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story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Adrianna Favero
web editor Rachel Reneé
Mark Badgley & James Mischka’s creations have spent their fair share of time on Hollywood’s red carpets, but the instant their Fall 2012 runway show started, you knew this was all about Manhattan magic at midnight. A digitally enhanced video of the Gapstow Bridge in southern Central Park was given life with a three-dimensional effect of the moving shadows of trees. Snow fell behind the models as they whisked Badgley Mischka creations out of this winter oasis and down the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Theater runway.
There was a strong element of the supernatural in the styling of the models. Wild and chaotic hair added to an entrancing sense of witchcraft; witchcraft most accurately in the vein of Frank Sinatra’s 1957 hit. Shimmer and sparkle were the order of the day as the storied designers hit elegant and glamorous note after note.
Gold, black and green were the order of the night, in a collection full of possibilities for gala winter evenings. One of the most interesting choices was the creation of several leather and mixed-metallic jackets, often sporting an over-sized collar and lapel that was a spicy bit of construction. Perhaps intended for a quick duck out to the balcony for a private moment? Badgley Mischka, as a house, knows who its client is. This season they showed she lives many places, and one of them is New York City. “Those fingers in my hair… that sly come hither stare…”
