EXCLUSIVE: She was the star of the 2024 Melbourne Cup, and Nicky Hilton Rosthchild is still buzzing from all the fashion and fun more than 24 hours later.
Though her butter yellow Rebecca Vallance ensemble for Cup Day looked effortless, the star reveals it was anything but.
"Rebecca and I knew we wanted something elegant and refined, but that also had a fun and playful feel to support the theme of the day," she tells 9Honey Celebrity.
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Rebecca Vallance and Nicky Hilton Rosthchild at the Lexus marquee at the Melbourne Cup. (Supplied: Lexus)"Lots of calls, mood boards and fittings go into the design journey. We always have fun working together."
She and the iconic Australian designer recently worked together on a collaboration for Vallance's brand, so Nicky knew she was in good hands with her "dearest friend".
Especially for an event as iconic and stylish as the Lexus Melbourne Cup.
"It is really important to adhere to the traditional dress code but you can also have a lot of fun doing so," she adds of the race day fashion rules.
"Rebecca and I knew we wanted something elegant and refined," she said. (Getty)But there was a time when Nicky flirted with those rules, like when she arrived at the 2003 Melbourne Cup in a tiny pink slip dress with sister Paris Hilton.
Paris was especially daring that day, showing off her midriff in a low rise skirt and sheer floral bodice. Ladies are expected to dress "modestly" on Cup Day and not expose their stomachs, so the sisters' outfits were considered a little risqué.
Looking back on their outfits from that day, Nicky can't help but smile.
"Paris and I had so much fun attending the Cup back in 2003. I think the pink slip dress look was pretty iconic," she quips.
"It always sticks out to me. It was playful and fun."
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Paris and Nicky Hilton at the Melbourne Cup in 2003. The Hilton sisters have always been close and their bond has only deepened since they've both become mothers.
Nicky shares daughters Lily-Grace, eight, and Theodora, six, and son Chasen, two, with financier husband James Rothschild, while Paris shares son Phoenix, who is almost two, and daughter London, one, with husband Carter Reum.
"We are so close, I think the only thing that has changed is the distance," Nicky reveals of the connection she shares with her sister.
"I'm in New York and Paris is in LA, but we still see each other as much as we can and always FaceTime in between."
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The sisters pictured at the MTV Video Music Awards in September 2024. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)Growing up in the spotlight wasn't all glitz and glamour for the sisters and they both had to find their own ways to navigate fame.
Nicky admits finding balance between her private life and public persona has been a "lifelong journey" and she doubts that will ever change.
Thankfully, she's found ways to cope with the pressures of life in the spotlight.
"To me, being authentic is finding that balance between the personal and social self," she explains.
"Having a public persona is something that has always surrounded me, I respect and am grateful for the opportunities this has given me.
"On the other side, I also find it important to maintain a level of separation for my private life especially when it comes to spending time with my family and children."
"Having a public persona is something that has always surrounded me." (Supplied: Lexus)Soon she'll be back in the US with her husband and children, FaceTiming her sister between school runs and holiday preparations.
In the meantime, Nicky hopes to make the most of her visit to Australia – but there's one local tradition she won't be taking part in.
"I just learnt what a 'shoey' was the other day. I don't think I'll be taking on that Aussie custom," she says with a laugh.
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