Twenty years ago, Paris and Nicky Hilton set the trends that drive today’s retro Y2K fashion movement. What most didn’t realize at the time, mother Kathy was in charge of their fashion education. Here, a look back at some key style moments that led to their Icon status.
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2001: Front Row at NYFW
Image Credit: WWD NICKY HILTON: “This is a Diane von Furstenberg show. I know that because of the wrap dress that I’m wearing and Paris has a geometric sundress. I’m not wearing any makeup.”
KATHY HILTON:“This was one of their first fashion shows. Diane would send boxes of her dresses over so when they would put something of hers on, I was very happy with it. Some of the others, mmm!”
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2002: Paris starts a trend
Image Credit: AP PH: “I used to be obsessed with low-rise jeans and I had that top in every single color. That was my favorite look, and my mom hated it.
KH: “I never saw you walk out of the house like that! This getup I’ve never seen before. But I’m sure I paid for it. Paris is very clever. I’m sure she layered on a trench coat. Wow, I guess it’s popular today. She is ahead of her time, I will say that.”
NH: “It is iconic. All the girls are copying it today. You see it on the runways in Paris.”
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2004: A Brunette Nicky and Paris on the town
Image Credit: WWD KH: “Nicky colors her hair and says ‘I’m out of this.’”
PH: “Is that at Kitson? I’m wearing a Nicky Hilton bag, and I remember that’s when Nicky dyed her hair dark and it was the first time in our lives that we didn’t look like twins.”
NH: “I sometimes toy with the idea of going back, but it’s so damaging (for the hair). And look at my little clear Manolo mules. I had those in every color and I wore them with everything.”
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2002: Attending haute couture shows in Paris
Image Credit: AP “I just wanted to expose them [to couture] and they would rather be at the carnival or down in the pet district, which is really no longer. I just said, ‘I really want to bring you, it’ll be fun, and so we went and they’re sitting like, ‘So what?’” said Kathy Hilton. “And then I took them to Galliano and they got a little more excited about that. And then the next summer they were very into it.”
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2004: NBA All-Star Weekend
Image Credit: AP PH: “Those bags are iconic. I just found a bunch of them at my house, I love them.”
NH: “People write me on social media all the time, petitioning to bring back the Samantha Thavasa 7 bag.”
PH: “I love that Tinkerbell is wearing the matching Lakers outfit.”
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2002: Attending haute couture shows in Paris
Image Credit: AP PARIS HILTON: “I always loved the way my mother dressed. I used to go into her closet and borrow her clothes and Chanel bags. It was definitely a fun closet to raid.”
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2003: The MTV Movie Awards
Image Credit: AP NH: “That’s a whole lot of tan!”
PH: “We definitely loved our spray tans back then! I loved that turquoise. This is definitely another iconic look. Every Halloween I see girls who re-create this look. I got it at Patricia Field.”
NH: “My dress is Tracy Feith. I think I bought it in the Hamptons.”
KH: “I have that dress, it’s here. I’ve started going through everything, and I have found all of these looks. We moved back and forth a few times, so under my tennis court I have an entire storage and it has their homework, their Halloween costumes, everything. I am very sentimental — I’m a Pisces.”
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2006: The Heatherette show
Image Credit: AP PH: “Nicky and I always loved walking at the Heatherette shows. They were just so much fun. The fashion was insane.”
NH: “They don’t do fashion shows like this anymore. That was just the coolest, most wild, fun show. They always had the coolest cameos on the runway, really unexpected.
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2005: The Vanity Fair Oscars party
Image Credit: AP NH: “This dress was a last-minute dress. It was Roberto Cavalli. It’s almost like we are trading places at this event.”
PH: “And I was inspired by the Oscar statue. I keep certain pieces for my daughters one day, so those are in my storage unit. And I keep some pieces just because they’re iconic and I love them. And then a lot of stuff I donate either to charities or give them to my friends or my cousins.”
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2003: MTV VMAs
Image Credit: AP NH: Oh this is fun. So our friend Joey Tierney was the stylist for Britney Spears. And she had this clothing line Joey & T and she made us these custom looks.”
PH: “I love her, I was actually just with her on DM a couple of weeks ago and she sent me all of these photos of shoots we used to do and backstage at fashion shows that Nicky and I used to walk in. And that was just so 2000s, all of her styles, with Swarovski crystals and bright colors and it was just such a fun brand.”
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2003: A Jeremy Scott show
Image Credit: AP PH: “I remember this day. I was at the Jeremy Scott fashion show and I was backstage getting ready to walk the runway, and that’s why I have the curler clips still in my hair, and I was interviewing people for ‘Entertainment Tonight.’ That was just an epic show. I love that I’m wearing the Von Dutch T-shirt. This was when ‘The Simple Life’ was coming out, so I was on camera a lot and on the scene. I knew it was something I was born to do.”
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2005: Hitting the tents at NYFW
Image Credit: AP NH: “That’s walking into the Luca Luca fashion show at Bryant Park. I love that top with the metallic Balenciaga [bag].”
PH: I love that yellow on me. My old bodyguard in the background.”
