Nicole Miller

Strip Joint Turns High Fashion

By Orla Healy

Even famously refined fashion designer Nicole Miller got more of a show than she bargained for as she unveiled her first-ever line of high-end underwear at Scores last night.

One of the prancing "model" dancers at the strip club suddenly dropped her top on stage, leaving some red-faced Manhattan socialites in the audience dropping their jaws.

"I was surprised...I just thought she was going to tease us a little," Miller admitted.

Still, the fashion preview - featuring a new line that Miller called "feminine and flirty, with subtle touches" - wowed the crowd.

Buxom models first arrived on stage in tuxedos and raincoats. Then, after a sexy dance, they slipped off their outerwear to reveal Miller's satin lace panties, bras, and corset tops, some with leopard-print linings and novelty hearts sewn into the backsides.

"I thought it was sexy with a sense of humor," said Carole McCarthy, a former producer of the "Sally Jessy Raphael" show. "And if my boobs looked as good as those, I'd be up there, too."

Lawyer John Wallace also caught the renegade runway action.

"For a fashion show, it was great. But I usually come to Scores to see a lot less," he quipped.

Miller's lingerie goes on sale today at Bloomingdales's and Lord & Taylor. Prices range from $30 to $100.

The designer - famous for outfitting the likes of Angelina Jolie and Demi Moore - said her decision to preview her collection at Scores was a no brainer.

"We're talking about lingerie. Regular models will pose in lingerie, but they're not going to be comfortable dancing around in a thong," said the fashion maven, who last year inked a deal to design "Sesame Street" children's wear.

The only thing bothering one Scores model was that the outfits weren't exactly what she's used to wearing.

"It felt unusual leaving the stage with so much on," she said.