Purple Rain

EMMY WRAP UP

The Fashion:

Two words: Aubergine and Lace. These pretty much sum up Sunday's Emmy Awards "Red Carpet". I guess I was a bit ahead of myself when I designed Brenda Strong's deep purple silk gown last year for the SAG Awards and Nancy O'Dell beaded lace high-low gown for last month's "Miss Universe" telecast. Without realizing, I was "en pointe" with the two main trends. Cheryl Hines, Evangeline Lily, Ellen Pompeo: all in different shades of aubergine/ deep purple. Jamie Pressly and a couple other actresses gave you Lace, served on very tight, almost pageant dress-like silhouettes. Kayne Gillespie would be proud!! Did all these actresses' stylists get together and meet for coffee at The Ivy and discuss and agree what the color and fabric of choice would be? Crazy.

Another "Side Trend" was the One Shouldered Look. I love the one-shouldered look and have been doing it since I began my line, Nikolaki ,5 years ago. Some of the top one shouldered numbers were worn by beautiful Heidi Klum, in a red jersey Michael Kors, and Calista Flockheart, looking like a very frail Audrey Hepburn (when she was 65!!). I also loved Julia Luis-Dreyfus' black and white Narciso Rodriguez column gown and British Diva Helen Mirren looked superb in her white tiered gown. I just wish she would have put that damn stole away! I know older women have problems with exposing their arms, but her arms were not flabby at all. In fact having that stole there made me focus on them more!!!

I am still waiting for those Bjork moments! Speaking of almost-misses, Kyra Sedgwick's gown was way too much; too editorial. It would have looked great in a Vogue Italia shoot by Steven Meisel, but NOT at the Emmy's. I also was not a fan of Mariska Hargitay's Carolina Herrera gown. It was way too high on her bust. I wanted to cut about 3 inches from the bust line. A little cleavage isn't bad. Since when is she a nun?

The Parties:

David and I were invited to attend an Emmy-viewing party at The Standard on Sunset thrown by "Magical Elves", producers of "Project Runway". I met fellow designer John Wade there and hung out with Season Three designer Robert Best and his buddy , Patrik. I love me some Robert! He was so funny. What a crack-up. Three words: Split at birth. Also at this party were Season Two designers Marla Duran (with her two children) , Andrae Gonzalo and Daniel Franco. They were into watching the telecast, while Robert, John, David and I just wanted to "Dish"!!

After about an hour there, we moved onto the People Magazine Party nearby. As we approached the "velvet ropes", the fire marshall had closed it down. Just then and there, Heidi Klum and Seal emerged from their limo and I quickly stuck to them like "white on rice"! We still were not allowed in!! Let me repeat: Heidi AND Seal. Just then, somehow we were allowed into the party. Prince, yes The One and Only, was performing. There were tons of actors walking around, dancing and singing. We just enjoyed the moment, surreal as it was! As we left, we tried to get one of the huge Goodie Bags everyone was dragging around for dear life, but to no avail: No People Magazine Goodie Bags for Uncle Nick. I have enough TreSemme Hair Gel at home anyway!

As soon as we left the Prince performance at the aforementioned People Post-Emmy party, we were invited by fellow Season 2 Designer, Kirsten Ehrig and her great husband , Keith , to attend a very private and live performance by Prince(yes, again PRINCE!!) at the exclusive Foundation Room at the House Of Blues. There we cruised by the real velvet ropes and went right through the inner sanctum that is the Foundation Room. We munched on hors d'eourves and enjoyed some champagne. As I looked around ,I spotted Lance Armstrong surrounded by 5 very pretty ladies (where was his BFF, Mathew McConaughey?) and Lawrence Fishburne. A private after hours concert by Prince? Somebody pinch me because I have gone to "Purple Heaven".

To Tuck or Not To Tuck: Frontiers Magazine

Tuck Ins: Frontiers Magazine Article

In the August 29th edition of Frontiers Magazine, a Southern California Lifestyle Magazine, appears my colum: "The Inside Job With Nick Verreos", where I write fashion commentary for guys. In this issue, I decided to talk about what I affectionately coined "Tuck Ins". Not the plastic surgery, "Doctor 90210" kind of tuck-ins, but the shirt kind. Some guys like to tuck in their shirts, some do not. What are the rules and when should you do it? And, what does the "half-tuck" say about you?
Well, as I said in the article, for me, it exposes the EXTRA LARGE Gay Rodeo Belt Buckle that I bought , so I could pretend I actually won it in a bull-ridin'contest! Or , to show the gift a cute Texan gave to me! To some other guys ,however, it might look contrived and kind of silly--like you are trying to copy what they did in that "Bloomindale's Catalogue" , but unfortunately, it sort of backfired. Enjoy the article, especially those of you who are not residing in Southern California and cannot pick up the magazine.

The Inside Job w/Nick Verreos: Sandals and Summer

Since Frontiers is a local Los Angeles Magazine and most of you would not read it even if you were in LA, I thought I would post my columns here to share with everyone. The columns deal mostly with Men's fashions and fashion advice for style-challenged men. I'm really having a great time writing them and hopefully I am spreading around some good fashion advice (at least that's what my friends say).

Sandals And Summer. Two words that have become inseparable from each other, like Brad and Angelina, Nick and Jessica (ha!), Liza and the Gays. You get the picture. Sandals and flip flops are a wardrobe staple, especially here in Southern California, where we basically have no seasons and enjoy spring/summer almost all year round. What is amazing to me is how, say five years ago, sandals and flip flops were not as ubiquitous as they are now, and how the choices for styles have become unending. Years ago, you had rubber flip flops and get-out-of-the-shower-at-the-gym styles, or-shall I even go there?-yes, those nasty Teva hiking sandals that Americans in Miami Beach or even at the Louvre in Paris would be seen wearing. Times are a changin’, and we are happier as a result.
Chalk it up to “Queer Eye”, “Abercrombie & Fitch”, “American Eagle Outfitters”, MTV’s “Real World/Road Rules” as catalysts that brought flip flops and sandals into the mainstream and cemented them as a natural part of our wardrobe, no matter what the season. And now, with the airport security being as strict as it is, you can be in a winter snow storm in Buffalo NY and I guarantee there will be guys wearing flip flops at the airport for the sake of comfort and not having to take those shoes off and hold up the line any longer than they have to.
The variety of choices we have is great. On the inexpensive yet still cute side, there are those colorful Havaianas, that can be found in any surf shop from Venice to La Jolla. I also found this great pair of inexpensive flip-flops at H&M with “Italy” and the Italian flag colors emblazoned down the sole (they also have other “World Cup” countries such as England and Brazil). On the pricier side, DSquared has really stepped up it’s sandal styles by creating leather braided ones as well as a style that has Native American-inspired beaded straps. I know it sounds like a bit much to wear on your feet, but trust me, these were HOT. Of course, you can always count on Gucci or Louis Vuitton for some logo-crazy versions that will instantly let everyone around you know that: a)You went to the Cabazon Outlets in Palm Springs and bought them there, or b)you are a broke sales associate at Bloomindales but heck if that’s going to stop you from looking fabulous, or c)You are part of that 1% tax bracket that can actually afford to pay full price.
Whatever your taste or style, there are tons of choices out there in sandals and flip flops, yet the most important thing (besides how cute they look on your feet) is how comfortable they are. I remember several years ago spending over $300 on a pair of fabulous Miu Miu’s that had a powder-blue canvas strap and a heavy wooden sole. They were the most uncomfortable pair of sandals I have ever worn and people could hear me coming a mile away because of the click-clack of the wood. I felt like a pained Dutch milk-maid. At the end of the day, I would have been much happier with a pair of $14 Havaianas.