Nell Diamond Shares How She Styles Her Nap Dresses

Nell Diamond is many things: a founder and CEO, a mother, a mogul. But she also happens to be something of a style icon. Just ask one of her 86 thousand-plus Instagram followers, who look to her for advice on starting a business and tips for styling a new pair of platform shoes. (They’re a go-to style for Diamond.)

With her brand Hill House Home opening up shop in Palm Beach, we wanted to know how Diamond styles her trademarked Nap Dress through all kinds of weather, what makes the new location special, and which styles she’d recommend to locals.

How would you describe your personal style?

My friends would say I’m always just a little overdressed. Fashion is a creative outlet for me, and I love to dress up. I tend to gravitate towards traditionally feminine details; bows, florals, a cinched-in waist. I’m always more comfortable in a dress or a skirt—something about pants just feels so restrictive to me. Above all, I believe in wearing what makes you happy. It’s truly different for everyone, and I find it incredibly empowering to help people find the personal style that makes them the happiest.

How much of your own style is reflected in the Hill House aesthetic?

Well, there are definitely a lot of bows and flowers! What’s the most “me” about Hill House is the versatility. I’m a uniform-dresser, an outfit-repeater: when I find something great, I stick to it. I want my clothing to work for everything from a board meeting to a preschool-pickup to dinner with friends, and Hill House definitely does that. Designing for Hill House has allowed me to fill gaps I always seemed to find in my closet. So much of my personal style is reflected in our collections, from art history references to feminine silhouettes and design details.

You are the inventor of the Nap Dress®: How do you work it into your wardrobe in New York, versus in places like Palm Beach?

For me the Nap Dress is a closet staple. I think of it the way some people think of a great pair of jeans. I start with a Nap Dress, and layer from there depending on the climate! In the Winter, I usually layer under or over: I love the Millie Top under our Cher Dress or our Sylvie Cropped Sweater over anything.

I was recently in Palm Beach to celebrate Hill House’s new store opening and had so much fun with my wardrobe there. It’s such a happy and colorful place, my favorite outfit I wore was our new Matilda Dress and Party Platforms.

How is the Palm Beach Hill House store different from your other locations?

We are thrilled to be in Palm Beach. We have partnered with different interior designers in each of our stores, and every space reflects the location. In Palm Beach, we worked with Amanda Lindroth, who is an expert on bringing the Palm Beach aesthetic to life.

Each store design is a very collaborative process with our design partner. In Palm Beach, Amanda was inspired by one of our newest Spring prints, Green Vine Stripe, which we decided to hand paint on the walls. We felt the cheery green design reflected how lush Palm Beach is, and the sunny, open space at The Current makes it feel seamless walking into the store.

Hill House Home is constantly launching new fashion categories—which do you think would work best for the Palm Beach crowd?

We’ve been so thrilled to see how excited our customers are to try our new dress styles! Palm Beach has given us an amazing opportunity to chat with customers IRL, and make suggestions based on the event they’re shopping for. We’ve also seen so much excitement around our Tiny Nap Dresses® styles made for matching children and their grown-ups. It’s been so fun seeing so many mother-daughter duos in the store shopping together.

We have also seen so much excitement around our Palm Beach exclusive styles. Our bright and colorful new prints in our Enzo Dress & Lou Lou Duster, along with a Market Tote and Sun Hat have been such a hit for both new and existing customers!