Paris Hilton

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interview by CAROLINE GAIMARI
portrait in her Beverly Hills home by TORBJØRN RØDLAND
style by EMILIE KAREH

Bicolor wool dress and gold crêpe de Chine scarf PRADA

CAROLINE GAIMARI — Thanks for having me over! What a cool room.
PARIS HILTON — This is my club room, where I have incredible par- ties. I don’t have parties every night, obviously, so it’s also a workout room and an art room, where I paint, make collages, draw, do my designs. It’s kind of like a creative, fun room, which I love.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — What are you working on now?
PARIS HILTON — My main passion is my music, and DJing. I love doing that. My main focus is my business and my brand, expanding it all over the world.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — You started first with the reality show, The Simple Life.
PARIS HILTON — When I moved to New York, I was, like, 15. At around 16, I signed with Donald Trump’s agency and started to do shows and campaigns. I was going to castings every single day, doing photo shoots, doing runway shows, and I started to do the club appearances. Then Fox asked me if I would do a reality show with my sister, Nicky, who said no! She’s really shy and likes being more behind-the-scenes instead of in front of the camera. So I did it with my best friend Nicole [Richie]. She is one of the funniest people you’ll ever meet in your life. From there I built a brand off of having such a huge reality show.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — Then you did other reality shows, like Paris Hilton’s My New BFF, Paris Hilton’s British Best Friend, and Paris Hilton’s Dubai BFF. Why did you do those?
PARIS HILTON — I got offered a lot of money, and it was kind of like having free commercials on each episode for all my product lines, which definitely made it work. I was showing my clothes or my fragrance. I thought it was cheesy to do a BFF show, but I had a fun time doing them.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — So the brand stemmed from the reality shows.
PARIS HILTON — My first product was my fragrance. Now I have 17 product lines: I built my entire brand and branched out from there to shoes, clothing, lingerie, sunglasses, watches, jewelry, dog clothes and shoes, stationary, bedding, blankets and sheets with my face on them, nails, and eyelashes. Next I will do my own skin-care line and make-up. I also did my own champagne line. I am doing my own energy drink, my own vodka. The liquor business is a good business as well!

CAROLINE GAIMARI — Have you always made your own money?
PARIS HILTON — Yeah. Ever since I was a teenager. My parents were so strict with me. They did not spoil us at all. We would have to do chores, for maybe $100 a week…

CAROLINE GAIMARI — Which in NY doesn’t go very far.
PARIS HILTON — No! So, at a young age, I knew I wanted to be a businesswoman with a brand. It’s really something that I had a drive to do. Growing up in that family, and watching my father and my grandfather and what they’ve accomplished in the business world, was really inspiring to me and made me want to do something for myself, not just be known as the Hilton Hotel grand- daughter. I wanted to be known as Paris, who did her own thing. It feels good to have done that,and my family is really proud of me. The first U.S. Paris Hilton store will open this year in Maui, right by the Four Seasons. I’ve had my clothing line and fragrances in the U.S., and those have sold over $1.8 billion worldwide. So hard work definitely pays off!

CAROLINE GAIMARI — How involved are you with the products?
PARIS HILTON — I’m more of the cre- ative person, and my lawyers and my team handle the contracts and the business. I’m in charge of how everything looks. Everything has my name or logo on it. Some things have my face, like a cute t-shirt or a purse; it’s all my design. Everything emulates my style at an affordable price for the fans.

White and yellow striped silk crêpe de Chine dress MOSCHINO

CAROLINE GAIMARI — Do you wear the clothes yourself?
PARIS HILTON — Every single day I’m wearing a watch, some sunglasses, the shoes, or a dress. At least one thing, for sure. I wouldn’t put out something that I wouldn’t wear. I want people to know that these are things I love and that I made, that I would actually wear. If not, it wouldn’t be part of the brand.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — How do you see your brand developing?
PARIS HILTON — I just opened my first real-estate property in the Philippines in March. It’s seven sto- ries. There is a man-made beach and a Paris Beach club, which has restaurants, a nightclub, spas, a beach club — it’s a full entertain- ment complex. I want to do those all over the world. My partners want to do them in the Middle East, all around Asia, and India. Then hope- fully Vegas one day. I’ve always wanted to get into real-estate, so to do this first project and have it be so successful made me feel so proud. It’s great to be following in my family’s footsteps.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — With the brand, the real-estate development, and the DJing, do you think it’s crazy when you hear people saying you don’t work?
PARIS HILTON — I think it’s funny. It just shows that they don’t know what they’re talking about. Because if they actually looked at my business,and saw the numbers, saw exactly
what’s happening, they would really feel like idiots. What they’re saying is really not true at all. But people love to talk bad. It’s how the world is. There are so many haters.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — But so many people love you!
PARIS HILTON — If people meet me, they will. But if they don’t know me, they will just listen to some lie or random thing that they’ve heard. But every time I meet someone, they are always surprised, like, “Wow, you are so different than I thought you’d be.” Just maybe because of my last name people assume that I’m spoiled, I don’t work, and just take money from my family. But they don’t know the truth.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — You don’t shy away from fans.
PARIS HILTON — I’ve always been that way. Before The Simple Life came out, my mom said, “You are so sweet and have such a big heart, and you are such a kind person. Don’t ever let this change you. When this airs on Fox tomorrow, your life is never going to be the same. You are going to be famous, and I want you to remain the same, sweet Paris.” And that’s always stuck in my mind. So I’ve never changed. I just feel that a lot of celebrities, when they become famous they suddenly forget who their fans are, and they think they’re better than other people. I always just want to make everyone feel happy and not hurt anyone’s feelings. Even if it does get very overwhelming, and there are so many, and it takes a long time, I will do it just because I will end up feeling guilty or sad if someone is upset because they didn’t get a picture or something. I’m very sensitive toward other people’s feelings.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — How do you let your own feelings not get hurt?
PARIS HILTON — I try to not think about it. I try to be happy. It does get to be a lot sometimes. But at the same time, I feel very blessed to be in this position. I just want to make people smile!

CAROLINE GAIMARI — You don’t put up your guard with your fans or protect yourself. You’re still just you.
PARIS HILTON — I just try to act normal. I’m really comfortable around people. I’m a very fearless person. I love jumping out of airplanes. I’m a daredevil. I think some people maybe get scared of fans or random people, but i don’t really get scared at all. Unless they look really creepy! I do have a lot of weird stalkers, and those guys kind of scare me…

CAROLINE GAIMARI — And you are followed by the paparazzi.
PARIS HILTON — They wait outside the front gate of my house, and then when I leave they just follow me for the whole day until the night. I’ve heard that valet people tip off the paparazzi for $100 if a celebrity comes to their restaurant. That’s just how LA is. Anyone who works at a store where celebrities go, they have a hookup with the paparazzi, who gave them their card… There’s also Twitter. I never Instagram something right away because you never know who will show up. It’s dangerous to do that! Unless I’m at an event, and I want my fans to come. But if I’m just like chilling at Starbucks, I don’t want people coming there!

CAROLINE GAIMARI — Is that just in LA?
PARIS HILTON — In London they are really bad, too, because they are so aggressive and crazy. In Asia, the paparazzi are so sweet. There are a lot of them, but they are more shy and polite. They will ask you to take a picture. In New York they’re pushy. In LA they are insane.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — You mainly live in LA, right?
PARIS HILTON — I’m based in Los Angeles, but I am never home. I am always traveling. I live here, but I basically live on a plane. I love traveling. It’s a lot of work: the jet lag, getting on the plane, flying for so long. Sometimes I will go some- where for only six hours, and get on a plane for another 20 hours to come back. But I love what I do.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — What do you do on a day off?
PARIS HILTON — I don’t often have a day off, once or twice a month, because I work on the weekends, too. That’s usually when I am traveling or doing a DJ gig. But if I have a day off, I wake up at 11 or 12 and go to a late lunch with my friends. Chill. Go to the movies. Go shopping. Go ice-skating. Go to Disneyland. I like doing random things, like going to arcades, playing games, going to art supply stores. I’m a kid at heart. I love going to toy stores.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — Or just staying at home with your dogs?
PARIS HILTON — They have their own house in the backyard, which is a mini-replica of my house, so they’re very spoiled and treated like princes and princesses. I designed it, and it has a chandelier and moldings on the ceiling. There’s even furniture. It’s really pretty. I have seven dogs; their names are Peter Pan, Harajuku Bitch, Marilyn Monroe, Dollar, Stuart Little, Prince Baby Bear, and Mugsy.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — What’s a typical day for you when you’re working?
PARIS HILTON — If I’m working I have to get up at seven. Then we have to do hair and make-up and I’m either on set doing a photo shoot or in a design meeting. Or I have my business meetings and my appearances, and I get to meet my fans or meet with my business partners. And at night I get to DJ at whatever is the biggest club in whatever city I’m in. During the daytime, I’m more of a businesswoman, and then at night it’s that other character that comes out, partying and having fun.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — Do you do a lot of parties in cities where you don’t know anyone?
PARIS HILTON — Yeah, but I’m used to it. I’ve been doing this since I was 18, so I’ve been getting paid to host parties all over the world, and I always end up knowing someone, someone will fly in, or I’ll bring my friends with me. We always have a good time.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — Where are you DJing now?
PARIS HILTON — This is my second year as a resident DJ in Ibiza, where I will DJ every Wednesday from August until September. It’s my own party, called Paris Hilton’s Foam and Diamonds Party. Every big DJ has their own night. Calvin Harris does Calvin Harris Thursdays. Avicii has a night. I’m also a resident in Saint- Tropez at VIP Room every Tuesday, and in Barcelona every Thursday. And then I’m booked around the world for other shows: in Las Vegas, Germany, Dubai. I will be traveling almost every single day.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — Do you have a lot of friends that go to Ibiza?
PARIS HILTON — Yeah. Everyone. It’s like the new Saint Tropez.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — Did you know that they found oil there? It was a big scandal.
PARIS HILTON — I heard that! I was trying to help. It’s going to destroy Formentera. That would suck. I was trying to get everyone to sign a petition. I posted a bunch of stuff.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — So you are based in Ibiza all summer.

Light gray double-face alpaca coat CHLOÉ

PARIS HILTON — I stay for one night, but I leave all my clothes there; I have, like, 20 bags of luggage. So I need somewhere that’s just a base, and then I can go all around Europe, back-and-forth to Ibiza.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — You wear a different outfit every night?
PARIS HILTON — Yes. We plan outfits and costumes a few months in advance. My stylist custom-makes things or buys pieces and adds crystals to them to make them more futuristic. This summer I am going to put a lot of LED-lighting in the costumes. I’ve never worn the same outfit twice.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — So after this interview, are you going to throw this outfit in the trash?
PARIS HILTON — No! I don’t put things in the trash! I either give things to charities or to my cousins. They love coming over and picking out things because they’re little teenagers. If I’m photographed in it, I can’t wear it again. Unless it’s something I’m really obsessed with. Some stuff I will save for my daughters one day, if it’s a really special designer piece. I guess it just depends on the outfit, but if it’s something that totally stands out, a magazine will do a story like, “Oh, she has one outfit!” They’ve done it to me before when I’ve worn something twice, and I have so many clothes anyway.

Pink nylon shirt and black chevron wool skirt MIU MIU

CAROLINE GAIMARI — Let’s talk about your music. You had a new single come out last year and are coming out with a full-length album this year. When did you start being involved with music?
PARIS HILTON — I’ve just always loved music. I’ve loved Madonna since I was little! I’ve played the piano since I was four, and I used to do recitals all the time. At seven I started playing the violin. I also did voice lessons. I was in chorus, and I was always the star of every play in school. My mom always sang and had a beautiful voice.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — Are you signed to a label?
PARIS HILTON — First, Warner Bros. asked to sign me, and I recorded “Stars Are Blind” and that album. I’m with Cash Money Records now. I’ve been friends with Lil Wayne and Birdman for almost 10 years now. They approached me already when I was with Warner Bros., but I left Warner because they were too rock ‘n’ roll and I’m more pop-EDM. I thought it was cool to move to Cash Money Records because they don’t really have any other artists like me. It’s good to mix the EDM with the hip-hop.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — Are you really hand-son with the album?
PARIS HILTON — I wrote all the new songs that i am releasing. Now I am learning how to produce; I’m making my own tracks and my own remixes. That’s been fun to learn. I have my own recording studio at my house, and we make music here all the time. I have different pro- ducers and DJs working with me, and all my friends come over and just vibe together and make music. They teach me all the technical things!

Red tartan wool Lady Diva dress PHILIPP PLEIN

CAROLINE GAIMARI — You recently opened up your house to Sofia Coppola, who used it as a set for her 2013 film The Bling Ring. The characters in the movie, which is of course based on real life, burglarize your home. How did that happen in the first place?
PARIS HILTON — They broke in while I wasn’t here. They found a key and made a copy of it for themselves, and then they would stalk my Twitter to find out when I had an event or an appearance somewhere. They would just come and hang out at my house, steal whatever they wanted. They came here at least six times. They partied in here. They just did whatever they wanted.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — How did they get caught?
PARIS HILTON — I found out because one night I came home, and one of the people was still in the house. There was dirt everywhere, and the carpet in my room was all black. There were track marks with feet leading in, so I got freaked out, and I looked and saw that the drapes were moving. He was hiding behind the drapes. I saw shoes, so my friend and I just screamed and ran and called the police. When the police came back in here, we saw that my entire jewelry closet was completely ransacked; every piece was gone. All through my closet, all my couture dresses, all the designer bags. They basically cased the place and knew exactly what to take. On their final visit, that’s when they did the big robbery and took everything they could. They opened my safes. They went and took basically everything that wasn’t nailed down.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — How did you feel?
PARIS HILTON — It was really scary! It’s still scary, if I’m ever alone and I’m at home thinking what if some weirdo tries to come back here. I think a lot of people didn’t realize how serious and messed-up what these kids did was, not only to me, but to other people. It was important to show what pieces of crap they are. I don’t think the film made them look good.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — But wasn’t it painful to watch the scenes recreated?
PARIS HILTON — I mean, it was, like, Emma Watson in my house. She wasn’t going to jack my stuff! I trusted Sofia and the whole cast. I met them all and hung out with them. Obviously I’m not going to let a bunch of random people I don’t know in here.

CAROLINE GAIMARI — Would you consider acting again?
PARIS HILTON — I get offered roles all the time. But they are always to go to Canada and live there for two months, or to fly to some random place and stay there for too long. I am literally booked out every single day for the next two or more years. So, I don’t know when I would have time to do that again. Plus for me to take off two months of work to do a movie would not make sense financially because I could make so much more DJing and making appearances than I would sitting in Toronto. But if it was something really dope that only took like a day, then yeah!

END