A backdrop peeling with urban decay set the perfect stage for Nicole Miller’s fall runway show at New York Fashion Week. The brand, an ApparelMagic client, oscillates between uptown and downtown, and this season the designer was resolutely below 14th Street. Taking on the Nirvana decade directly with combat boots and destroyed denim, Miller also twisted some of the trends of the era to bring them up to date. Bandanas became paisley-print pants or a handkerchief-hem dress with a flannel shirt knotted around the waist.
Another print took a step towards the occult with fortune cookies, skulls, and crystal balls. Like rock stars after a swing by Bergdorf Goodman, many of the models sported louche leather jackets or show-stopping sequin baseball jackets.
Badges with tattoo motifs like roses, Chinese dragons, evil eyes, and skull and crossbones appeared on many of the other jackets and outerwear.
Miller’s final look was in many ways its apotheosis: an evening dress complete with studs and tarot card embroidery and topped off with a nonchalant beanie.
