Style Extra

The current collections offer plenty of opulent options. For fall, they were inspired by the off-handed elegance of Bianca Jagger and Jerry Hall. "We loved the way they put themselves together—very luxurious, but just a little bit off, which made their look less Park Avenue and more interesting," says Badgley. Grace Kelly and Ava Gardner were the muses for their Cruise collection. "City girls in the jungle or on safari," says Mischka.

When they’re not hard at work in Manhattan or redoing their new horse farm in Lexington, Ky., Mark and James are very much at home at their retreat in southern Florida. "It’s such a great escape," says Badgley. "It’s just so much fun here. As soon as you get off the plane, you feel it in the air. It’s a wonderful lifestyle, and it makes our winters fly by."

With Southwest Florida in mind, the two names behind the iconic label answer the questions from Gulfshore Life’s Style Council (see member list, opposite page) on what’s haute right now:

Let’s talk about color. What are the must-have shades for fall and Cruise?

JM: Fall was all about color—a lot of purples—beautiful eggplant, amethyst colors and greens from lime to forest to loden.

MB: There was also a lot of russet and chocolate brown. Cruise is super colorful—a celebration of fun resort colors. White was our base with a whole rainbow of color. Tangerine, fuchsia and ocean blue were all important for us.

Why does color work so well for this part of the country?

MB: We see customers in New York, Chicago and Detroit, and she’s also got a home in Southern Florida. When she gets down here, she doesn’t want to put on something neutral or black because that’s what she’s wearing up north. She wants to have fun with beautiful shots of color. It’s such a great pick-me-up, and it looks great in this environment.

How do designers collectively seem to settle on the same color palettes every season?

JM: We have a big breakfast every season, and we all just talk about color.

MB: (Laughs) It’s interesting; it’s because of Premiere Vision [in Paris]. We all go there and do our fabrics, and you start seeing color palettes there. Everyone knows what colors we’ve just come off of, so obviously it’s got to go somewhere completely different from there to give a woman a reason to buy. The European fabric mills show new palettes, and we all see them. That’s why there are often similar colors on the runway.

How important is the dress now?

MB: Cocktail dresses have really come back in a strong way. Glamorous evening gowns will always be our core business, but women are looking for exciting cocktail dresses right now.

Which of your designs embody a timeless quality?

MB: Beautifully cut dresses can take a woman everywhere and stay in your closet forever. Right now there’s a little bit of volume in the dresses that make them look a little bit different—it’s not just about the fitted little postage-stamp dresses. A little bit of volume is sexy. It’s got to have an interesting cut and a little bit of softness. In Florida, we find women like body-conscious dresses with a little indication of a waist—like a beautiful empire waist.

If a woman is packing a bag for a quick getaway, what is the one essential she needs to take along?

MB: Accessories are so important. The trend right now is towards big, gorgeous, oversized pieces: big necklaces, chunky cuffs and earrings. It’s a great way to update your wardrobe. It’s all semi-precious—she can have more fun with it because she’s not buying an expensive investment piece.

Would you ever consider using models that are average sizes 6-8-10 on the runway?

MB: It’s hard because there are certain industry standards in terms of what the magazines use. The clothes have to fit the girls that they use. It’s hard to go off on your own and do your own size range. There’s no place for them. Our first samples are size 2; our production duplicates are a size 8. Our fit model is a real customer who has realistic measures. With trunk shows, we travel with size ranges so a woman can understand what a dress will look like in that proportion. We have done fashion shows in various communities where we’ve used "real" women. We try to do what we can do.

What do you think were some of fashion’s biggest flops? Did you participate?

JM: One of the most notable ones was the whole grunge thing in the early ’90s. We had just started our company and were so not about grunge even though it was fashionable. We steered clear of that land mine, and it was good for us.

Does the red carpet set trends?

JM: I think it reflects fashion’s overall mood rather than setting trends. It gets the trends from the runway to America because not everyone logs on to style.com [Vogue’s Web site], but everyone watches the Oscars.

MB: The red carpet has done a lot for fashion. There’s no question about that. Seeing those actresses—beautifully dressed women who are making an effort—is crucial. That’s really our biggest venue these days. It’s been fantastic for us.