Gilles Mendel read the poem "Ma Sirène," by surrealist Robert Desnos, while designing Resort. "That blue siren, that beautiful woman underwater…that's what I was thinking about," he said. So yes, there were sea-blue dresses, and even a goat-fur trench in that color. But that was as far as the obvious references went.
Sheer organza was used prominently—although often as a backing, peeking through a white cotton boatneck dress or a blush fur peplum vest. And Mendel took the liberty of playing with stripes, something he has avoided in the past because they are not easily draped. "I decided to forget what they were supposed to look like and see how it came out," he said. The experiment worked. Cut on the bias and jutting out at different angles, the striped dresses were both dramatic and flattering.
But the number that really popped was a short white organza frock, featuring a barely there iridescent print and sheer black panels at the hem and neckline—worthy of a bewitching siren.
