The 37-piece Winter Kate line, which takes her daughter Harlow's two middle names, will hit stores such as Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Ron Herman, Intermix and Kitson, beginning in February. "It feels as though I've always been working on this collection, but officially I started putting it together in early 2009," said Richie, who is lying low at home after the birth last month of her son, Sparrow. "I've wanted to design a clothing collection for a very long time."

Richie, who has become known for her eclectic bohemian style with a Sixties and Seventies flair, said she has torn fashion pages out of magazines for years and also draws inspiration from her favorite animals, including peacocks and other birds. The line includes mostly tops, vests and bed jackets in colorful vintage-inspired silk, crepe and chiffon because these tops are a mainstay of Richie’s own wardrobe.

"I probably wear the same two pairs of jeans every day as the background to a fabulous top," she said. "Bed jackets are a staple of my wardrobe because they are a gorgeous way to give jeans and a white T-shirt a completely different look." Also key for spring dressing are "definitely a beautiful, fun slip dress in a great print and also a leather jacket to turn the romantic day dress into an edgy night-out outfit," Richie said.

According to Rick Cytrynbaum, Richie has had complete creative control from day one. "Nicole is designing everything herself. She's totally devoted to this, and we're creating a whole lifestyle around her aesthetic and what is true to her," he told FN. Richie will be on hand at FFANY in New York for the line's debut and will also be making in-store appearances for the line when it hits stores. While price points are still to be determined, Cytrynbaum said the items will hit contemporary price points and will be available at select department stores and independents that he has worked closely with in the past.

"Retailers that have been good to Modern Vintage will be getting first dibs," he joked. "We're being very selective. We're only inviting a handful of our best accounts with our other brands to view the line. We don't want to be everything to everybody [with this brand]." Though he declined to disclose sales projections, Cytrynbaum was bullish on the line's potential, based, he said, on Richie's status in the fashion industry. "Nicole Richie is by far one of America's biggest fashion icons right now. We're investing millions into this brand. This is like nothing out there right now." Looking ahead, Cytrynbaum said the brand would always be open to expansion opportunities into other categories.

"This has been a dream of mine for so long." Nicole donned over 20 pieces of the line (which she co-designed with jeweler Pascal Mouawad) at the event, in keeping with her accessory philosophy that more is more. "I stack everything," she says. "I layer my jewelry." She admits her zeal may be related to eschewing jewelry around daughter Harlow, 1. "Everything just goes in her mouth," Richie laughs. "In the daytime, heels and jewels are out!"

"In the back, there's a little star. I thought it was a nice touch to have that instead of the typical clasp, and I wanted to give people the option to have a bigger piece and a smaller piece in the necklace." So, what's next? "I'm focusing on my brand right now."