Interview: Socialite Jaimie Hilfiger Talks About Fashion, Her Favorite Spots And What Tommy Hilfiger Is Missing

by Barbara Russ · March 29, 2012

    Socialite Jaimie Hilfiger is the niece of Tommy Hilfiger, a model since childhood, and most recently a columnist on the latest trends and shows for the Stylelist blog of Huffington Post. We talked with Jaimie about her latest projects, like her plans of designing a lingerie line and a possible reality TV show, how her family influences her, and what she thinks Tommy Hilfiger is missing.

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    You've got a lot of different things going on. How did your family background influence your career?

    Definitely, I was raised in a very influential fashion family. So from a very young age I was able to spot a trend and the new things coming out before my friends could. So as I grew older, I knew I wanted to be in the entertainment industry in some way. I didn’t necessarily want to be a movie actress, but I wanted to be able to comment on things and I was always into fashion, style, shoes, trends and beauty products. So I made the move out to Hollywood -- I grew up in New York -- and since then I started becoming a spokesperson for various high end companies. I want to be commentating on fashion and trends and the entertainment world. It’s been a great start so far, I’m only 24 years old, so I’m only getting into it. I hope to eventually come out with my own line of clothing, I think that would be amazing.

    There are rumors about you starting a lingerie line and starring in a reality TV show. What about that?

    I am actually in talks with a major network about a self-titled reality TV show. The main focus is going to be on the making of the brand. So it’s gonna be all about me creating things. In the first season it would be a clothing line, and then during the show a lot of opportunities are going to come my way. There is going to be perfume people that are going to want to buy the license for my name and for shoes, too. I feel nowadays celebrities need to do more than they already do. You can’t just be an actress, you also have to have your own perfume as well and a clothing line with your sister for example. So there’s always more things that celebrities need to do to stay on top. Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian are so successful because they managed to make their names into brands or household names.

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    What inspires you?

    A lot of inspirations for my personal style come from traveling. I’m really inspired by Paris and St. Tropez and that culture. For example, for my lingerie line, I want to make really comfortable but classy clothing that a woman could wear when they get home from work and they want to take off their work clothes, but not necessarily put on their pajamas, because, you know, they still wanna look cute for their husband or boyfriend or even their roommate.  I want to design a lingerie line that you can wear around the house but it’s still comfortable enough so you could wear it to sleep. So, for that I ‘m pulling a lot of inspiration from Hollywood styles.

    What is your personal look?

    My personal look is very… glamorous, I think you could say. So I definitely want to add a touch of glamour to everything that I create. And that doesn’t mean putting rhinestones on dresses. It’s more like I wanna give the Tommy Hilfiger market what it’s missing. And I think that the Tommy Hilfiger market is definitely missing sleepwear and it’s missing this pretty, girly approach.

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    So, actually the total opposite of what Tommy Hilfiger is doing?

    Yes, kind of the total opposite. Tommy Hilfiger is very classic with a twist, and I love all of the designs and I think that every new collection is very amazing and inspiring. But I wanna do more of my own: my own color palette like pinks and lavenders and some green.

    How often are you going to write for the Huffington post?

    I’ve only been on staff for a few weeks and so far I’ve written three articles. I think it’s just such an amazing platform. My goal is to submit two columns a week. There’s so much that I want to talk about: a variety of things that that have to do with styles and trends. For example, I’m going to be talking about skin care and new cosmetic products, natural products, and fashion weeks and spring trends, and colors, and also about organizations that are close to my heart and that I feel are important.

    You travel between L.A. and New York a lot. Where do you go to relax?

    In L.A. my favorite restaurant is Koi. It was very popular a few years ago, but I love it because the food is amazing and the interior is great. it’s quiet and nice and you can actually enjoy your conversation and hear people talk. I also love to go to the hotel bars in Los Angeles. I like the Sky Bar, even though it is full of tourists. It has the best view, it is outside and really relaxing. And of course, on the West Coast, I enjoy the beaches a lot.

    Where do you like to go out?

    New York is clubbier than L.A. and I always like the hottest club at the moment. In New York it’s definitely the Meatpacking District…I like the Avenue … and TenJune. To relax, I recommend the Bliss Spa. I just went there yesterday. Restaurants in New York… Balthazar is really good. I’m addicted to Magnolia cupcakes in NY and Sprinkles Cupcakes are my favorites in L.A. - I have a big sweet tooth.

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