Nicole Miller Resort 2015

For her 2015 Resort collection, Nicole Miller looked to Hawaiian vintage mod for inspiration. “This whole concept evolved from Nicole Miller purchasing a vintage shirt dress with a pineapple pattern that informed the color palette.  There are updates from classic Hawaiian shirts, and in this collection Nicole employs very light neoprene and digital prints,” detailed Lauren Beene, Nicole Miller’s Director of Public Relations.

Though this collection heavily references Hawaiian vintage mod, this collection goes way beyond Don Ho and 60s-influenced tropical sarong silhouettes and beachwear. Though the simple silhouettes do harken back to 60s Waikiki Beach parties and exotic Pacific Ocean destinations, Miller ingeniously infuses her own special touches expressed through her penchant for mixing non-traditional fabrics like neoprene and with traditional fabrications of brushed cotton and linens, and silk.

“Nicole has been using neoprene as a fabric of choice for several seasons now, but for this resort collection the fabric is much lighter and works well for temperate weather during resort season,” explains Beene. “ Since everything feels very beach in this resort collection which takes off Nicole’s inspiration of the vintage Hawaiian shirt dress, we had to develop a neoprene that was more lightweight.”

For several seasons Nicole Miller has made her collections more youthful and sexy by using different fabrications from back to front and revealing the sensuous curves on a woman’s back. “Nicole loves to mix and play with different fabrics, employing different digital printing techniques, as well as revealing more of a woman’s sexy back in her tops and dresses,” confesses Beene.

There are also great separates in this collection that can be mixed and matched and pieces that transition easily from day resort wear to easy, frolicky, night on the town wear. And Nicole Millier’s more concentrated focus on fresh, ebullient, youthful styles with mixes of bold color and fabrications has elevated her brand from a line mostly associated with classic cocktail looks and sophisticated evening wear to a brand that spans a wide demographic, maintains a consistent voice, but has something for every woman.

—William S. Gooch