Nicole Miller Pre-Fall 2022

Courtesy of Nicole Miller

Inspired by a trip to Kamalame Cay, a private island in the Bahamas, designer Nicole Miller infused her pre-fall collection with tropical-minded elements. Miller further expanded the collection with her signature blend of tough-girl femininity through short hemlines, a touch of studs and sequins, corsetry and lingerie-inspired details and a few ’90s-inspired silhouettes.

The look: Girly-meets-edgy, vacation-to-street dressing.

Quote of note: “The first trip I took was to Kamalame Cay, a private island in the Bahamas. I went with three friends at the end of April — it was so beautiful and lush. That inspired my tropical prints and backdrops; we recreated Kamalame Cay in my showroom,” Miller said of her postcard-inspired pre-fall look book backdrop, which incorporated live plants and blown-up images taken from her trip. “I came up with three prints that are very island inspired: the jungle print, an orchid print and — I didn’t see any leopards when I was there, but I felt I needed a leopard print for the jungle.”

Key pieces: Feminine dresses galore (signature little black dresses, or in Miller’s seasonal prints), with soft corsetry, lingerie-esque lace details and shorter hemlines in silhouettes that ranged “naive sexy” body-hugging to lightly flounced; studded leather jackets (“there’s always a little bad-ass,” Miller noted).

Takeaway: Miller’s pre-fall collection offered just enough interesting design details with commercial appeal.