or dresses, always. That is until I see a picture of Nicole in a pair of high-waisted pants that just skim the ground. And I’m like God, she’s so chic! Can I look like that? It also helps that she’s tiny and isn’t afraid of drowning in fabric.

4. Started from the Bottom

Started! Everyone has a relative bottom when it comes to their style. Mine was high school and college. I was way too trendy. I wore whatever was hot at the time. So that means if I didn’t hide most of my Facebook pictures when my mom joined, you’d see tons of photos of me in Apple Bottoms, Rocawear and J.Lo jewelry. Not to mention I was so matchy matchy. It was just all around bad. But as I grow and figure out what works for me, my wardrobe has greatly improved. You remember Nicole on The Simple Life, right? See, she wasn’t afraid to scrap her style and start from scratch.

5. Put Your Thang Down, Flip It & Reserve It

So maybe I got a little excited with the Missy Elliot lyrics, but the same can be said of Nicole’s style. I really admire that every time she goes out, we know she’s going to show out (okay, really, I’m done speaking in lyrics) in completely different ways. Take the three looks above for instance, though she’s wearing similar pieces, the looks are completely different. The girl’s got versatility.

What do you think of Nicole Richie’s style? Will you watch her show #Candidly Nicole tonight at 10 p.m. on VH1? Who’s style can’t you get enough of?