NIKOLAKI Website: Revamped and Refreshed for the New Year : Spring 2011 Look Book Plus More!!

Happy New Year...Happy New Website..and Facebook Page!!!

Hope everyone had a safe, relaxing and utterly fabulous New Year's!!! To start off 2011 just right--I decided--along with my NIKOLAKI design partner-in-crime David Paul--to "revamp" our NIKOLAKI Website, and add the fresh-off-the-fashion-presses photos from...

Our new Spring 2011 Look Book, shot by the amazing photographer, Evans Vestal Ward.

We used two of our favorite models Amanda Fields and...

Lauren Gish, and shot it all at The Focus Studio, the only daylight photo studio at a California Beach (Venice Beach in case you are wondering). It is home to many a fashion editorial--from Replay Denim Catalog Shoots to Details Magazine covers to a Janet Jackson CD cover. The Make-Up and Hair for our photo shoot was done by Adrienne Sanchez and she did a stupendous job of incorporating our vision for a Euro-chic chignon and flawless Just-Got-Back-From-The-Amalfi-Coast make-up.

Click HERE for the re-designed NIKOLAKI Website and...Click HERE to check out our new NIKOLAKI Facebook Page...Make sure to click "Like" and join it...

NIKOLAKI by Nick Verreos and David Paul Wedding Gown: Lifetime Promotes Lucy Liu's New Movie "Marry Me"

Catch the Couture Bouquet:

Where's the Bride: NIKOLAKI Spring 2011 Demi-Couture Wedding Gown, Silk organza strapless gown with hand-beaded paillette bustier *photo courtesy of Evans Vestal Ward

To promote Lucy Liu's new Lifetime Movie: Marry Me premiering Sunday, December 12 at 9 pm et/pt , I was asked by Lifetime to send them some photos of recent Wedding Dresses from my NIKOLAKI Spring 2011 Demi-Couture Collection. And although we do not have a full line of Wedding Dresses, I always have one or two special Bridal Pieces to complete each collection, so I was happy to send images of these new looks. They also asked several other Project Runway Designers--Season 2 Winner Chloe Dao, Season One's Austin Scarlett, and Season 5 Winner Leanne Marshall to name but a few.

For Spring 2011, my NIKOLAKI Co-Designer David Paul and I designed a couple of (we think) beautiful dresses for a very stylish bride. The first is a Strapless Gown featuring a Silk Chiffon Hand Beaded Bustier with a Silk Organza Raw Cut High-Low Skirt, shown here:

*photo courtesy of Evans Vestal Ward

On one of our fabulous (and favorite) models, Amanda Fields from Season 3 Project Runway. It is fully lined in taffeta and has Horsehair trim to stiffen the hem. It also has hidden side pockets!

A Mykonos Wedding: NIKOLAKI Demi-Couture Wedding Dress, hand-beaded paillettes over silk chiffon cowl-draped dress with matching capelet *photo courtesy of Evans Vestal Ward

The other Wedding Dress we submitted is this short-and-sexy number for that adventurous bride. Seen above on model Lauren Gish, it is a hand-beaded Ecru-colored mini bias-cut dress featuring a cowl-draped front and back. It also has a matching hand-beaded paillette sequin capelet. Think Mykonos Wedding...for a very rich Supermodel...or a sexy Dubai Emira!

*Click HERE to view all the wedding dresses by Project Runway Winners and Alumn as well as Wedding Gown Design Veterans such as Angel Sanchez, Oscar de la Renta, Vera Wang, and Monique Lhullier.

Miss Universes Brook Lee and Justine Pasek at NIKOLAKI Spring 2011 Runway Show at Style Week Orange County...and more!!!

Crowning Couture...

Muses and Designers: Justine Pasek, Miss Universe 2001, Nick Verreos, Rita Verreos, David Paul and Brook Lee, Miss Universe 1997, Style Week OC, NIKOLAKI Spring 2011 Fashion Show

As promised...I have more photos from our fabulous debut NIKOLAKI Spring 2011 Runway Show at Style Week Orange County. In the previous post, I highlighted photos from the collection. Now, it's all about my special guests and some "Backstage Photos" including close-ups of the Make-Up and Hair plus trying to capture the madness of it all....

Our Hawaiian Beauty: NIKOLAKI Designers David Paul and Nick Verroes share the runway stage with Brook Lee, Miss Universe 1997 in NIKOLAKI Spring 2011 Silk Zibeline strapless cocktail dress

David Paul (my NIKOLAKI Co-Designer and partner-in-crime) and I were ECSTATIC when we found out that two of the most GORGEOUS women in the Universe were attending our show: Brook Lee Miss Universe 1997 (and the last Miss USA to get that crown kiddies!) and just-as-beautiful from Panama, Justine Pasek, Miss Universe 2002. Brook wore one of our NIKOLAKI silk Zibeline pleated cascade cocktail dresses just for the occasion.

Sister Love: David Paul and Nick Verreos pose with Rita Verreos--in NIKOLAKI black & white printed plunging neckline dress, Style Week Orange County NIKOLAKI Spring 2011 Runway Show

My mother is originally from Panama so she was SO excited to meet the gorgeous Justine Pasek. I was more than happy to see them--as well as my mom, and my sister, Rita Verreos and my niece Casia, who all flew from San Antonio Texas just for our show! Also, it was great to see David's entire family who drive up from San Diego just for the show. Speaking of beauty queens, my sister was a former Miss Venezuela 1988 Contestant and a contestant on Survivor: Fiji. Yep, she can eat bugs AND can do that "pageant pose"...

Backstage DISH:

Our exciting NIKOLAKI Spring 2011 Fashion Show, as you may know, took place at the Irvine Spectrum Center, with the gorgeous Ferris Wheel as a backdrop (above). And like with every fashion show, the real exciting stuff is all backstage!

Model Holly Ridings showing the make-up for NIKOLAKI Spring 2011

We asked the Make-Up Artists to give DRAMA: Strong eyes, light pink lips; very Robert Palmer Girls thank you very much. After seen some of our models, I even went back to the make-up artists and asked for MORE!!!

We wanted the hair to be slicked-back, side-parted chignons: The best hairstyle to show off our gowns and sexy cocktail dresses. Again, one of my favorite models, Holly Ridings (above) shows off that perfect chignon. Even with all the craziness backstage, I somehow got some of our fabulous models to stop, pose and take a photo! I made sure their dresses were ON, before I captured these photos:

Backstage Divas: Models Lauren Gish and Carla Salomao in NIKOLAKI Spring 2011, Style Week Orange County

Hands On The Hips: Model Mercedes Cornet strikes a pose in NIKOLAKI Spring 2011, Style Week Orange County

Triple NIKOLAKI Threat: Models Eugena Washington, Saleisha Stowers and Lauren Gish, backstage, in NIKOLAKI Spring 2011, Style Week Orange County

I made sure the zippers were zipped, the hang-tape was hidden and that the dresses were on correctly. Thank Goodness David was back there with me. Without him and his fastidious Eagle-Eye, some of our gowns would have been on backwards (dressers can only do so much, bless their hearts!)

Zip It Up: David Paul zips up model Zdenka, backstage NIKOLAKI Spring 2011 Fashion Show, Style Week Orange County

It all turned out great and we were very happy with the results. And the models loved our gowns and dresses and felt like FABULOUS Goddesses in them. Right Before they went out onto the runway, I gave them one advice: Be Beautiful!!! OK , I told them more...

Le Mariage: NIKOLAKI Designers David Paul and Nick Verreos pose with their final look, Sarah Deanna in the final NIKOLAKI Spring 2011 Wedding Gown

I also said: "You Are Gorgeous!", "Work It!", and "Go out there and make EVERY woman jealous and EVERY man want you!". Yep, that's about it. They smiled and went on their runway merry way....

Click Below for a quick video of the beginning of our NIKOLAKI Spring 2011 Runway Show:

Oscar.com Designer Challenge: Behind The Dress-Episode 5 and 6!

EPISODE 5

EPISODE 6

As I say in the webisodes..."The votes have been tabulated and the results are in!" Check out the final two episodes of Behind the Dress where we find out which designer wins and which model is chosen to grace the Oscar Stage announced LIVE by Tim Gunn!!

All the dresses were gorgeous but the winning design and model really capture the essence of the grand event. In Episode 6, check out exclusive backstage coverage with interviews of the very excited winning model and designer.

I thought last nights Academy Awards was great and I, of course, have my opinions on all the gowns! But more on that later...

I had such a blast hosting this official Oscar Challenge and was honored to be part of such a important night in Hollywood. You can check out all the action from yesterdays festivities with exclusive coverage on Oscar.com including all the episodes of Behind the Dress.

And The Winner Is.....The Oscars Design Trophy Goes to...

I just want to congratulate the Winner of Oscars Designer Challenge: Chicago designer Sam Kori George and his gorgeous model, Lauren Gish. It was definitely one of my favorite of all the seven designs in contention. It just "screamed" Oscars Trophy Girl/1950's Hollywood Actress.

Model Lauren Gish in Sam Kori George's winning gown

His gown was a stunning technical feat of dressmaking featuring yards and yards of silk, cut on the bias , pleated and draped to envelop the model's body perfectly. I even noticed that there were no side seams to the gown. I was also told (by the designer himself) that the bodice had about twenty coiled boning sewn inside the gown so there was no chance of the strapless gown slipping down. This also made sure to create that defined hourglass figure.
Lauren looked very "Old School Hollywood Glamour" on stage at the Academy Awards as she escorted the actors and actresses when they received their trophies and awards. Congratulations to both!