What's The Fashion Fashionistas??? This last weekend, my favorite stylist-fashion-expert-in-crime---Stylist/Costume Designer Jennifer Rade--and I, were at it again bringing you what was "Hot" and "Not So Hot" in the week's Red Carpet Celeb World for our weekly "What's The Fashion" segment for TV Guide Network's "The Fashion Team". Click Below for our "What's The Fashion?" Segment from TV Guide Network's "The Fashion Team":

Bonjour France! I can't believe it's almost over! Well, the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Finals, that is. We've "traveled" the entire Globe--Japan, China, Russia, Canada and the United States--in search of the top figure skaters in the world. As well as in search of the best and not-so-best Figure Skating Costumes.

Emcee...FIDM "Red Carpet" Commentator and a Panel of Alumni... This last Saturday, as the Official Spokesperson for my alma mater, the Fashion Institute of Design& Merchandising/FIDM, I had the pleasure of visiting the LA Campus' Fall Open House. FIDM's Open House is when prospective students get to visit FIDM, learn about all the 20 creative majors, get advice from FIDM Alumni and Admissions Counselors, and much more. One of the "much more" was meeting me--and three FIDM Grads and one currently-enrolled student, at a Panel Discussion which I hosted. The Grads had received their degrees in different majors including Apparel Manufacturing and Product Development. One of them was actually a student of mine, I am proud to say, Malorie Dempster (third from the left in black jumpsuit) who recently competed in the DECA FIDM Runway Challenge). The one current student (far left) was in the Fashion Design Major. Each spoke of their experience at FIDM and where they are working now. We also held a Q & A, a mini "Nick Verreos FIDM Open House Red Carpet " session where I pointed out the especially stylin' prospective students--and their moms and dads! Afterward, I stayed around for photos with all in attendance. Click Below for a Video of the Panel Discussion FIDM Fall Open House LA Campus:

Happy Thanksgiving Week!! Hopefully, you enjoyed a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner, had fun with friends and family, rested and well, got out and "exercised" your shopping duties! While taking some "down-time" during this Thanksgiving, I figured, this would be the perfect time to post my last Recap of the AMAZING time I had a couple of weeks back in The Bahamas at the 2010 Islands of The World Fashion Week. In case you missed my other previous postings, you can go HERE, as well as HERE and HERE to get caught up. But now, we're onto the last and Final "Runway 3" night of this annual affair which showcased designers, fashions, and accessories from the Islands of The World!! The "crowning jewel" of this final night was the Fashion Cares for Haiti: The Relief Benefit Fashion Show. VIP guests who were present for this final night included all the Guest Designers who showed this year at Islands of The World Fashion Week, such as Project Runway Season One Winner Jay McCarroll, Indashio from NY and Oliver Tolentino from Los Angeles (via The Philippines). Dignitaries including the Haitian Ambassador to The Bahamas as well as the Haitian Ambassador to The United Nations were also on hand to witness the beautiful designs from Haitian Designers and artisans. I had the honor of hosting this final night and from the moment I stepped onstage and uttered (OK, yelled!) Sak Pase Nap Boule (Haitian Creole for "What's Happening?...We're Chillin'" I was told), we were off to a fabulous night to benefit the beautiful nation of Haiti. The collections ranged from stunning day-to-evening wear, impeccable jewelry, as well as fantastic purses and bags from Veve Collection by Phelicia Dell, Maguy Durce, Artisans du Soleil Haiti by Giovanna Menard, Maelle Creations by Maelle David and Savannah Savary, among others. Soon afterward, it was time for the second part of the evening: The Announcing of the Winners for the first ever "In Search of The Next Oscar" design competition, in addition to the NextGen Designer and Eco-Fashion Designer Awards. Continuing my emcee duties, I especially LOVED this part of the evening. I channeled being the host of the Miss Universe or Miss World pageants as I announced the Winners with much DRAMA! The Winner of the "In Search of The Next Oscar" was... Georgina Estherr from the Dominican Republic, whose sequin-and-satin gowns/cocktail attire took the grand prize. She spoke little English and as I am Bi-lingual, I was her official translator during the contest and when announcing the winner. I think she didn't need any translating, however, when I called out her name! And finally, I announced the Winner of the Eco-Fashion Award, Designer Oliver Tolentino (above), and his strapless off-white gown made of pineapple fabric (yes, I said PINEAPPLE!). It also had actual hand-sewn cultured pearls woven into it! The night ended with a festive VIP After Party at the British Colonial Hilton (site of the Islands of The World Fashion Week) with a delicious buffet, drinks and musical entertainment where guests, editors, models, photographers and designers got to party all night under the gorgeous Caribbean moonlight! Bahamas Free Time!! Naturally, it wasn't all work for yours truly. Luckily, we had some "down time" prior to the evening's Runway Shows and my hosting duties to enjoy the sights of the GORGEOUS Bahamas. One day, Tomas Frenes Vice President of Mode Isles (Producer of the Fashion Week) as well as Owner of Tomas Frenes Design Studio in Miami (and my King Teddy Bear!) took Jay McCarroll, Matthew, David Paul and I to have CONCH at The Fish Fry at Arawak Cay, where in the back of the restaurant, we discovered a brightly colored wooden wall which of course, we had to take photos in front of. On another day, David and I also went to Paradise Island and the Atlantis Resort. We certainly couldn't leave The Bahamas without getting a little Atlantis in. Since the last time I was here (2 years ago when both David and I showed our NIKOLAKI Collection at the 2008 Islands of The World Fashion Week), I had been wanting to go back and do those infamous Atlantis Resort water slides. Well kids, I did it: That's me midway down The Leap of Faith--yes, in them shorty-shorts! (Thanks David for that AMAZING photo). And don't EVEN think about magnifying it! I'm sure the look of sheer horror on my face is neither pretty or fashionable. With that, I bid a warm Goodbye to The Bahamas and Islands of The World Fashion Week 2010. Until the next time... Below are Three Exclusive NICKVERREOS.COM videos from "Runway 3" night of Islands of the World Fashion Week 2010: Announcement of the Eco-Fashion Designer Award: Final Model Walk and Bow of Maguy Durce Fashion Show: "Fashion Cares for Haiti" Fashion Show: Final Model Walk and Bow of Veve Collection by Phelicia Dell "Fashion Cares for Haiti" Fashion Show: Final Model Walk and Bow of Michel Chataigne, "Fashion Cares for Haiti" Fashion Show:

Babushkas Loves Sequins! Figure Skating Fever: If you've been keeping up with my blog here, you might know that I have been covering the Costume "Hot's" and "Not's" for UniversalSports.com for this season's Grand Prix series.

Catch the Couture Bouquet: To promote Lucy Liu's new Lifetime Movie: Marry Me premiering Sunday, December 12 at 9 pm et/pt , I was asked by Lifetime to send them some photos of recent Wedding Dresses from my NIKOLAKI Spring 2011 Demi-Couture Collection. And although we do not have a full line of Wedding Dresses, I always have one or two special Bridal Pieces to complete each collection, so I was happy to send images of these new looks. They also asked several other Project Runway Designers--Season 2 Winner Chloe Dao, Season One's Austin Scarlett, and Season 5 Winner Leanne Marshall to name but a few. *Click HERE to view all the wedding dresses by Project Runway Winners and Alumn as well as Wedding Gown Design Veterans such as Angel Sanchez, Oscar de la Renta, Vera Wang, and Monique Lhullier.

Fashion Policing... Every other week in Us Weekly, I am one of the "Top Cops" in the magazine's "Fashion Police" section, where I give my Oh-No-You-Didn't commentary on that week's Red Carpet Not's. Most of the other commentators are professional writers and comedians so I try and be funny and witty yet somehow give a little bit of my "two cents" as a Fashion Designer and Fashion Design Instructor...in FIVE words or less!!!

Viva Las Latinas! This past Spring and Fall, I traveled across the US to numerous cities such as Nashville, Houston, Chicago, Sacramento, San Francisco, Miami and even San Juan Puerto Rico. I hosted TONS of great Macy's Fashion Director/Fashion Challenge Events where I let audience members be Macy's Fashion Directors and have a chance to win Macy's Gift Cards as well as showcasing fun fashion shows, giving tips on all the top trends of the seasons. Last week, Macy's asked me to co-host the "Macy's Look Successful, Be Successful Fashion Show" at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Century City/Los Angeles as part of the Latina Style Business Series Business and Expo. My co-Host was the bella Yarel Ramos, host of the Mun2 Network Regional Mexican Music Show, Reventón.

Runway Latina: Nick Verreos, "Look Successful, Be Successful" Macy's Fashion Show Latina Style Business Series

I've never met a runway I didn't like...so you know that after Yarel introduced me on stage, I had to begin the fashion show with my "Nick V. Catwalk", followed by me giving "props" to my Latina Mom (she was JLo before JLo with her bouffant hairdo and Pucci-esque one-shoulder caftans back in Caracas Venezuela!) and Grandmother and how they were such powerful figures in my life.

Backstage, our lovely Latina models--in all shapes and sizes of course--were getting ready in their Macy's outfits. We even had two "celeb" models with Wendy Carillo, Power 106 Radio Host as wells as Raquel "Raq-C" Cordova, on-air radio personality for Latino 86.3 FM.

The show was split into five different sections, among them were "Opportunity Knocks":

Which was all about Dressing-For-An-Interview; ensembles that are stylish yet not overbearing. These were styles that will land you the job. There was also "First In Command":

Which featured five looks a la "Devil Wears Prada", as in what the Boss Should look like; strong powerful business style statements for the empowered Latina entrepreneur...and "Seal The Deal": From all the praise I got after the show from all my Latina "hermanas", I think they did! Thank you to Macy's, and especially: Thank you to all the Power Divas at the Latina Style Business Series that showed how FIERCE and Fabulosa you can be, inside and out: Get the empowering knowledge..and get the Fashion Knowledge...