You were just in LA for the Emmys, and you film The Vampire Diaries in Atlanta. Where in the world is Nina right now? I’m at my place in Atlanta. I had a rare day off, so I slept in and tried to rest up from all the Emmys craziness.

What do you do on your days off besides sleep? They’re so few and far between that I usually just sleep! I slept like, 12 hours last night, which I rarely do because my brain will rarely cut off. But I try to cook and I usually have to study lines.

Let’s talk about your amazing Donna Karan Emmys dress. How did you pick it out? Everything sort of fell together perfectly, which was awesome. I was working with a stylist who was amazing, but when I’m away in Atlanta, she has to send me photos of dresses in models and then I choose which ones I think will work. I always try to dress for the occasion. For Teen Choice Awards I do something a little more teen friendly, and for Emmys it’s a little more glam. It’s fun to dress up; award shows are like theme parties…or Halloween!

Who would you say is your style icon?
I’m a chameleon as a person and as an artist. The characters that I play and the events that I go to, you have to be a different person each time, so I have a different inspiration each time. One of them is Kate Beckinsale; she has great style because she’s always so classy and put together in a very clean way. Zoe Saldana takes a lot of risks, but is still very classy. I love Diana Agron, Emma Watson, Olivia Wilde, Emma Stone…they’re all so great. Continue Reading at Nylon