The Bay Area Welcomes
Fashion Designer Nicole Miller

Calling all art lovers and fashion gurus. In support of the Museum of Fine Arts, the Stuart Society will host their annual 2008 Fall Fashion Show and Luncheon featuring Nicole Miller. Bay area residents will have the opportunity not only to view the Nicole Miller Evening Collection Fashion Show at the Vinoy, but also to attend a personal appearance and trunk show by the designer at Saks Fifth Avenue in WestShore Plaza.

“The success of this event facilitates our ongoing commitment to offer world-renowned art and education in the Tampa Bay area,” said Margaret Smith, co-chair for the 2008 Fashion Show Committee.

After more than 25 years in fashion, designer Nicole Miller definitely has reason to celebrate. She has 20 freestanding stores as well as collections available in department stores. With a luxury furniture collection available at more than 50 galleries, including Robb & Stucky, and an exclusive houseware collection at Bed Bath & Beyond, this designer has moved outside the typical fashion boundaries.

Trained at both the Rhode Island School of Design and the renowned Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris, Miller certainly has a diverse fashion background. In addition to keeping up with her collections, the designer gives back by supporting environmental programs such as the Rocky Mountain Institute, a nonprofit organization that promotes using resources ecologically.

Miller took time to speak with Metro on her shared love for art and fashion.

Metro: Your show here is to benefit the Museum of Fine Arts. Does art inspire your designs?

Nicole Miller: Over the years I’ve been inspired by many artists from Miro to Pollock. I have also done some limited edition collections with Romero Britto. This was very successful, especially here in Florida.

M: How would you describe your Fall 2008 Collection?

NM: I called my woman, a modern day Joan of Arc. We used many heraldic and coat of arms details.

M: How did studying in both the U.S. and France influence you as a designer?

NM: Having an art and design background was an invaluable experience. With the freedom of creativity I had in art school in the U.S. and the aesthetic and technical skills I learned in Paris, I really got the best of both worlds. This has been an asset for me throughout my career.

M: As a New Yorker, do you have a favorite restaurant in the city that you would recommend?

NM: Da Silvano. I love to go there at least once a week. In the summer you can sit outside and I always run into friends.

M: Do you have a favorite restaurant or place to visit in the Bay area?

NM: I think the only time I have been to the Tampa/St. Petersburg area has been to go to the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa, so that precluded going to any restaurants.
—CC