For their Spring 2025 collection, fashion duo Mark Badgley and James Mischka looked to a captivating muse: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. But they weren’t focused on her White House years. Instead, they delved into her life with Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, specifically drawing inspiration from Onassis’s iconic yacht, the Christina O. This nautical influence even informed their choice of venue for the collection’s presentation: the Greek restaurant Periyali. “It looks kind of like the interior of the Christina with the lacquered wood,” Mischka explained, with Badgley adding, “I thought that looked nautical.”
The collection itself was a journey through the Mediterranean, encompassing destinations like Marbella, Malta, and Mykonos. It featured a vibrant palette of colors, with brightly colored florals printed on neoprene, beaded embellishments adorning silk mikado, and an abundance of faux wrap dresses. Of course, no Badgley Mischka collection would be complete without caftans. “We love caftans,” Badgley said, “We do a lot of caftans, especially for our Middle Eastern customers.”
The designers made a conscious effort to reimagine the cocktail dress for this collection, aiming to appeal to a younger clientele. “Marilyn Monroe says, ‘I just love finding new ways to wear diamonds,'” Mischka quipped, paraphrasing a line from *Gentlemen Prefer Blondes*. “We want new ways to wear our evening clothes.” One example of this modern take on evening wear was a sleeveless tuxedo jacket paired with tap shorts, all crafted in a black-and-purple floral scuba fabric. “It’s fun for a girl that was going to a fresh, young, sexy cocktail party [who] doesn’t wear a cocktail dress,” Badgley explained. “This to us is a very modern, feminine tuxedo—comfortable, stylish, classic cocktail.”
While their attempt to attract a younger demographic was commendable, Badgley Mischka truly shines when designing for the women who have remained loyal to the brand over the years. Badgley perfectly captured this essence when he pointed to a salmon-hued dress featuring a sheer, flowing marocain column over a Georgette underlayer: “Easy, glamorous, tall.” This dress, embodying the brand’s signature elegance and timeless appeal, showcased the strength of their core clientele and the enduring power of their classic designs.
