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Writer's pictureBrittany A. Kilpatrick

NYFW REVIEW- SPRING 2020: VIBRANT TROPICAL SOPHISTICATION

Updated: May 20, 2022

This season Mark Badgley and James Mischka have designed vacation attire for walking on a beach and attending soirées.


As the lights hit the runway at Badgley Mischka’s Spring 2020 ready-to-wear collection, models glided through a white lace lattice entrance with scroll motifs, that had white volute-kraters, depicted and described by the Classical Art Research Centre, on either side, containing white palm trees. The set’s coral-hued lighting, at its entrance and runway, was its only color source. The nearly monochrome set was a stark contrast to the collection’s vibrant and historically referential sophisticated garments.

In terms of motifs, the collection makes wide use of palm leaves and tropical florals, as to be expected for a spring and summer collection. Colors highlighted in these prints included poppy red, teal, robin’s egg blue, coral, and olive green. The collection also used lavender, red-violet, peach, pink rose, various green hues, cobalt blue, indigo, Spanish orange, and lemon yellow.


Apart from its vibrancy, the collection’s aesthetics were a mixture of the 1970s and 1980s. One nod to the 1970s, discussed in The History of Modern Fashion, was demonstrated in the collection’s incorporation of wrap dresses. References to the “...peasant...” looks of the late 1970s, and 1980s focus on extreme proportions, detailed in The History of Modern Fashion, were seen in the collection’s billowing Juliet, bishop, and puffed sleeves, as depicted in Illustrating Fashion: Concept to Creation.


According to Dennita Sewell, in Badgley Mischka: American Glamour, the brand is known for its “...embellished...evening gowns....” However, the brand has expanded its repertoire to include diverse options, for multiple occasions, and times of day, according to Who’s Who in Fashion. The spring collection maintains these qualities, as it presented a balance of informal garments, such as shirt dresses, and formal attire demonstrated in sequined gowns. The daytime looks primarily focus on prints, and the evening looks explore more ornamentation, such as beading and floral appliqués.


Overall, Badgley Mischka presented a vibrant sophisticated collection for diverse occasions. However, most importantly, according to Mark Badgley, quoted by Reuters, “‘The factories...,” the company utilizes, “...are no-waste manufacturing plants, where everything is recycled.’” As demonstrated in this collection, fashion can be luxurious and responsible simultaneously.



Works Cited:


Alford, Holly Price and Anne Stegemeyer. Who’s Who In Fashion. 6th ed. London and New York: Fairchild Books and Bloomsbury, 2014.


“Badgley Mischka Spring 2020.” YouTube, uploaded by Badgley Mischka, 13 Sept. 2019, https://youtu.be/W6DA-GD9zPE, 3 Nov. 2019.


Classical Art Research Centre at the University of Oxford Editors. “Volute-krater.” Classical Art Research Centre, Classical Art Research Centre at the University of Oxford, n.d., https://www.beazley.ox.ac.uk/tools/pottery/shapes/volute.htm, Accessed 3 Nov. 2019.


Cole, Daniel James and Nancy Deihl. The History of Modern Fashion. London: Laurence King, 2015.


Reuters. “From Recycled Leather to Natural Dyes, Fashion Tries to Limit Environmental Damage.” The Business of Fashion, 19 September 2019, https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/from-recycled-leather-to-natural-dyes-fashion-tries-to-limit-environmental-damage, Accessed 4 Nov. 2019.


Sewell, Dennita. Introduction. Badgley Mischka: American Glamour. By Mark Badgley and James Mischka, New York: Rizzoli, 2015. pp.17.


Stipelman, Steven. Illustrating Fashion: Concept to Creation. 3rd ed., New York: Fairchild Books, 2011.


Video Citation:

“Badgley Mischka Spring 2020.” YouTube, uploaded by Badgley Mischka, 13 Sept. 2019, https://youtu.be/W6DA-GD9zPE, 3 Nov. 2019.


Source: Badgley Mischka's YouTube Channel

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