Nicole Richie NYC Fashion Star Press Stops Pictures

Nicole Richie started her morning bright and early with a visit to Live! With Kelly today in NYC. The designer and reality host is gearing up for tomorrow's debut of her series Fashion Star. Nicole joins forces with John Varvatos, Jessica Simpson, and model Elle Macpherson on the TV competition, which pits young designers against each other as they compete for buyers from retailers like Saks Fifth Avenue and H&M to carry their burgeoning fashion lines. Nicole chose a salmon-pink, printed dress for her early press stop, but changed into skinny jeans and a Proenza Schouler tiger-print crewneck before heading to Sant Ambroeus for lunch. Nicole's trip East prevented her from attending her costar John's annual fundraiser for Stuart House yesterday in LA, but we caught up with him at the benefit, where he talked about his reaction to Jessica's nude cover for Elle. He told us he emailed her first thing in the morning after seeing the image, which he thought was "beautiful," but admitted he hasn't yet picked out a gift for Jessica's soon-to-arrive baby girl.