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NICK APPEARANCES.....Torino Olympics Highlights

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HIGHLIGHTS OF MY TRIP TO TORINO Sorry for the delay in posting this, but I just got back from New York and I am still barely unpacking from my trip to Torino. I wanted to post some highlights and observations from my recent trip , where I did some fashion commentary on the Olympic Ladies Figure Skating, amongst other things , as you will read... --After a 12 hour flight to Turin(Torino) via Munich, Germany(the Munich airport was fabulous, like a 'Wallpaper' magazine editorial, very sleek and minimalist!) , I finally arrived in Northern Italy. It was a horrible flight due to the fact that , sitting behind me were two women who talked for the entire TWELVE HOURS! I am not kidding. I wanted to turn around and ask what the heck could they be talking about for TWELVE HOURS! Needless to say, when I arrived at my hotel, I felt like a truck had run over me. While waiting in the lobby of the hotel, Ross(the 'Intern' from 'The Tonight Show'), happen to be walking by, and we spotted each other , said 'hellos' and took some photos. It got a little crazy in the lobby. Ross and I together is a funny show waiting to happen!
--The next day , I did a segment for 'The Olympic Zone', which would prefix the prime time Olympic coverage on local NBC affiliates. My assignment was to style/makeover the Bronze-winning Ladies US Hockey Team(see above photo). Cameras in tow, I took the atheletes to a very chic boutique in Torino that carried Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana and I "made over" one of the ladies into a very sexy , feminine bombshell, a la Sofia Loren. One of the girls even commented that this day was better than winning the Olympic Medal! I highly doubt that, but it was flattering nonetheless. It was a really fun segment to do. While waiting for the ladies near the boutique , I spotted Sarah Hughes and her sister, so as you can imagine , I became a crazed fan and proceeded to get my camera out to take a photo of her while she was not looking. The next thing I realize , Sarah is coming right at me yelling "Aren't you Nick from Project Runway? Oh my God!" It was a bit surreal, because we ended up being mutual admirers of each other's work and talents. And believe me Sarah and her sisters KNOW each and EVERY episode! I love Figure Skating.... --The Final of the Ladies Figure Skating competition was occurring and it was a Sold-Out event.We tried to get tickets via my NBC contacts to no avail--even Sarah tried to get tickets for us! David and I decided we would go to the Stadium(the Palavela) to see if we could "find someone" who was selling tickets. There were a lot of people wanting to BUY tickets but no one selling them, except for some sketchy men with long black overcoats and cell phones to their ears who were asking 600 Euro , that's about $750 for ONE TICKET: Not! While trying to "scalp" tickets , it became a bit embarrassing for me, because there were lots of Americans who recognized me from the show and kept stopping me, wanting to take photos. I could see the blogs now: "Nick from Project Runway: Arrested for scalping tickets to Ladies Figure Skating!" David and I went back to the hotel and watched it for free on TV. --The next day was the segment on the 'Olympic Ice' show, which aired on USA Networks. I did fashion commentary on the costumes the ladies wore to the Figure Skating Final. Right after I arrived , they sat me in the chair , between Mary Carillo and Jamie Sale, and said "You're ON!" No real prep time or rehearsal. But I was ready since I had watched the Finals the night before and was armoured with David's expert knowledge of the sport and history of costumes! It was a dream come true to meet Jamie Sale and David Pelletier as well as Mary Carillo and the incomparable Dick Button, in fact Dick Button turned to David and said "Who's this guy with the Funny Haircut?" What a treat!

--The rest of my stay was consumed with shopping, sightseeing, and eating lots of focaccia bread pizza! I visited some great museums, the Museo Egizio(Egyptian Museum) and the Museo del Cinema, where I took an elevator that shoots you up to the top , where you can see all of Torino, similar to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It was breathtaking! I also went to Milan for a couple of days , where I visited all the flagship stores of Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana and Armani, as well as met up with some friends who own a Production/Studio called Mars Studio(www.marstudio.it) where they do fashion consulting and styling for photo shoots and music videos. I also had a great meeting discussing the possibility of producing my line in Italy as well as sourcing fabrics there as well. So I got to mix in some business with pleasure.

--My trip to Milan seemed brief, but we rushed back to attend the Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic Games. Again I tried to procure tickets somehow, but ended up paying 350 Euros each for a ticket(not from a scalper, from an official ticket agent, Thank You very much!) . It was a once-in-a-lifetime event, filled with great costumes, fireworks and Ricky Martin! We had great seats on the same level as the stage and felt like we were part of the show! An amazing experience. PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS

--Italian Policemen, the Carabinieri, must have their own Model Agency! I swear they are all good looking and impeccably dressed(see photos above). Those uniforms are to die for! --Fur, Fur and more Fur! There seems to be law in Northern Italy where EVERY woman over the age of 50 MUST own a full-length mink coat! Or , it must be the traditional "25th Wedding Anniversary" gift a husband gives to his wife. It is one or the other. I did not spot their younger counterparts in so much fur ,though, but definitely the older generation is covered in it! PETA does not exist in Northern Italy, that's for sure. --The Seniors of Italy(over 65) were impeccably dressed, even for a daily stroll down the cobblestone streets! Elegant and well styled, from the bag, to the gloves, the scarves, the shoes. Impeccable. I was very impressed. All the men were like older versions of Cary Grant. They make the American Seniors look like homeless bag ladies and men. The young kids , however, take their cue from Southern California/LA lifestyle(or at least what they THINK it is) Brittany and Kevin(unfortunately) are their inspiration. They achieve it by wearing Italian versions of "LA looks"--D & G and Replay are popular with them. --Fred Perry is still very big in Italy, sweaters, polos , of every color. Men also had a penchant for wearing orange and olive colors, particularly in scarves, jackets, sweaters. These colors were popular for men. And I saw lots of women wearing "boy shorts"(cropped tailored skinny pants above the knee) with high stiletto boots. Very big look for women there. All in all, I was honored to have gone to Torino and asked to do my fashion commentary on the Olympic Ladies Figure Skating costumes. It was a dream come true not just for me, but especially for David as well. Every minute I was there I took mental photographs that I could remember when I returned back to Los Angeles. If someone would have told me a year ago that I would be going to Torino to cover the Olympics as a result of my participation on 'Project Runway', I would have laughed at them. So I treasured this trip.

17 Responses to "NICK APPEARANCES.....Torino Olympics Highlights"

Anonymous said...

mr. verreos!!

were glad youre back at school teaching us, weve missed you!

Anonymous said...

What a great detailed account of your trip to Torino. I felt as if I were right alongside with you and David. (I wish I had been right alongside with you but alas...)I especially love the photos! Welcome back. Send us some photos of some of the designs you are currently working on.

Amy said...

that's kind of scary, britney and kevin as fashion inspiration for the italian youth... wasn't she on blackwell's worst dressed list this year too?

i heard from a friend who studied abroad in italy that everyone there, even the poor, dresses up impeccably. she was telling me that she saw a really well dressed old man open up a dumpster looking for scraps. it was kind of sad how much poverty there really is, but the italian people hold onto their pride nonetheless.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like an incredible trip, an experience of a lifetime! Glad that you and David had a wonderful time and thanks for getting a change to update. Love the photos! Mucho amor y felicidad a usted

Sarah Lukas said...

That is definitely some awesome photos and highlights you had! What a blessing

Anonymous said...

Nick,
You noticed the same thing I did about the older women in fur and wondering why these women didn't know about PETA!

All in all, I thought the Italians are much better dressed than the American's are. They seem to have an inate knowing about what looks good and what doesn't.

The hotel I stayed at was across the street from a shop that sold women's pajamas and the pajamas had much more style that what I can find in LA and a better variety of colors. Not everyone can wear pastels! (Maybe I'd have better luck in NY.) Another ladies lingerie shop employed live models who sat in the window in really attractive outfits -- if a bra/panty/nylons get up can be called an outfit. My husband liked walking on this street! I also love how everyone seems to be into walking and enjoying the outdoors.

I had the luck to stay in an apartment for a couple of days and it was great to see that people still like to line dry their clothes in the outdoors. The variety of stores brought me back to the old NY (where I grew up). There were two butcher shops, one pastry shop, two bakeries, two coffee shops and a supermarket in the same block as the apartment. I went to the same museums you went to plus my husband and I went to see the Michealangelo/DaVinci drawings. I can't believe that at any moment I could have bumped into you and didn't ( :( )! My husband would have so wanted to make sure you got tickets to skating. It's too bad I was too afraid to surf the web at his job to get the heads up you were there.

I'm still waiting to bump into you at Rite Aid on 7th and Hope! Who knows?

I hope the NY trip was for a very good reason!

Mar

Anonymous said...

thanks for the birthday call! all my friends were really excited, i think you sorta made their lives :) see you soon! -katie

katiecoo said...

What a fantastic commentary/photo journey Nick! I loved every word and image. What a great experience for you. Your genuine good nature shines through you in every venue. I'm sure you were being recognized...how could you not? You're a STAR now!

I'm sorry I missed your commentary..I was in a hotel at a conference during the ice skating so I'm sure didn't get the correct station. Dangit as I would have been glued!

I could see how passionate you were about the Sasha Cohen challenge so this obviously others did too...how awesome!

Thanks for updating your blog. What a pleasure to partake in this with you.

Hugs,

Katie

katiecoo said...

PS. Two things

1. I'm so glad you made it to the closing ceremonies. What a memory for you guys!

2. My best friend and I could talk for 12 hours straight, I think. ;)

Anonymous said...

Nice pics!! Sounds liek you had fun LOL

Doghigh said...

Wow. You actually had Dick Button make a comment about you. I am INSANELY, SEETHINGLY jealous!!! All I can say is...bravo!

Lothian said...

I am truly glad you had a wonderful time on your trip. Welcome home! By the way, you take a fab picture -- the camera loves you.

Anonymous said...

Italians have such pride in everything they do from cooking to fashion. I'm italian and the elder people in my family are like that. Even though they've been in america for many years they still do not have a hair or a stitch of clothes out of place to just go to the grocery store! And the old men and their hats! I just love it. Glad to hear you had a great time and that you had a safe travel!

Christine said...

I saw you on Olympic Ice and I squealed! I was just giddy with glee to hear your commentary on the outfits. You were fabulous!

I love that you and Sarah Hughes spotted one another. What a riot!

Bonnie said...

Glad to hear you had a blast at Torino. I have to admit, I pretty much just watched the Olympic ice skating event to see if I could spot you somewhere. Yup, that's how much I love sports. ;-)

And I totally agree with you about the fashion sense outside of the States. It always shocks me when I see the older set still dressed to the nines everywhere but here... *sigh*

Anonymous said...

Mr. Verros:

If only you were as nice and friendly to your students.......is this blog only about you??

Anonymous said...

Mr. Verros...

If only you were as nice and friendly to your fellow colleagues and students at FIDM. You walk around school like you're some kind of famous fashion designer....think again. I think you need to humble down and start being friendly and nice to everyone and not just the camera. Further more, if you're so inspired my Europa and their style, why don't you move there???? oh, yes one more thing....you use too many coma's :)