The Recessionista Interviews Designer Nick Verreos

Designer Nick Verreos

Here at The Recessionista we have a huge designer crush on Nick Verreos.    He is one Los Angeles based designer that we just adore, from his red carpet gowns to his witty blog.   Some of you many remember Nick for his early success on the second season of Project Runway.  Now Nick is bringing his style to the mass market with a new line of dresses to be sold at Lord & Taylor and Dillard’s Department stores.  Recently, we sat down to have a chat with Nick and ask him about the back story behind his dress collection.  Here’s our exclusive interview. 

Q) Tell us about the collection you’re launching. You’ve done so many red carpet dresses, it’s great to see you with dresses for the everyday/working woman.

A) I’m very excited about this launch and about my new “NV Nick Verreos” dress line. Like you said, in the past—with my high-end NIKOLAKI dresses and gowns–I dressed a lot of big celebs such as Heidi Klum, Carrie Underwood and Katy Perry to name a few, but these dresses were unattainable to the “everyday” woman. With “NV Nick Verreos” I wanted to provide great-looking stylish dresses that had strong “fashion” elements but at affordable prices. I am a strong believer that EVERY woman deserves a “red carpet” moment, and when I say that I don’t mean they have to go to a movie premiere or award show, but in essence, I wanted to provide the right dress for an everyday woman’s “red carpet moment” such as a night out with friends, dinner with her husband/boyfriend, a job interview, a fun Sunday brunch…these are her “red carpet moments” especially when wearing one of my dresses!

Some of the colorful dresses from the NV Collection

Q) What do you think the hot colors are for Summer 2013? Your collection is very colorful.

A) First off, I LOVE color! (I think you can tell!). I am half Greek, half Latino and grew up in South America so naturally I am drawn to color. If I had grown up in Manhattan or Finland perhaps, it might have been different. But to me Resort–or a “resort” feeling–should be a year long vibe! With that said, for Summer 2013, I wanted to make sure to include the strong color trends that we are seeing on the NY, Paris, Milan runways; and that includes bright turquoise, canary yellow, chartreuse and a pop of bubblegum pink…all those colors are the hot colors of Summer 2013.
Q) Will this collection be an ongoing thing, will another collection for fall/winter?

A) Yes! This is not a one-time-only line. I’ve been designing a new “collection” of dresses for “NV” every month and right now, as I do this interview, I am working on next Spring 2014 in fact. So, yes, my Fall group of “NV Nick Verreos” are being finished and will be shipped out in late Summer, early Autumn to Dillard’s as well as Lord & Taylor. I hope to be designing “NV Nick Verreos” for years.

One of Nick’s favorites, “Davida” Dress (Above, $128): An Impressionist Print Halter Dress with a high-low ruffle detail and gathered tie waist.

Q) Did you actively collaborate with Dillard’s on the collection to suit their customer tastes?

A) Yes, I definitely collaborated with Dillard’s on the “NV Nick Verreos” collection. Along with my design partner, David Paul and my NY showroom team, we made sure to take meetings with the Dillard’s buyers and get their feedback in terms of their specific customers and what they were looking for, especially by region. My line is carried in a lot of the Southern and Southwest US Dillard’s stores and I wanted to know what that customer was interested in. I definitely took note when the buyers would inform me that their customer was looking for dresses with sleeves or specific silhouettes. I strive to incorporate my signature style while making sure I can reach those specific Dillard’s customers.
Q) Finally, will we see you back on TV soon? You were one of my favorites on Project Runway.  Please keep us all posted. You have a lot of fans.

A) Awwww! (I’m blushing and turning the color of terracotta right about now!). Thank you for the lovely words. Yes, I sure hope that you will see me back on TV soon. I just finished a very busy 2013 Awards Season, filming all the “Fashion Wrap” TV Shows for TV Guide Network, doing post-red carpet commentary on the Emmys, Grammys, SAG Awards, Oscars as well as doing the Live at the Academy Awards show for TV Guide Network. I also did post red carpet commentary for NBC and CNN International. So, for now, it’s good to have a post-Awards Show filming break (so I can actually design!). I am also a regular host on LookTV, a Youtube channel that will feature fun fashion segments titled “The Nick Fix” and “Design School with Nick Verreos”.

Look for Nick at Dillard’s stores soon as he goes on tour to promote his dress collection. For more information about Nick and NV Nick Verreos collection, please visit NVNickVerreos.com.