This is one Hollywood feud that’s Evergreen.
Barbra Streisand has left the estate of late celebrity designer Nolan Miller fuming by claiming that Donna Karan designed the costumes she wore for her 1994 comeback tour.
Miller even considered suing Streisand, Pvnew is told, but was warned by his pal, super producer Aaron Spelling: “You’ll be getting into a p—ing match with a skunk. In the end, you’ll just end up smelling.”
Streisand wrote that her longtime BFF Karan was responsible for her costumes in her recent autobiography, “My Name is Barbra.”
However, sources close to Miller — the designer who catered for Joan Collins and the cast of “Dynasty” as well as stars including Elizabeth Taylor — alleged to Pvnew that he was responsible for the outfits.
Although Streisand, 81, often wore Miller, sources revealed how they fell out when Streisand allegedly refused to pay for the costumes that she wore for the tour that launched on New Year’s Eve 1993 in Las Vegas. A rep for Streisand had no comment.
One longtime friend of Miller’s told Pvnew: “Nolan was very, very hurt at the time.”
The saga started when Streisand enlisted her friend Karan to design costumes for the concert — her first in 27 years — at the MGM Grand, according to Mark Zunino, Miller’s one-time protégé — now president of Nolan Miller designs.
“Nolan received a call from Barbra at the beginning of December, asking if he could rush some performance gowns for her New Year’s Eve concert. She said that Donna Karan had made some gowns, but they weren’t working out,” he told Pvnew.
“Nolan had gone to her [Streisand’s] home on Carolwood Drive in Beverly Hills to discuss what was needed for the concert. Barbra even did some scribble sketches from her personalized note pad from her desk, which were brought back to the atelier to use as reference for new sketch designs.
“The gowns were made, required several fittings and completed as promised. Our workroom worked throughout the Christmas holiday, in order to complete the project.”
The costumes included an inner structure with elastic so Streisand could sing.
However, when Zunino handed Streisand the bill, Pvnew is told the star replied she would not be paying because Miller would get so much publicity.
Another former colleague of Miller told us: “Mark said, ‘We can’t pay our employees in publicity, all these women worked through the holidays.’ He went back and Barbra handed him the check.
“She went to hand it and pulled it back and said, ‘once I pay for these clothes, I own these clothes, I own the rights to the designs?’
“He said, ‘Of course,’ and said they would not replicate the designs.
“once she handed over the check, she told him, ‘Now that I own the rights, I will give credit to whomever I see fit.'”
Streisand then cited Karan for the costumes, which included a full length black gown with white insert, and a white skirt suit, in the program, upsetting Miller.
In her book, the Oscar winner wrote that she envisaged costumes that would tie in with her elegant set, adding: “I’ve always liked the simplicity of black and white, and with that in mind I started sketching.
“In order to sing I have to be able to breathe, so a dress can’t be too tight around the diaphragm, and because I like to eat, an Empire-style gown works well for me.
“And then I show what I want to show…like my shoulders. As Donna says, ‘A woman never gains weight in her shoulders.'”
She said she sketched an off the shoulder dress with tiny pearls and rhinestones, adding: “Serendipitously, Donna had the perfect fabrics, new at the time…a stretchy black velvet and even a stretchy ivory satin, so I could sing without worrying about seams splitting! “
Zunino added: “Upon her performance on New Year’s Eve, Nolan learned that Donna Karan had gotten credit for Barbra’s gowns. Not only was he hurt that he didn’t receive proper acknowledgement, but was also upset Donna Karan had taken the credit.
The designer was then living at the legendary LA home of Spelling and his wife Candy, who warned him off taking legal action.
“Aaron told him, ‘You were paid weren’t you?… Just be happy with that and call it a day,” and so Nolan did just that!” said Zunino.
Miller died aged 79 in June 2012 after battling lung cancer.
In 2009, Julien’s Auctions in California contacted Miller’s office when The Streisand Foundation put up the gowns for sale among other items.
Zunino said: “The gowns in question were needing to be authenticated. The auction house was told they were gowns made by Donna Karan, but were thrown because there were Nolan Miller labels in them.
“We acknowledged our atelier was the responsible party for those gowns. We later heard a few gowns were pulled from the auction and what remained had the labels removed.”
We have reached out to Darren Julien of Julien’s Auctions for comment, alongside Donna Karan.
The friend of Miller added: “Even though Nolan let it go, it’s absolutely wrong for her not to identify the fact that he created these costumes.
“Nolan deserves his due — it’s not fair to his memory, it’s wrong and inaccurate.”
