New York Formalwear Designers Channel Pragmatism and Old-Hollywood Style in Their Pre-Fall 2025 Collections

Dressing Vanessa Williams for her turn as Miranda Priestly in “The Devil Wears Prada” proved an excellent pre-fall exercise for Roland with customers gravitating toward similarly cosmopolitan cuts. Many of the looks she offered them here were created for the musical, infused with subtle romanticism.

The look: High-fashion editrix à la Miranda Priestly as interpreted by the brush of a Dutch master. 

Quote of note: “During a visit to Amsterdam, I was captivated by its rich cultural and architectural landscape,” said Roland, adding that the collection’s floral motifs were drawn from Tulip fields and 17th-century still-life paintings. Still, practicality was her focus. “Today’s customers are increasingly favoring a wardrobe filled with sleeker items that are easy to put on and take off, as well as simple to store,” she explained. “We’ve received numerous requests for more suiting options, so we’ve included a wider selection than usual.”

Standout pieces: Sharp suiting with elongated accentuated-waist jackets recalling upside-down tulips; green and blue tulip brocade cocktails with matching swing coats; a ruched drop-waist maxi in floral taffeta chine; figure-hugging black dresses with angular necklines and thoughtful crystal or pearl beading; a mock-neck gown with a treasure chest’s worth of mosaic jewel embroideries. 

The takeaway: Here, Roland showed she can offer smart, elegant attire that transitions from day to night. She should continue thinking beyond the ballgown and push her tailoring experiments further.

Designers Mark Badgley and James Mischka followed their socialite clientele to Mexico this season with inspiration from the 1964 drama film “Night of the Iguana.”

The look: 1950s Hollywood starlet fleeing paparazzi south of the border.

Quote of note: “Over the spring and summer, a lot of our friends moved to Mexico together, so we’re kind of feeling that Mexican vibe,” said Mischka, adding that Ava Gardner in “Night of the Iguana” as well as actual iguanas were both on their mood board this season. “It’s the whole sort of rustic, modern sensibility of the movie with these beautiful tones,” added Badgley. 

Standout pieces: A pistachio tweed shift with enlarged patch pockets; a floral calf-length dress with sweet-heart bodice and full midlength skirt; a flame-colored stretch crepe wiggle dress with draped half-caplet; a flamingo pink pleated maxi with crystal beaded V-neck; an olive georgette cocoon dress with fitted clipped satin skirt; a petrol blue mikado flamenco gown with cascading ruffles.

The takeaway: Badgley and Mischka were recently put to task by Neiman Marcus to expand their selection of day-to-evening dresses. This season’s Spanish-inspired color palette was well chosen, putting a sultry twist on otherwise conservative sheaths and shirtwaists.

Markarian’s Alexandra O’Neill brought childhood nostalgia into modern eveningwear, taking inspiration from classics like “Peter Rabbit,” “Winnie the Pooh” and “Little Red Riding Hood” for a range of embroidered dresses in a sunny and rich color palette. 

The look: Markarian’s pre-fall 2025 collection had an airy and upbeat spirit to it, with O’Neill using light fabrics, vibrant floral prints and romantic silhouettes that showcased her knack for making eveningwear unfussy and new. 

Quote of note: “For the season, I was thinking of childhood storybooks and fairy tales that I used to read when I was growing up. I’ve been especially thinking about that because my siblings are having children and I’ve been spending a lot of time with them. I’m just thinking of kind of how we grew up and all of the things that we loved, so you can see some gentle nods to it.”

Standout pieces: It wouldn’t be a Markarian collection without an intricately beaded dress. This season, O’Neill offered a champagne and yellow-sequined dress embellished with an orange lily motif that was unexpected, yet worked seamlessly. Other standouts were a bridal-inspired chiffon maxidress and slinky jersey dresses embellished with tulip motifs.

The takeaway: Markarian’s pre-fall collection showcased the designer’s ability to bring modern elements to classic eveningwear silhouettes and her knack for creating romantic styles.  

Extended time at her ranch in Wyoming led Lela Rose to embrace her inner frontierswoman, whipping humble fabrics and folksy details into cinematic party clothes.

The look: Leading lady in a old-Hollywood Western movie.

Quote of note: “Georgia O’Keeffe served as a massive inspiration this season,” said Rose. The artist may have been a reference for “alpenglow” prints and watercolor floral motifs, but the designer is her own best muse. “Living between Jackson Hole and New York, my perspective is evolving to be more pragmatic,” she continued. “Separates have been more and more of what I reach for, so we’ve designed more skirt silhouettes that I can pair back to a vintage belt, and pulled leather detailing into tops, skirts and dresses to balance an elevated look with a western undertone.” 

Standout pieces: Ruched peplum tops and matching bias-cut skirts in cactus floral prints; an alpenglow-inspired pin-tucked dress and draped skirt set; black-and-white cotton shirtdresses with integrated double belts and ruffled skirt sets, both with faux-leather piping; antique lace calf-length dresses with scalloped hems; sculpted petal bustier cocktails; empire-line evening gowns in crepe with 3D floral appliqué or watercolor jacquard with Lurex thread.

The takeaway: Rose pulled off the country trend for evening to great effect. In her hands, it doesn’t feel like a gimmick.

Focusing her attention back on construction, Marchesa designer Georgina Chapman showed sculptural dresses that are as beautiful to look at from the inside as the outside.

The Look: Modern red carpet with Edwardian touches. 

Quote of Note: “I visualized the quintessential Marchesa DNA, and really wanted to hone in on that for this collection,” said Chapman. “It’s sort of looking at our woman, looking at what she wants and making sure that we fully give her the romance.” But the Marchesa woman also wants comfort. “She doesn’t want to be thinking about the dress, pulling it up or what have you,” Chapman added, “so we always start with [the foundations] to make sure that it is functional and not something that she’s going to be wrestling with all evening. That would take away from the joy of what she’s doing.”

Standout Pieces: A misty grey tulle dance dress with crystal and feather embroidery; structured duchesse satin trumpets with ruffled hems and exposed corset lacing; Grecian draped tulle maxis with lace overlay; a wine-colored stretch satin gown with rosette shoulder details; a cowled bustier gown in gold lame.

The Takeaway: Without much in the way of prints or embellishment, Chapman’s tactful draping and va-va-voom silhouettes played the starring role.