This as-told-to essay is based on an in-person conversation with 42-year-old Nicky Hilton, the socialite and cofounder of personalized jewelry company theo grace, who is based between London and New York. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I’ve been in the fashion world since I was 17. I studied at FIT, and, as a member of the Hilton family, grew up around the industry.
I’ve worked with lots of brands, but theo grace, my personalized jewelry brand, is different. It’s the first time I’ve owned a brand. It’s no longer about collecting a royalty check. I really have skin in the game.
Winnie Au for BI
My brand is my world right now. I love building it with my team, but what makes it an even more special experience is that it’s named after my daughters, Theodora and Lily-Grace, who are 9 and 8.
I split my time between NYC and London, where my husband, James, is from. Here’s a typical day in my life.
I usually wake up around 6:30 a.m.
I spend about three weeks a month in London and one week in New York City.
Wherever I am, I get woken up by one of three things: my cat scratching at the door, my papillon barking, or my 3-year-old son, Chasen, playing his electric drum kit.
After spritzing my face with either U Beauty Barrier Bioactive Mist or rosewater and brushing my teeth, I head downstairs to enjoy some quiet moments with James before the kids join us.
We’ll have a cup of Yorkshire Gold together, with lots of honey and milk for me.
Winnie Au for BI
Breakfast is around 7:30 a.m.
My morning starts with tea, supplements, and a school run.
The kids love banana pancakes or avocado toast with eggs, while I’ll usually have scrambled eggs and half an avocado with Jennifer Fisher Universal Salt.
I take a lot of vitamins. My sister, Paris Hilton, introduced me to a longevity specialist, and I do bloodwork a few times a year to see what I’m lacking and how I can optimize my health. My supplements come pre-packaged, and I take about seven in the morning and four in the evening.
Before I leave the house, I check the weather app because it dictates what I’ll wear that day. Then I’ll walk Chasen to nursery school. Whether we’re in London or New York, his school is within walking distance, so it’s become our special time together. My daughters usually carpool with neighbors.
Winnie Au for BI
After drop-off, I’ll grab a coffee from a neighborhood spot. In London, I get a skinny vanilla latte from Hagen. In New York, I’ll stop at a corner deli for a classic blue-paper-cup coffee. On the walk home, I’ll catch up on emails and map out my day.
Around 9 a.m., I’ll take my first bath
I take up to three baths per day, followed by a shower. I don’t feel like I can properly start my day without a relaxing bath. My husband jokes that I’m like a cat because I’m constantly cleaning myself.
After about 15 minutes of skincare, I’ll sit down at my computer.
I start work at 9:45 a.m.
Most of my team is in Europe, so when I’m in London, I get a few quiet hours in the morning before New York and Los Angeles wake up.
I’ll spend a couple of hours at my computer working on theo grace. Right now, we’re working on launching bag charms and a new lab-grown diamond collection.
By midday, I’m usually onto my second cup of tea. I drink three to four cups a day, but never after 2 p.m., so it doesn’t affect my sleep.
Winnie Au for BI
For lunch, I’ll often make a sandwich with prosciutto, tomato, and mozzarella. If I’m in London, I get a baguette from the market. In New York, I love Levain’s fresh sourdough. Fresh bread and fresh flowers in the house are non-negotiables for me.
My afternoons are filled with theo grace calls
We often have design Zooms with our team in Europe. I get so much creative inspiration from living in Notting Hill, from the cotton-candy buildings and street style, to visiting the vintage jewelry stalls on Portobello Road Market.
To me, theo grace is about creating walking love notes: custom pieces that commemorate milestones, inside jokes, and other meaningful moments. The business grew out of my lifelong obsession with personalizing and monogramming things.
theo grace
I spend time in the afternoon brainstorming for my children’s line, La Coqueta, planning my annual philanthropic event, the Young Hearts Friend Fest, and checking in with my family in Los Angeles as they start their day. I speak to my mom, Kathy Hilton, multiple times a day.
Having children has made me much more intentional about how I spend my time. I’m only saying yes to things that are important to me because otherwise it’s time taken away from my family.
The kids get home from school around 3:30 or 4 p.m.
Depending on the day, I’ll pick up my son myself. Otherwise, my nanny will. In New York, we’ll often head to Washington Square Park so he can burn off some energy. In London, the children play with the neighborhood kids in the square.
While the girls are doing their homework, I’m fielding calls from LA and getting dinner ready, often homemade pesto pasta or roast chicken.
Winnie Au for BI
Sometimes we’ll all eat together. Other times, I’ll make an early dinner for them and then eat later with James when he gets home around 7. We love ordering Indian or Thai food, but he’s also an excellent cook.
After dinner, it’s time for my evening skincare routine
If I have time, I’ll do a hair mask and spend 10 minutes with my CurrentBody LED mask.
My husband loves reading, and I’ll usually do a little reading myself, along with some texting and scrolling, before bed. I love to get eight hours of sleep, but I rarely do.
At the end of the day, I’m looking forward to the following day’s design meetings, where I’ll get to see samples of what we’ve been working on for a long time. I genuinely love creating, wearing, and gifting all of these beautiful heirloom pieces.
The only thing I tend to dread is opening my calendar and seeing a day packed with back-to-back meetings. I like to have time to read the news and indulge in a guilty pleasure: flipping through social media. At the moment, my algorithm is a mix of Korean skincare, Cannes recommendations, and cats.