The Show: the Badgley Mishka swimwear debut
Timestamp: 7:35pm, July 11th
The place: The Raleigh poolside, the Beachway tent
Text, Vivian G. Kelly
Photographs, J. Ecochard
While we loved the accessories that were liberally piled-on, the swimwear itself fell somewhat flat and didn’t seem representative of what this talented design team is capable of. Think back to the days of Pierre Cardin and Halston who became over-licensed and gradually lost control of their original image.
IN this show alone, there were: shoes, handbags, jewelry, sunglasses, hats,and of course the swimsuits.
BM customers will be sure to pick-up the great floppy straw hats with colorful print scarves tied around the brim, as well as some of the look at me necklaces, such as the gold rope one with an oversize amber pendant. The sunglasses were the best we’ve seen so far, large and oversize and oh so glam. The bags were spot on, large and structured, the silver bowling bag [gray is THE color for fall] goes from the pool to the office to lunch.
The suits themselves were more for the woman who lounges, not plunges, into the pool. The rhinestone buckle details on the breastbone, shoulders and hips are just not chlorine friendly. Many designers are dropping in some resort pieces in their swim collections, so it made sense to show the matte jersey olive column evening gown.
Best in show: the ruched halter maillot worn with a small matching turban and the toned down lame tankini screamed “elegant!” These two suits seemed more in keeping with the Badgley Mishka RTW aesthetic, and hopefully we’ll be seeing more pieces like this next time around.
The hair & makeup: Pure glamour, Cote D’Azur style, black liquid Bardot eyeliner, long smooth ponytails, beige lipstick, and a tan you can only get if you’re a regular on a yacht year-round.