Nick Verreos and His Muse Attend FGILA's "The Designer and The Muse" Fashion Party

Cocktails, Gowns, and a Project Runway Designer-Almost-Without-A-Muse, at the Standard Downtown LA...Helloooooooo?!: Model Lisa Blades and Nick Verreos gossip on the phones at the Standard Downtown LA (Photo Courtesy of Tim Regas for Photomezzo.com)


Last Wednesday, on March 17Th, I was invited to the second annual Fashion Group International of Los Angeles/FGILA's "The Designer & The Muse That Inspires Them" party in celebration of LA fashion Week. This year's party and red carpet parade of Designers and Muses was to be led by the legendary Couturier James Galanos. Well, of course, I couldn't miss it! I was teaching (and giving Finals) that entire day at FIDM and afterward, rushed to my NIKOLAKI design studio to get ready and meet up with my friend--and Muse--the statuesque and oh-so-lovely, Lisa Blades. Lisa was my muse at last year's FGILA Designer and The Muse event and I just LOVE being with her so naturally, I wanted her to be my date again! For this year's event/party, she wore a pale blue and gold silk-wool zibeline, high-neck mini-dress with padded cap sleeves from our NIKOLAKI Fall 2010 Collection. The moment she tried it on, she looked AMAZING and it also made her legs look TEN FEET LONG!! (that's the part I loved).Natalie Cole and designer Lloyd Klein

The moment we arrived, we spotted the stunning Natalie Cole as she was leaving the party and slipping into her very VIP limousine. Inside, the lobby was jam-packed with fashionista guests, designers, and beautiful models mingling and enjoying cocktails. We were then whisked off to the the second level for some red carpet photo ops.
I was happy to run into Palm Springs designer, Michael Costello who was there with his model/muse, the exotic Suwana Perry. I also ran into my really good friend, designer April Mun of Stella & Jamie , who was there with her muse, actress Melissa Ordway .
Model Blocked: Brandise Danesewich, Mila Hermanovski, Nick Verreos and Lisa Blades, FGILA's Designer and The Muse Party

I knew that it would be only a short while before I would run into some Project Runway Alumn. First, Season 7 Model Brandise Denesewich spotted me from afar and we screamed like little girls (OK, I did!). She was there as the Muse of Season 7 Designer, Mila Hermanovski, whom I also had just seen at the Gen Art LA Alumni Party days before!Better Late Than Never: Lisa Blades, Nick Verreos, Althea Harper and Tanisha Harper, the Standard Downtown LA

And then, as Lisa and I were leaving (I had a very early morning flight to Texas the next day!), we bumped into Season 6 Finalist Althea Harper, who was in town for Fall 2010 LA Market Week. Althea didn't realize that she was supposed to bring a Muse (somehow she missed the "Muse" part of "Designer and The Muse") so she called her Project Runway Model, the beautiful Tanisha Harper. She left the party, met up with her, gave her one of her gowns to wear and returned to the party! You Go Girl! Althea and Tanisha both get my "Nick At-a-girl Fashion Stars" for the entire week!!!

TV Guide Grammys Fashion Wrap with Carrie Ann Inaba and Nick Verreos: Video plus Photos!!

The Best, Not So Best, and Why I Have A Crush on the Jonas Brothers (their style, of course!)...The Red Carpet TV Guide Network "Choir": Jennifer Rade, Nick Verreos, Kim Vo, Carrie Ann Inaba (in NIKOLAKI) and Lawrence Zarian

On Monday, I taped my TV Guide Fashion Wrap--the Grammy Awards Edition--with hostess and Red Carpet "Moderator" and Dancing With The Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba. I just found out that it was the HIGHEST RATED Grammys Fashion Wrap in TV Guide history (yeaaay!!!). Also, you may remember that she wore a NIKOLAKI dress on Sunday when she co-hosted the TV Guide Grammys Red Carpet Show. And now for the Fashion Wrap, I decided to dress her again--in a black silk jersey cowl draped dress with leather shoulder accents. Two NIKOLAKI's in two days! Also, the entire set was donned with NIKOLAKI gowns and dresses, in case you think those dresses in the background look a bit "familiar".
Guitar Hero: Carrie Ann Inaba, wearing a NIKOLAKI silk and leather dress, with NIKOLAKI gowns in the background, TV Guide Fashion Wrap Set

As always, I had a lot of fun with my fellow panel of experts, including Lawrence Zarian, Jen Rade--who styled Carrie Ann, as well as Pink on Grammy night. Also, giving his opinion on the hairstyles of the night, was the one and only Kim Vo--hairstylist and colorist TO THE STARS! Hear (and watch) what he has to say about doing Miss Britney Spears hair for the night--as well as all our other fun and crazy commentary--including some insightful dish on designers, collections, and what the stars are wearing. Yes, I try and give some information and educate--as well as give my fun "Nick" two cents. In case you missed the show...

CLICK BELOW for the entire 2010 Grammys Fashion Wrap:

Carrie Ann Inaba wears Nikolaki to the Grammy Awards

Architectural Carrie!
Carrie Ann Inaba in NIKOLAKI Fall 2010, hosting TV Guide Network's Grammys Red Carpet Pre-Show

Late last year, when I did my Emmys Fashion Wrap with Carrie Ann Inaba, she took me aside and said "You know what? I need to wear NIKOLAKI when I host one of my upcoming Red Carpet Shows..." We decided the Grammys would be perfect. The next time I saw her while filming the Golden Globes Fashion Wrap, I brought sketches for her and her stylist extraordinaire, my fellow Fashion Wrap Panelist, Jen Rade, to see. They loved all of them but decided they should stop by my NIKOLAKI Design Studio to take a closer look and "play dress-up". And boy did she: She tried on half a dozen gowns and dresses. But her eyes began "wandering"... She couldn't take her eyes off a muslin/toile sample that we had made for our Fall 2010 line. Couture Muslin: Nick Verreos and Carrie Ann Inaba pose with the muslin/toile of her Grammys dress

She asked "What is that??" We said that it was just a mock-up (in cotton muslin) of one of the dresses in our upcoming line. "I HAVE to try it on!" she quipped. She did and both her and Jen found their dress. Done and done. My design partner, David Paul and I took her measurements and discussed length and any other minor adjustments. Now we just had to make it--custom--in just ONE WEEK!!! The final result: A strapless cocktail dress made with black Italian Silk-and-Wool Zibeline featuring Oragami-like "petal" folds up top and cascading down the bottom.
Hand Delivery: Nick Verreos at the Staples bringing THE dress to Carrie Ann Inaba's trailer for a fitting

These last few days prior to the Awards have been crazy, making trips back-and-forth to the Staples Center--site of the Grammys--for some final fitting last touches and today both David and I were at her hotel room, getting her dressed in our NIKOLAKI dress. We think she looks amazing!
Click below for Carry Ann Inaba (in NIKOLAKI) and Chris Harrison interviewing Taylor Swift at the Grammys 2010:


Click HERE for more videos.