“To live an extraordinary life” is a mantra India Hicks practices daily. “You don’t have to leave England, not get married, raise five children, or live on a small island in the Bahamas,” she says, referencing her own life choices. “The extraordinary can be found in the everyday.” The daughter of Lady Pamela Mountbatten (Prince Charles is her second cousin) and David Nightingale Hicks, the prolific interior designer famed for his vibrating colors, Hicks grew up on her family’s bucolic estate in Oxfordshire, England. After graduating from Boston’s New England School of Photography, she pursued modeling before meeting David Flint Wood, a former advertising executive and childhood acquaintance, during a vacation to her family’s home on Harbour Island.
After a whirlwind courtship, the couple decided to remain in the Bahamas and raise a family. Together, they renovated several guest houses, a hotel and their home overlooking the Sargasso Sea. Hicks parlayed her fascination for design and style by building an entrepreneurial-studded career whose highlights included crafting skincare and fragrances, and a line of jewelry for Crabtree & Evelyn and Bloomingdale’s, respectively. She also hosted the second season of Bravo’s “Top Design” and has penned four books, including The New York Times bestseller, “India Hicks: Island Style.” In 2015, she launched her eponymous e-commerce company, India Hicks Inc., with partners Nicholas Keuper and HauteLook co-founder Konstantin Glasmacher. The exclusive, beach-imbued collection ranges from handbags and jewelry to home goods and fine fragrances, and it’s sold online by a fleet of loyal style ambassadors. On Jan. 24, she’ll discuss her latest book, “India Hicks: A Slice of England” (Rizzoli), at the Delray Beach Public Library’s annual author lunch event hosted at the Polo Club of Boca Raton. The book examines life at American Farm, the idyllic, Oxfordshire enclave she shares with David and their five children, Felix, Armory, Conrad, Domino and Wesley. — Kerry Shorr
QUINTESSENTIAL COUTURIER Self-Portrait
COLLECTION PICK India Hicks Star Tail earrings
DAILY DUDS I mostly wear yoga pants and flip-flops. This greatly disappoints David who’d like me to dress like Grace Kelly.
SIGNATURE ACCESSORY My reversible Legacy letter belts because I love options.
RECENT SARTORIAL SNAG Navy blue wide-legged trousers from Carbon38
HAPPY MEAL Marmite on toast. That’s about the strength of my cooking skills.
DRINK DU JOUR Green juice, but don’t for a minute think I’m all healthy. My diet is predominantly rubbish.
NEVER WITHOUT A charger because I’m always out of power.
SMILE MAKER My three-legged dachshund, Banger. Unless he’s peed inside and then I’m less than happy.
WHAT’S PLAYING Lana Del Rey
ART FAN Anish Kapoor
WHAT’S PLAYING “Ozark” whilst on David’s rowing machine
WELL READ My father’s scrapbooks that my brother, Ashley Hicks, compiled are a constant source of memory.
GUILTY PLEASURE Charbonnel et Walker rose and violet creams
SPIRIT ANIMAL Something with a tremendous amount of energy, possibly a panther.
WORTH REPEATING The Gordonstoun School motto: “Plus est en vous” or “There is more in you.”
ULTIMATE WEEKEND ITINERARY An empty inbox, a family supper and no one to entertain
SOMETHING SECRET My family is utterly unmusical. I learned to play the trumpet when I was 13 years old, and my grandfather nicknamed me “Decibel.”
SUPER TALENT Multi-tasking
WORKOUT GIRL I run every chance I get. Whether it’s up a mountain, on a tropical beach, or around a loch in Scotland.
WISH LIST For the women [who work for me] to have the same confidence I’ve gained from starting my own business
CERULEAN ESCAPE Windermere Island provides complete privacy with an unstable Internet connection and no television.
TREASURED KEEPSAKE A bracelet with Fabergé eggs I inherited from my mother
CRAZY FOR My three dogs, two cats and one tortoise
TRY ONCE Live an extraordinary life
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