| Show IN STEP WITH: --- I LJ BY alAriES BRADY irr o No' an IV Iler I OLAN MILLER4— A VERY TALL lean almost theatrically handsome man—had been showing his new line of clothes to some buyers upstairs at the Drake Swissotel in Manhattan but now he was ready to relax and talk about himself It may be that Miller's fashions have been seen by more people than those of any designer who ever lived The reason? Nolan Miller creates clothes we see on television—the fashions for everything from Charlie's Angels to Love Boat to Dynasty It was a trio of what he now calls "aging movie queens" who got Miller started when he was a young man working in a Beverly Hills florist's shop "Barbara Stanwyck Joan Crawford and Jane Wyman really knocked themselves out for me" he said "I was sent to Crawford's house to do herChristmas tree and couldn't fmish and went back the next day Whenever I got someone to stand still for 15 minutes I'd show my sketches And I did" But it was June Allyson's husband the late actor Dick Powell who really got young Nolan organized He was doing the designs for Allyson's TV show when Powell said: "Open a shop and get yourself a workroom and we'll buy the clothes" And they did But what was it like working for and with all those actresses—Joan Collins for example? Miller the son of a Texas oilfield worker doesn't frilly up his opinions: "When she was throwing a tantrum" he said "I had to understand it had nothing to do with me Joan was so marvelous to me" What about Charlie's Angels? "We threw away their bras right away Working with those three girls was a challenge" His favorite? "I said 'hello' to Jaclyn Smith and fell in love And Farrah said 'Sure whatever Jaclyn wants' Cheryl Ladd was always completely professional I looked but the producers took at the show as tongue-in-chee- k it as seriously as the Bible" Miller also has created the clothes for the Las Vegas et and others "The coscasino shows of tumes have to be larger than life and glitter like hell" he explained "And they have to be constructed like iron—two shows a night seven nights a week An old wardrobe mistress told me 'When you throw 'em on the ground they ought to bounce!' And he has his Bette Davis stories "The first time I fitted her" Miller recalled "she said 'Where are the shoes where's the bag?' She was accustomed to being fitted by the studio wardrobe They the actresses wanted it all done for them So I ordered shoes in her size and a handbag and then she was content Bette wanted people to be very professional and if you did that—no problem" He sipped his drink "And I did her dresses for Spain for that last trip" When she died? "Yes for that trip" he said I --- -- r 4 s I i :'' 71 '- - m'et ': i 'VI' 1' I-- I i I ' ''' Z - ' 0' fi (- - I z ) : i ) - 0 ctI ‘1 ) I) -' The ConlYs Angels For TV movies Including No Man's Land 1984 Peter Gunn 1989 Sweet Bird of Youth 1989 For Ti miniseries including The Two Mts Greuvilles 1987 For films Including Mr Morn 1983 ' ) I "'-m-N- )1r Pinsk and Charlie's tr': I i I 1980 CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: 4 0 2 i--i Sandra Stream in 1 Designed costumes for many TV series Including The DuPont Show With June ARyson Green Acres Lore Boat Hote‘ Hart to Hart - rig 110-- 7 BORN: Ian 81935 In Burkburnett TeL PERSONAL: Married i 1 IV ) :i- ( I I I I 1 fmio - 7 I ra 1 Iv I 1 A 'k'N BITS idl 1 ' I t""t"nl'r"d'-----------Ev'nBev"4'oso- a 3a:Idfa' sie -- 1 lady He's Noktn 111illet fashion designer man who "threw away 0 Charlie's Angels and dressed Joan Collins on Waste the bras s- the house- svantedte know Nol:n emo:thy 1 real first name if yms Miner's mother itas an "Yes" he said "My Ann-Margr- to the stars-t- he w n: - The Southern only imegluathe ever did was thing she to give an of us names" For a literary Texas boy backgmend in without a the Miller Is artglit zroor impressively "Bette Davis sophisucatel:: be the last once me 'You must Hollywood'” tent man in Miller an blew recalled up at Crawford tatminnwp time to tim01 and Then and Davis they conk! that And you say something like forgave Nem" PAGE 30 OCTOBER 14 1990 PARADE MAGAZINE - |
