Nick Verreos Project Runway Season 8 Blog Premieres on MyLifetime.com!!

I'M BAAACK...writing my Project Runway Recaps, that is!

Hi Project Runway fans! As you already know (of course!), the Premiere Episode of Project Runway Season 8 happened last night! Even though I am in Europe, I got to see it! Lifetime asked me to write the recaps for this brand new season so of course, I "made it work", almost 6,000 miles away from my LA home!Nick Verreos says "Bonjour" from Paris France, YSL Retrospective Petit Palais

Here's to a new season of our beloved show and hope you read--and enjoy--all my Recaps which will be published on the MyLifetime.com website the day following each episode.
Here's a "tease" of my First Recap:
Bonjour Designers! I am in Europe and happen to be writing this first Recap from Paris. The City of Lights and The City of Fashion! Yes, I know: Shut The Front Door! Thanks to the magic of hotel satellite TV, I can "Make It Work"! So let's get started.

We're BAAAACK!

Tim has dry cleaned his suits and wiped his glasses clean; Heidi has a new shag-a-delic 'do; Michael is re-bronzed and Nina has polished her new Louboutin's. This could only mean one thing: Project Runway is back! Seven seasons and...

Click HERE to continue reading my entire recap of Episode One of Project Runway Season 8

Man Fashion: Summer Office Styles

Spring is definitely over and summer is where we are now. You want to stay cool at work, and you’re not just thinking temperature. If you’re not working at Microsoft, Google, or any of the big tech companies, chances are you don’t get the luxuries of wearing whatever you want. So how can you stay cool in the hot sun without being in the hot seat? Below are some pointers to get you started, and examples on how to use these guidelines to work for you.

Think about fabric: Pima cotton is breathable, versatile for all season, and has outstanding quality for clothing. Cotton blends, particularly with stretch wool or rayon/viscose, are great during the summer and keep your clothes fitted to your body. Linen is definitely a must-have in summer attire.

Think of colors: Try mixing bolder shades of spring pastel hues to “spring” into summer. Bold and vibrant colors can look cool and still be comfortable, such as various shades of purple, orange, and blues. Earth and neutral tones – like olives, tans, and browns – are definitely a standard and can look professional with minimal effort. Whites and greys are staples and versatile even when paired with bolder colors to accentuate your personal look. Minimize wearing black as much as possible. If you do wear black, get that in breathable fabrics like linen or cotton chinos, or look for it in subtle patterns.

Think of your workplace: Format your attire based on the dynamic of your workplace. Don’t wear sandals or flip flops if your work does not call for it.



Putting It All Together



No matter what fabrics, color and workplace, the most important of summer office wear is able to give you comfort and express individual personal styles.

Nick Verreos and Althea Harper Meet Up in Florence Italy!!!

Ciao Italia!
Italian Couple: Althea Harper and Nick Verreos pose at the Hotel Continentale rooftop bar with a view of the Campanile of the Palazzo Vecchio

Hi kiddies--and faithful nickverreos.com followers! Sorry I have not been updating the blog, but I have been in Europe! I know: Shut Up! I have been in Italy and France for both work and pleasure. And this is the first break I have gotten so I felt the urge to give you a "sneak peak" of what's more to come. Over a week ago, I flew to Florence Italy to give a lecture as part of Miami University of Ohio's Summer In Italy Program (second year in a row that I have been invited!!).
As a "Double Project Runway Bonus", not only did I fly to Florence but so did Season 6 Finalist, Althea Harper. Yep, she joined me in Florence to also give a lecture! Of course, I will give you the full Recap later but I just wanted to give you a "tease", including the photos you see here.
View of the Arno River, Florence Italy

I had an AMAZING time---even though it was about 100 degrees and the humidity was well, it felt like 70 % (lots of sweating darlings--not cute!). But if I'm going to sweat, I'd rather be in Florence doing it...and with the beautiful Althea...and about 50 lovely students from Miami University of Ohio!
On Top: Nick Verreos at the top of the Santa Maria del Fiore (le Duomo) Florence Italy

I just left the Amalfi Coast, and the gorgeous city of Positano and now I am in Paris--I HAVE to go see the Yves Saint Laurent Retrospective at the Petit Palais! Stay tuned for my full "Europe 2010 Recap" soon!
Ciao!

The Girl Behind The Blog....Tala

Sitting down over afternoon tea with Tala (gorgeous little lemon tarts, in case you are interested) in her London apartment, is like sitting down with any other beautiful, talented, fashion-loving 19 year old student. Um, except when she lets slip that her mama is the face of Nina Ricci for the Middle East (cue squeaks of delight from me! I met Lina Samman briefly outside the Christian Dior show in Paris in March when I first photographed Tala), she has interned at Grazia, Tom Ford (positively swooning now), freelanced for the Dubai-based online magazine Savoir Flair, she has been featured in Harper's Bazaar Arabia earlier this year, she lives between London and Dubai, and she blogs daily at MyFashDiary no matter where she is in the world (current location: Tuscany).Oh, and she is a full-time student at London College of Fashion studying fashion promotion. And she is impossible not to like (she gets extra scooby snacks for those lemon tarts :))


So where does she get her beauty and style from? Her parents are Syrian but Tala was born in the US, and moved to Dubai when she was just a littlie. After a few more squeaks of encouragement from me, I discovered that Tala's mama, apart from being the Nina Ricci brand ambassador, is one of the most stylish women in Dubai. Which would explain Tala's London wardrobe: peppered amongst the American Apparel, Zara, Topshop, Office, Reiss, H&M, Acne purchases are pieces by Alexander Wang (handbag), YSL (trib pumps and handbag), Balenciaga (handbag and sunglasses), Fendi (handbag), Chanel (handbag), Hermes (Birkin), Mulberry (Alexa),most of which she "shares" with Lina (sort of like a timeshare scheme for handbags and accessories!)

After oohing and ahhing over Tala's jewellery, make-up and sunglasses collection (as well as the little mood wall where she keeps all her invites, thank you notes etc), we went outside to take some photographs. And despite the attentions of passing motorists (I am still recovering from the lascivious stares of one particularly creepy older gent who crawled past us in his car), Tala was a dream to shoot. I think the second photograph from the top captures Tala the best: warm, caring, down-to-earth and with an utterly infectious smile :)

Tala's denim shirt is from Topshop, hat from Sonia Rykiel, black wedge boots from Office and cocktail ring from YSL. In the photographs below her skirt is from American Apparel and her shoes are the sublime YSL pumps. I can't remember where her lace top is from- I will find out for y'all.

p.s. You can click on the collages to make them bigger.

Amsterdam Fashion Week....Sheer+Denim

It wasn't just models who were wearing heels in Amsterdam: I saw so many girls riding bikes wearing sky-high heels! I wonder if it will catch on in London as our new cycle hire scheme launches tomorrow morning at 6am.

Amsterdam Street Style....At the Cafe

It was my first afternoon in Amsterdam and I was sheltering from the rain in a really cute little cafe (no, not a coffeeshop*;) near my hotel (the brilliant College Hotel) when I spied this girl having an espresso with her boyfriend. As she got up to leave I asked if I could take her photograph. Unfortunately it had started to rain more heavily so in order to keep her dry (nothing worse than asking a person you have just met to stand in the rain so you can take their photograph), I kind of accidentally stood in the dedicated bike lane (well, one leg was in it anyway!). Now, if any of you have been to Amsterdam you will know this is a very, very, VERY bad idea. Almost everyone in Amsterdam rides a bike, and they ride pretty fast (I know, cos I tried to catch up with a few girls on bikes to take their photograph and failed miserably). And those bike lanes, I came to realise, aren't just for your treadly: they are for scooters, mopeds and I even saw a little motorised "car" puttering along one! So after getting yelled at by an irate woman on a scooter (quite rightly- I did a bad), I took this photo. It is a bit blurry but that was a combo of the rain, my shock at realising I was in the middle of peak-hour biking traffic, and that I had nearly ended up squished on my first afternoon in Amsterdam!

*if you are looking for places to go for fab espresso in Amsterdam, best to google espresso rather than coffee shops otherwise you will end up with a list of places to go for something rather a touch stronger than the coffee bean :) I can recommend Stumptown Coffee Roasters who are from the US but have a super cool pop-up cafe on Albert Cuypstrat, home of the oldest street market in Amsterdam. Apparently a deal was struck with the owners of the space (a creative agency) whereby the Stumptown crew would make coffee for them, in return for use of the space for 3 months. Brilliant!

Berlin Fashion Week....Anna

Anna-lena. How incredible is her hair? Mine, at shoulder length, gets so incredibly knotty
and tangled-heaven forbid if I grew it to this length, I would spend 3 hours a day trying to tame it!

Paris Men's Fashion Week SS 2011....Suzie

Suzie

Berlin Fashion Week...The White Dress

The dress was her mum's when she was her age. See, it pays to squirrel things away and not throw things out*!

*comment meant for the benefit of my husband who is forever telling me I need to get rid of things :) Admittedly we don't have much space at the moment but that's beside the point.um, kind of.

Paris Men's Fashion Week SS 2011....Elisa

Love Elisa's new platinum blonde hair (last time I photographed her in March it was a caramel colour).

Berlin Fashion Week

US Open 2010 Schedule

Session	Day	Date		Time	Singles Schedule
	Tuesday	24-Aug		11:00 AM	Qualifying Tournament
	Wednesday	25-Aug		11:00 AM	Qualifying Tournament
	Thursday	26-Aug		11:00 AM	Qualifying Tournament
	Friday	27-Aug		11:00 AM	Qualifying Tournament
	Saturday	28-Aug		9:30 AM	Arthur Ashe Kids' Day
1	Monday	30-Aug	Day	11:00 AM	Men's & Women's 1st Round
2			Night	7:00 PM	Men's & Women's 1st Round
3	Tuesday	31-Aug	Day	11:00 AM	Men's & Women's 1st Round
4			Night	7:00 PM	Men's & Women's 1st Round
5	Wednesday	1-Sep	Day	11:00 AM	Men's 1st Round/Women's 2nd Round
6			Night	7:00 PM	Men's 2nd Round/Women's 2nd Round
7	Thursday	2-Sep	Day	11:00 AM	Men's 2nd Round/Women's 2nd Round
8			Night	7:00 PM	Men's 2nd Round/Women's 2nd Round
9	Friday	3-Sep	Day	11:00 AM	Men's 2nd Round/Women's 3rd Round
10			Night	7:00 PM	Men's 2nd Round/Women's 3rd Round
11	Saturday	4-Sep	Day	11:00 AM	Men's 3rd Round/Women's 3rd Round
12			Night	7:00 PM	Men's 3rd Round/Women's 3rd Round
13	Sunday	5-Sep	Day	11:00 AM	Men's 3rd Round/Women's 4th Round
14			Night	7:00 PM	Men's 3rd Round/Women's 4th Round
15	Monday	6-Sep	Day	11:00 AM	Men's 4th Round/Women's 4th Round
16			Night	7:00 PM	Men's 4th Round/Women's 4th Round
17	Tuesday	7-Sep	Day	11:00 AM	Men's 4th Round/Women's Quarterfinals
18			Night	7:00 PM	Men's Fourth Round/Women's Quarterfinals
19	Wednesday	8-Sep	Day	11:00 AM	Men's Quarterfinals/Women's Quarterfinals
20			Night	7:00 PM	Men's Quarterfinals/Women's Quarterfinals
21	Thursday	9-Sep	Day	11:00 AM	Men's Quarterfinals
22			Night	7:00 PM	Men's Quarterfinals
23	Friday	10-Sep	Day	11:00 AM	Women's Semifinals
24	Saturday	11-Sep	Day	11:00 AM	Men's Semifinals
25			Night	7:00 PM	Women's Singles Final
26	Sunday	12-Sep	Day	12:00 PM	Men's Singles Final
					Schedule subject to change.   All Times Eastern. (as of January 19, 2010)

Paris Men's Fashion Week SS 2011....Frills, Curls and Freckles

And red hair! All of my favourite things rolled into one :)

Berlin Fashion Week....Skinny Cargo Pants

I think she said the cargo's were from Zara but she is saving madly for a pair from Balmain!

Paris Men's Fashion Week SS 2011....Rolled Up Trousers

Rolled sleeves, rolled shorts....and, drumroll, the rolled trouser! Trifecta :)

Berlin Street Style....Franzi

Summer in the City (note the bright yellow bikini top peeking out from under her tank) as demonstrated by Franzi (who was kind enough to email me afterwards with some cool places to go in Berlin. One of them was the flea market at Mauerpark which I didn't manage to get to but is on my must-do list for next time I go to Berlin).

Paris Street Style.....Flat Cap

Probably only a model could make this all work together! We spotted him as we were walking to one of the shows- he was with his agent who happened to be Australian, but works in Hamburg.

Nick Verreos Hosts Project Ethos at Music Box Theater in Hollywood!!!

Hollywood Fashion Art and Music...FIERCENESS!!!Ethos Smile: Nick Verreos hosts Project Ethos: Love Sick (photo from www.LookBookLA.com)

Several hours after arriving from Miami, I took a "power nap", and freshened up to make my way into the heart of Hollywood to the Music Box Theater to host Project Ethos: Love Sick. Ten designer lines, dozens of artists plus fab fashion and accessories exhibitors took part in this great event, Project Ethos. Photo Courtesy of www.LookBookLA.com

David Paul (above), my partner-in-Nikolaki-crime, of course, came with me...to make sure I wouldn't pass out from too much flying and lack of sleep...
Shoulder Pleating: Nick Verreos in Mike Cheng Custom Jacket, "Project Ethos: Love Sick" red carpet

I got a "little bit dressed up" and decided to wear my custom-made jacket by Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Debut 2009 Graduate Mike Cheng. Photo Courtesy of www.LookBookLA.com

I was secretly hoping that the attendees were going to be dressed up too--so I wouldn't look "out of place", but part of me kept thinking "it's Hollywood, they'll be all in t-shirts and jeans!". But no kiddies--once I arrived, everyone was GIVING...Fashion, that is!!!! Reunited: Nick Verreos and Amara Wilson, "Project Ethos: Love Sick" red carpet

Upon arriving, I ran into my original "Muse" and the model who came with me to the Project Runway Season 2 Castings, the gorgeous Amara Wilson who runs the fabulous Haute Olive Vintage Boutique in Downtown Los Angeles.
Fashiiiiion: Nick Verreos, Joey Maalouf and John Wade, Project Ethos: Love Sick fashion show/event (photo courtesy of www.LookBookLA.com)

Also, my very good friends, Joey Maalouf and John Wade came for support. I just LOVE them! I invited them to come and they were like "Done and done!".

The show began...Photo Courtesy of www.LookBookLA.com

with a live performance from recording artist Miguel (HOT!) and then was followed by a fashion show...Photo Courtesy of www.LookBookLA.com

Featuring ten different designers including B.Vika, Katorey Swimwear, Hardkaur, Jajo Couture...Photo Courtesy of www.LookBookLA.com

Arka (above), Nicholas Tarr, B. Vika, and Kymaro CardiWrap, among others. One of the featured designers was none other that Anna Lynett from last season's Project Runway. Josephine performing at Project Ethos: Love Sick (photo courtesy of www.LookBookLA.com)

The show--and event--was a HUGE success and it ended with a performance from dance-music DIVA Josephine. Trust me when I say this about Project Ethos: It was AMAZING!!!!! Love them, love the art, the music, the fashion. Southern California...well, all of the West Coast needs a little bit of Project Ethos. It does Style Good!
*Click HERE for more coverage and photos from Look Book LA

*Click HERE for a fun interview I did with BringItBackThailand.com

Click Below for a Runway Video from Project Ethos Hollywood 2010: