Markarian RTW Spring 2022
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Markarian designer Alexandra O’Neill had the opportunity of a lifetime when she dressed First Lady Jill Biden for the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
On Friday, she stepped onto another big platform, the New York Fashion Week runway.
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True to her dressed-up DNA, she chose to have her show at the Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center, and made good use of the twinkling chandelier and rotating dance-floor backdrop.
Models Maria Borges and Hilary Rhoda, influencer Danielle Bernstein, political aide Huma Abedin and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who represents New York’s Fashion District, were among the guests dressed in Markarian at the salon-style tables.
“I love Alexandra’s story that she learned to sew not at Pratt or FIT, but from her grandmother.…I’m so proud of her and she also happens to be a constituent so I’m here to support her,” said Maloney. “I’m also here because she invited me!”
While she showed a bit of daywear, pairing sweetheart pointelle knit sweaters with pink and red heart-print ruffle skirts, and dresses with 1940s flair, O’Neill’s business is really dresses for parties and weddings. In that department there was a lot to entice in her hyper-feminine style — a beaded candy pink wiggle dress with bows on the shoulders, a strapless pink gown with exquisite 3D floral appliquéd lace, floral embroidered off-the-shoulder columns and rich brocade corset dresses.
More fashion-forward newness came in the form of hand-beaded boleros, which looked fab over a satin slip skirt or with evening pants. An ivory off-the-shoulder corset top paired with clear sequin-coated micro check trousers also had a sophisticated polish.
The designer’s first handbags, inspired by classic minaudières and matched to each look, hinted at her ever-expanding universe. So, too, did the crowd, which included buyers from all the big stores.
Launch Gallery: Markarian RTW Spring 2022
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