FASHION
Richie Rich rocks with new fashion show, music

BY KATHRYN WEXLER
kwexler@MiamiHerald.com
Richie Rich doesn't do restraint.
He, of pink boa and powdered nose, raucous runways and socialite devotion, put on a fashion show Saturday night at Miami Beach Funkshion that was undiluted Richie.
That meant tons of teased hair, lots of leg, gobs of gold and garments just a smidgen shy of too too-.
Rich and business partner Traver Rains earlier this year retired their edgy label, Heatherette, giving online fashion gossips much to rat-a-tat-tat about.
So Richie has gone solo in the fashion world. He's also gone crooner, with his first American CD, Celebutante (Defend Music, $16.98), set for release Oct. 21. And he's going TV personality, currently cooking up a new reality series.
Here's the world according to Richie, newly unbridled -- and ever undiluted.
Q: There's been talk about your trading in New York for Los Angeles so you can better pursue your TV career. Any truth to that?
A: I never had one desire to live in L.A. I live in Manhattan. Traver moved to L.A. I think he wanted to do some styling. His boyfriend wanted to do some acting.
Q: Any bad blood between you two?
A: We're totally friends. What happened was we had some investors in Heatherette and we didn't agree with where they wanted to take it.
A lot of people think [Heatherette] is just fun and silly. But Traver and I are really quite business savvy and knew what direction we wanted to go. So instead of getting in bed with these investors again, we put Heather -- we call her Heather -- on vacation.
Q: Why did you cancel your show at New York Fashion Week in September?
A: I was ready to show but then I had an epiphany where I was feeling more artsy-fartsy -- I was still in the studio recording -- and the [Bryant Park] tents weren't available, and I wanted to do [the show] there. So I decided to wait until February.
When I show [the new line] I want a big bang.
Q: Talk to us about your runway show at Funkshion.
A: I love the Funkshion crew -- they're all really cool. I love the vibe here, in Miami. It's such a party vibe.
Most of the clothes I made, but it wasn't with the brain-set that I'm going to sell them. I wanted to do something related to my music, to my CD that's coming out.
This [fashion show] is an ode to the 1980s -- not the collections of the '80s, but the art installations, the whole Grace Jones, Keith Haring feeling of the '80s.
Q: It poured the night of the show.
A: I didn't know a hurricane was coming! It was kind of cool: I thought the tent was going to fall down.
But people rushed in and stole all the gift bags! Two thousand people stormed the tents! I had to yell at the security guards.
Q: Your new CD is called Celebutante. What's a celebutante?
A: Celebutante says have you have been around the world. A celebutante is somebody who enjoys their life and gets the attention they want.
That's what fashion is to me, as well: This is who I am, this is what I'm doing. It's a passport to fun.
Q: Who are the celebutantes?
A: Besides the girl or guy out there who wants to be whatever, Lydia Hurst, Pamela Anderson, Kelly Osbourne, Theodora Richards, Paris Hilton. It's not about the fame -- they are famous -- but these girls being individuals and go-getters, and I like that.
And they're always willing to wear a fabulous frock.
Q: What's your music like?
A. It sounds like confetti mixed with fireworks. It's just fun. I'll call it fop -- fashion pop!
I think music and fashion are the same thing -- the spirit is the same.
Q: Any more TV appearances in your future?
A: I want to document my life, the day to day and night to night of what my fashion world is. But I don't want to be a TV personality. I don't really want to be like a Rachel Zoe.
Anna Wintour is so nice and brilliant. She doesn't run around with a boa going, ''ahhh!'' like I do. But I think she gets a bad rap.
But someone like Rachel Zoe can borrow an Oscar de la Renta -- but she's not an Oscar de la Renta.
She's mean. She's condescending when she meets you.
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