You might assume that Mark Badgley and James Mischka are forever in a Hollywood state of mind. But judging by the range of items they showed on today s runway—including their contemporary Mark + James line, this season debuting handbags, as well as the fruits of a brand-new outerwear license—that s not necessarily true. Nevertheless, L.A. seemed like the focus today, and logically so. Last month they finally opened their Rodeo Drive flagship, and of course there s the upcoming Super Bowl of eveningwear, a.k.a. the Academy Awards.
Specifically, Badgley and Mischka invoked the thirties- and forties-era glamour of Adrian. You saw a direct line from that reference to fluid, draped dresses, with glitzy swatches of Deco beading capping shoulders and encircling necklines and waists. An inky navy satin gown with a draped bodice and chiffon sleeves could have come straight off the set of The Women, a reminder of how little eveningwear really changes.
Some might find Badgley and Mischka s custom of showing various lines together confusing, but it s actually refreshing to see casual elements, like lovely gauzy knitwear and a great little shearling bomber, mixed into their after-eight lexicon. And there were some interesting textural experiments for day, pairing up lace, bouclé, and Mongolian lamb. Of course, they closed the show with a run of siren-silhouetted gowns, which was short the three that were already worn to the Golden Globes. In truth, these may not be the dresses that get live-tweeted to death on Oscar night, but aside from the final gown, which suffered from an overly heavy panel of ruffles, they re solidly Joan Rivers-proof.
