The Acolyte Hollywood Premiere--At the "Star Wars: The Acolyte" World Launch Event & Premiere--Nick Verreos, David Paul, and "The Acolyte" Costume Designer Jennifer L. Bryan and The Acolyte X FIDM Sketching Contest Winner Ashot "Ash" Markosyan, El Capitan Theatre Hollywood

Last week, David and I were invited to the World Launch Event, and the new Disney+ Star Wars series "The Acolyte" premiered on June 4th. Several weeks back, we (as Chairpersons of the FIDM Fashion Design and Advanced Fashion Design Programs) partnered with Disney+ and the new show, to promote it, by having an EXCLUSIVE to FIDM Students and Alumni FASHION SKETCHING CONTEST, "The Acolyte X FIDM Fashion Sketching Contest". 

Nick Verreos, World Launch Event and Premiere for "Star Wars: The Acolyte"--El Capitan Theatre Hollywood

For the contest, we asked FIDM students and alumni to sketch a FASHION sketch inspired by the new show, but again, draw a FASHION interpretation, not do another costume as it were. 

The Acolyte X FIDM Fashion Sketching Contest--A collage (above) of some of the entries in the fashion sketching competition, inspired by the new "Star Wars: The Acolyte" Disney+ show

The eventual TOP Winner and 2 Finalists would be chosen by the series' Costume Designer Jennifer L. Bryan, and as a prize, they would attend the World Launch Premiere and the Winner would have a chance for a one-on-one with the Costume Designer! I'm a big Star Wars fan and was thrilled (along with David) to be invited to attend as well. Here are photos from the WONDERFUL night:

Nick Verreos and David Paul, at the World Launch Event and Premiere of "Star Wars: The Acolyte" Disney+ show, El Capitan Theatre Hollywood

Nick Verreos and David Paul, with "The Acolyte" costume from Costume Designer Jennifer L. Bryan (behind them, on podium/mannequin)

Just by chance, as we were walking the Red Carpet, I spotted the show's Costume Designer, then fabulous Jennifer L. Bryan--we had met years ago at a FIDM Museum TV Costume Exhibition when her costumes for "Breaking Bad" were being shown. I introduced her to the person who had sketched the Winning Design (that she chose) of the sketching contest! Soon afterward, we were joined by the other two finalists whom Jennifer picked...

"The Acolyte" Costume Designer Jennifer L. Bryan (2nd from right), with Sketching Contest Winner and Finalists (L to R) Raiah Chavah Young, Lynlea Michaels, and Ashot "Ash" Markosyan--World Launch Event and Premiere of "Star Wars: The Acolyte", El Capitan Theatre Hollywood

I am SUPER SUPER EXCITED to announce the launch of my NEW BOOK "THE PAGEANT COLORING BOOK"! This has been a DREAM OF MINE since I was a little boy growing up in Caracas Venezuela watching and idolizing all those "Miss Venezuela" beauty queens and I would have LOOOOOOVED to have gotten a coloring book just like this back then!


Along with my NIKOLAKI partner and co-illustrator, David Paul, we sketched out TWENTY-FIVE EXTRAORDINARY Beauty Pageant Divas in FABULOUS evening gowns for you to COLOR! We also included 6 Beauty Pageant Croquis (fashion poses) for you to use to design YOUR VERY OWN Fab Pageant Gowns!


Get my book "The Pageant Coloring Book" RIGHT NOW on Amazon.com! Click HERE to order!

Click below to watch my "The Pageant Coloring Book" Launch Video:

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of doing a VERY SPECIAL event & appearance--sponsored by my Alma Mater, The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising/FIDM and Bloomingdale's at Bloomingdale's Sherman Oaks Fashion Square.

The event/appearance was titled "Get Sketched By Designer Nick Verreos" and was being held in conjunction with the launch of the Glowhaus Beauty Boutique--a new "Beauty Boutique" targeting millennial shoppers, introducing them to 30 new brands and 800 total new products at VERY selected Bloomingdale's stores and online...


My event was so much fun: I was there to CUSTOM sketch "Fashion Impressions" (stylized fashion illustrations) of customers shopping at Bloomingdale's!

I brought along my trusty FIDM tote bag of sketching supplies--including sketch pads, markers, pens and pencils (never leave my NIKOLAKI design studio without them!)--to be all ready to Fashion Illustrate any fabulous customer that just happened to notice that I was there...just to draw them!



Here are FUN PHOTOS from my event, including customers who were happy to be FASHION SKETCHED:






I had a FAB time and I hope EVERYONE LOVED their Custom "Nick" sketches! XO, Nick

**GO to my Instagram HERE to view some fun videos!

Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting the new "Designing Hollywood: Sketches from the Christian Esquevin Collection" Exhibition at the FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Museum. The exhibition features over 100 original sketches and wardrobe pieces from top costume designers such as Gilbert Adrian, Edith Head and William Travilla.


Esquevin, who is Director of Library Services at the Coronado Public Library and has been collecting original Hollywood costume sketches for over 25 years. He inherited some  costume sketches from his great aunt who worked in wardrobe at the RKO as well as other studios.
I LOVE this new exhibition for many reasons: I am a big fan of Hollywood, costumes and more importantly, fashion sketches. I still hand-sketch EVERY design I come up with and therefore I love and respect vintage fashion illustrations and sketches and particularly, ones referring to Hollywood...