Nicole Miller

Last updated

Nicole Miller
Nicole Miller (cropped).jpg
Born
Fort Worth, Texas
NationalityAmerican
Education Rhode Island School of Design, Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne

Nicole Miller is an American fashion designer and businesswoman.

Contents

Miller attended the Rhode Island School of Design where she earned a BFA in Apparel Design. [1] She studied for a year at L'Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne [2] where she was trained to drape fabric and study the classical techniques of couture. [3] Miller described her Parisian training as "intense", but explained that it gave her training in fabric manipulation, which became a signature of her designs. [3]

Miller's first shop opened in 1986 on Madison Avenue. [2] The brand has grown to 20 boutiques in major cities across the United States. [4] and is sold in a number of high-end department stores. Miller designs an extensive collection for J.C. Penney and a home furnishing collection for Bed Bath & Beyond. [3]

Of her style, the designer has said: "I've always been downtown and uptown. I've had a lot of artist friends and I was always a little bit of a renegade." [5] Her modern design aesthetic is known for its bright prints and patterns. [6]

Early life

Miller was born in Fort Worth, Texas. [7] Miller's father and her Parisian-born mother met in World War II. [2] Her father was an engineer at General Electric. Her father was great influence on young Miller; she attributes her ability to make clothing to her father's engineer-like mind. Miller said: "The way you figure out how to make something is engineering." [2]

Her mother, on the other hand, "hated" living in America and insisted on dressing her daughters in a French-influenced style. [2] When Miller was asked by the Mattel toy company to design a Barbie doll, she claimed to have never owned a Barbie herself because her mother insisted that she and her sister play with French dolls. [8] Since December 2009, Miller's Barbie has been featured in an ongoing exhibit, Barbie: The Fashion Experience, at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. [9]

Early career

After completing studies at the L'Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne [3] and graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, [5] Miller interned with dress designer Clovis Ruffin in New York City. [3] Miller began working as head designer at P.J. Walsh, a dress manufacturer. There, she was hired by the president of the company, Bud Konheim. [10] Konheim said one of the reasons he hired Miller was for her belief that design and business can be successful combination. [2] In 1982, Konheim started the company Nicole Miller with Nicole. [11]

Creative aesthetic

Her signature style has historically been black or boldly colored—with the cut of the clothes most important. Her main concern has always been proportions, curves and necklines. [2] Her designs are known to be sexy, yet classic. [3] She is a self-identified fabric junkie credited with popularizing many futuristic fabrics. Her styles range from body-conscious cocktail dresses, to wedding attire, to lounge wear, but she is best known for her form-flattering dresses and men's neckties. [4]

Miller draws inspiration from a wide range of influences including mid-20th century cinema, contemporary art, mid-20th century architecture, and exotic cultures. [6] [12]

Company

In 1986, Miller opened her first shop on Madison Avenue. [2] Miller's fashion line launched in the mid 1980s with a conversational print men's tie collection that became a hit in the fashion world for a number of years. [2] Miller made headlines in September 1998 by presenting her spring 1999 clothing line one week ahead of her French counterparts, becoming the first American to do so. [13]

In 2002, Miller designed costumes for the Houston-based Stages Repertory Theatre production of García Lorca's "Blood Wedding", [14]

In a departure from designing adult fashions, Miller designed a Sesame Street line of clothing for babies and toddlers in 2004. [15] She also created a line of makeup products for Melaleuca. [16] [17]

Since 2005, Miller has designed a line of affordable clothes, handbags, footwear, fashion jewelry and other accessories for J.C. Penney. J.C. Penney credits this collaboration as result of extensive customer input. [18] Miller also designs a home furnishings collection that is distributed through Bed Bath and Beyond. [3]

Celebrities of varying ages including Anjelica Huston, [4] Beyoncé Knowles, [4] Angelina Jolie, [6] Brooke Shields, [3] LeAnn Rimes, [3] Lauren Hutton, [2] Jennifer Stone, Susan Sarandon [2] and Eva Longoria [2] have worn, and continue to wear, her designs. Miller designed clothes for singer Cyndi Lauper's world tour. [19] She created gowns for Sheryl Crow to wear at the Grammys. [19]

Miller and her partner, Kohnheim, have been in business together for over 28 years; the label has brought in $650 million in annual sales. [4]

Currently, Miller's women's collection apparel is sold in more than 1,200 independent specialty stores and namesake boutiques in cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia and in the affluent resort town of La Jolla. Her fashion line is also sold in department stores such as, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom. [20]

In 2012, Miller joined the Fashion Advisory Board of Balluun.com, a fashion technology start-up focused on connecting fashion designers and retailers to conduct wholesale trade. [21]

Personal life

Miller and her husband, financier Kim Taipale, were married in 1996 by then-New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. [5] They have one son and divide their time between New York City's Tribeca neighborhood and a weekend home in Sag Harbor, New York. [22]

Miller is a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and serves on its board of directors. Nicole is an avid collector of contemporary art and French modern furniture. Her art collection includes work by Damien Loeb, John Stango, [23] Ellen Gallagher, Andy Warhol and Le Corbusier. [5]

Television appearances

Filmography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Poiret</span> French fashion designer (1879-1944)

Paul Poiret was a French fashion designer, a master couturier during the first two decades of the 20th century. He was the founder of his namesake haute couture house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elsa Schiaparelli</span> Italian fashion designer and couturier (1890–1973)

Elsa Schiaparelli was an Italian fashion designer from an aristocratic background. She created the house of Schiaparelli in Paris in 1927, which she managed from the 1930s to the 1950s. Starting with knitwear, Schiaparelli's designs celebrated Surrealism and eccentric fashions. Her collections were famous for unconventional and artistic themes like the human body, insects, or trompe-l'œil, and for the use of bright colors like her "shocking pink".

Balenciaga SA is a luxury fashion house founded in 1919 by the Spanish couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga in San Sebastian, Spain, and currently based in Paris. Balenciaga produces ready-to-wear footwear, handbags, and accessories, and licenses its name and branding to Coty for fragrances. It is currently owned by the French corporation Kering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elie Saab</span> Lebanese fashion designer (born 1964)

Elie Saab is a Lebanese fashion designer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reem Acra</span> Lebanese fashion designer

Reem Acra is a fashion designer born in Beirut, Lebanon, known for her eponymous bridal gown line and her ready-to-wear collection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pauline Trigère</span> American fashion designer

Pauline Trigère was a Franco-American couturière. Her award-winning styles reached their height of popularity in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s. Recognized early in her career as an innovator of cut and construction, Trigère brought to women of all ages all over the world such novelties as the jumpsuit, the sleeveless coat, the reversible cape and the embroidered sheer bodice. She reinvented ready-to-wear fashion, matching form to function with bold prints and architectural silhouettes to create a distinctly modern female aesthetic. Trigère's loyal clients included Grace Kelly, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, Kay Wiebrecht, and Evelyn Lauder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeanne Paquin</span> French fashion designer

Jeanne Paquin (1869–1936) was a leading French fashion designer, known for her resolutely modern and innovative designs. She was the first major female couturier and one of the pioneers of the modern fashion business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of fashion design</span> Evolution of fashion world

History of fashion design refers specifically to the development of the purpose and intention behind garments, shoes, accessories, and their design and construction. The modern industry, based around firms or fashion houses run by individual designers, started in the 19th century with Charles Frederick Worth who, beginning in 1858, was the first designer to have his label sewn into the garments he created.

The second season of Project Runway Canada, Global's reality competition show for fashion designers, was the first season to air on the Global network, since the show stopped airing on Slice. The season premiered on January 27, 2009.

<i>Haute couture</i> Creation of exclusive, custom-fitted clothing

Haute couture is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design. The term haute couture is French, "haute" meaning "high" or "elegant," and "couture" translating to "sewing" or "dressmaking." Bodice is a composition of vesture, traditionally for women and girls, covering the torso from the neck to the waist. The term haute couture generally refers to a specific type of upper garment common in Europe during the 16th to the 18th century, or to the upper portion of a modern dress to distinguish it from the skirt and sleeves. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, Paris became the centre of a growing industry that focused on making outfits from high-quality, expensive, often unusual fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable of sewers—often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques. Couture translates literally from French as "dressmaking", sewing, or needlework and is also used as a common abbreviation of haute couture and can often refer to the same thing in spirit.

Ma Ke is a Chinese fashion designer. She has two clothing labels: EXCEPTION de Mixmind, a ready-to-wear line started in 1996 and retailed in China; and WUYONG, an haute couture line founded in 2006. In 2007, Ma Ke starred in the award-winning documentary Useless by Chinese director Jia Zhangke. In 2008, her fashion house WUYONG was appointed as a Guest member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in France.

Antthony Mark Hankins is an American fashion designer who founded Antthony Mark Hankins Inc. in 1994. By his mid-twenties he had built his own $40 million business and was named by Newsweek as one of the top 100 people to watch in America.

Madame Grès (1903–1993), also known as Alix Barton and Alix, was a leading French couturier and costume designer, founder of haute couture fashion house Grès as well as the associated Parfums Grès. Remembered as the "Sphinx of Fashion", Grès was notoriously secretive about her personal life and was seen as a workaholic with a furious attention to detail, preferring to let her work do the talking. Grès, best known for her floor-length draped Grecian goddess gowns, is noted as the "master of the wrapped and draped dress" and the "queen of drapery". Grès's minimalistic draping techniques and her attention to and respect for the female body have had a lasting effect on the haute couture and fashion industry, inspiring a number of recent designers.

Beril Jents was an Australian fashion designer. She is recognized as "Australia’s first queen of haute couture" and specialized in evening and bridal wear, although the term "haute couture" is not strictly correct in this context as it refers to high-end made-to-measure fashion design.

Rabih Kayrouz is a Lebanese fashion designer, creator and founder of the fashion house Maison Rabih Kayrouz, established in Paris in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherri Hill</span> American fashion designer

Sherri Hill is an American fashion designer and businesswoman whose specialty is formal evening wear.

Julie de Libran is a French fashion designer. She has worked for leading fashion houses such as Gianfranco Ferré, Gianni Versace, Prada and Louis Vuitton. She specializes in women’s fashion, celebrity and event dressing and made-to-measure. In May 2014 she was named the artistic director of Sonia Rykiel. In June 2019 she launched her own fashion line, Julie de Libran Paris, a women’s made-to-order couture collection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guo Pei</span> Chinese fashion designer (born 1967)

Guo Pei is a Chinese fashion designer. She is best known for designing dresses for Chinese celebrities, and in America for Rihanna's trailing yellow gown at the 2015 Met Gala. Guo is the first born-and-raised Asian designer to be invited to become a guest member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. In 2016, Time listed her as one of the World's 100 Most Influential People.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maison Schiaparelli</span> French fashion house

Maison Schiaparelli is a haute couture house created by avant-garde Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli in 1927, and moving towards luxury ready-to-wear after being bought in 2007 by Diego Della Valle. The house is famous for its eccentric fashions, the use of Surrealism in its collections, its sense of humour, the "shocking Pink" color, gender crossing, and its use of human anatomy depictions, among other unconventional themes.

Yumi Katsura is a Japanese fashion designer known for designing wedding dresses. She has been active in the fashion industry for over five decades, and her work has been featured in various fashion shows and events. Katsura's designs are known for their unique blend of traditional Japanese techniques and French savoir-faire.

References

  1. ↑ "Profiles: Alumni: Nicole Miller" Archived February 9, 2011, at the Wayback Machine RISD.com. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Ball, Aimee Lee, "Thoroughly Modern Miller", New York, March 8, 1993, pgs. 41–42.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Swimmer, Susan, "Nicole Miller", More, May 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Chaplin, Julia "Our Lady of Fiestas" Archived February 12, 2011, at the Wayback Machine , Elle, November 2010. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Johnson, Hilary, "A Fashionable Address", InStyle, June 2000, p. 532.
  6. 1 2 3 "Designers: Nicole Miller", New York. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  7. ↑ Sewing, Joy (August 9, 2013). "Designer Nicole Miller is proud of her Texas roots". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 18, 2022.(subscription required)
  8. ↑ Lolla, Donna and Salkenstein, Jacklyn, "Barbie the Fashion Experience, Children's Museum of Indianapolis", December 19, 2009, p. 2.
  9. ↑ "Barbie: The Fashion Experience" The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, Retrieved, February 27, 2011.
  10. ↑ Marcy Shortuse. "BocaBeacon.com – Your weekly newspaper of Boca Grande, Gasparilla Island, FL – Profile: Bud Konheim". bocabeacon.com. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012.
  11. ↑ McConnico, Patricia Busa "Nicole Miller", Texas Monthly, August 2000.
  12. ↑ "About Nicole" Archived March 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine , NicoleMiller.com. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  13. ↑ Healy, Orla (September 15, 1998). "Rebel Designers Fashionably Early For First Time, N.Y. Hot Shots Show Before Europeans". Daily News. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  14. ↑ Rozhon, Tracie "Private Sector; Her Fade to Black at Fashion Week" The New York Times, September 22, 2002. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  15. ↑ "Designer creates 'Sesame Street' line". The Hour (AP): p. A2. May 23, 2004. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  16. ↑ Berman, Phyllis (November 10, 2004). "If You Believe". Forbes Retrieved January 17, 2011.
  17. ↑ Amin Khairuddin (April 10, 2010). "Wellness store opens first outlet in Bangsar", Malaysia Star. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
  18. ↑ "J.C. Penney: Retail Merchandiser", July 7, 2005, p. 40.
  19. 1 2 Lee, Michelle, "Red Carpet", In Touch, December 14, 2009, p. 74.
  20. ↑ "Store locator" Archived March 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine , NicoleMiller.com. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  21. ↑ Balluun.com (August 8, 2012). "Balluun Introduces New Social Business Platform to Empower Fashion Designers to Create Impact for Their Brands and Businesses – Nicole Miller Joins National Advisory Board". Retrieved September 28, 2012.
  22. ↑ Sugi, Rima, American Fashion Designers at Home", Assouline Publishing Inc., 2010.
  23. ↑ "Thoroughly Modern Nicole Miller". phillystylemag.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.