Since Frontiers is a local Los Angeles Magazine and most of you would not read it even if you were in LA, I thought I would post my columns here to share with everyone. The columns deal mostly with Men's fashions and fashion advice for style-challenged men. I'm really having a great time writing them and hopefully I am spreading around some good fashion advice (at least that's what my friends say). Sandals And Summer. Two words that have become inseparable from each other, like Brad and Angelina, Nick and Jessica (ha!), Liza and the Gays. You get the picture. Sandals and flip flops are a wardrobe staple, especially here in Southern California, where we basically have no seasons and enjoy spring/summer almost all year round. What is amazing to me is how, say five years ago, sandals and flip flops were not as ubiquitous as they are now, and how the choices for styles have become unending. Years ago, you had rubber flip flops and get-out-of-the-shower-at-the-gym styles, or-shall I even go there?-yes, those nasty Teva hiking sandals that Americans in Miami Beach or even at the Louvre in Paris would be seen wearing. Times are a changin’, and we are happier as a result. Chalk it up to “Queer Eye”, “Abercrombie & Fitch”, “American Eagle Outfitters”, MTV’s “Real World/Road Rules” as catalysts that brought flip flops and sandals into the mainstream and cemented them as a natural part of our wardrobe, no matter what the season. And now, with the airport security being as strict as it is, you can be in a winter snow storm in Buffalo NY and I guarantee there will be guys wearing flip flops at the airport for the sake of comfort and not having to take those shoes off and hold up the line any longer than they have to. The variety of choices we have is great. On the inexpensive yet still cute side, there are those colorful Havaianas, that can be found in any surf shop from Venice to La Jolla. I also found this great pair of inexpensive flip-flops at H&M with “Italy” and the Italian flag colors emblazoned down the sole (they also have other “World Cup” countries such as England and Brazil). On the pricier side, DSquared has really stepped up it’s sandal styles by creating leather braided ones as well as a style that has Native American-inspired beaded straps. I know it sounds like a bit much to wear on your feet, but trust me, these were HOT. Of course, you can always count on Gucci or Louis Vuitton for some logo-crazy versions that will instantly let everyone around you know that: a)You went to the Cabazon Outlets in Palm Springs and bought them there, or b)you are a broke sales associate at Bloomindales but heck if that’s going to stop you from looking fabulous, or c)You are part of that 1% tax bracket that can actually afford to pay full price. Whatever your taste or style, there are tons of choices out there in sandals and flip flops, yet the most important thing (besides how cute they look on your feet) is how comfortable they are. I remember several years ago spending over $300 on a pair of fabulous Miu Miu’s that had a powder-blue canvas strap and a heavy wooden sole. They were the most uncomfortable pair of sandals I have ever worn and people could hear me coming a mile away because of the click-clack of the wood. I felt like a pained Dutch milk-maid. At the end of the day, I would have been much happier with a pair of $14 Havaianas.

Epidode Three: It's A Dog-Eat-Dog World : Highlights include: *Bradley needs a Red Bull! *Laura dresses up Like Athena Onasis at the Equestrian International Competition. *And Angela creates a fanciful story that beats my "Paris Hilton Goes To Mykonos"!! You can find it all (and more): Go to People.com You can also find my blog on Bravotv.com on the "Project Runway" site. Click below: BravoTV.com On another note: I wanted to say "Thank You" to everyone who attended my "Learning Annex" seminars on "How To Get Into The Fashion Industry" and "How To Get Your Dresses On The Red Carpet". San Francisco , Los Angeles, and especially (big SHOUT OUT!) San Diego (best turnout of the three, thanks to FIDM San Diego and David's family for helping out with the advertisements) were great fun and, I hope , informative. I will be returning to San Diego to do an event with the W Hotels. Will keep you updated.

CORONATION BALL Here are some final photos from the "Miss Universe" Coronation Ball that occurred afterwards at the Shrine Auditorium. They had a grand buffet as well as several bars. Funny I did not really see the Misses eating. However , "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy" star, and commentator for the telecast, Carson Kressly, and myself, sure took advantage of the buffet. I went for seconds! Here we are with the 6 feet 2 inch-tall "Miss Ghana"(I mean, really what hormones are these beautiful women taking!!) and Scandinavian beauty "Miss Denmark". We also took a photo with the lovely "Miss Cayman Islands", who another six-footer. We were (almost) dressed the same and he commented that somewhere in some magazine there will be photo of us with the caption: "Bookends". Carson was telling me that he had just gotten back from Manila and was leaving for Hawaii to shoot a film. He told me that his "tour" of Manila, Philippines was incredible, complete with HUNDREDS of screaming fans at a local mall, and a bodyguard that had to SLEEP in his bedroom. Lucky him! It was fun mingling with all the titleholders from all over the world. Some had their sashes on, some did not(they were over it by then). Notably absent was "Miss Venezuela" who left in a hurry ,in casual day clothes, right after the the show ended. Venezuela has had a strong record in turning out beauty pageant winners, but their spotlight seems to be dimming. She did not make the top 20 Finalist and therefore when she returns to her country, she might have to be in hiding for a while--it's that serious. The "Miss Venezuela" pageant organizers might have to rethink what their vision of a "beauty queen" should look like. I did get to take photos with my other compatriot, "Miss Greece", "Miss Sri Lanka", "Miss Bolivia" as well as the Caribbean stunner from "Trinidad and Tobago" and a former "Miss Puerto Rico" wearing a"Marilyn Monroe-esque" black and white halter dress. Fear not Fishtail Hem/Train-haters--none of the dresses were mine and there were no fishtails in sight! All in all , the "Coronation Ball" was loads of fun but David and I were tired and wanted to get back home so we could watch the show we TiVo'ed in the comfort of our home.

Boy was my humble Los Feliz studio busy this week! After all it is not every day that the "Miss Universe Pageant" rolls into Los Angeles. It is usually held in some far-flung locale such as Thailand, Cancun, Cyprus or Manila. A week before the contest, I got a call from Nancy O'Dell's stylist, whom I have worked with before and is such a great friend. I proposed to design a gown that Nancy would wear at the live telecast of the pageant. ONE WEEK before the contest!!! David and I went on OVERDRIVE(as well as my faithful seamstresses!). Mind you, I had classes to teach, and had to fly to San Francisco to do a "Learning Annex" as well. Needless to say, I think I slept maybe a total of 4 hours last week. The gown , as seen here, turned out to be a "showstopper", complementing her figure and her skin color and showcasing my design aesthetic. About a month prior to last night's pageant, I learned my friend Brook Lee would be attending as a former "Miss Universe" and the last "Miss USA" to win the prestigious title back in 1997. I designed her a fabulous gown of navy and cream flower-printed silk, featuring my "Angel-Wing" cascade-ruffle back and a tulip silhouette. I told her she looked like the beautiful mistress of a wealthy European sugar-plantation owner in Hawaii. All she needed was a fan (she had one!) A day before the big night, Tamiko Nash , "Miss California 2006" and the First Runner Up to Miss USA, also came by my studio and she chose a one-shouldered canary-yellow asymmetrical silk charmeuse dress that looked glorious against her copper skin color. My beautiful sister, Rita Verreos, who is a former "Miss Venezuela" finalist and now trains the "Miss California USA" winners, also made a visit to round off my contingency of "Nick Verreos/Nikolaki" beauties of the world. She wore an emerald green silk gown featuring a criss-cross bust drape and (wait for it!) yes, my infamous FISHTAIL HEM!!! You might have thought that I would be on "Cloud Nine" with so many stunning beauties wearing my dresses but all I kept thinking about was if the sweat (Ok, they do not sweat, they perspire) was staining the expensive silk under the 100 Degree humid weather that we were suffering Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles. All in all , I was ecstatic to have lived this great moment and did feel that I had gotten a "Coup D'Etat" of sorts, by having so many of my gowns worn on one night. At the "Coronation Ball", it was a unique experience hobnobbing with all the "Miss Universe" contestants and VIP guests. At one point judge and famed photographer, Patrick McMullan, approached a group of us because we were all in Black and White and started snapping away. This little surreal group included ,"Miss Ireland", Nancy O'Dell, her husband, Carson Kressley,"Miss Sri Lanka" and myself. It doesn't get much better than that!! After the contest, I also felt proud for fellow "Project Runway" designer, Kayne Gillespie, who basically got his "Barbie moment" and career zenith by winning the "Miss USA Challenge" and having Tara Conner wear his design for over 600 million viewers in 170 countries to see. Congrats to Kayne for getting that coup! *And yes, if you look closely at the first picture, that IS the back of Donald Trump's head! David was sitting a few rows behind him. Good job Mr. Trump, no bald spot!!

Miss Universe Telecast, Sunday July 23: As I was sitting in the audience last night, front row, next to the beautiful Brook Lee, Miss Universe 1997, wearig a gown I created for her, I was nervous as heck, waiting to see if hostess Nancy O'Dell was going to open the show with my gown. As she was announced , my heart pounded faster, she began walking out, and there she was wearing the design David and I created for her: a black lace with hand-applied paillettes Mermaid gown with ice blue silk charmeuse backing. She looked glorious to say the least. David was many seats away from me so I could not enjoy the moment immediately with him, but you can guess that Brook and I were grasping our hands like CRAZY!! I will post more photos soon, but I wanted to show a photo of the gown since many of you might not have realized which one was mine. And by the way: it is NOT a fishtail!! This is just considered a "Chapel Length sweeping Train".

I am so thrilled and excited to announce that Nancy_O'Dell the Beautiful Hostess for the Miss Universe Pageant will be wearing a Gown I custom designed just for her! What an amazing night it will be for Project Runway. With Kayne dressing Miss_USA, Santino judging and my gown on Nancy O'Dell, it will be a PR Triple Threat! Be sure to watch the Pageant at 9pm on NBC and Telemundo and show your Project Runway support. I will be there, of course, and will report back with fun photos and stories to tell! Click HERE for details on the airing of the pageant.

PROJECT RUNWAY BLOG on PEOPLE.COM I have been asked several times to give my "Two Cents" on the episodes of the new Season of Project Runway. Well, you ask , and you shall receive! I am honored to say that People.com has asked me to write a blog on the new season. So now, instead of just e-mailing my friends my commentary on the show and the designers, a whole lot more people are going to get to read it. Being that I was a designer on the previous season, I think this gives me a bit of a special and unique insight into the show, it's challenges and the drama that ensues as a result. I will also be coming from my experience working in the Industry for 15 years as well as an Instructor of fashion design, sketching and patternmaking . I am giving some honest, yet biting commentary. You might agree or disagree with my comments, but heck, it's nothing that wasn't already dished out to me! Click HERE to read my people.com blog.

I will be doing a "LEARNING ANNEX" course, "How To Break Into The Fashion Industry" , this Wednesday, July 19th 7-9 PM in San Francisco. I feel a little bit bad because I will miss my beautiful sister's(Rita) Birthday, which is on the same day! But I am really looking forward to my return to San Francisco, even though it is only for one night. The two-hour session will be moderated by Simon Ungless, Director of Graduate Fashion at the prestigious Academy of Art University so I am more than honored. The prices vary from $39.99 for "members online fee" to $49.99 for "non-members course fee", so it should not break anyone's budget. Only a little bit goes to me, so please tell your friends in San Francisco or anyone you think that might be interested in learning the "inner dirt" on the fashion industry to come and support the "Nick Fund". The address of the class is : American College Of California 760 Market Street 11th Floor Stockton and Grant Street Click HERE for a map of the location I will also be doing one in Los_Angeles and one in San_Diego at the end of the month as well!! For more info. on registering, check out : www.learningannex.com or call 415.788.5500 *attached flyer has details for San Diego only

OK, so a Where Are They Now? article on a cast of people that have only been off a show for 4 months might be a bit of a stretch (What are we, the cast of Who's The Boss?!?), but it is always fun to be involved with People Magazine!! It is a flattering article for everyone and all the pictures look great. Below is my profile. Only on People.com Project Runway: Where Are They Now? As a new season starts, catch up with Austin, Chloe, Jay and six other favorites from the Emmy-nominated show. By Serena Kappes and Julia Wang with Jenny Sundel NICK VERREOS Season 2 As a professor at L.A.'s Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Verreos, 39, is passing on the pearls of wisdom he learned on Runway. And he's going full-steam ahead with a fashion line with his partner of 14 years, David Paul – Nikolaki (Greek for "little Nick"). Another coup: Verreos has gotten calls from such celebrity fashionistas as Sarah Jessica Parker. "My presence on the show has taken things to another level," he says. To see the complete article click HERE

THUNDER SHOW No wonder most New Yorkers somehow find the resources to get out of the city in the middle of July. I woke up Thursday to a hot, sticky, humid New York day. The theme of the day was quickly materializing into : "I shvitst, you shvitst, we all shvitst!"( To quote my favorite Kara Janx). Today was the Trunk Show at Emmett's NoLita boutique, EMc2. David and I arrived at the store to set up in the lovely back garden space Emmett had created for Chloe, Kara and myself to show our lines in the back of his store. We signed 10 of the just-released Season 2 DVD's to be given to the "big-spender" customers at the Trunk Show. In the beginning, the weather, though HOT and humid, was a bit sunny. All of a sudden, as soon as the store (and the back garden) seemed to be packed with visitors, shoppers and fans alike, a thunderous storm poured into New York. To be honest, it seemed as if the nucleus of the storm was EMc2!!! HUNDREDS (it seemed) of us scurried for cover under the garden tent Emmett's well-oiled employees had set up. Suddenly, the rain had poured so fast and furious that the tent seemed to be coming down and threatening the flooding of all our collections. With the unconditional help of all the fans, shoppers, and visitors, we gathered bags to cover the clothes and the racks and rushed through the uncontrollable downpour to bring the collections inside for safe cover. Everything turned out fine, even with the snafu of the rain (remind Emmett next time to check the Acu-Weather forecast please). I sold A LOT, from my draped caplet jersey tops(they were a hit!) to my Cruise Collection linen skirts and jackets. Tarah, my model and muse from the show, recently moved to NY from Miami, along with her sister Sabrina, and I asked them to come by and model my designs while the guests and shoppers were there so they could see what my collection looked like, just as they do in other Trunk Show events I have been a part of. Amanda, the model from Season 3 whom I befriended , also stopped by and offered to model my dresses as well. A Getty_Images photographer stopped by and took several photos of my "Nikolettes". Tim Gunn made another fabulous appearance holding court just as he did the previous night at Buddha Bar. He was diligently signing T-shirts, autographing bags and being gracious, classy and unflappable never letting on that there was a torrential downpour happening 10 steps away. He didn't even SHVITST, thank you very much. Chloe's model , Grace (wearing a cute vintage shift dress and jacket) also came by to congratulate Chloe and they posed for a photo with the Elle Magazine layout that just came out on the newsstand. I had a great time, even with the thunderous storm that almost ended the whole event. Were it not for the unbelievable support, love and help of all the guests, shoppers and fans of "Project Runway" we would not have been able to "Carry On!" Speaking of fans: there were lots ! One in particular stood out, because of his shameless tenacity and fervent love for us and the show. Most fans want us to sign T-shirts, DVD's, etc. He asked, no DECLARED, that we sign his CHEST!!! Well, before I could say "Nipple Ring", he took his shirt off and handed Chole , Kara and myself a Sharpie. When it came time for Tim Gunn to sign his chest, unfortunately we left little room above the belly button for his autograph (on purpose of course!). Let's just say, this fan went home never wanting to wash his chest, torso, and abs ever again!

PRAYING TO BUDDHA (BAR) Tuesday night was the New York Premiere for Season 3 of "Project Runway". I came to New York prepared with my "premiere outfit", which I dutifully bought at Zara consisting of creme-colored slacks and a striped off-white dress shirt, which I was either going to leave unbuttoned or wear with a tie. I was sort of going for a "St. Tropez" look. Well, needless to say, when I got up on Tuesday, I had a change of heart: I wanted SKINNY JEANS! Even though I do not have the cracked-out look of Kate Moss' former paramour, Pete Dougherty, that was sort of the look I was going for, sans the crack thank you very much! I met up with Season 1 winner, Jay McCarroll (who is working on his Spring '07 Collection as we speak) and his friend, Season 1 designer Nora, for some pre-drinks at The Double Seven Bar on West 14th. Before we knew it, we realized we were running late, so we walked down the street in the sweltering heat of the Meatpacking District to the new Buddha Bar. Before walking inside , we ran into another Season 1 fave, Austin Scarlett, along with Wedding Gown designer, Amsale, Austin's new boss. I did the "Red Carpet" , along with Jay, doing interviews for Access Hollywood and TV Guide Channel. I walked in , through the stunning entry hall of the Buddha Bar, immediately wanting to do a runway walk , amongst the impressive statues looking on. Speaking of runway, as soon as I walked in, I immediately recognized one of Yves Saint Laurent's African muses. She is from Senegal and was the couturier's house model , featured in the Sundance Documentary "Avenue Marceau 75116". I even told her that I remembered the white silk charmeuese Haute Couture gown she wore in one of his last Couture shows. She was simply stunning and exotic as a Gazelle as she posed for a photo with me. Of course, I saw my former "castmates", including Daniel Vosovic, Marla and Diana (both looking sexy and very pretty), Emmett(passing announcements to the Trunk Show we were having the day after and featuring the Tim Gunn "Gun" T-shirt)as well as winner, Chloe Dao(who was there with her sister, Sydney). I got to meet several of the new season's designers, including Keith Michael and also befriended one of the new season's models, the statuesque(6 feet tall!), Amanda. We later enjoyed a nice dinner at Pastis with David and several of my friends. The party was fun and I was able to greet many fans of the show (mostly beautiful young girls), saying "Thank You" to their compliments and kind comments. At one point I glanced over and saw Tim Gunn who was off to the side, almost getting mobbed! I did not even get to say "Hello" , because there seemed to be a line 10 people deep wanting to greet him. I do not know how he does it, never breaking into a sweat. Right before we were getting ready to leave, I decided to grab Chloe, and some of the Season 3 Models, and we actually had a "Walk Off", in the middle of the fabulous club, with a 20 foot statue of Buddha looking on! Thank God most of the guests had left by then, otherwise, I think we would not have done it! I could not have left the Buddha Bar without leaving my "Runway" imprint. Another great moment was when Amanda(model), pulled an Elle Magazine out of her gift bag, and showed Chloe her spread for the very first time. Chloe subsequently screamed and ran to show her sister, Sydney, the wonderful photo spread with her and her model, Grace. We ended the the night dancing at Beige and Happy Valley, where we reconnected with Keith Michael, and the beautiful Allison, who were rightly celebrating the debut of their show. I would have stayed but as I looked around at all the 22 year old club kids, I realized that A) I felt WAY TOO OLD, and B) I had to be up "bright and early" to do the Trunk Show at EMc2 the following day.

Outfest Project Runway Premiere Party at The Ivar, Hollywood Last Friday, I was invited to attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Project Runway Season 3 in conjunction with the Outfest Festival. I went with David, John Wade and my friend, muse and date, the beautiful Brook Lee, TV Hostess and former Miss Universe. I designed a jersey print dress inspired by my infamous "Barbie Dress", featuring a shirred bust and midriff attached to a three-layered skirt . She loved it and insisted on wearing it to the Premiere and I think Brook looked stunning in it. I decided to wear my exclusive Madonna" I Love NY" T-shirt to this Los Angeles party for the kitsch factor! After doing the Red Carpet, we quickly headed upstairs to the VIP area and headed for the bar. I was happy to see all my "Magical Elves" friends (the producers of our show). It's always fun hanging out with the "crew" and the producers, since while we were filming they were so adamant about "The Wall" and how we were not allowed to speak with them, but now since we are done filming, "The Wall" has been "broken" and it's always fun reminiscing about our time filming the show. I also got to meet some, but not all of the Season 3 designers, including Malan(interesting British accent and looking rather "Count Dracula" in his ensemble), Bonnie(wearing a pretty cowl-back dress),Vincent(sporting a hat and a very wide smile), Angela, looking very stately and European, Bradley(quiet, shy and beardless), and Kayne. I was excited to see Kayne, especially since the last time I saw him was when , along with the other judges, I picked him to "go through to the next round" in the Chicago Casting. I had a great "bonding" session , chatting away with Kayne and his partner. I have a feeling we might have been split at birth! It was really interesting to see the Season 3 Designers and how they were reacting to the flashbulbs of the photographers. At one point, we all were gathered together , greeting each other(Season 2 along with Season 3), and the photographers had a frenzied attack. While we (Season 2) were ready for our "close up", perfectly synchronizing our turns with the demands of the photographers, some of the new seemed to be like "Deers Caught In the Headlights". It reminded me of my first photo-frenzy about a year ago. It was very cute and endearing I have to say. All in all, it was a fun evening . It wasn't fun, however, when I didn't get to bed until 3 AM and then had to get up THREE HOURS later to catch my Jet Blue flight to JFK. Needless to say, I spent the whole flight hooked to my Satellite TV screen and wearing my sunglasses to hide the circles around my eyes! Onto New York City: Today I filmed a segment for the TV Guide Channel for a"Red Carpet Special" , which will air Sunday, August 6, as well as doing an interview for People.com. Tomorrow is the NY Premiere Party and don't forget that Wednesday is the day of the Trunk_Show at EMc2 , Emmett's beautiful NoLita boutique. Come meet Chloe, Kara, Emmett as well as myself and shop 'till you drop. I cannot wait for my New York Trunk Show "Debut".

We've just added a little incentive to come join us for the Summer+Reality=Sale Event being held at EMc2 on Wednesday July 12th. The first 10 people to make a purchase of $1,000 dollars or more will receive a DVD of Project Runway 2 personally signed by Chloe, Emmett, Kara and myself! Don't miss out on this great opportunity to not only meet everyone but also get your own personally signed copy of the DVD! Come early and shop hard because there are only 10 copies available! Can't wait to see all of you there.

Just in case there are a few people out there who haven't heard about the Summer Sale at Emmett's store, I wanted to do a quick posting here. I am so excited about this event and am sure that it is going to be an absolute blast! Chloe, Kara, Emmett and myself will all be in attendance the entire day with a special guest appearance by the one and only Tim Gunn. We want to make sure that everyone knows that this is completely open to the public! This one is not to be missed! All four of us will be selling clothing from our lines and from what I have seen from all the designers so far, there are some amazing pieces and deals to be had! So please come by and say hello and trust me, you can spend the day with us shopping and still have enough time to make it home to watch the premiere of Project Runway 3!! Make it a perfect day! Click HERE for the location of EMc2.

The wonderful Laura Kluvo over @ Blogging Project Runway recently informed me of the fabulous Ebay auction taking place involving my Project Runway Barbie, a Messenger_Bag autographed by myself, Diana Eng and Tim Gunn and a BPR T-Shirt that I also autographed and did a Barbie sketch on. She said there was some question as to whether or not the signature on the Barbie box was authentic. I just thought I would do a quick posting to assure everyone that it is absolutely real!! While autographing the Barbie for Marcia, the Grand Prize Winner of BPR's 1st contest, Laura slyly slipped in a second Barbie to sign. How great that she stashed it away and brought it out at just the right time to help boost the BPR Parsons Scholarship Fund. So bidders, rest assured that it is an authentic autograph and that you are bidding for a worthy cause. Happy Bidding!