Fashion Group International Kicks Off LA Fashion Week: Nick Verreos attends "Designer and Muse" Party!!!

The NIKOLAKI Muse
Shut It Down Lisa: Nikolaki Designers David Paul and Nick Verreos, with their muse, model Lisa Blades (look how short we look next to her!)

It's the official start of LA Fashion Week and specifically Downtown Los Angeles Fashion Week and to commemorate it, Fashion Group International/FGI Los Angeles had a very chic reception, The Designer and the Muse, on the rooftop of The Standard Downtown LA. Along with over thirty LA designers, David Paul and myself, were invited to partake in the festivities. David and I are the designers of our 8-year old line, Nikolaki, and we chose the stunning Lisa Blades as our muse. I can't say this enough, but we LOVE Lisa!! We met Lisa a while back (before she became a model on Lifetime's Models of The Runway). She has shot my Spring 2009 Look Book as well as posed for my website, nikolakidesign.com but she's also been our Fit Model. Not only does she have "The Body" (six feet tall and legs that go on for DAYS!!!), but she is the sweetest most down-to-Earth girl. Project Runway Ga-Ga: Model Lisa Blades (in Nikolaki), Gordana Gehlhausen, and Nick Verreos

We are in the process of finishing our 2010 Spring Collection and both David and I decided we would have Lisa wear something from the new collection. For this night's event, she wore a silk-wool Zibeline asymmetrical strapless dress in a luscious raspberry color. She looked AMAZING!!!! When she put on the dress--with her 5" platform heels, flawless smokey-eye make-up and chignon, she was a 2010 version of the Robert Palmer Girl. I could barely breathe as I saw how she looked!
Model Crazy: Lisa Blades (in Nikolaki) and CariDee English

After arriving at the event, I spotted Season 6 Project Runway designer, Gordana Gehlhausen. She was wearing one of her own designs and told me that she LOVES my Lifetime.com Recaps as well as those video blogs I shoot with my dear Andrae. She has moved to San Diego and runs a boutique there. She also told me that she was actually having a presentation of her new collection as part of Los Angeles Fashion Week, and that's why she was in town. I also met the lovely CariDee English, winner of America's Next Top Model Cycle 7, who was the muse of Michele Bohbot of Bisou Bisou. CariDee (who was so sweet!) was sporting a platinum faux-hawk mullet hairstyle that I was LIVING for! Smile, You're On LA Fashion Candid Camera: Nikolaki designer Nick Verreos, Alison Nieder of California Apparel News and designer Nony Tochterman of Petro Zillia

The rooftop of The Standard was filled with a "Who's Who Of LA Fashion" and I was so excited to see my fellow "Emerging Designer" judge, Nony Tochterman of Petro Zillia who was there with her daughter (her muse) as well as the always stylish Alison Nieder, editor of the California Apparel News. Jersey Mommie: Nick Verreos with designer Rachel Pally (right) and her mom (left)

I also got to say "hello" to LA designer Rachel Pally, the "Queen of jersey", who was there with her muse: Her mom! (who was wearing one of her daughters silky cowl-draped jersey dresses). The last time I saw Rachel was last year at her LA Fashion Week show where I got the honor to interview her for a style show. Diplomatic Muse: Nick Verreos' mom, Raquel (far left) with other Ambassador's wives

Speaking of interviews, at the event, I was approached by a local news reporter (from Fox11 News) who was covering the party to give my thoughts on who my original muse was. Of course, I said my mother, Raquel. To me, she was JLo before Jlo! So in homage to her, I've included a photo from her "Diplomat's Wife" days--looking so "Mad Men Chic" in her bouffant, fitted-and-pouffy "day dress", along with the wives of the Ambassadors of Japan and China.

Click Below for a segment Fox 11 News did about the event, and what I said about my dear Mommie.