CAROLINE RICKE IS SO BRAT!
Caroline Ricke is an it-girl that has something most LA transplants don’t: authenticity. Known for her quirky fashion choices, and the fact that she singlehandedly brought back the iconic socks + heels combo, Ricke talks fashion, influences, and frontal lobe development. We have only one thing to say: make it-girls awkward again.
Emilia: Starting off strong, how much do you feel you identify with the Brat album?
Caroline: OK, I like love Charlie XCX, but my brother is the real reason I was listening to this album. And I guess now it does resonate with me a lot. I love it! And I’m a total brat so I would say it makes perfect sense.
Mila: What's your favorite song on the album?
Caroline: The Lorde remix of Girl, so confusing. It’s so good. And obviously Apple. I feel like that’s the most popular right now, but I do have it on repeat.
Mila: Are you more a Charli or a Lorde friend?
Caroline: Lowkey, this sounds f*cked up, but I think I might be the Lorde friend because I travel a lot. My friends are always like, girl do you even like me? It’s hard to communicate sometimes if I’m not in person. I’m working on being a Charli.
Mila: It's fine. I'm probably the Lorde friend.
Emilia: I feel like I'm a Charli because I am always reaching out to my people…
Mila: No, it’s so true. For context, we all have each other’s location and every once in a while, l get a text from Emilia being like “What are you getting from Whole Foods?”
Emilia: It's because I care!
Emilia: Your witty personality sometimes sounds like if Cher Horowitz from Clueless was on social media. Who are your inspirations?
Caroline: Oh my gosh… It's so crazy because I like Clueless, but I hadn't seen it until I was probably 18 or 19. If I had to pick, maybe I’d say Lizzie McGuire was one of my inspirations when I was first starting out on social media. Wait, actually. Paris Hilton. Duh. Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie. Simple Life era. I remember watching that in high school and I just knew it was coming back. For the most part, I'd say that my references aren’t really fashion centered, they’re mostly comedy, which sounds crazy. I get tons of inspiration from people like Nathan fielder, or Aubrey Plaza.
As far as my style goes, I don’t know if I have any direct inspiration. I pay attention to trends, and I'm always on Pinterest. I kind of just wear whatever I’m drawn to; I love weird, colorful things. I’ve also been building my wardrobe since I was 14 so I just have a bunch of statement archive pieces.
Emilia: Walk us through the process of how you put an outfit together! Any tips and tricks you’d like to share with us?
Caroline: Honestly, it just depends on how I am feeling. I never talk about this but I guess I try to dress for my body type? I’ve been traveling recently and sometimes I’ll find myself feeling jet lagged or bloated. I try to wear pieces that flatter my body type and I also love wearing statement pieces. I stick with certain color palettes like pink and brown and then build from there. I also think accessories, a cute handbag and a little pair of kitten heels are a must.
Emilia: Quirky, sarcastic, rich, pretty; Do you agree?
Caroline: Yes. Emphasis on the pretty for sure.
Emilia: Your relatability in a society of gatekeeping is refreshing, how important is it to you to be authentic?
Caroline: I would say when it comes to my style, very. I’m from Ohio which is not exactly the fashion capital of the world. I also went to an all girls school and nobody was really dressing. I think back then, people were like who the actual hell do you think you are, but over time people grew to respect it? I just didn’t give a f*ck and I don’t think I’ve ever given a f*ck. I’ve also learned to not care about people’s opinions because chances are I probably don’t like your style either. I think my family gets it more now too. One time I wore these heels that made me look like a centaur and my family probably thought I was crazy. And there I was like, I look awesome and you just don’t get it.
Emilia: Being a Taurus, do you feel that you identify with defining Taurus characteristics?
Caroline: I think I’m very loyal. I think Tauruses have a strong sense of self, and I've always felt like since I was a kid, I've always just had a strong sense of identity, even though I was really shy. I always kind of knew what I wanted. Fashion was always something I loved. I would beg my mom to bring me to the grocery store just so I could look at the magazines in the checkout aisle. I was obsessed with the Jillian Michaels fitness magazines, but only because I wanted to know what she was wearing.
Emilia: How do you feel now that your frontal lobe has developed?
Caroline: I think about that a lot. Oh my God. My brain is like kind of developed. That's really weird. Can’t believe this is what I’m stuck with. Honestly. This is it for me. Imagine living in my head. Scary!
Emilia: Are you aware that you’re an it-girl?
Caroline: It's so funny. I've never actually been asked that. I think I say it as a joke sometimes but never seriously. I feel like I'm so deep in my own niche that I don’t think I fit into that category. An it-girl to me is someone like Addison Rae or Charli XCX or Devon Lee Carlson. The only time I maybe think that way is when I meet my followers in person. They're always hot and cool and really well dressed. I figure I must be at least a little cool to have people like that follow me? Gosh, I don’t know. I’m like if an it-girl was sexy and awkward.
Emilia: After graduating from Harvard, what advice can you give people following in your footsteps?
Caroline: Study hard. You can achieve anything you put your mind to; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. You could literally be a little girl from Ohio who is really awkward and a little weird, and maybe have three friends (this is not a personal story I promise). But if you just keep going, you never know where life will take you.
Emilia: You’re an icon, what can we expect from Miss Caroline Ricke in the future?
Caroline: It's so crazy because anytime someone asks me this question, I kind of spiral? Honestly, I'd love to make my own TV show somewhere at the intersection of fashion and comedy? I kind of just take it day by day and keep serving c*nt. Like that's all I need to do. All I can do right now is literally serve c*nt.