Could It Be Talent?

Nicky Hilton actually attended fashion school (though she didn't graduate), so in that respect she is slightly less infuriating than the 3,000 celebrities who can barely dress themselves who now "design" their own collections. Because she might actually have tried, I feel more willing to give Jan Brady Hilton a chance. I looked up what she's done this fall, and surprisingly some of it isn't half bad.

The 24-year old has two labels-- Nicholai (that's her full first name) and Chick by Nicky Hilton.

In a recent interview with the Associate Press, she noted the difference between the two:

"Nicholai is definitely for the mature, sophisticated customer ... whereas Chick is just fun pieces."

Check out this video of the Nicholai show at New York Fashion Week this fall. (P.S. - Model #4 in the red is Pete Doherty's current girlfriend.) Some of the outfits manage to be simultaneously tacky and boring, and others are cut like sacks, but there are a few beautiful pieces peppering the line. I particularly love the dense sequins on some of the separates - very vintage.

Chick on the other hand ain't so good. And it wasn't ever good. Less than a year after it debuted in 2004, I was finding pieces of it on the clearance rack at my local T.J. Maxx.
These items are cute, but they were already available 3 months ago at the mall.

Do you think she actually designs this stuff? Or does she just approve what other people design for her and pays them to keep quiet about it?