Get your home red-carpet-ready with Badgley Mischka
LOS ANGELES — Design duo Mark Badgley and James Mischka, known for show-stopping red-carpet gowns, are bringing the glamour of their fashion shows to a living room near you.
The designers describe their first-ever Badgley Mischka Home Collection, launched this week, as “couture furniture” infused with old Hollywood glamour.
“We love when a piece of furniture has a little bit of atmosphere to it, where it sort of harks back to the golden era of Hollywood. At the same time, it’s our quest to keep every piece modern. So it’s been a real luxury and a real treat to work on something besides a red-carpet ball gown,” said Badgley during an exclusive sneak peek of the collection in Los Angeles.
Badgley and Mischka also pulled inspiration straight from their runway collection, which they presented Tuesday during New York Fashion Week. Some of the furniture was used in the show.
“We used a lot of fabrics that were reminiscent of fabrics that we are using on the couture collection,” said Mischka.
“Our (fashion) collection is done with a lot of hand-beading and a lot of very intricate work on the couture gowns. And this collection also has handwork on it. All the finishes are distressed by hand. It’s extremely labour intensive, which is very much like our couture gowns.”
Their approach to designing for the dining room and the red carpet is the same: the devil is in the details.
“We were very involved, from sketching. We scoured Europe for fabrications. We flew in tiny little planes to the middle of nowhere where we could find the craftsmanship to execute certain processes. It was a real labour of love,” Badgley said.
The collection ranges in price from $100 to $10,000, and includes accent pieces, beds, chairs, sofas, tables, cabinets, candles and artwork. It will be available on the designers’ website and at Neiman Marcus.
Colourful sketches of Badgley Mischka gowns were blown up and framed. Lush fabrics line a gold, zebra-print bench and a velvet octagonal coffee table.
Like a dress with a wow moment on the back, there’s a sleek, grey couch with striking geometric wood pattern only seen from behind.
Their favourite piece? A masculine, dark wood desk with gold detailing and curved architectural flair.
“It’s very sensuous,” Badgley said. “It’s very simple. Nothing pretentious about it, but the finishings make it, and elevate it to such a couture piece . ... These pieces are timeless. James and I have never liked trendy pieces. We don’t like trendy clothes.
“We certainly don’t like trendy furniture. When James and I buy a piece, we want to know that it’s going to be in the home for the next 20, 30, 40 years. And that, to us, is what this furniture stands for.”
All the finishes are distressed by hand. It’s extremely labour intensive, which is very much like our couture gowns. JAMES MISCHKA