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Runway Madness: Nick Verreos (Season 2), Kelli Martin (Season 5) and Raymundo Baltazar-Flores (Season 2) at FIDM's 2008 Career Connections Day
Today The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising /FIDM had its annual Career Connections Day, and since it was one of the days that I taught, I was asked to bring my students to "meet and greet" prospective employers from the Southern California Apparel Industry. This is a unique and wonderful experience for FIDM students to meet designers, business owners, and anyone involved in the fashion industry to make connections, contacts, and network. Established designers and FIDM graduates such as Alan del Rosario, Kevan Hall were there, as well as reps for Rock and Republic, Trina Turk, and even the fabulous Kelli Martin from Project Runway Season 5 (in her UBER Red new haircolor!). She is an FIDM graduate and was there representing her store and company, Anti-Label Clothing. I was so...]]>
Olympic Fashion
I finally had an epiphany: I know I am so late in this realization, but as soon as Heidi "Uber" Klum introduced the challenge, I realized that this season's challenges have something in common: They seem to be paying tribute to past Project Runway challenges. Read on kids ...
The Challenge: Parade of Nations: USA
This week (two days before the 2008 Summer Olympics officially begin), the designers were faced with the challenge of designing the Opening Ceremony outfits to be worn by the USA Olympic Team for the upcoming 2008 Summer Olympics. This was to be the 2008 version of my season's "Sasha Cohen/Figure Skating Outfit" challenge. Because designer Ralph Lauren already procured the contract to designing the Olympic uniforms, the winning outfit would never really be worn during the actual Opening Ceremonies (on that note, Sasha never wore Zulema's winning figure skating costume either!)
The Workroom:
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I get e-mails all the time from publicists, stylists and actresses, requesting to borrow or purchase a gown or dress for an event. Normally, designers have press agencies and showrooms that represent them. These agencies get the designers celebrity clientele, procure them great publicity and get their dresses on the “red carpet,” magazines, and so on. Stylists go to these agencies, look at different designer’s collections and take out dresses to then show their clients. The designer rarely gets involved, unless the client is “high-profile” enough or if it is custom.
On the other hand, I represent myself -- with the amazing help of my design and business partner, David Paul. My collection is in my studio and my studio is my showroom. Two months ago, we received an email from Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin’s publicist. Marlee was attending the 80th Annual Oscars and needed a gown. The publicist, whom I had...]]>
On Saturday, I was invited to present the “Corporate Visibility Award” to Bravo, recognizing its contribution in the portrayal of the GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender) community and helping to break down stereotypes and phobias. I was excited because my co-presenters would be Project Runway Season 4 winner Christian “Fierce” Siriano as well as Work Out trainer, Jesse Brune.
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Earlier in the week, I officially met Christian at his “Welcome To A” dinner party, held at the Roosevelt Hotel and he had been here all week long, taking meetings with Posh, and making TV appearances on The Tonight Show as well as Ellen. I was excited to see him again at this illustrious HRC Awards dinner. The Human Rights Campaign is the largest GLBT lobbying group and political action committee. Many celebrities were present including Anne Hathaway, who received the Ally for Equality Award,...]]>
Last year I did an event in San Diego, in conjunction with the Season 3 premiere of Project Runway at the Mall of The Americas near the Mexico-US border. Bravo, Cox Media, and Fashion Career College had asked if I would host an event and fashion show there. I guess because of the success of this event, I was asked again by the same clients to do another event this year.
This time, Fashion Career College (FCC), a fashion school based in San Diego was having a unique competition, in conjunction with Junior Retailer Charlotte Russe. Open to anyone wanting to go to this fashion school, a contest was held, where they were given a certain amount of fabric, an allotted amount of time, and they were to drape agarment that best represented the Charlotte Russe customer and trend of the upcoming season. At the end of the day, the finished garments were to...]]>
Nick and Jeffrey Sebelia: Together, for One-Time Only! Better than Barbara Streisand and Donna Summer, Brandi and Monica and Fred and Ginger. I never thought I would be paired up with the “Bad Boy” of Project Runway. And I am sure neither did he. For the last year and a half, I have been invited around the country to do the “lecture circuit” and speak to students at various universities. I have been to Kansas, Washington, Michigan, and now Kutztown University had invited not just me, but Jeffrey as well, to come and speak. At first, I asked why me and Jeffrey? Was Santino busy doing some other event or designing another MTV dress? Then quickly I realized “why not?” Instead of the “Bad Boy” tour, it’s the “Opposite Boys Tour”.
I had met Jeffrey before at Project Runway events as well as attended two of his Los Angeles Fashion Week shows. He...]]>
Or so they tell me. The latest trend to make its way to the world of fashion is Eco-Chic. But is it a trend? Well, by definition, trends come and go, but I sincerely hope that Eco-Chic becomes a lifestyle more than a passing retailing trend. In the last few years, the fashion industry has become increasingly aware of its responsibilities to the environment. Southern California, for one reason or another, is becoming a “Green is the new Black” hub for burgeoning eco-chic clothing companies.
At first glance, Los Angeles is the last place, one would think, where people would even care about the environment, or being eco-chic. It is one the most polluted cities in the world with more people driving alone in large gas-guzzling SUV’s per capita than anywhere else in the world. At the same time, Southern California is a trend capital of the world, the largest...]]>
Los Angeles has become the unofficial Vintage Couture mecca for stylists, costume designers, and savvy shoppers looking for that rare Pucci tunic, or Grecian-goddess Vionnet dress. Why has Los Angeles become such a destination for this and more important, why are there more vintage designer pieces to be found here than another city? I venture to guess several reasons, including that the Hollywood industry is located here with all its studios as well as their famed costume houses. Throw in an inordinate amount of millionaire wives living in the Hills wanting to “get rid” of their Pierre Cardins as well as all the tantalizing estate sales from people who lived in the heyday of Hollywood’s Glamour years and you have got the right recipe for a delicious Vintage Couture playing ground.
There are several stores in Southern California which specialize in selling designer pieces from the last century. One of the...]]>
I love Seattle. Let’s just get that out of the way. I grew up near San Francisco and Seattle reminds of that city. It’s natural air conditioning, its postcard perfect sights. The Pike Place Market is like “Fisherman’s Wharf”. I could go on. In the past I have been invited to make appearances and lecture at Seattle’s International Academy of Design and Technology (IADT), one of the newest design schools in the country devoted to teaching fashion design and merchandising as well as graphic design and other related courses to the Pacific Northwest designers of tomorrow.
Several weeks ago, I was invited back to IADT, Seattle. But this time, I was not alone. My Project Runway buddy, designer Andrae Gonzalo, joined me. Little did we know, it was to be the “Nick & Andrae Show: Live from Seattle”. I flew directly from St. Louis Missouri, where I was hosting the first ever St....]]>
Several weeks ago, I was in San Diego, California, the city with the envious title of having the “Best Weather in all of the US”. I was there to debut my Resort/Spring 2008 NIKOLAKI Collection. "Why San Diego?" many asked. Well, there were several reasons.
Almost a year ago, I went to San Diego for an event, and I stayed at the fabulous W Hotel. I was especially fond of their “Beach Bar”, located on the second floor, which is an outdoor patio and bar filled with sand to mimic a beach, which overlooks the skyline of San Diego. The W Hotel promotion team asked me then if I would do one of their “Celebrity Bartender” nights. I was flattered that they used the word “celebrity” and "Nick Verreos" in one sentence AND, although my friends delight in telling me that I can make a “mean Cadillac Margarita”, the prospect of serving it...]]>
