Gilles Mendel designs his clothes with a glamorous agenda in mind, so the notion that there should be any hard and fast lines drawn between day and night is obsolete. That approach to dressing would have come naturally to model and actress Jean Shrimpton in her swinging ’60s heyday, and her infamous little white dress ended up on the J. Mendel mood board for Pre-Fall. With its fluttering chiffon sleeves and high, embellished neckline, his update on the look was surprisingly more covered-up than the original shift that Shrimpton wore to the Melbourne Derby back in 1965.
That said, Mendel understands the allure of skin more than most designers, and the standout dresses in the collection toed the line between revealing and elegant. His signature hand-pleating was put to good use on two floor-length soft pink gowns—one with a plunging V-neckline, the other with delicate, shoulder-baring spaghetti straps. Perhaps as important as their prettiness, though, was the practicality of these dresses: The supportive construction on the inside makes the most tricky red carpet conundrum (to wear a bra, or not to wear a bra?), that much easier to answer—undoubtedly a major selling point for the bright, young Hollywood things shopping for awards season right now.
Where evening gowns go, fur coats are sure to follow, at least in Mendel’s world. Along with more familiar transition pieces (knitted fox scarves, shearling biker jackets), the sheared mink parkas that he cut with graphic, Frank Stella–inspired florals are the kind of statement pieces that would make for a fashion moment at any given hour of the day.
