These 25 Throwback Pics of Nicole Richie Will Make You Miss the Early 2000s 

Donato Sardella/WireImage

What are the hallmarks of early 2000s style? Celebrities wore itty-bitty slinky cocktail dresses, leg warmers, Juicy Couture tracksuits, and bell-bottom jeans, and carried around puppies as the must-have accessory.

But perhaps no one conquered the look of the early millennium as well as Nicole Richie. Back then, the now-36-year-old mother of two (whose birthday is today), spent most of her time hitting the nightclub scene with BFF Paris Hilton and pals like Lindsay Lohan, Kelly Osbourne, and Nicky Hilton.

The must-see show of 2003? Fox’s The Simple Life, in which Richie and her rich girl pal Hilton essentially moved into a new family’s home to learn the tricks of the farming trade. And while it’s been 14 years since the show first aired, we still remember that era and everything it delivered as one of the greatest gifts the gods of the entertainment have given us.

VIDEO: Paris Hilton Just Ditched Her Signature Blonde Hair

In honor of Richie’s birthday, we compiled 25 images of the star that’ll make you wish it were the early 2000s all over again. Scroll down and enjoy. 

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1 of 25

2003

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at Miss Sixty and Energie's store opening in L.A. 

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2 of 25

2001

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with Paris Hilton outside The Lounge Club in L.A.

3 of 25

2003

Frederick M. Brown/Getty

at an event for the Fox TCA press tour. 

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4 of 25

2005

Fernanda Calfat/Getty

at the Fashion for Relief show. 

5 of 25

2003

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at the Billboard Music Awards. 

6 of 25

2007

Charley Gallay/Getty

at the 14th Annual Race to Erase MS.

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7 of 25

2005

J. Emilio Flores/Getty

at the FOX Emmys after party held at Spago.

8 of 25

2002

Jeff Vespa/WireImage

at Frederick's of Hollywood fall 2002 collection.

9 of 25

2003

Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

at the Billboard Music Awards. 

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10 of 25

2003

Donato Sardella/WireImage

at the opening of the L.A. Equinox to benefit the Rainforest Foundation and Future Forests.

11 of 25

2001

Jeff Vespa/WireImage

at the opening of Maxim Lounge. 

12 of 25

2004

Jean-Paul Aussenard/WireImage

at the third annual Ten Fashion Show presented by General Motors.

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13 of 25

2002

Donato Sardella/WireImage

at a party celebrating photographer Jamel Shabazz.

14 of 25

2004

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

at the Super Bowl XXXVI PlayStation 2 VIP lounge.

15 of 25

2004

J. Merritt/FilmMagic

at the Elton John AIDS Foundation's 12th annual Oscar party co-hosted by InStyle.

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16 of 25

2004

J. Merritt/FilmMagic

at Pelle Pelle's Celebrity Catwalk for Charity.

17 of 25

2005

Lawrence Lucier/FilmMagic

at a party in New York.

18 of 25

2005

J. Vespa/WireImage

at her book celebration for The Truth About Diamonds.

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19 of 25

2005

Michael Tran/FilmMagic

at T-Mobile's Limited-Edition Sidekick II launch. 

20 of 25

2007

Jeff Vespa/WireImage

with Nicky Hilton at the14th Annual Race to Erase MS.

21 of 25

2003

Ray Mickshaw/WireImage

with Paris Hilton at the premiere party for The Simple Life.

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22 of 25

2005

Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

at Cartier's 25 years in Beverly Hills celebration in honor of Project A.L.S. 

23 of 25

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Carley Margolis/FilmMagic

at MTV's TRL.

24 of 25

2003

Ray Mickshaw/WireImage

with Kelly Osbourne and Paris Hilton at a premiere party for The Simple Life.

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