Who

Fashion veteran Nicole Miller is known for her tasteful, understated print dresses that also happen to be moderately priced.

Backstory

Miller grew up in the Berkshires, studied apparel design at the Rhode Island School of Design, and spent a year abroad at the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris before starting her career as a designer at the P.J. Walsh dress company. She spent seven years there, eventually partnering up with the company's president, Bud Konheim, to launch the Nicole Miller fashion line in 1982. With Miller focused on the creative end of things and Konheim managing the business, they opened the first Nicole Miller boutique in New York four years later. But the label struggled to turn a profit at first, and it wasn't until Miller used some excess fabric to create a tie line that the label earned its first hit. The ties, which featured a pattern of colored ticket stubs, caught the attention of a buyer from the Metropolitan Opera gift shop; within two years, the line was generating $12 million in sales a year and Miller had moved on to produce a range of men's accessories. Miller made a splash of the womenswear scene with her collection of cocktail dresses; by the '90s, she'd expanded to bridal wear and had launched a more youthful line called Nicole. A sportier line, millergirl, debuted in 2003 and the Nicole Miller Signature line followed in 2005.

Of note

Miller may not be the hippest name on the block, but in an industry where today's hot young things are usually gone tomorrow, she's demonstrated staying power—and built an enormously successful business in the process. Her "little black dress" is iconic and her bridesmaid dresses remain classics. And she's managed to branch out into every category imaginable, producing eyewear, children's wear, home furnishings, golf wear, and skin care, and stamping her name on everything from cigar accessories to hospital gowns. Miller's also credited with starting several industry trends: She was one of the first designers, for example, to start putting celebs on the runway instead of models.

Personal

Miller is married to Kim Taipale, a lawyer and investor. They live with their son, Palmer (born in 1996), and their Rhodesian ridgeback in a Tribeca loft. They also own a weekend home in North Haven, NY.