Nick Appearance Minute: FIDM Los Angeles Open House & Debut 2012 Fashion Club Party!!!

An FIDM Open House Runway Under The "Big Tent", A "Phantom of The Opera" Fashion Club Bash, Lots of Photo-Ops...Oh, and...Jif Peanut Butter...Read on kids...

Nick Postcards From...Debut 2012 FIDM Fashion Club Party--Nick Verreos and some fashionable attendees

This past weekend was FIDM Debut 2012 Weekend, beginning last Thursday and onto this past Saturday. As the Official Spokesperson for my Alma Mater, the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising/FIDM, I take part in a lot of events and appearances throughout the year promoting the College, talking about FIDM to hopeful students and how the school gave me the fundamentals to launch my fashion career. The Debut Weekend is the "Oscars" of the entire FIDM school year and there are always lots of events leading up to the big Debut Fashion Show--where graduates from the Advanced Fashion Design and Costume Design programs show their Collections at Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, California.

FIDM Spring 2012 Open House:

Under the Big Tent: a scene from Spring 2012 Open House, FIDM

One of the first events I MC'ed this past weekend was the Debut 2012 Spring Open House at the Downtown L.A. FIDM Campus. Open House occurs in all the campuses and it's a way for parents and prospective students to get information on the college as well as meet alumni, instructors and take tours of the campus facilities. This Spring Open House was HUGE--hundreds and hundreds of high school students and their parents and family, gathered under a massive tent in Hope Park, next to the campus.

Any Volunteers?? Nick Verreos asks for Spring 2012 Open House "Style Walk-Off" models

After introducing myself, I held an impromptu "Open House" runway fashion show. These attendees were very stylin' so I felt compelled to have them show off their looks. And let me tell you, by the show of hands when I asked for volunteers, we could have stayed there for HOURS doing "Style Walk-Off's"!! Now speaking of the audience, as I looked for those Open House Runway volunteers, I spotted one girl sitting eating some Ritz Crackers with...

A big ol' jar of Jif Peanut Butter (it was the "Reduced Fat" kind, by the way)!! Well, you KNOW I just had to out "Miss Peanut Butter" lover (she was so sweet through it all, as she turned BRIGHT RED!)---Who brings a jar of Peanut Butter to an FIDM Debut Open House, I asked? SHE DID!!! Love her!

Tent Panel: (Left to Right) Nick Verreos, Jason Leigh Shinn, Lisa Vian Hunter and Casey Murphy, FIDM Spring 2012 Open House

Following the "Open House Walk-Off" and the Peanut Butter....I finally got to hosting the Open House Panel discussion on the main stage with four current students and alumni as my guests. The panel included Casey Murphy, a current student in the Merchandise Marketing program who also happens to be Marketing Director of FIDM Mode, the campus-based magazine created and produced exclusively by students; Jason Leigh Shinn, who just got accepted (and won a Scholarship) in the IMPD (International Manufacturing & Product Development) Advanced Study program; Mallory Dempster, an alumna, who is currently a Creative Marketing Consultant with a very successful marketing agency (Mallory also happens to be a former student of mine); and our last panelist was another FIDM alumna, Lisa Vian Hunter, who owns a boutique in Seattle that carries vintage clothing as well as her own designs--she is also a contestant on the NBC's "Fashion Star" reality TV show.

Open House Smiles: Nick Verreos poses with attendees of the FIDM Spring 2012 Open House

As it has become custom, following the Panel Discussion, I did a "Nick Meet & Greet" and took lots of Facebook and Twitter pics with the Spring Open House attendees--as well as gave out signed photos.

Open House attendee Adii Kara and Nick Verreos

Nick Verreos and Open House attendee Victoria Hultquist

It was great meeting everyone--all the high school students from across the US (including Arizona, Missouri, Texas, Hawaii, etc) as well as their parents (love the Mommies and Dads!) But soon, it was time for me to be "whisked" away and drive to Santa Monica to attend the FIDM Fashion Club Debut 2012 Pre-Party at the Barker Hanger...

FIDM Fashion Club Debut 2012 Pre-Party:

The annual FIDM Fashion Club Debut Pre-Party is like the Fashion Prom--but without the awkward dates wearing the tacky rented tuxedos! I got to the Fashion Club Party at Santa Monica's Barker Hanger, right around the same time over a thousand (yes, over a thousand!) high school students and their advisers from Fashion Clubs from all over the U.S. began arriving as well.

Phantom Step-and-Repeat: The Scene at the Fashion Club Debut 2012 Pre-Party

The FIDM Debut Fashion Club Pre-Party tent was set up in the Debut 2012 Theme of "The Phantom of the Opera". Several HUGE chandeliers hung from the tent ceiling and the entire area was covered in draped fabric to evoke the mood of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. There was even a step-and-repeat wall where attendees could pose with a "Phantom of the Opera" and yes, there was a live DJ spinning all the latest hits (I sound soooo OLD saying that!!) as guests began trickling in...

Yummy Treats: Various tables were set up with fruits and veggies, cheeses and crackers (I did not see any Ritz Crackers and Peanut Butter!) and warm appetizers like chicken skewers...

Make-Up Fab: There was also an "Eyelash Corner" to give guests some SUPER DUPER "Fashion Club" eyelashes. Last but certainly not least...

Nick Photo Corner: there was the "Celebrity Corner with Nick Verreos"...

High-Low Posing: Nick Verreos poses with two stylish girls wearing "high-low" dresses/skirts, Fashion Club Debut 2012 Pre-Party

For the next couple of hours, in my "Celebrity Corner", I took photos with many, many of the party's most fashionable guests. There was a professional photographer taking the photos which my photo "dates" could pick up from the photo printer that was set up nearby as a fun souvenir!

I had such a FAB time meeting all the stylish Fashion Club members from high schools all over the nation--as well as around California of course. As a fashion designer, it was almost like doing "Research" as I made mental notes surveying each and every one of the attendees dresses and outfits. PS: Dresses ARE BACK!!! Colorful, high-low styles, mini, long, solid, printed...you name 'em, they were there. So nice to see girls in cute stylish dresses! I took soooo many pics but one of my favorites was this one:

A Three-fer: Nick Verreos, Security Guard Rick Young, and David Paul, Fashion Club Debut 2012 Pre-Party

That's me (naturally), my NIKOLAKI partner David Paul, and in the middle, my Debut 2012 Barker Hanger Security Guard, Rick Young--He was the BEST! He made me feel as if I was Justin Bieber, protecting me from those fashionable and always well-behaved young girls and guys attending the Fashion Club Party and Debut show. He always looked very serious and I (almost) got him to smile for this one!

Following the Fashion Club Party, it was time for me to be onstage and introduce FIDM Debut 2012...

Here's a sneak peek (above with my NIKOLAKI-clad models) of what's to come...on my Debut 2012 BLOG Recap...Stay tuned kids!!!