Nicole Miller: It's a long story

It began with a long, long line outside the Mercer Street loft in which Nicole Miller held her Friday night show, and inside Miller experimented with length and proportion with various degrees of success. 

A cropped twill jacket topped an oversized khaki blouse over an ankle-grazing chiffon dress. It missed the mark, but each piece might work alone.

Several other big-and-bigger combos lacked pizzazz, though sheer fabrics were right on trend (sheer Bermuda shorts – for real!). Bondage-y straps inset into tops had a powerful effect, as did a few batik-like patterns. Prettiest of all, a delicate prism-print halter chiffon gown to wear with flip-flops or stilettos.