Spelling and Miller: Decades of Dishing Out Fashion Plates

If ever a match was made in TV heaven, it was the pairing of producer Aaron Spelling with fashion designer Nolan Miller. The two have collaborated as far back as the late ‘50s on “Dick Powell’s Zane Grey Theater,” graduated to “The Mod Squad,” “Charlie’s Angels” and “Love Boat,” and perhaps peaked with the dizzy fashions of “Dynasty” and “The Colbys.”

The two will be honored this weekend at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel by the Costume Designers Guild for their contributions to the industry. Spelling, said Miller, is enormously respected by the costumer community for two reasons: He has a clear vision of how every character should look, and he comes up with the budget to match.

“He is an amazing man to work with,” said Miller.

Spelling had an innate grasp of how each of his characters would dress, and how much each would care about the way he or she looks. Sometimes, that conflicted with Miller’s desire to make all women as glamorous as possible.

“Always, on ‘Charlie’s Angels,’ he would call and say, ‘Why is Jaclyn [Smith] dressed that way? She’s a policewoman.’ I couldn’t help myself,” said Miller.

Think of “The Mod Squad,” and Miller’s hippie clothes comes to mind before the plot. Think “Hart to Hart” and you’ve got images of Stefanie Powers solving crimes in fabulous outfits, from lingerie to evening gowns.

“Love Boat” gave a lot of work to many guest actors and also gave Miller the chance to dress Ann Miller, Ethel Merman and John Ritter (who wore country-and-western drag).

But the pinnacle of their fashion collaboration, Miller said, was “Dynasty.” “He called me into his office and said, ‘At last I have a show that’s going to make you happy. I never want to see them wear the same thing twice.’ ”

And they didn’t.

Miller did not work on “Melrose Place” or “Beverly Hills, 90210”--two Spelling projects that introduced California’s taste for tight skirts and barrettes to the rest of the country. But he will contribute gowns to the “90210” series finale later this year, an assignment he wouldn’t discuss.

Miller will receive the guild’s Rit Color Award for achievement in costume design. Career achievement awards will also be presented to Theoni Aldredge (“The Great Gatsby,” for which she won an Oscar, “Annie,” “Ghostbusters,” “The First Wives Club” and “The Mirror Has Two Faces”) and Anthony Powell (who won Oscars for “Tess,” “Death on the Nile” and “Travels With My Aunt.”)

Costume legends Walter Plunkett (“Gone With the Wind”) and Orry-Kelly (“An American in Paris”) will be inducted posthumously into the guild’s Hall of Fame.

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Highlighters: Another industry is prepping to honor its own. The Hollywood Makeup Artists and Hair Stylists Guild announced nominations for the first Georgie Awards, named after George Westmore, the first studio makeup man and father to a dynasty of makeup artists.

“Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” received four nominations, TV shows “Providence” received four and “Will and Grace” received three.

At last, someone will get credit for wrangling the manes of Debra Messing and Melina Kankaredes.

Westmore’s grandson, Monty Westmore, will be given the first Lifetime Achievement Award for overseeing makeup for more than 100 motion pictures over 60 years, including “The Big Sleep,” “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” “Spartacus,” “Jurassic Park” and “The Shawshank Redemption.”