A Markarian Collection with a New Sense of Timelessness
Markarian designer Alexandra O’Neill kicked off 2023 with a bang when the Inaugural blue tweed coat and dress she designed for Dr. Jill Biden become part of the Smithsonian. For the dedication ceremony, the First Lady wore another custom Markarian look. When O’Neill first launched Markarian in 2017, it was often pigeonholed as a “wedding guest” label—a collection of pretty, sparkly party clothes for twentysomethings—so having the First Lady as a champion has given it exposure with a whole new range of potential customers.
Maybe it was the still-fresh memory of how elegant Dr. Biden looked on stage at National Museum of American History three weeks ago in a blue-and-gold floral brocade Markarian dress. Or maybe it was the location: a West Village townhouse built in the mid 19th century. But when I stepped into the brand’s Fall 2023 presentation yesterday, I was struck by a new sense of timelessness about the clothes. They had an Art Deco feel and included slinky hand-draped designs in silks, paillettes, and geometric metallic brocades.
O’Neill told me that she had been thinking a lot about her late grandmother Gigi, who passed away last fall. The collection was a tribute to her Greek-American maternal grandparents, who both worked in the Garment District and later owned a furrier shop on Long Island.
“My grandmother taught me how to sew, but my grandfather was a designer too,” O’Neill says. “They lived in Astoria but they used to go out dancing at nightclubs in the city like Café Zanzibar. And whenever they were going out at night, he would have her stand on their kitchen table and he would drape a dress on her for her to go out in, which is I think so cute.”
I was especially charmed by a floor-length rose-print silk slip dress, worn by a model with perfect 1940s pin curls, which according to O’Neill was a remake of a dress from family lore.
“My grandmother would describe this one dress in particular that he made for her,” said O’Neill. “He made it in this beautiful chocolate satin and it had a plunging neckline and plunging back, and she thought it was funny how he didn’t care if she showed skin. He just always had good taste and beautiful style, and she was always excited to wear whatever he would make for her.” It's easy to see a whole range of women of different ages and style sensibilities getting just as excited about the 2.0 version.
You Might Also Like
