Alexandra O’Neill never claimed to be a low-key designer. Her first Markarian runway show took place at a decidedly over-the-top location: the Rainbow Room, its sparkling window treatments and chandeliers refracting almost as much light as her crystal-encrusted gowns. After years of attending quiet presentations and appointments in her Jane Street studio, it was an entirely different experience to see a hundred or so women react to her glittering clothes all at once. After 18 months of sweats and grainy Zoom shows, this was the fantastical, no-holds-barred fashion many of them were craving.
O’Neill has dabbled in daywear and more casual garments in the past, particularly in 2020, but now, she’s homing in on what she does best: sparkly, flowery, bow-adorned evening wear that celebrates a hyper-specific vision of femininity. The show opened with two Barbie pink beaded dresses followed by all manner of shimmery brocade gowns, nipped corset dresses, minis with exaggerated trains, and a few jacket and bloomer sets that may have narrower appeal. Many of the silhouettes felt familiar—O’Neill’s bustier frock is a consistent best-seller—but the curvy boleros were a fresh departure. “You could even wear them with jeans,” she said after the show. (O’Neill took her bow in a similarly high-low mix of denim and a silk evening coat.) For women who balk at the razor-sharp tailoring of Markarian’s dresses, a glittery jacket might be the ideal alternative.
The audience’s giddy response to the show was at odds with Fashion Week’s most pervasive narrative: that women want comfort, ease, and timelessness from their post-pandemic fashion. Markarian’s luminous cocktail dresses are happily none of those things. “Timeless” means something different to everyone, though, and a long-term investment piece can still be extra—or in Markarian’s case, really extra. Surely there are tons of girls out there saving up for one of her glitzy dresses, with plans to wear them to every one of their friends’ weddings in 2022.
