Nicole Miller’s Floral-Ensemble Must-Haves for Fall

By Jill Brooke

Nicole Miller’s designs never disappoint and always have a fresh modern feel.

Furthermore, the Texas-born designer provides an edgy fun style at affordable prices.  Many of my favorite go-to items are from her collections.

Check out the flowing floral jacket that will be a forever statement piece. Because it’s in black, with animal trim, it can go with anything for a variety of seasons.

Transition pieces in-between seasons are really essential for any wardrobe. This is why these floral jackets, shirts and shoes resonate. The color palette doesn’t scream summer but urban chic.

Part of Miller’s enduring appeal – she has been in business for over three decades – is how well-made her clothes are in their inherent structure.

This isn’t a surprise when you consider her roots.

Her father was an engineer at General Electric. She attributes her ability to make clothing to her father’s engineer-like mind. “The way you figure out how to make something is engineering,” she says.

But it has to be pretty too.  Her mother was French and influenced her aesthetic. Miller’s brand is, as she described it,  “downtown and uptown. I’ve had a lot of artist friends and I was always a little bit of a renegade.”

I love how she modernizes florals with an inventive color wheel.  These examples also still maintain a feminity which is desirable to many women.

“Florals embrace romance and soft floral prints offer a touch femininity,” she says. “However,  I like pairing a floral dress with a denim jacket or a pair of sneakers – it makes the look a little more edgy.”

After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design and studying at L’Ecole d la Chamber Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, she partnered with Bud Konheim in 1982 and the rest is fashion magic.

Her first store opened in 1986 on Madison Avenue in New York and now the brand has evolved beyond clothing  – and 20 stores – to home furnishings for Bed, Bath and Beyond.

As far as flowers, she likes “tulips, roses and peonies.” “The varieties are almost endless,” she says. “I use all sorts of flowers in prints. I also like when the flowers are a little abstract.”

Her personal favorite flower for her house? “Iris flowers.” These violet blooms can be found in her Manhattan and Sag Harbor homes that she shares with her husband, Kim Taipale, and son, Palmer.

These boots are fabulous, aren’t they? Notice how the flowers in the prints tie the look together even though each piece isn’t the same color. With the draping and design, one can be adventurous.

Those boots are paired here with a jean shirt and a skirt and become eye candy. This could be both a country or city look.

Nicole Miller’s pieces are so interchangeable for so many different looks. Take that summer dress and pair it with cools socks and shoes and it’s a great transition item.

Again, look at how she doesn’t encourage matchy-matchy. The shirt has an animal print trim – a favorite motif of hers – and is paired with this floral skirt that can be for day or dressed up for night.

With this shirt,  you can pair with a black skirt for work and then change skirts to a shorter version at night and go out to par-tay. With Nicole Miller’s designs, you are telling the world you like classic and fun.

 

Photo Credit: Caroline Owens