Red Carpet Minute: The 34th Annual Kennedy Center Honors

Washington Meets Hollywood, Broadway, and Beyond...

Presidential Royal Blue: First Lady Michelle Obama in Vera Wang--with President Obama, who by the way, looks as if he got a "freshening up" ---either he got his teeth whitened or just got some much-needed sleep, but he looks GOOD!

This past Sunday evening, in Washington D.C., the 34th Annual Kennedy Center Honors occurred. This year's Honorees were singer/actress and Broadway and Cabaret STAR Barbara Cook, singer-songwriter Neil Diamond, cellist, virtuoso and composer Yo-Yo Ma, Grammy-winning American jazz tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins and actress Meryl Streep.

All of Washington D.C.'s elite were there including, of course, President Barack Obama and the First Lady, Michelle. Michelle Obama wore a royal blue Vera Wang "Mermaid"-shaped strapless gown, and yes, she looked GORGEOUS! The show will be televised on December 27th on CBS but for now, what I'm interested in here, is naturally, the Red Carpet and what everyone else wore:

Meryl Streep: Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep wore a black scoop-neck jersey gown with gathered detail and long sleeves. It was an elegant look for her. Miss Streep loves her jersey and yes, she knows what styles/shapes work best for her. Simple, elegant and JERSEY work marvelously for her!

Barbara Cook: The other female Kennedy Center Honoree was Barbara Cook--as the Broadway (Good) Diva that she is, naturally, she wore a FABULOUS caftan! This IS going to be my look of choice when I get to be her age. For sure!

Sarah Jessica Parker: Miss SJP--always the Fashion Icon--gave everyone "Jackie O Chic" in this gunmetal-colored high-neck, sleeveless gown from Theyskens' Theory Fall 2011 from fashion designer Olivier Theyskens.

The gown featured an empire waist, center front self-covered buttons and pleats that shaped the skirt section of the gown into a very "Balenciaga"-esque silhouette. Here it is in the Theyskens' for Theory Fall 2011 Runway Show:

On Sarah Jessica Parker, it looks even less wrinkled than on the runway model--actually, it looks PERFECT on SJP...better than on the model!

Emily Blunt: Actress Emily Blunt was on hand (for Miss Meryl Streep of course!), and she wore a plum-colored strapless gown from the Notte by Marchesa line (the "diffusion"--lower--Marchesa cocktail/evening line which sells at high-end stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue).

The strapless gown had a "Sweetheart" neckline, peplum detail and straight/fitted floor-length skirt.

Sutton Foster: Tony Award-winning actress Sutton Foster (GOSH, was she AMAZING in "Anything Goes"!!) looked ravishing and so directional on Sunday night in this slate-grey matte-jersey halter dress with a metallic accent neck-piece.

It was from Michael Kors' Fall 2011 Collection, as seen above on Supermodel Karlie Kloss. On the NY Fashion Week Runway (above photo), the look was paired with matching pants. I'm glad Sutton left the pants back in the Michael Kors PR Showroom.

Other Notable Attendees (in terms of Fashion):

Andrea Mitchell: It's always nice to see non-actors and non-Red Carpet staples at events such as this--like television journalist, anchor and NBC reporter, Andrea Mitchell. She is married (as we all know) to former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. I have to say, that Andrea looked so elegant and "Upper East Side"-chic in this strapless sequined black "Mermaid"-silhouette gown. THIS is what a LADY looks like: Kudos Andrea!

Glenn Close: Actress Glenn Close wore a copper velvet gown with a gathered center-front and drop shoulder detail. I have to admit that: I'm not a fan of this gown on Glenn Close. The draped shoulder silhouette looked a bit "saggy" on her. The velvet fabrication, did not help. She usually turns to her fashion "paramour" Giorgio Armani for big red carpet events. If this was his--I would re-think asking him or his pr team for red carpet help. It is going to be a LONG Awards season for Glenn, so let's hope she got this one bad dress out of her system!

Christine Baranski and her daughter at the Kennedy Center Honors Red Carpet: Both Christina and her daughter look resplendent in their looks. Not so sure about the waist lace-nude side panel on Baranski but I do love the shape of her black gown and especially the neck-and-shoulder draped detail. Her daughter looks FAB in a strapless royal blue gown. But darling, next time: smile!!!

The 34th Annual Kennedy Center Honors airs December 27, 2011 on CBS. I'll be watching!

63rd Primetime Emmy Awards: Who Wore What? Sofia Vergara in Vera Wang

Sofia Vergara in Custom Vera Wang with Colombian Emerald Earrings: Now this IS how you wear a GOWN kids (pay attention beauty pageant hoochie girls!) I think Sofia looks VA-VA-BOOM stunning in this coral colored Vera Wang Princess-seamed fitted gown with one-shoulder ruched chiffon detail. She'll be in my "2011 Emmys Best Dressed" for sure. And of course, those emeralds look unbelievable with the gown. I wonder if the "Colombian Board of Emeralds" (if there is such a thing) will let her keep them??? What do you guys think? Is she Miss Colombia at Miss Universe or Diva Actress at the Emmys...or Both???

Grand Prix Figure Skating Costumes: Nick Fashion Police

Grand Prix Figure Skating "red carpet"...Another Project Runway Figure Skating Costume Challenge? The Medal Portrait from Cup of Russia, ISU Grand Prix

Over the weekend, the ISU Grand Prix Finals were held in Tokyo, Japan. As a fan of figure skating of course, I was watching all weekend! Besides the amazing athleticism and beautiful artistry, naturally, I was looking at the costumes. Here are my Highlights from the Grand Prix Finals--it's like a mini version of my "red carpet" review--figure skating style!

Best Cleopatra Diva:At this weekend's ISU Grand Prix Finals, Japan's Miki Ando, finished the competition in 2nd place. But for me, she came in FIRST, when it came to style. She skated to Highlights from "Marco Polo" Soundtrack by Ennio Morricone, "Rome" by Jeff Beal, and "Mission Cleopatra from Asterix and Obelix" Soundtrack by Philippe Chany. As a result, her costume was very Nubian Princess if John Galliano had been commissioned to design it. Turquoise blue, bejeweled neckline, gold and crystals galore. She even wore a headpiece worthy of Tutankhamun! It was definitely my favorite.

The Classic Costume Award Goes To:
Kim Yu-Na (also goes by Yu-Na Kim), from South Korea. She is the reigning Ice Princess and after winning the Gold at the GP Finals and the 2009 World Championships she is the one to beat at the 2010 Olympics . After seeing Miki Ando's costume, everything else was a yawn for me, but I must give "pretty points" to Kim Yu-Na for wearing something that was classic and elegant. Again, it was in the turquoise/royal blue color and featured a high jeweled neckline and back detail mimicking crystal back-straps. Pretty as pretty can be.

I Was On The Fence about...American Ashley Wagner's costume for her Grand Prix Free Skate. The color was muted and not as exciting as Miki or Kim's and it featured a lot of re-embroidered lace with crystals. It looked almost as if she had extra of that embroidered lace and then made a headpiece out of it. It wasn't so much the lace and the over-use of it but more the color. It lacked a "wow" factor, especially when placed next to the above girls.

And Now The MenWith male figure skaters , you either get the ones who "Queen Out" when it comes to their costumes or the ones who want to just look as if they are meeting their girlfriend's parents for the first time. Safe and oh-so boring. On the safe route, Japanese Figure Skater Nobunari Oda did a "Charlie Chaplin" rendition for his Free Skate and therefore his costume reflected this: Shrunken jacket, pleated pants and bow tie. No frills, no nothing. Then again, that WAS Charlie Chaplin's "look". But as a designer and knowing that for "stage and performance" you need to turn it up a notch, I felt his costume was lacking something. It just needed a Swarovski crystal studded lapel on his jacket or a sequined tie. Or just a small red rose lapel boutonniere. Nobunari has "queened out" before (with his costumes) so maybe his people just felt that this time, he would keep it simple.

On the Other Hand...We can always count on Japanese Figure Skater Daiksuke Takahashi for some glam. And he delivered. He's like the Adam Lambert of Male Figure Skaters when it comes to his costumes and I, for one, love it. For the Grand Prix Finals, he wore a fitted cropped jacket, black and white checkered neckscarf and sleeve accents, and a crystal-studded "vest". Sometimes his fabric and color combinations make you scratch your head in wonderment, but at least it gets your attention. I'm all for it, keep doing it Daiksuke!

Then there's cutie Evan...Vera Wang and Evan Lysacek

Evan Lysacek is one of those male figure skating "hearthrobs". He is a Poster Boy in the skating world and he is the perfect blend between athleticism and artistry and this is definitely reflected in his costumes. For this Grand Prix round, he collaborated with designer Vera Wang. Wang, better known for her $20,000 wedding gowns, is also famous for designing Michelle Kwan's iconic figure skating costumes (as well as Nancy Kerrigan). She's at it again with Evan. For his early Grand Prix Free Skate performances, he wore a stunning Wang-designed black costume which focused on a very unusual top: It had sequined shoulder details with feathers and (wait for it), a see-through black mesh torso inset which showed every ripple of his six-pack abs and defined chest. Crazy I know. But it was hot! Go Vera and go Evan.
Which One Do You Like: Shoulder Feathers and Torso Mesh or Snake Neck-Charm?

Unfortunately, someone must have thought it was too risque because, over the weekend, he changed his costume--or at least the top. The mesh was gone and so were the shoulder feathers. The crystals stayed but in place of the see-through ab-defining mesh was a sequined snake swirling around his neck. I liked the first top better, I have to say. Maybe it will make another appearance in the future, who knows?
Until Next Time Kiddies. Nick Verreos Figure Skating Costume Watcher, signing off.

Click Below for Miki Ando's "Cleopatra Meets Rome" Free Skate at ISU Grand Prix Finals:

NY Fashion Week Spring 2008

Fashion Schmashion

Last week was NY Fashion Week, and I spent it in Los Angeles. Much to the contrary of what had been rumored, I did not show at the Bryant Park Tents . Let me explain: I received many emails and calls here in LA from friends and industry people saying, "Did you know you are showing?". I was like "No, I ain't". Well, a line called "Nicholai" is on the roster, they would tell me. Sorry guys, my line is NIKOLAKI. Nicholai is the brand-new line by Nicky Hilton, and while yes, the names sound familiar. They are not the same. You can see of my recent gowns from Spring 2008 above and to the left.

I stayed here in LA, because I was working, teaching and filming segments for MSN.com/Style Studio for the Emmy's. So, to get my NY Fashion Week style fix, I turned to various fashion sites I love , such as Style.com, Cathy Horyn's blog for the New York Times and the fabulous Frillr.com site. This site had most of the NY designer's full runway videos up the next day, if not the same day. So I felt like I was there--without the rude people pushing, shoving and trying to get into a show, pretending they were "somebody".

Speaking of videos vs photos, I would first look at the photos and my immediate reaction with some of the collections was a very Michael Kors meets Nina Garcia "I am underwhelmed". However, after I looked at the full runway video, with the models moving, seeing the backs of the gowns or dresses, plus the music, my view would change 360 degrees. This is a lesson in how photos DO NOT translate exactly what the clothes really looked like or what the designer had in mind in putting forth their "vision". I argue that a photo from Style.com cannot portray this accurately, but seeing the full-on video can. And in several instances, it changed my mind. Particularly, after seeing Vera Wang's Roman-inspired collection and Ralph Lauren's ode to "My Fair Lady". At first I wasn't moved but after watching these videos, I actually loved them. I was especially thrilled to see Vera Wang do a Grecian/Roman inspired collection, since that was essentially the theme for my recent NIKOLAKI Spring 2008 show at the W San Diego. Her take was less glam, but serenely beautiful. The draping was on-mark!

My other favorites were the controversial Marc Jacobs collection and Diane Von Furstenberg, among others. Marc Jacobs' show began 2 hours late and was shown backwards (Marc took his bow at the beginning and the models came out from last look to first. ) Few fashion journalists and bloggers I read even commented on how the amazing Viktor and Rolf had done this "backwards show" several seasons before, as well as the illusive Martin Margiela. Jacobs' collection, at first, looked a mess. But after much viewing and thought, I thoroughly understood it. His take on sex, society and wearing your underthangs a la Britney and "Grey Gardens" meets Madonna circa 1985 was on a whole other level. People loved it or hated it. The argument I keep hearing towards Marc Jacobs is that we (Americans) need our own Galliano, or Viktor and Rolf--someone who goes "out there" and tantalizes, polarizes--and Jacobs, is the closest thing.

Diane Von Furstenberg's show was Tahiti-Meets-Hawaii-in 1982. The French Disco soundtrack was sexy-hot and so were the flowy dresses shown on the runway. The bold colorful prints, sexy mumu's (I would never think those two words would go together!). The fact that she used so many models of color: HOT!!! After looking at her collection, I wanted to go to Hawaii and bring every single DVF mumu with me! Tres Chic.

Click HERE to view the Ralph Lauren show.
Click HERE to view the Vera Wang show.
Click HERE to view Marc Jacobs show.
Click HERE to view the Diane Von Furstenberg show.