Nick Appearance Minute: FIDM San Francisco "3 Days of Fashion 2012" : The Recap!

San Francisco "3 Days of Fashion" Love:

OMG!!! Nick Verreos and FIDM San Francisco "3 Days of Fashion 2012" attendee--and her FIDM "vintage logo" sweatshirt 

Last week, I had some very important business meetings (relating to a possible "NV by Nick Verreos" line I have been diligently working on) in NYC. Once I finished the meetings, I got on a plane and flew to one of my other favorite cities in the good ol' US of A: San Francisco! I was scheduled to make a "Nick Visit" as part of my FIDM "3 Days of Fashion 2012" tour at the wonderful Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising San Francisco campus last Wednesday.

Nick Verreos, FIDM San Francisco "3 Days of Fashion 2012"

The weather in SF this past week was GORGEOUS! Warm but not too hot and  very clear (No fog in SF: who knew!?). The FIDM SF campus is located in the heart of Union Square so on my way there--with my trusty NIKOLAKI confidante David Paul (who of course, flew with me!)--it was very difficult to keep away from going into EVERY store to do some retail damage.

Red Carpet in San Francisco: Model Rachael Sitz modeling one of my NIKOLAKI Couture gowns--a lavender silk chiffon hand-beaded sequined column gown

There was no time for that, it was all about my Appearance and showing some of my NIKOLAKI Collection dresses to all the high school students who were in attendance for this final third day of the "3 Days of Fashion".

Welcome Nick: Nick Verreos at FIDM San Francisco "3 Days of Fashion 2012"

Over 100 students plus some of their mom's and dad's greeted me with a wonderful "San Francisco" welcome!! I spoke about my time as a young boy drawing all the stewardess uniforms while traveling on trips with my mom and dad, as well as how I decided to attend FIDM and all that has happened since, including "Project Runway", all my TV Red Carpet Expert work and of course, dressing celebs like Katy Perry, Beyonce and Heidi Klum. Speaking of my NIKOLAKI designs...

Designer and His Fashion: Nick Verreos and model Rachael Sitz in NIKOLAKI Collection silk chiffon column gown with hand-beaded lavender sequins and peek-a-boo top detail and...

Rachael in a raspberry-colored silk-wool ziberline strapless dress with draped bustier and asymmetrical skirt. And by the way, this dress was the same dress worn by Beyonce in her "Best Thing I Never Had" music video.

 Auf Wiedersehen? Nick Verreos checking out the "Rock the Runway" finalists, FIDM San Francisco "3 Days of Fashion 2012"

 
Then, after my "Nick Talk" and NIKOLAKI mini-fashion presentation, it was on to judging the "Rock the Runway" Contest--where "3 Days of Fashion" attendees were told to dress in their most "original" outfits which expressed their most "unique" styles.

Serious Judging: Nick Verreos, Julia Anne Hill and David Paul of NIKOLAKI , "Rock the Runway" Contest, FIDM San Francisco "3 Days of Fashion 2012"

I had the privilege of being one of the judges,--along with my NIKOLAKI design partner David Paul, FIDM Alumna Julia Anne Hill (she's Apparel and Design Director/Social Media Specialist for Clinton Kelly Inc.) and two hand-picked FIDM SF "3 Days of Fashion 2012" attendees. The Contest was SO much fun--not so much fun to judge (it was very, very difficult since they were ALL very good!)--but fun to see all of the students' ensembles!

McQueen'ed: One of our faves was this one young man named Diego Rivera (I know--just like the Mexican painter!)--you can see him in the photo above wearing the denim shirt, McQueen scarf and black Meggings (male leggings). I teased him because he also had FAB accessories including very expensive Hermes "Collier de Chien" cuff and Cartier "Love" bracelet. I wondered (out loud!) who his Sugar Daddy was--and if I could have his phone number??

Nick Verreos poses with the tied finalists in their "Rock the Runway" looks, FIDM San Francisco "3 Days of Fashion 2012"

The Winner:

Colorful Winner: Nick Verreos and co-judge Julia Anne Hill and the two student judges pose with the Winner of the "Rock the Runway" contest--in the middle wearing the apple green hot-shorts and striped sweater--FIDM San Francisco "3 Days of Fashion 2012"

SF Smiles: (Left to right) Nick Verreos, Trudy Noren (FIDM SF College Representative and Special Events), Julia Anne Hill and David Paul, FIDM San Francisco "3 Days of Fashion 2012"

Once again, it was a very successful and fantastic FIDM "3 Days of Fashion" in San Francisco--I had so much fun meeting all the students, their mom's and dad's, judging the contest, as well as showing them my NIKOLAKI designs. I LOVE SF and cannot wait to come back!!!

Nick Appearance Minute: Nick Verreos at "3 Days of Fashion" FIDM OC and FIDM San Diego-The Recap!!

Fashionista Summer Camp:

Nick and Benny: Nick Verreos, his doggie "Benny" and a very tall FIDM OC "3 Days of Fashion 2012" attendee

It's Summer and you know what that means: "3 Days of Fashion" time! The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising/FIDM has its annual "3 Days of Fashion" every Summer as a way to introduce high school students to FIDM as well as what they might look forward to if they choose to apply and eventually attend the College. This is what you get if you attend FIDM's "3 Days of Fashion":

• Take workshops like Draping the Dress, where you'll create a 3-dimensional design on a fitting form; Concept to Consumer, which focuses on design and merchandising; and Creating a Promotional Campaign, where you'll work on a photo shoot and a special event.
• Learn step-by-step how to sketch the nine-head fashion figure.
• Work with other students from all over the world who share your passion for this industry.
• Be inspired by successful FIDM Graduates who are pros in the field.
• Experience FIDM's amazing resources and learn from our stellar instructors.

Talking Nick: Nick Verreos, FIDM OC "3 Days of Fashion 2012"

I am always happy to come out and make "special appearances" at all the FIDM campuses' (Orange County, San Diego, San Francisco, and Los Angeles) "3 Days of Fashion" events on the final day. Last week, on June 20th, I began my "FIDM 3 Days of Fashion" Tour at the Orange County campus located in Irvine California which was then followed by my appearance at the San Diego Campus three days later. Here's my BLOG RECAP of these first two events:

FIDM Orange County "3 Days of Fashion":

Runway OC: Nick Verreos and two of the "FIDM OC" "Runway Walk-Off models, FIDM OC "3 Days of Fashion 2012"

I always love coming to the FIDM Orange County campus for many reasons, but especially, because I can bring my little doggie Benny!! Oh, and yes, I also brought some of my NIKOLAKI Collection gowns and dresses! My appearance to the FIDM OC campus began with an impromptu Runway "Walk Off", where I went into the audience and chose three attendees--two girls and one boy (yes, A BOY!!) to show me how well they could give me "Runway". They all did a great job. Afterward, I got up onstage and spoke about my experience attending FIDM and all that I learned from the college as well as what I have been up to lately (A LOT!!!). As I said in the start of this post, I also brought some of my gowns for the "3 Days of Fashion" guests to see.

Printed Queen: Model Amanda Fields in NIKOLAKI Spring 2013 silk chiffon printed gown, FIDM OC "3 Days of Fashion 2012"

Naturally, I had to also bring one of my favorite top models from LA--the gorgeous Amanda Fields---who's also one of my NIKOLAKI Muses. She wore three of my designs, including the silk chiffon gown above...

NIKOLAKI COUTURE: Model Amanda Fields in NIKOLAKI silk chiffon lavender sequined one-shoulder dress (atop) and red silk-wool ziberline strapless NIKOLAKI gown with back cascade detail, FIDM OC "3 Days of Fashion 2012"

As well as the lavender-colored sequined one-shoulder dress that Katy Perry wore to launch her perfume, and a red silk ziberline strapless gown (both seen in the photos above).

Afterwards, as always, I had a Meet-and-Greet. Here are a couple of photos I took with FIDM Orange County's "3 Days of Fashion 2012" attendees in the photos above.

FIDM "3 Days of Fashion San Diego":

 Chattin' : Nick Verreos at the FIDM San Diego "3 Days of Fashion 2012"

Several days after my visit to FIDM Orange County, I drove down to San Diego--with my NIKOLAKI Design Partner, David Paul--a native of San Diego--to make my next "3 Days of Fashion" appearance at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising San Diego campus.

 Posin': Nick Verreos, FIDM San Diego "3 Days of Fashion 2012"

Traffic from LA to San Diego was CRAZY (as you can imagine!) so about 3 1/2 HOURS later, we made it; I don't know how my jacket wasn't wrinkled from sitting in the car for that long (and my forehead wasn't overly shiny from the "OMG: Look-at-all-the-traffic stress!") but it was "all good" eventually once we arrived.

San Diego Gals: Nick Verreos during the FIDM San Diego "3 Days of Fashion 2012" Meet-and-Greet--notice the one girl in the right photo--she brought a copy of "Greek Circle" Magazine with the cover featuring one of my NIKOLAKI designs in one of my Fashion Week shows (LOVE HER!!)

The day was GORGEOUS (is there any other type of day for San Diego??) and coincidentally, there was a San Diego Padres game happening at the PETCO Park (which happens to be NEXT DOOR to the FIDM San Diego Campus). Once I arrived, I got right to work and judged the FIDM "3 Days of Fashion 2012 Rock the Runway" fashion show--where attendees got to feature their original and unique styles in different categories:

Rock The Runway San Diego: Nick Verreos judges FIDM San Diego "3 Days of Fashion 2012" Rock The Runway Contest

I also brought some of my NIKOLAKI Collection dresses (naturally) for this event for a very special fashion show to be modeled by yes, Amanda Fields. I was so excited when I found out that my NIKOLAKI design partner David Paul's mom (Conchita) and his youngest niece--the beautiful Emilie Coon--were in attendance. 

Model Fab: Model Amanda Fields in NIKOLAKI Collection, FIDM San Diego "3 Days of Fashion 2012"

So, unbeknownst to me--David put his niece to work, helping our model Amanda get prepped and ready for the fashion presentation. Here are a couple of pics of our NIKOLAKI model and David's niece Emilie backstage:

Model and David's Niece: Amanda Fields (left, in NIKOLAKI Collection dresses) poses with Emilie Coon (David's niece), FIDM San Diego "3 Days of Fashion 2012"

San Diego Smiles: (Left to right) David Paul, David's youngest niece Emilie Coon, Nick Verreos, David's mom Conchita Encinas-Hansen--FIDM San Diego "3 Days of Fashion 2012"

I had such a fun time at the San Diego and Orange County FIDM campuses last week--and more importantly, I think all the high school students--and their moms and dads--also had a good time too--and hopefully left with a little more knowledge and information about what makes FIDM so great!!!

Next up: FIDM San Francisco "3 Days of Fashion"...

How To Wear A Waist- Tie Shirt

Already bored of the good old tank top for the summer? Try the waist-tie shirts. Cool, carefree and casually chic- a tie waist shirt is a good alternative for a T-shirt or a buttoned up shirt. Update a denim skirt look like Eva Mendes and Kirsten Dunst or style it with a jeans like Selena Gomez and Sofia Vergara. Or make a pair of shorts like million bucks like Jennifer Lopez and Taylor Swift. Any which way you style a waist tie shirt, you are sure to secure the fashionista title with a stylish knot!

From left - Kirsten Dunst, Eva Mendes

From Left - Sofia Vergara, Selena Gomez

From left - Jennifer Lopez, Taylor Swift

From Left - AnnaLynne McCord, Minka Kelly, Keira Knightley

To incorporate this popular summer trend in your wardrobe, choose form a 70s style chambray shirt or this season's hottest trend - chiffon and silk prints. Print or solid, neutral or bright, make a bow or leave the ends loose-  options are endless! Here are some of my favorites-

1. Paisley print waist-tie shirt - luisaviaroma.com

2. Multicolor waist -tie shirt - Macy's

3. Flower print waist -tie shirt - Forever 21

 1. Red waist-tie shirt - Lord & Taylor

2. Cropped black waist-tie shirt - ASOS

3. Yellow peek a boo shoulder waist-tie shirt - 2020ave.com

4. Chambray waist-tie shirt - Forever21

See anything that has you up in the knots??

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HF1

HF1

Crafted from a heavy weight fabric
with 2 tone colors matching
An asymmetric drape style top with one shoulder strap
A concealed zipper to the side
Ruffle elastic band on the waist
Soft and high quality chiffon maxi skirt
Come with inner lining and black skinny belt
Length:54"
Bust:30-34"
Waist:34-40"
Hip:44-50"
Weight:0.5kg
Colours:
(1)White (2)Yellow
(3)Green (ALL SOLD) (4)Purple
Material: Imported Cotton/Chiffon

HF2--RM75

HF2
Featuring a v neckline
Double wrapping style in front
Cropped sleeve length maxi dress
Crafted from a soft jersey with soft hand feel
Price:RM75
Length:52"
Bust:30-36"
Waist:28-36"
Hip:46-54"
Weight:0.35kg
Colours:
(1)Black (2)Green (3)Royal Blue (4)Berry Purple
Material: Imported Polyester/Spandex