NICK VERREOS FIDM.....Nick Verreos Special Appearance at FIDM San Francisco 3 Days of Fashion 2016: BLOG RECAP!

NICK VERREOS FIDM.....Nick Verreos Special Appearance at FIDM San Francisco 3 Days of Fashion 2016: BLOG RECAP!

San Francisco 3 Days of Fashion Fun: Nick Verreos "Special Appearance" at FIDM San Francisco 3 Days of Fashion 2016

Rounding out my "Special Guest" appearances these past two weeks for the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising/FIDM's fabulous "3 Days of Fashion" Summer Program, the FIDM San Francisco campus was the last stop--and a SUPER WONDERFUL one to boot! Previously, I had the honor of making special visits at the FIDM San Diego, FIDM Los Angeles and FIDM Orange County campuses and so San Francisco was the last one to get to.

Many of you may know that I spent my teenage years in the Bay Area, after my family moved to San Bruno and subsequently, nearby Millbrae. To make a long story short, I always have a special affinity for San Francisco since, well, I kinda grew up there (or at least nearby!). So...back to my visit to FIDM San Francisco...

Uh OH!--I was flying out of LAX to SFO via Virgin America. My flight was scheduled to depart at around 10 am. We boarded but 15 minutes later, we were all deplaned. Yep, we were asked to leave the aircraft! Then, it was announced our gate was changed and then, our departure time was changed from that 10 am time to...2:30 PM. It would have been fine but, that was EXACTLY the time I was supposed to be at the FIDM San Francisco campus--with my NIKOLAKI and NV Nick Verreos dresses--ready to speak to about 100 students! So, needless to say, this was NOT AN OPTION. Luckily the airline found a space for me--and my gowns--on the 11am flight and...

I Made It!--Nick Verreos in Union Square San Francisco

So, thank goodness, I made it to FIDM San Francisco just in time and everything worked out FABULOUSLY! Here are all the photos to prove it:

Fashion Audience: Nick Verreos speaking at the FIDM San Francisco 3 Days of Fashion 2016

Special Guest: Nick Verreos at FIDM San Francisco 3 Days of Fashion 2016

Group Selfies!!!--Nick Verreos takes selfies with attendees at FIDM San Francisco 3 Days of Fashion 2016

My NIKOLAKI and NV Nick Verreos Fashion Presentation:

Kaftan Maxi Fab: Nick Verreos and model Rachael Sitz in NV Nick Verreos for EVINE Live printed jersey knit "kaftan" maxi dress--FIDM San Francisco 3 Days of Fashion 2016

Angel Wing Sexy: Model Rachael Sitz in NIKOLAKI printed silk charmeuse "angel wing" backed gown--FIDM San Francisco 3 Days of Fashion 2016

Paillette Couture: Model in NIKOLAKI ivory colored silk sequined encrusted bias-cut draped cocktail dress--FIDM San Francisco 3 Days of Fashion 2016

Draped Goddess: Nick Verreos with model Rachael Sitz wearing NIKOLAKI grape colored silk jersey draped gown--FIDM San Francisco 3 Days of Fashion 2016

Draped Princess: Model in NIKOLAKI grape colored silk jersey draped gown

Sequined Fab: Model in NIKOLAKI ivory silk sequin encrusted bias-cut draped cocktail dress

A Passion for Fashion!! Time to sign photos announcing the release of my NEW BOOK "A Passion for Fashion"--Available for Pre-Order NOW on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble

Post-Appearance Meet & Greet Photos:

Smile and Pose: Nick Verreos with attendees at FIDM San Francisco 3 Days of Fashion 2016

Love You Cecile! Posing for a selfie with Cecile Fayen--my "unofficial" SF Social Media Director and FIDM San Francisco Photographer

NV Gals: I just about LOST IT upon seeing the wonderful Trudy Noren and Suzi Wehner, college reps and educators for FIDM San Francisco, wearing my NV Nick Verreos for EVINE Live color-blocked Moto Jacklets #LoveThem 

My SF Fairy Godmother: After 17 years working as a College Rep and Fabulous 3 Days of Fashion EMPRESS for FIDM, the amazing Trudy Noren has decided to move on...I will miss her soooo much! I respect, admire and love her. This is not the end but just the beginning! 

After the FIDM San Francisco 3 Days of Fashion 2016--I joined my FAVE SF Project Runway designer, Candice Cuoco as well as the rest of the FIDM SF 3 Days of Fashion team at MKT Restaurant and Bar, Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco...

Runway Divas: Nick Verreos and Candice Cuoco--MKT Restaurant and Bar, Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco

A Toast to FIDM San Francisco 3 Days of Fashion!--MKT Restaurant & Bar, Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco

**A Special "Thank You" to Cecile Fayen for taking A LOT of these photos! I "Heart" you Cecile! And Michelle Prior-Alameda for,  just being you...and for helping with getting the model out perfectly! XOXO, Nick

SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Evening Gowns: My Top 10 Best Gowns!

SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Evening Gowns: My Top 10 Best Gowns!

Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Competition Gown Fab: Some of my top favorite gowns from the Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Competition, Las Vegas Nevada

The 65th Annual Miss USA beauty pageant is under way in Las Vegas Nevada with the finals occurring this Sunday at the just-opened T-Mobile Arena. This Wednesday, the ever-important Preliminary Competition happened. This is where the contestants vying for the 2016 Miss USA crown and sash competed in Swimsuit and Evening Gown in front of a panel of judges (different from the Final night judges) to determine the Top 15 Semi-finalists who will be announced on Sunday night's live finals.

Gown Gals: Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Competition Evening Gown Competition, Las Vegas Nevada

This year there are 52 contestants (as opposed to the usual 51 contestants covering the 50 US states plus the District of Columbia) with the 52nd one being "Miss 52 USA". This was a marketing/pr/promotional campaign organized by the Miss Universe Organization and fashion company Sherri Hill (who is a sponsor of the pageant) to pick a 52nd contestant to compete in the 2016 Miss USA pageant. Now, getting back to the subject at hand (Pageant Gowns!!)...as you know, I'm a big "pageant fan" and love discussing "Pageant Gowns" here on my blog so, naturally, it's time to review my picks for the Best Gowns of the 2016 Miss USA Preliminaries, beginning with my favorite one:

Miss South Dakota USA Madison McKeown: Out of the 52 contestants vying for this year's 2016 Miss USA title, in terms of evening gowns, Miss South Dakota SHUT IT DOWN. When she appeared onstage, I immediately knew that we had gone into non-Sherri Hill Couture Territory! Madison wore an ivory silk crepe gown that had an attached dramatic cape. She OWNED the stage and runway. The gown featured a hand-painted dip-dye of blue and silver. It fit her perfectly and well, she brought the Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Evening Gown Competition to a new Haute level.

Score: 9.9

Not surprisingly, the gown was created by Lebanon-based Couturier Tony Ward...

Tony Ward Couture Fall/Winter 2015/2016: The gown is from his Fall/Winter Haute Couture collection which he showed in Paris. Normally a Couture gown like this (it has to be pre-ordered and normally, hand-made), can cost about $50,000-$75,000. It is usually a one-of-a-kind creation (or maybe 5-of-a-kind!). I would be interested to know if in fact the lovely Miss South Dakota USA paid such an amount for this Haute Couture creation and if not, if the Tony Ward Couture people were kind enough to let her borrow the sample. Comparing the length of the sample worn by the runway model vs. the lovely Madison McKeown, it certainly does not look like the runway sample since the length of the column gown (in the white section) seems much longer (I assume the runway model is 6 feet as opposed to Miss South Dakota's 5' 8" height) so...was it customized for Miss South Dakota? And for free? Inquiring Pageant Gown Bloggers want to know (i.e. Me!).

Miss District of Columbia USA Deshauna Barber: I loved this golden gown worn by Miss District of Columbia USA. The dress was designed by Juan Carlos Pinera and featured a nude organza base with gold metallic criss-cross detail. In addition, it had an iridescent organza attached overskirt which was a BIG TREND of the night and I will cover that in a separate blog post for sure! Nevertheless, this was one of the most outstanding gowns of the night.

Score: 9.78

Miss Georgia USA Emanii Davis: One of my favorite gowns of the Miss USA 2016 preliminaries was this ivory design worn by Miss Georgia USA. Emanii wore this crepe column gown that had a sequined shoulder detail and chiffon cape. I thought she looked regal and goddess-like. I also loved her styling (the slicked-back chignon was VERY "Miss Venezuela" fab!). If there was any criticism, the bust had awkward fit issues (that's for another blog!). The gown was from Sherri Hill Fall/Winter 2016 NY Fashion Week (as I am sure lots of others were, since the company is after all, one of the major sponsors).

Score: 9. 60

Miss Alabama USA Peyton Brown: Peyton wore this white with gold sequin trim "Grecian Goddess"-inspired gown. I thought it was an impressive showing and great gown design. The fit was perfect and I think she nailed the "Fashion" and "Pageant" components.

Score: 9.50

Miss Louisiana USA Maaliyah Papillion: Maaliyah made me yell an "Oh Dear!" when I saw her during the Miss USA 2016 Preliminaries as I watched online...and for good! I thought that this was a sexy, brave choice for the stunning Miss Louisiana USA beauty. The black gown featured a lace sequined-and-see-though column with an organza overskirt (there's THAT overskirt!) but more importantly, the gown had an attached leotard. This is something that we have seen from some Haute Couture designers such as Zuhair Murad and Elie Saab in the past years and while, sometimes, it may look a bit "Uh Oh!", here it worked.

Score: 9. 55

Miss Minnesota USA Bridget Jacobs: Bridget wore this silver and ivory sequined gown to Wednesday night's Miss USA 2016 Preliminaries. The gown looked elegant, expensive and fit well. I also LOVED the capelet detail. It was also nice to see a gown NOT featuring a super-high slit and OVERSKIRT (hello!). Oh, and it was the correct length (no tacky platform heels showing too much!). The design was a version of a Sherri Hill design shown on the Fall/Winter 2016 NY Fashion Week runway. 

Score: 9. 50

Miss Wisconsin USA Kate Redeker: I am normally not so much a fan of a typical "pageant princess"-like gown such as this one worn by Miss Wisconsin USA but...I really liked this dress. The gown was a midnight blue-colored design with a pointed velvet bustier and iridescent organza gathered full ballgown skirt. She looked classic and like a princess. I also thought her styling--makeup, earrings and that super-chic chignon--were EXCELLENT! The gown design was shown during the Sherri Hill Fall 2016 NY Fashion Week show in a different color way--modeled by the current Miss USA Olivia Jordan (lower photo above).

Score: 9. 45

Miss Pennsylvania USA Elena La Quatra: Miss Pennsylvania USA wore this silver sequined gown which I thought was worthy of my Top Ten inclusion. I thought the design was very pretty, elegant and gown-sublime. I loved the delicate shoulder details and the nude-over-sequin design worked well. I also give her props for having the gown be the proper length and not showing the shoes.

Score: 9.30

Miss Kentucky USA Kyle Hornback: First off, I LOVED the bright canary yellow color of this ballgown. To be frank, Miss Kentucky USA did not have much runway grace while showcasing this gown at the Miss USA 2016 Preliminaries (she was close to looking like a truck driver attempting walk the runway!) but I did like this gown and design; it was impressive and impacting. I also liked her styling with the sleek center-part hair and minimal jewelry sans the earrings. Now, if someone could just teach her how to walk like a DIVA in this DIVA-worthy gown.

Score: 9. 25

Finally...

  

Miss New Jersey USA Jessielyn Plumbo: I was very impressed with Miss New Jersey USA and her choice of this gold mermaid-style gown for the Miss USA 2016 Preliminaries. While the style isn't anything extraordinary or Haute Couture-worthy, it was impacting on the stage and the gold sequin fabric worked fabulously with her tan coloring and blond hair. Therefore, her gown made my Top ten Best Gowns of the Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Competition.

Score: 9.20

**UP NEXT: My "Uh Oh" List of Breast-a-Licious Pads, Feather Cray-Cray, and Tacky Stripper Heels of the Miss USA 2016 Preliminary Competition!



Here's a hint:

Pageant No-No's

EUROPE.....Museum Visits Recap Part Two: Les Arts Decoratifs Museum "Fashion Forward: 3 Centuries of Fashion" and "Barbie" Exhibitions!

EUROPE.....Museum Visits Recap Part Two: Les Arts Decoratifs Museum "Fashion Forward: 3 Centuries of Fashion" and "Barbie" Exhibitions!

Couture and Barbie: Collage of the "Fashion Forward: 3 Siecles de Mode" and "Barbie" Exhibitions--Les Arts Decoratifs Paris

Continuing with my EUROPE MUSEUM RECAP, here's Part 2 of my Blog. In my previous blog HERE I covered attending the "Vogue 100 Years of Style" London Exhibition as well as the "James Bond: 50 Years of Style" Exhibit in Paris. David and I were in Paris for less than 24 hours but we wanted to make sure to take advantage of the brief time we had.

David Paul and Nick Verreos--Barbie Exhibition, Les Arts Decoratifs Paris

Mon Dieu!--Nick Verreos at the "Fashion Forward: 3 Centuries of Fashion" Exhibition, Les Arts Decoratifs Paris

We were very excited when we found out that there were TWO fabulous fashion exhibitions in Paris and in ONE Museum: Les Arts Decoratifs. The exhibitions were "Fashion Forward: 3 Siecles de Mode" (3 Centuries of Fashion), and the "Barbie" Exhibition (enough said!). So, naturally, we had to attend!

Les Arts Decoratifs Museum, Paris France

So, let's begin with the "Fashion Forward: 3 Siecles de Mode" fashion exhibition. This amazing exhibition celebrates three centuries of fashion--from the 1715-2016. The Exhibition is a fashion designer's/fashion historian/fashionista/fashion lover's DREAM! It begins with stunning 18th Century clothing from the Louis XIV time including all the fabulous Watteau-backed gowns, elaborate brocade waistcoats, and then into the Napoleon and Empress Josephine era with the delicately gorgeous Empire gowns. The exhibition segues right into the bustle-backed fashion period and the start of modern Haute Couture with Charles Frederick Worth in the late 1800's and early 20th Century Chanel, Lanvin, Schiaparelli and so many more...

Pannier Divine: Court Dress, around 1778--"Fashion Forward: 3 Siecles de Mode" Exhibition Les Arts Decoratifs Museum Paris

Watteau Couture: Watteau-back dress and petticoat (robe a la francaise), around 1740--"Fashion Forward: 3 Siecles de Mode" Exhibition, Les Arts Decoratifs Museum Paris

Striped Bustle: Striped satin gown "Fashion Forward: 3 Siecles de Mode" Exhibition Les Arts Decoratifs Museum Paris

Worth Sublime: An 1865 gown from Couturier Charles Frederick Worth--"Fashion Forward: 3                                      Siecles de Mode" Exhibition Les Arts Decoratifs Museum Paris

  Fortuny Chic: "Delphos" Dress from Mariano Fortuny 1905-1907--"Fashion Forward: 3 Siecles                                          de Mode" Exhibition Les Arts Decoratifs Museum Paris

     Empire Couture: Dress from Callot Soeurs 1909-1913--"Fashion Forward: 3 Siecles de Mode"                                                Exhibition Les Arts Decoratifs Museum Paris

Empire Train: "Fashion Forward: 3 Siecles de Mode" Exhibition Les Arts Decoratifs Museum                                                                                    Paris

Early 20th Century Mode: "Fashion Forward: 3 Siecles de Mode" Exhibition Les Arts Decoratifs                                                                            Museum Paris

The exhibition then moved onto the 20th Century highlighting the height of Haute Couture with late 1940s/1950's designs from Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Cristobal Balenciaga, Pierre Balmain as well as the fabulous 1960's looks of Andre Courreges, Paco Rabanne, Emanuel Ungaro. When I walked into the main hall of Les Arts Decoratifs which contained these designs...I almost began to cry...

1950's Couture Superb: "Fashion Forward: 3 Siecles de Mode" Exhibition Les Arts Decoratifs                                                                             Museum Paris

Dior 1947 New Look: "Fashion Forward: 3 Siecles de Mode" Exhibition Les Arts Decoratifs                                                                             Museum Paris

Toreador and Picasso: Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture--"Fashion Forward: 3 Siecles de Mode"                                           Exhibition Les Arts Decoratifs Museum Paris

Emanuel Ungaro and Andre Courreges: "Fashion Forward: 3 Siecles de Mode" Exhibition Les                                                              Arts Decoratifs Museum Paris

Cardin Caftan: 1960s Pierre Cardin flower printed silk gown (right)--"Fashion Forward: 3 Siecles                                   de Mode" Exhibition Les Arts Decoratifs Museum Paris

   Balenciaga Pouf: Cristobal Balenciaga evening ensemble Haute Couture Fall/Winter 1961--                 "Fashion Forward: 3 Siecles de Mode" Exhibition Les Arts Decoratifs Museum Paris

Comme des Garcons, 2016: "Fashion Forward: 3 Siecles de Mode" Exhibition Les Arts Decoratifs                                                                      Museum Paris

Next up was the "Barbie" Exhibition---------------------------------------------------------------------------





Barbie!--Les Arts Decoratifs Museum in Paris also had the wonderful "Barbie" exhibition, showcasing...Barbie (!), of course. The exhibit pays tribute to the iconic doll, featuring 700 versions of the doll with many different styles of Barbie fashion. I was especially excited to seeing this exhibition since naturally, I am and have always been, a big Barbie fan. Also, if you might remember, I had a very nice moment during my time on Season 2 "Project Runway" when my design won the "Barbie Challenge"...

Nick Verreos "My Scene Barbie" Winning Design--Season 2 "Project Runway"

 Nick Verreos "Malibu Barbie" design--FIDM 2009 DEBUT show

I eventually had my own Barbie design sold all over the world. I also designed a "Malibu Barbie" look for the 50th Anniversary of Barbie celebration at the FIDM DEBUT fashion gala show. I was a bit sad that these creations/designs did not make it into the exhibition but, alas, there was enough there, to keep my attention.

Lots of Barbies--Barbie Exhibition Les Arts Decoratifs Museum Paris

Barbie Couture Salon Fashion Show--Barbie Exhibition Les Arts Decoratifs Museum Paris

Barbie Fab: Barbie Exhibition Les Arts Decoratifs Museum Paris

Barbie & Ken Skating: Roller Skating and Figure Skating Barbie and Ken--Barbie Exhibition Les Arts Decoratifs Paris

Stewardess Barbie: American Airlines Stewardess Barbie--Barbie Exhibition Les Arts Decoratifs Museum Paris

Nick Verreos at the Louvre Pyramid and Louvre Palace Museum Courtyard, Paris France

Paris Sketch: I was so inspired by being in Paris--even for such a short time--that I did a "Couture Fashion Sketch" in my hotel :)

Au Revoir Paris! XO, Nick