Meet Nichole Kreglow | Fashion & Costume Designer, Wardrobe & Prop Stylist, Set Tailor, Musician, Crazy Cat Lady

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nichole Kreglow and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nichole, why did you pursue a creative career?
I have pursued a creative career because I literally couldn’t not do so. I feel like this has been a struggle my entire life, balancing the what I “should” be doing with what I, at my core, want and need to do. In undergrad, I was a bio-engineering pre-med major and taking fine art classes that interested me so much more that I ended up switching my major in my final year of college. Work-wise, I have tried a few other non-creative options out over the years, several in a more corporate setting, and I always felt like a fish out of water. It always felt so unnatural and stressful, trying so hard to fit into that culture. . . but inevitably it would always drive me back to my wanting to create things with my own hands, do things my own way, surround myself with other creative people.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think a lot of creative people are encouraged to focus on one thing or specialize in one thing in order to succeed or move forward. And I think that method works for many and I admire those who can focus in that way. But I’m a multi-faceted creative who works circularly rather than linearly.
I’m a Fashion|Costume|Product Designer, Wardrobe|Prop|Product Stylist, Visual Merchandiser, Artist|Craftsperson, and a Songwriter|Musician. I like to stay busy and constantly learning, whether it’s doing something propelling me forward in some way or observing the past. For me, inspirations of past | present | future are constantly collapsing on one another and informing my work. I have a wide array of interests and things that I love to do and can draw on all those experiences to generate new ideas. I’m fortunate and so grateful to have the support from family, friends, colleagues to explore all the areas of interest that I have.
My path to get where I am so far has not been straightforward, nor easy, and I will say that I am still discovering who I am and what my work is about on a daily basis. I think my diverse talents make me, at times, more marketable and at other times, challenging to pin down or put into a box or category.
But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I love that I get to do a variety of things that pique my interest, feed my creative soul, and highlight my unique point of view. There have been some weeks where I got to travel for work, made something beautiful or thought provoking, worked with an amazing group of other creative people, created something commissioned for a museum or gallery, worked on a film set, played a concert – all in the same week. While that may sound exhausting to some, I find it invigorating. I may not excel professionally in a traditional way like others who focus on one thing do, but I’m doing what I love to do and finding excellence and success in that.

I think at the core of my work, I strive to be true to myself, challenge myself, and remain curious. If something about the work I produce is perhaps not entirely something I’m proud of, then I try to extract the lessons that can be learned from the process I just put myself through and use that experience for a better outcome in the future. I think my own self-improvement and forward momentum can only be achieved through learning from my past mistakes and those are always hard lessons but they leave a lasting impression and lead to personal betterment.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite things to do in any city involve finding off-the-beaten path activities and places to see. When I travel, and even in my own city, I scour travel blogs about that city and always consult Atlas Obscura for cool and unusual things to see. I would probably break the days up by location and of course what that visiting friend would want to do.

I love to stalk my favorite architectural sites and in LA, these would include: the Eames House and Case Study homes in Pacific Palisades, Hollyhock House by Frank Lloyd Wright in Barnsdall Art Park, the former Standard Hotel in West Hollywood, the American Cement building near MacArthur Park, the Capitol Records building, the Bradbury Building, the Eastern Columbia Building, Griffith Park, Lautner’s Chemosphere House, Sheats-Goldstein House. I’m obsessed with Old Hollywood sites as well as programmatic and mimetic architecture so I would definitely take my friend to some or all of these spots: The Derby, the Dresden Room, Hotel Roosevelt, Formosa Cafe, Musso & Frank’s, Tail-O-the-Pup (and try to visit the new speakeasy Lucky Tiki Bar), Randy’s Donuts, the Magic Castle, Chateau Marmont, Beverly Hills Hotel, Yamashiro, Crossroads of the world, Walk of Fame, Cineramadome, Paramount Studios, the Hollywood Bowl, and other film locations for some of my favorite films

Things to see/do: Angels Flight, Hollywood sign from the old Hollywoodland neighborhood, swan boats in Echo Park, chandelier tree in Silverlake, Luna Luna, movies in Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach

Shopping: Fashion District in DTLA for fabric and Ragfinders, vintage shopping (Space City Vintage, Dresscue Atwater Village, shops in Magnolia Park neighborhood in Burbank), the Last Bookstore, shops in Echo Park, shops in Silverlake, Melrose especially Wolf and Badger and Fred Segal, Norman’s Rare Guitars, Sunbeam Vintage

Restaurants/Bars I love: Osteria Mozza (butterscotch budino!), Grand Central Market, delicious baked goodies from Fat and Flour (shoutout to my friend, former bandmate, and reigning pie queen Nicole Rucker!), more gluten-free and vegan baked goodies from Erin McKenna’s bakery, The Blue Room speakeasy bar at LA Athletic Club for vintage sporty ambience, Cliftons for the spectacle, Tower Bar West Hollywood at Sunset Tower Hotel, The Perch (yummy food, awesome rooftop view), Scum and Villainy Cantina (nerdy Star Wars themed bar), Zinc Cafe in the Arts District for dinner, Poppy + Rose DTLA for brunch, Little Beast in Eagle Rock, Edendale Restaurant and Bar, The Black Cat, La Poubelle, Larchmont Bungalow Cafe, Home on Hillhurst, Swingers, Foxy’s diner in Glendale, Gracias Madre, Beachwood Cafe, The Waffle, All Time on Hillhurst, Little Dom’s

Museums and Art: The Broad, Petersen Automotive Museum, MOCA, Watts Tower, LACMA, The Getty, La Brea Tar Pits, Hammer Museum, Grammy Museum, Huntington Library, Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, Subliminal Projects

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have so many people to thank for their love and support: My parents for always prioritizing my education (academically, musically, artistically) and encouraging me to push myself beyond imagined boundaries; my husband Jess for his patience and understanding and always allowing me space to explore some of my most hare-brained schemes and lovingly cheering me on; my brother Ed for his enthusiastic support of whatever endeavors I dive into and for playing music with me; my in-laws for their unconditional acceptance of me into their families and continued excitement about whatever I’m doing; my best friends Carrie, Michelle, Viola, Jennifer, and all my dearest lifelong friends for being sounding boards and challenging each other and watching each other grow over the years; all my friends acquired through working together and peer mentorship (too many to name and every single one so wonderful, brilliant, encouraging, and kind) and I would like to highlight Shana Astrachan [who nominated me for this interview with ShoutOut LA]; everyone working at my agency Lulu Artists Collective|Blackbird|Out of the Box for believing in me and exalting my creativity; my teachers who helped shape my worldview and help me hone my crafts and skills, my bandmates over the years willing to work around my often unusual work schedule to continue to make music with me; all my family, friends, co-workers who I may have neglected to list here individually by name but know that I am grateful to you all.
To anyone who has ever told me that they loved me, liked my work, inspired me, or encouraged me in any way to keep pushing forward, which helped to keep my tiny spark ablaze, thank you and I love you. Special shoutout to The Smiths, The Cure, Suede, The Raveonettes, Ronnie Spector & the Ronettes, Patsy Cline, the San Diego music scene of the 1990s and early 2000s, and so many more for shaping my music taste. If you haven’t read “Einstein’s Dreams” by Alan Lightman or “The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern, please do. Magical.

Website: https://nicholekreglow.com

Instagram: @nichole.kreglow, @glowlighty, @nyte_skye_band

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/nicholekreglow

Other: on Apple Music and Spotify, my band is Nyte Skye
Agency contact for Styling work: www.luluartistscollective.com/nichole-kreglow

Image Credits
Diana Barbatti Photography
Simona Racek
David Bergeron
Nichole Kreglow
Vee Vee Photography
Michael Winokur
Erich Valo
Matt Haber
Sean Desmond
Danny Nolan