Partying with Victoria's Secret, Bravo A-List Awards, Gender Pac Chicago Cook Off, Reality Check, Heidi in Nick Verreos, SOAPnet Daytime Emmys, Project Runway Season 6 Castings, and a Walk-Off in Seattle with Sweet P
May--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nick Verreos at Heavenly Kiss Victroia's Secret Party at BesoIn Early May, I was invited to the Heavenly Kiss Victoria's Secret Fragrance Launch Party at Eva Longoria's Beso Restaurant in Hollywood. Australian model/Orlando Bloom girlfriend (and Victoria's Secret supermodel) Miranda Kerr was the hostess with the mostest.
Project Runway Season 4 Finalist Rami Kashou and Nick Verreos at BesoI ran into LA designer (and Project Runway finalist) Rami Kashou at the event. We both dished a little about the show of course.
Decades 2 Owner, Christos Garkinos and Nick Verreos at Sex And The City Decades/HauteLook.com PartyI also attended the Sex And The City/HauteLook.com event at Decades 2 Boutique in LA. My good friend, fellow Greek Christos Garkinos, is part owner of this fabulous store and of course, I am a sucker for parties and anything Sex And The City.
Nick Verreos interviews LA designer Rachel Pally, LA Fashion WeekIn May, I also filmed a little fashion segment with LA designer (and jersey Queen!) Rachel Pally, in which I covered her LA Fashion Week Collection at the rooftop of this chic Art Deco style Downtown LA penthouse.
Actress Thea Gill in NIKOLAKI gown Finally, actress Thea Gill (of "Dante's Cove") wore one of my NIKOLAKI gowns (a silk chiffon gold paillette one shoulder number) to host the LA Gay and Lesbian Center's Women's Night event, where the one and only Sharon Stone was honored with the Board of Director's Award.
June-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nick Verreos and Kathy Griffin (in Nick Verreos design) at Bravo A-List AwardsJune was an extra crazy month for me: To begin with, I flew to NY to film and attend the Bravo A-List Awards. We shot a fun segment where former Project Runway designers were chosen to design outfits for celebrities that would later be auctioned off for UNICEF. I designed a gown for the host of the show, Comedian and Gay Icon, Miss Kathy Griffin. I created a lilac-colored silk jersey draped gown with Swarovski crystal straps.
The $600 sketch of Kathy Griffin's Nick Verreos GownThe show ended with a Project Runway All-Star Fashion Show showcasing all the gowns created by former Project Runway designers, including mine of course. My fashion illustration of the gown also got auctioned off and sold for over $600!
Tila Tequila in NIKOLAKI dress at Bravo A-List AwardsSpeaking of TV personalities wearing my gowns, I also found out that Tila Tequila (of MTV's A Shot At Love With Tila Tequila) wore my NIKOLAKI striped silk cocktail dress to the Bravo A-List Awards as well as one of my copper-colored draped jersey gowns to the MTV Movie Awards earlier in the month.
Tila Tequila in NIKOLAKI gown at MTV Awards
Nick Verreos, Brian Peeler and Jay Rodriguez, 2nd Annual Reality Check PartyBack in Los Angeles, I attended several red carpet parties and events including the 2nd Annual Reality Check, where I got to hang out with Jai Rodriguez, of Queer Eye For The Straight Guy fame and Peeler, the hot former trainer from Bravo's Work Out show.
I was also invited to the fundraiser for Nicole Ritchie's Ritchie Madden Foundation at Cusp Boutique to signal the launch of Signorelli's Angel Collection.
Stephanie Pratt (from The Hills) and Nick Verreos at Pink Is The New Blog Re-Launch PartySoon afterward, I attended the Pink Is The New Blog Re-Launch Party in Hollywood, wearing one of Signorelli's Angel T-shirts.
July--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heidi Klum, in NIKOLAKI dress , at Conan O'Brian tapingI was really excited this month when Heidi Klum chose to wear one of our designs (a black jersey and leather one shoulder dress from my NIKOLAKI Fall Collection) to an appearance on NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien Show. She looked unbelievable--so much so, she was then featured in InTouch Magazine in my dress!
Nick Verreos and Ted Allen at Gender Pac Chicago Celebrity Cook OffI flew to Chicago to emcee that city's annual Gender Pac Cook Off. Last year, Kathy Griffin was the hostess and this time around, I was invited to emcee. At least I wasn't asked to cook. I do not cook. I order out, unfortunately. Gender Pac treated me like a VIP, with an amazing gift package from Kiehl's awaiting me in my Hotel Monaco suite and I had a blast hosting the event and donning an apron with Top Chef Judge and former Queer Eye For The Straight Guy's Ted Allen.
Nick Verreos and SF philantropist and jewelry designer, Amber Marie Bentley at SF Dress For Success FundraiserI also flew to San Francisco, to make a special appearance and be the "guest auctioneer" for its Dress For Success Event at Bentley Holdings. San Francisco fashion diva, philanthropist and jewelry designer, Amber Marie Bentley, invited me and I was happy to attend of course. Especially for such a good cause. She wore one of my NIKOLAKI Spring 2008 cocktail dresses for the event; a black and fuchsia silk duchess Empire waist dress with ivory raw silk fitted bustier and bolero jacket.
Actress Shelly Henig in NIKOLAKI Gown at '08 Daytime Emmys Red CarpetAnd then to cap this busy Summer month, I was happy to find out that NBC's Days Of Our Lives actress, Shelly Henig was wearing my gown (from my Spring 2008 Collection naturally) to the Daytime Emmy Awards. She also chose a NIKOLAKI cocktail dress to wear to the official SOAPnet Party the night before! I love me some Shelly Hennig!
Actress Shelly Henig in NIKOLAKI at SOAPnet Daytime Emmys Official PartyI was extra excited when I got the call from my lovely friends at SOAPnet.com asking me to do "Live From The Daytime Emmys Red Carpet". It was 105 Degrees and I sweated the entire afternoon. My make-up artist just stood next to me with a big roll of paper towels! It was the opposite of GLAMOUR, that's for sure!
Nick Verreos and SOAPnet Daytime Emmys Red Carpet presenters/hosts
My (Sexy) Daytime Emmys Shade (from the 105 Degree heat!)August-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nick Verreos and the Project Runway Season 6 Casting Judges in ChicagoIn August, I was asked to judge the (yet to be aired) Season 6 Project Runway Casting in Chicago. Little did I know that I would actually be "playing the part" of Tim Gunn, since he was unable to make the castings. I guess there is something about Chicago that I can't get enough of.
Nick Verreos and Lily Collins on the "set" of "Homegrown Princess"I returned to LA , where I filmed a pilot for the N/Nickelodeon Network, a show titled Homegrown Princess. It was a make-over type show, which I co-hosted with the beautiful Lily Collins, who does red carpet reporting for the network; Lily is a fashionista mini-diva; and a student at the University of Southern California/USC--oh, and she also happens to have A-list Rock Star genes: Her dad is Phil Collins.
Project Runway designers Raymundo Baltazar, Nick Verreos, Jay McCarroll and Kara Saun at OUTFEST screening of Jay's DocumentaryIn LA, I also attended the Outfest screening of Jay McCarroll's Eleven Minutes Documentary. I cannot say this enough: This documentary must be watched by EVERY SINGLE Project Runway fan, every fashion design school student and every family member and close friend of a fashion designer. It's a gritty, no-holds barred vision of what it takes to put on a fashion show and make a collection.
Nick Verreos at FIDM San Diego I also did several appearances for the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising/FIDM Three Days Of Fashion events in LA, Orange County, San Francisco and San Diego. One of my favorite was the latter, where I got to pose Charlie's Angels style with some future FIDM students, overlooking the stunning San Diego PetCo Ballpark (see photo above).
Nick Verreos and Sweet P arrive in Seattle and are treated "flossy-flossy" style with a limo waiting at the airport (we love IADT!)I then flew to one of my "home away from home" cities, Seattle, to host the International Academy of Design and Technology/ IADT "Imagine 2008" Event and Fashion Show. I was ecstatic to find out that I would have company: The one and only Sweet P, of Project Runway Season 4 fame, would be joining me. In case you missed it, I made her do a "Walk Off", Project Runway style, to the delight of all the guests--make sure to click below for the fun video.