Nicole Richie Talks ’90s Fashion, Power Dressing and Her ‘Energetic’ Wardrobe in ‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead’ Remake
Nicole Richie is bringing power dressing to the big screen. In “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead,” scheduled to debut in theaters on Friday, she plays Rose, a businesswoman fighting to keep her employees motivated. And she does that with a little help from her wardrobe.
“Rose feels the pressure to keep the energy of her business going even though the energy has kind of come to a stagnant place. And I think for Rose it’s very important for her to wear bright colors,” Richie told WWD.
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Throughout the movie, Rose is seen in vibrant power suits in primary colors while wearing different hairstyles. “I think that is something she is doing to keep her employees’ energy up, as well. For her, especially, her costumes are really a form of keeping that energy alive,” said Richie, who “had a hand” in Rose’s costumes, selecting a somber head-to-toe Tom Ford look for one of her final scenes.
Richie knows how fashion can contribute to one’s career. Alongside Paris Hilton, she fostered some of the biggest style trends during the early naughties while starring in E!’s “The Simple Life.” The reality show crowned them as fashion influencers of the time.
However, Richie is not reminiscing about 2000s fashion. “I mean, I don’t even know what the 2000s are. They just feel nuts. It’s like neon and color. I think it’s just everything thrown at the wall,” she said, adding that the 1990s were more a match to her personal taste.
“I’ve always loved slip dresses, flats and a little cardigan. I really love how the ’90s just felt very raw and very simple, kind of like, ‘Who cares? We’re just like in our bodies and we’re going to do whatever we want,’ and that’s just something that I’ve always been drawn to, so I love ’90s fashion.”
Like her new character in “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead,” Richie is a businesswoman. In 2008, she launched her jewelry line House of Harlow 1960, which two years later extended to include apparel and footwear. Even though her style is different from Rose’s, she wouldn’t change a thing in her character’s wardrobe. “Oh, I would just say slay queen. You are killing it!” she said.
“Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead,” produced by BET+’s Original Films, is a remake of the 1991 namesake classic and also features June Squibb, Simone Joy Jones and more.
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