Badgley Mischka: American Glamour

Image of Badgley Mischka: American Glamour
Release Date: 
October 26, 2015
Publisher/Imprint: 
Rizzoli
Pages: 
240
Reviewed by: 

“One zip and you’re glamorous!”

In a word: BRAVO!

How refreshing to have a book such as this that features designers who are short on the esoterica and long on their actual output. Too many of today’s designers seem to think that all the blah blah blah that they espouse in press releases and interviews make up for poor design as well as a general lack of talent and focus. Then we have Badgley Mischka who have their eye on the ball and spell it all out very simply and consistently by saying they are influenced by the screen legends and great photographers of the gilded past. Simple as that without any high minded verbiage.

One of the great highlights of the book is a narrative section authored by Hal Rubenstein, for it is he who calls out an industry as too heavily populated by the aforementioned supposed “great thinkers” of our time and not by great designers. The written content of the book is very limited and yet quite informative about everything that happens from the paper sketch to finished product. No pretense, no complicated language, just simple explanatory text that most will be find quite engaging—provided you skip the foreword.

Without question, the star of the volume is the incredible archive of photography that chronicles the duo’s body of work over the past 25 years. The most compelling images are those which show off the incredible and sometimes unimaginable and indescribable workmanship that goes into some of their beaded pieces not to mention the section devoted to their bridal collections.

For some readers, they will be satisfied with the abundance of celebrity photos all dressed by the team during  their past quarter of a century; but for the more savvy reader this book will prove to be an amazing visual feast as well as a library of technique and design. In the end, American Glamour is a book that satisfies on many levels—a hands down winner in the genre.

A favorite line in the book is “One zip and you’re glamorous!” That about says it all.