The Hiltons: From It Girls to Business Women

The name Hilton is – finally – on everyone's lips again. Almost everyone knows the family around the world renowned hotel chain. Paris and Nicky Hilton didn't miss red carpets or celebrity events in the early 2000s, and were considered the original It Girls. They were trendsetters and permanent guests on the front pages of the most widely read tabloids. Today, they are successful entrepreneurs. All that, long before the Kardashian-Jenners.

Now the time has come for matriarch Kathy Hilton, who is celebrated by the crowds on social media. Since this year, the 62-year-old has been part of the 11th season of the US reality TV show "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" produced by the cable channel Bravo. It only took a few episodes to see that Kathy was a fan darling, and not just in the States. Since Netflix added the show to its rich selection, the lives of the Housewives are now followed worldwide. In Austria, the hit show runs every Friday on the channel Sixx. 

Most recently, the blonde trio appeared in Juicy Couture tracksuits on the cover of the American magazine Footwear News. The picture, taken in Kathy's walk-in closet, made the rounds on Instagram and demonstrated that the Hiltons are officially back.

Things have never been better for Paris Hilton. In "Cooking With Paris", her Netflix-produced cooking show, she invites famous friends like Kim Kardashian or Demi Lovato into her kitchen to conjure up themed three-course menus. Impractically glamorous outfits, lace gloves and charming cluelessness make the show a likeable self-parody. Bruno Sialelli, creative director of Lanvin, made Paris the muse of the French fashion house's SS21 campaign. For him, it's the fact that the hotel heiress revolutionised the way celebrities communicate with the world that made him want to work with her. Bohemian prints meet disco glitter and strong cuts. Everything together skilfully brings out her elegant side. In her personal life, she has found happiness with her fiancé, US entrepreneur Carter Milliken-Reum.

Paris is the eldest daughter and first child of Kathy and Richard Hilton, and was born in New York City in 1981. Looking back on her career so far, there seems to be hardly anything Paris hasn't done. In addition to what is probably her biggest role, the undisputed Y2K It Girl, she landed supporting roles in the film "House of Wax" (2005) and the TV series "Supernatural" (2009). Her acting experience resulted in five Golden Raspberries. In 2006, we all listened to Paris' most successful single "Stars Are Blind", which was followed by other songs over the years, but none as iconic as that one. The hotel heiress has not completely given up music, as she regularly performs in the biggest clubs and at sold-out festivals as a D-Jane. The 40-year-old is also a writer. Her book "Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose" was published in 2004 and stayed in the top 10 of the New York Times bestseller list for weeks.

Without her consent and, undoubtedly, against her will, a private sex film was released in 2004. Titled "1 Night in Paris", it was filmed by her ex-boyfriend Rick Solomon, who distributed it in both VHS and DVD format. The adult film won the award for best-selling sex film at the AVN Awards the following year. As she should, Hilton did not put up with this and sued Solomon, resulting in a $400,000 settlement and a share of the proceeds. Unfortunately, this was not Paris only scandal.

In 2007, her licence was revoked for driving under influence, but Paris continued to drive without a licence and had to appear in front of court where she was sentenced to 45 days in jail. After a short time in house arrest, it was back to the women's prison. She ended up being released for good behaviour, not having to serve the whole term. Three years later, a fine and 200 hours of community service followed for possession of cocaine. 

The show that made Paris Hilton famous was "The Simple Life". From 2003 to 2007, she and BFF Nicole Richie got to know life far away from their usual lavish life of luxury. Up to this day, clips of the show pop up on Instagram and Twitter and are clicked thousands of times because of the pair’s naivety and cluelessness. What no one knew was that while the producer wanted Paris to play the part of the dumb blonde, the role was already something familiar to her at the time. The reason why was revealed almost fifteen years later. 

Despite her famous family, Nicky always managed to appear normal and relatable. This is reflected not only in her casually chic fashion sense, but also in her book "365 Style". Published by Harlequin in 2014, it explains that instead of a big budget, you should rather pay attention to your self-confidence. Nicky's recipe for success? Picking out three aspects of one’s own lifestyle and having six staple pieces and five essential accessories that you repeatedly work with. 

As far as her private life is concerned, it is a lot more traditional than that of her big sister. For some time now, the second daughter of Kathy and Richard Hilton has been a member of two influential families. In the summer of 2010, she married James Rothschild, member of the famous banking family, in The Orangery at Kensington Palace in London in a $77,000 Valentino Haute Couture gown. The couple live in New York City with their two daughters Lilly and Teddy, short for Theodora.

As a child star, Kathleen "Kathy" Avanzino starred in series such as "Bewitched" before marrying hotel heir and entrepreneur Richard Hilton in November 1979, whom she met at a public school when she was 15. It was also where she met Michael Jackson, whom she had a lifelong friendship with. With their four children, Kathy and her husband lived in the Big Apple for many years, including some years at the Waldorf Astoria, and later moved to Bel Air, Los Angeles. 

Prior to her time as a Real Housewife, she sold a clothing line on home shopping channel QVC in 2002 as well as launched a collection of party dresses in 2012 that were available in the department store giants of the states Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstorm. A philanthropist at heart, Kathy has been involved with charities for years, raising money through auctions and donating it to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. 

For a long time, fans of the Beverly Hills Housewives were eager to get to know Kathy, who had previously been featured in the form of brief guest appearances accompanying her sisters Kim and Kyle. Already a fan favourite, it was her easy-going personality and penchant for pranks that made the audience fall head over heels in love with "Prankster Kathy". Always carrying a large handbag with half her household in it on her arm, her love for reliable staff and spontaneous, extra requests did not stay unnoticed. Instead of dismissing this as diva airs, the other women think very highly of her. "It's Kathy, after all," they say.