Nick Verreos is a very entertaining, very lively fellow. And I might add, a gracious guest. For those who do not know him- as I did not- Mr. Verreos was a contestant on season two of Bravo network's Project Runway. During our stay in Florence, as a study abroad group, we had the benefit of arranging a visit with Nick and his partner, to not only shed some light on the fashion industry and its intricacies, but also to accompany us on our tour of the Polimoda fashion institute. On Wednesday night of last week, as we all leisurely sat in the lounge Facebook statusing our progress of the summer, Mr. Verreos busted in bright smiling and shining. Neatly groomed, hair styled to a tee, and teeth glistening as if he'd just Crest-whited them, he began loudly and spiritedly introducing himself to us and explaining what would lie ahead for our next 24 hour acquaintance. His dress was not as flamboyant as a naive person might expect from a fashion designer. (And especially the day he attended the lecture at the institute I thought his apparel was particularly 'plain'. A button-up oxford shirt with a green tie I have clearly seen at Khols many a time. Of course this coming from a person who wore Pacsun shorts and the one clean tee-shirt he owns.) Introductions aside, he talked- which I might add he not only does with great pleasure but possesses, as well, the ability of a wonderfully entertaining raconteur- for a long period and eventually accompanied us to dinner .

Now my first significant impression of Nick was his jovial attitude toward food at the Hostel we are currently staying at. Upon walking into the dining room he was met with a joke about the substance he was carrying on his plate. And instead of what I probably would have done- a nauseous glance downward toward the glop accompanied by a distortion of the face- this man brushed if off in an immediately humble manner. "Oh hunny if you've only eaten some of the places I have". With a big smile he sat down and ate.

In this one instance at dinner he was reserved. At the Polimoda fashion institute; however, he was not. I felt he overdid it a bit with his boisterous illustrations of experience in fashion, and his seemingly random interruptions of our presenter, who for some reason was not making the connections between Nick's invariable urban-female slang and his own, more distinguished, clear-cut examples. It should be argued here though, that Nick was in a tough position. Certainly no one from our group was speaking up and and a man in Mr. Verreos's position would neccessarily feel a certain need to regulate the flow of fashion conversation in what would otherwise be a monotonous lecture. In this respect he sensed that his expertise demanded his participation. However, I just didn't see that his attempts matched that of the output made by our presenter.
Nick went on to surprise me when it was his turn to present, later on that evening, back at the hostel. Not only did I find his long winded story genuinely entertaining but full of wonderful insight and helpful hints for anyone interested in not only fashion but all areas of business. Here is someone who labored a great deal, along with his partner, to arrive at the position they stand at today, and the two of them seemingly continue to forge ahead not only independently but also with integrity and wonderful personality.