Kyle a Richards

Smolders with her sexiness at the Italian Staple

THE BEAUTY TAKES

MANHATTAN WHILE STROLLING THE COOL STREETS OF NEW YORK CITY!!!!

Photography by Andres Hernandez at Serafina Madison New York

Dress by Zhivago from www. designerrevival.com

Buccellati Earrings: www.buccellati.com

Hair by Francis Rodriguez

Makeup by Deney Adam

A beautiful woman walks into the lobby of the NH Collection Hotel next to the Serafina Restaurant on Madison and 38th. She has these big, beautiful eyes, wears a nice sporty winter coat (it happened that this particular day was one of the coldest last winter in February) and carries her suitcases by herself. She is alone, smiles at us and, well, it happens that the gorgeous lady is none other than Kyle Richards, the famous TV star that after 13 years still appears as the only original cast member on Bravo’s, “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”. “Wow, can you believe it? It’s 13 years and I still do it,” Richards said as she headed upstairs to do her hair and make up for this special occasion. “You get used to it.”

The renowned Colombian photographer Andres Hernandez is getting his equipment ready to show the brunette the feel and look of his locations throughout the stunning Midtown Manhattan hotel. We only had a few hours to do the photo shoot; Richards was flying back to Los Angeles after attending a big event in Manhattan the night before, The American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Red Dress Collection Concert. She was radiant—stunning even—with her hair pulled back and flawless skin.

“Once you do it for a living, you kind of want to be comfortable and just wear sneakers and jeans,” Richards said, perfectly in keeping with how we’ve seen the former child actress, perhaps best known for her role on Little House on the Prairie become a chameleon of brand personality, whether it’s walking alone while attending Aspen Snow Polo, or having a slice of pizza with her husband of 30 years, Mauricio Umansky, the famous real estate broker from Los Angeles who owns his real estate company, The Agency.

The two met when Richards was about 19. Neither had two dimes to rub together.

“I remember having my first child, Farrah, and telling my husband to quit the clothing business he was in,” Richards reminisced. “I told him, why don’t we get a babysitter and get our real estate license? That way we make money—and we did! Sometimes I would call him and ask him, where are you? He would say: ‘I am at the golf course’ and I would tell him, ‘get out of there and find work, please. I don’t want to live in a two-bedroom place with all the babies!’”

Get out there Mauricio did, and, as they say, the rest is history.

“He worked really hard; you had to find the motivation and to be the voice as the mother of four daughters to create a company like we had,” Richards said. “He has worked really, really hard and I admire that about him. Our marriage works because we have the same vision on how we raise our children. I am a mother first and that has always been my priority.”

Dress

by ITML (In the Mood for Love)

Shoes by Aquazzura at FiveStory NY www.fivestoryny.com

Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry Italian mesh diamond scarf necklace, price upon request, shsilver.com

Watch by Buccellati www.buccellati.com

Other jewelry by Nicole Rose Jewelry

Richards had a complicated childhood growing up in the 1970s. Her mother was single and felt Kyle had to become an actress like her sisters, which at such an early age, could be challenging for any child, but through it all, she remembers her mother fondly. “She was a very strong woman. A lot of the things they write about her are actually not true. They talk about her alcoholism and personal life with several husbands. Yes we didn’t have a lot of structure. But the lies, that’s what bothers me; it happens to me as well on social media,” Richards shared. “We are humans; we suffer too. But you have to brush it off and remind yourself that it is part of the job. When you are in the public eye, people will lie about you. I don’t like to lie. I live in full honesty. My life is much simpler than people think. I work hard. I love being creative. I wake up early in the morning to hit the gym for two hours. I love biking, hiking—I work very, very, hard to be healthy. I read all the books about how to feel better, for my own wellbeing. It’s important to take care of yourself, and that’s why I quit drinking 10 months ago. It has allowed me to lose weight and feel amazing… inside and out.”

Outfit by KZ_K Studio www. kzkstudionyc.com

Earrings and Bracelet by Buccellati (www. buccellati.com) provided by the store on 714 Madison Avenue NY NY 10065

Photographed by Andres Hernandez at the Serafina Restaurant: 241 Madison Avenue NY NY 10016

Entering a new chapter in her life, Richards is revered by suburban mothers, has an immense following on Instagram, does her own filming and production—something she loves to do—and is starting to transition back to acting, now in a more serious way.

“Being on reality shows was great at the time because I was home,” she said. “I had my last daughter, Portia, at the time. When they asked me, I kept saying I was not going to do it. That being a serious actress, I would just not do it. But I started watching the New Jersey and Atlanta (Housewives) shows and I warmed up to the idea. I was at home at the time with my baby, and well, I gave it a try. Look how it ended up being such an important part of our lives. To be committed to a show where the crew is like my family. Yes, it’s always a concern due to privacy issues, but we grew up in Hollywood. Even when my nieces (Paris and Nicky Hilton) became so famous and they had to hire bodyguards and more, it was very concerning. But so far, the experience has been so amazing. I really love it. I really love how people approach me in such an affectionate way. I have not had one single bad thing happen in all these years, the opposite. We embraced the show, and it has continued to fulfill the life of my children. Two of my daughters have their own Netflix show as part of The Agency. It awakens my creativity, my sense of existence. I am OK with that,” explains the beauty who has become so iconic in the American celebrity obsessed world, that she has starred in Super Bowl commercials as herself.

Kyle Richards

wears Anne Fontaine

150 Worth ntaine

150 Worth Ave #113

Palm BAv Ave #113

Palm BAve #113

Palm Beach e #113 Palm Beach

Black Dress provided by FiveStory NY www.fivestoryny.com

Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry rhodolite garnet and diamond necklace, $50,000; Stephen Silver

Fine Jewelry wide mesh ruby and diamond bracelet, $65,000, shsilver.com

Jimmy Choo shoes by Designer Revival www. designerrevival.com

Her brand has expanded to an area where social media has become a platform for channeling creativity for celebrities. They can produce, talk about and sell whatever they wish through their own media channels. This multifaceted commercial approach has made the strong, confident Kyle, synonymous with a wealthy lifestyle that both she and Umansky have built into something like an empire which continues to expand. It’s an empire built on hard work.

“If people think that I would take any drugs to lose weight, that is simply not true. I’ve worked very hard. I am sure if my mother would have had the knowledge of how you can take hormones and improve your health after your 50’s, find ways to eat and take care of yourself, which is something I study diligently and I am concerned about on a daily basis, she might not have died of breast cancer,” said Richards, whose mother, Kathy Dugan died in 2002 from breast cancer. I’ve read studies of how alcohol can affect you. I used to drink very moderately, not even two glasses of wine and I would get hungry all the time. I would start eating cookies—it was so unhealthy. That prompted my decision to quit alcohol, start exercising more. I was in a better mood; why change that?”

Her life in Beverly Hills is so healthy and marvelous you can see she is running eagerly into the next chapter of her life.

“My daughters are everything to me,” she said. “ I’ve started traveling more with my ladies from the show, and I truly enjoy it. But I won’t change what I am going for. I like and I will remain the same, saying the truth for the world to see and express what I truly want to be.”

During our shoot, she just did that, weathering 15 degree weather that day, sans coat through the beautiful streets of Manhattan. She could have easily been mistaken for Elizabeth Taylor in a fabulous strapless dress. She posted the story on her IG of it walking in the cold without a coat and it instantly became a meme. Her followers adore her. “It energized me. It’s the child actor in me. I was trained to be strong and will remain authentic and creative. I love it!”

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