Animal Instincts on the Catwalk

Dresses, dresses and more dresses. From animal-printed minis to mega-watt glamour gowns, designer Nicole Miller sent out more than 100 of them in a 40-minute retrospective fashion show of her work Wednesday night.

“I’ve never done a show this big,” Miller said backstage about her 140-ensemble production, a highlight of the 11th annual California Fashion Industry Friends of AIDS Healthcare Foundation party that raised $400,000 for the organization’s outpatient facilities and programs. Miller was the first woman designer to be honored by the group. Cheryl Tiegs was awarded the first MAC Fashion Icon Award.

Miller jokingly wiped her brow and took a sip of red wine. “Did the show go well? Was it OK?” she asked those around her--staff, celebrities and many of the 29 models, including actress Kelly LeBrock--after the show at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel.

Without a hitch, everyone agreed--even the backstage workers, who buzzed about poor Nathaniel. The male model, who goes by one name, was seconds away from getting axed from the lineup when he showed up for his turn on the catwalk to accompany a model decked out in an animal-print dress. Nathaniel, you see, had no loincloth on his hunky body for his caveman appearance. Instantly, a backstage helper went out front where 750 guests were dining and yanked a cheetah-print tablecloth off an unoccupied table.

“In less than one minute, we had the poor guy draped and out on the runway,” said Jim Watterson, the fashion show’s producer. “This is how styles are born.”

Soon, guests recognized the tablecloth on Nathaniel, and tug-of-wars broke out at tables to claim the silk cloths with Miller’s trademark cheetah print, which showed up in many of her creations. A big hit of the night was a model’s teacup Chihuahua, which trotted behind its owner on the runway. Like the much-coveted tablecloths, Miller called it “animal magnetism.”