"The beat goes on," said Mark Badgley backstage after today s show. "It never makes sense to do something that we re not about." What Badgley and his design partner, James Mischka, are about, recession or no, is great-looking dresses with a healthy dose of straight-up glamour—speaking of which, they are currently hard at work on two Oscar gowns. For all that, though, they kicked things off in a quietly minimal manner, sending out a group of smart all-black day looks. Some of these came from their lower-priced Platinum collection, which the duo went on to mix in throughout, because, noted Mischka, "that s how women shop."
Of course, the wattage was soon amped up. On the brighter end of the spectrum: a liquid-gold velvet that fell into a seductive low-necked cowl; eye-popping satins; and a slinky allover-sequin column, surely headed for a chanteuse near you. An asymmetrical frock with a sideways drape ending in a chunk of ruffles was too tricky, but overall this was a solid collection. Strongest, in fact, were looks with a modicum of austerity, like a one-shoulder, smoke-hued gown on Bruna Tenorio. With its strategic flutter of ruffles, it was easily the most elegant thing around.
