Badgley Mischka's fashions take audience on vacation in runway show

Badgley Mischka, the American fashion house known for its evening dresses, took its audience on a sun-drenched Italian island vacation during its Spring 2018 runway show.

Inspired by fabrics, designers Mark Badgley and James Mischka used everything from effortless cottons to rich-coloured brocade for their collection, which debuted on Tuesday at New York Fashion Week.

“Most of them are from Italy, which made us think about Italy and the sun,” Mischka said backstage before the show. “So that’s kind of the feeling of the collection is, you know, it’s an American girl in Capri in the 60s.”

For day wear, the collection featured basic cotton t-shirts paired with geometric cut skirts and structured tweed dresses with tassels adorning the hemlines. Majestic shoulders also dominated the daytime looks along with colourful jewel embroidering.

“We wanted to design clothes that were uplifting and inspiring and it starts with something as simple as a little t-shirt. We put a Badgley Mischka spin on it,” Badgley said.

Models wore shoulder-grazing statement earrings in bright, fruity colours, which the designer duo included in almost every look.

The designers also chose to feature swimsuits in the show.

“We’re showing a little bit of swimwear this season,” Badgley said. “But pieces that would take a woman practically anywhere.”

For evening, the duo went with molten brocade that channelled the glamour of “La Dolce Vita.” Embellishments for the nighttime looks included diamond sequins in gold and metallic hues decorating tulle and chiffon gowns.

The designer team included a wide array of hemline in their latest collection from super miniskirts to mid-length and long.

“I think gone are the days when you could dictate what length your customer wears,” Badgley said. “I think a woman wants to wear a length that’s appropriate to the occasion that she’s going to.”