Badgley Mischka’s Mark Badgley and James Mischka have created wedding gowns for just about every celebrity under the sun. We checked in with the dynamic duo at their Fall 2015 bridal show this weekend to get the dish on their A-list clientele.
theFashionSpot: Out of all your celebrity brides, is there one that stands out above the rest?
Mark Badgley: I loved working with Melissa Etheridge. It was different for us. We got to design two polar opposite looks. We did a white tuxedo for Melissa and a romantic, traditional gown for her fiancee. She’s so much fun to work with.
James Mischka: We also did Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith‘s wedding. We did her gown and his suit. He was shooting Enemy of the State at the time, and we flew down to the set in Baltimore.
MB: They were so fun and easy. The only thing that was a pain was that we had to miss Christmas Eve. We were both sewing because they needed the outfits on Christmas Day, so we didn’t go home for the holidays that year. We sat at the sewing machines until 2:00 a.m. It was stressful!
tFS: What gown has taken you the longest to make?
JM: We’ve had several celebrities who’ve gone back and forth with their gown. What happens is that you start off with an idea of theirs and you make the dress. When it doesn’t work, you have to make the dress twice. That takes the longest. I’m not going to say who!
tFS: When you hear celebrities are engaged, do you approach them or wait until they call you?
MB: It works in all different ways. If we know their stylist, sometimes our team will reach out to them. Usually they do their homework first and know what’s out there. They might say, “Can you pull look 28, 39 and 13 and keep those in mind for us and not let anyone else have them?”
tFS: You recently dressed Lauren Conrad for her nuptials. What was that process like?
JM: She was a doll to work with. We started to work with her a long time ago, but it was top secret. We were on lockdown.
MB: She was great because she wasn’t nervous and she knew what she wanted to look like. She wasn’t all over the place. She was confident, and never really swayed much.
tFS: Was there anything about the dress that you disagreed on?
JM: She wasn’t a fan of beading. So, we had to gently convince her that if we made the dress look rained on, it would look great in pictures.
MB: It sort of twinkled, and worked out really well.
tFS: What do you wish you would have known before you designed your first bridal collection?
MB: It’s incredible that even the most funky, edgy bride usually likes to look pretty classic for their wedding. We learned that silhouettes don’t have to be tricky. They want simple, gorgeous lines, great fabric and beautiful beading.
JM: The girl that thinks she wants a beaded motorcycle jacket will end up wearing the princess gown.
