When Alexandra O'Neill, the founder and designer behind the NYC-based fashion line Markarian (she dressed former First Lady Jill Biden for her husband's inauguration in 2021, among other accomplishments), picks up her video call, she’s coming live from South Africa—and tells me that a hyena just ran by. “We're sitting at the lodge right now, and they have a really beautiful watering hole right here that all the animals come to,” she says, promising she'll alert me to any more wildlife sightings.
O'Neill's partner lives in South Africa, so she visits the country often, but that doesn't mean she's become immune to its beauty. “Each visit is always really special,” she says. That’s also how most people would describe her designs, which are often blooming with floral prints and intricate embroidery.
O’Neill founded her line in 2017 and all of the clothing is still made right in New York City. This means she has easy access to fabric swatches to use as linens when she's creating opulent tablescapes when hosting events, something she loves to do.
Below, read our conversation about crafting the perfect holiday table and the seasonal drink O'Neill always brings to the party.
Bon Appétit: You must be a person that likes decorating and hosting for the holidays. How do you incorporate your design sensibilities into your holiday decorating?
**Alexandra O'Neill: **I love it. I mean, I think it's the fact that I love dressing up so much that really kind of gets me in the mood. Decorating your house for the holidays is kind of the best way to get into the festive spirit. So I always like to do something a little bit special—I love a garland over the fireplace. I love tying ribbons into things and putting different flowers around.
In the photos I've seen of tables you've designed, the aesthetic feels so unique to you. How can people bring their own personalities into gatherings over the holidays?
Similar to what I do with Markarian, I like to layer prints on top of each other. So much of the collection is based off of prints and fabrics and embroidery and design. So I kind of approach the table that way with all these different layers. I like mixing different prints together, but obviously there has to be a common thread, so it all looks nice. You can pull different elements from the prints too, so you have the pop of color.
For a dinner at the Mayflower Inn and Spa, I did pops of red with the amaryllis, which tied back to the place tags. Then we made custom little Christmas tree ornaments.
Do you have a favorite host gift you like to bring when you’re going to a dinner party?
For my recent collaboration with Woodford Reserve bourbon, I wanted to create the perfect hostess gift or host gift—a bottle you'd be excited to display it in your home. It's beautiful enough to have out on your shelf and it feels festive—you're just dying to break that bottle open and share it with your closest family and friends. It really sets the mood for the holidays, I think.
Tell me about designing this bottle. Did you go about it differently than how you think of a pattern for a piece of clothing?
I actually approached it in a similar way to designing a dress or designing a print for a dress. Basically, at the end of the day, we're putting clothing on this bottle, right? So I wanted it to feel appropriate for Woodford, but I also wanted it to feel appropriate and look like something that would be Markarian.
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