(NEW YORK) As the doyenne of fashion, Nicole Miller has been faithfully outfitting women in decadent cocktail dresses for 27 years, and this ginger-haired designer shows no sign of slowing down. It’s no wonder this mover and shaker finds real Vegas adventure far from the slot machines and blackjack tables. So buckle up, hold on and enjoy the joy ride!
BY DENA SILVER
Fill us in on what will be shown at Vegas.
There will be a lot from Artelier and cocktail dresses from Collection.
What is the difference between those two lines?
Artelier is more contemporary; there are some dresses included in it, but they’re sportswear. The collection is more of a casual look, featuring separates and dresses.
Was there a particular reason you felt compelled to spin off this line?
I was getting typecast in the dress department, so I realized I needed to create another label to get into sportswear. It’s much edgier and appeals to the younger customer. Although, I feel like customers can be any age these days.
Explain please!
I just think no one wants to dress or look old. Might as well dress young! That’s one thing I always say about French women, that they always dress young. You’ll see these older women, still going topless on the beach and wearing Azzedine Alaïa. And they can always pull it off.
Have you ever been to Vegas?
Oh, a ton! I love it.
Are you a big gambler?
Not at all, I just like to go to all those amusement parks and go on all the rides. But I never did that one where they spin you around and you jump off the top of a building.
Give us some dish on your Instagram account. Is it really you posting?
I do my own Instagram! I tend to have the most success with posting pictures of shoes or accessories, as well as landscapes. Plus, a New York City skyline always gets a lot of hits. Sometimes I put together little scenarios with a vintage piece from our archives, that go all the way back to the Eighties, with a more recent piece of mine.
Let’s talk prints. How are yours made?
It’s impossible to draw prints anymore, and everything is done digitally and photographically. So sometimes we use images I’ve taken. It’s become so elaborate now with layers upon layers and expositions of things, it’s certainly not like the old days when you’d take out a pencil and draw something. Maybe we’ll get back to that one of these days.
What’s your prints preference?
I do wear a lot of solids because it’s easier, but if I’m going to an event, I actually prefer to wear a print. It makes more of a statement. You really can’t wear prints more than once though, especially the ones from the European designers. You show up at a party with your $4,000 dress, but you’d have to leave the country again. I can wear it once in Paris, once in New York, and that’s it!
What are you looking forward to this Fall?
Well, we’ve signed up with a new shoe licensee and we have been working on this whole new collection.
Oh, tell us more!
They will be exciting and contemporary, and built around the belief that platforms are never going away. I don’t like any shoes that aren’t comfortable, so that will be an important thing.
Comfortable platforms? You’re sure of it?
I will wear them all and make sure!
What have you been doing this summer?
I went to Italy and Saint-Tropez in June, just for a vacation.
Any other travel plans for the future?
We’re doing a show in Columbia, where we will be showing our Spring collection.
Have you designed anything other than clothes or accessories?
Once we made an airplane for Harrah’s Casino, which was really fun. We’ve also done a Ferrari and a Harley-Davidson.
