Dresses are Markarian's whole reason for being, built on the celestial, slightly theatrical romance O'Neill has leaned on since the brand's earliest seasons. The made-to-order model means fit and embellishment get treated as conversations rather than fixed specs, a habit left over from the label's private-client roots. It is also the category that got the brand its most famous credit: Dr. Jill Biden wore a custom Markarian dress and coat to the 2021 inauguration.

Beyond the dresses, Markarian's Garment District production shows up in separates and finishing pieces that carry the same beading and embroidery habits by hand. O'Neill has spoken often about keeping work inside New York's shrinking garment center rather than sending it overseas, and these pieces are where that commitment is easiest to see up close. It rounds out a label still built primarily around eveningwear.

Markarian's pitch is unusually specific for a young house: made to order, made in New York, made for occasions that matter to the person wearing it. That focus is also a limit, since the label is still mostly a special-occasion brand rather than an everyday one. But for what it sets out to do, dressing a very online, camera-ready New York client, it is doing it with more actual craft behind it than the celestial branding might suggest.