Nicole Miller took her pre-fall collection out of her Seventh Avenue studio and into Daredevil Tattoo on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Free tattoos and piercings were offered with a preview of the lineup. “We’ve had a lot of takers,” Miller said. “We’ve done at least 10 people.”
The venue directly correlated to the season’s theme of St. Mark’s Place tatted and pierced culture of the Eighties. “I was feeling a backlash toward all the sweet clothes that have been around,” Miller said. “Everything’s been ruffly and lacy. Enough of that.”
She employed a slew of literal references — safety pin, piercing and tattoo prints, plus loads of real hardware embellishment — on slipdresses, leggings and leather jackets with power shoulders. There were bright satin dresses toughened with deep V-necks and peaked shoulders for a night out and a long plaid dress under a loose sweatshirt for day. If Miller doesn’t seem like the subversive, St. Mark’s type, you’d be surprised. “I have two tattoos,” she said, “and I’m going to get a new piercing.”