The Marriage Ref, Nicole Miller and Me

By BY ERICA SALMON

Updated 9:31 AM EDT, Mon, Mar 15, 2010

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With the Oscars behind us, we can all take a deep sigh of relief; we survived Award Show Season 2010! Can you hear me sighing from South Jersey?! Of course, fashion is full-time and year-round, so there is always a red carpet event to feast on. Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a Nicole Miller event at the Union League in Philadelphia with friends Marcie McComb and Christine Pooler. The event was wonderful! It was very intimate (maybe 40 guests) and as we ate a delicious meal, the staff of the Nicole Miller stores at the Bellevue and in Manayunk presented a very low-key fashion show. The models walked from table to table, answering our questions and allowing us to really take a look at the dresses and even touch them. One of the models, who is the current Miss Philadelphia, even spontaneously sang for us!

Of all the dresses presented from Nicole Miller's summer/spring 2010 collection (including a few bridal numbers), one particular dress caught my eye. It's called the "Techno Metal Dress" and is a gold dress made of Nicole Miller's signature fabric, "metal taffeta." The design of this dress was fitted, but with forgiving draping and tucks. The neckline was a simple ruffle V-neck and it had small cap sleeves. It came to right above the knee, which is flattering for everyone. It had a hint of retro styling with the cap sleeves, but the fabric made it very "now." I just loved it!

When I went home after the event, I found my babysitter (AKA my mother-in-law) watching NBC's new show "The Marriage Ref." I hadn't seen it yet, so I was curious and I sat with her to check it out. I watched Larry David, Madonna and Ricky Gervais evaluate real-life marital arguments, including one about a lizard that got way too much attention. It was interesting, to say the least! I was most fascinated by Larry and Madonna's interactions. (She had on a fabulous gray stretch jersey dress, by the way!)

The very next day (Friday), when I read my "People" magazine to check their coverage of who wore what to the Oscars, I saw a review of "The Marriage Ref" in the "TV" section and there was a candid photo of Jerry Seinfeld and Eva Longoria Parker on the set of "The Marriage Ref' from an earlier episode. I gasped. She was wearing the Nicole Miller dress I had just fallen in love with, the Techno Metal Dress! I am always amazed when life's paths criss cross! A phone call to the Nicole Miller store confirmed that yes, Eva had been seen at several media events wearing that dress. I knew she and I had similar taste!

If you want to check out the dress and other fantastic feminine spring frocks, visit the Nicole Miller Web site, or stop by one of the Nicole Miller stores, either at the Bellevue at 200 South Broad or in Manayunk at 4249 Main Street. The Techno Metal Dress retails for $430 and is part of their spring/summer collection.

South Jersey's Erica Salmon is the founder of Fantasy Fashion League -- the fashionista's answer to fantasy football. Her newest online fashion game, RedCarpetMVP.com, launched just in time for the 2010 Award Show Season. You'll see her Red Carpet Reports on the sport of fashion on NBCPhiladelphia.com.