Cocktail Attire For The Cool Set
Why the stylish, young and savvy choose Markarian for evenings out—and Instagram.
by Tatiana Hambro
You have an event coming up. It could be your friend’s wedding in England, or your boyfriend’s friend’s wedding in Positano. Maybe it’s the charity lunch your mother organizes on the Upper East Side. Or the trendy art party you attend every year. Or a big New Year’s Eve bash. Whatever it is, the bottom line is this: you need a new dress. One that’s formal-ish, modern and, above all else, has enough wow factor that means you're actually willing to invest in something new.
But where to find it?
Such is the sartorial dilemma all too familiar to women in their twenties and thirties. Alexandra O’Neill, 32, was one of them. She founded her luxury eveningwear label Markarian in 2017 because she was "looking for something that was beautiful, well-made, flattering and exciting to wear—something that not everyone else had."
“Ali”, as she’s known to friends, now creates what she and her circle of sophisticated young New Yorkers were desperately looking for, but could never find: “Every piece in the collection is something that I would wear or that I felt was lacking in my wardrobe". Almost overnight, Markarian achieved buzz-worthy status. Moda Operandi picked it up for a trunkshow and Vogue.com ran pictures of Emma Roberts and Emily Ratajkowski in the embellished slip dresses from the debut collection.
