NICOLE MILLER AUTUMN/WINTER 2015-16 READY-TO-WEAR NEW YORK

Fashion people are always bragging about loving weird, nerdy stuff, but Nicole Miller actually put her money where her mouth is on Friday night by showing a collection inspired by mythic arts illustrations. (You know, the eerily drawn scenes from folklore, fairy tales, and books like The Lord of the Rings.) Patrick Arrasmith’s art for The Last Apprentice and Alan Lee’s for The Hobbit were top of mind. “I wanted to do the dark forest, but go deeper than that,” said Miller backstage. “It was about fantasy.”

Miller likes to mix up prints, and much of the runway was dedicated to the act. A silk blouse patchworked with digitized forest and crystal prints was paired with a rainbow-printed leather skirt, and a camo blazer was punched up with floral side panels. The hard-core mythic arts lovers will be into the forest green gown embroidered with all sorts of animals from that world—including serpents, hummingbirds, and tigers—while those after something more romantic will like the appliquéd vine embroidery on a crepe top and skirt. Some of the best looks, though, had zero embellishments, like a new take on Miller’s popular ruched dress. This time it was done in a purplish pink, with wire inserted into the neckline to give it a molded shape. Wonderfully weird? Maybe not. But it was definitely pretty.