J. Mendel Fall 2012

J. Mendel showed an elegant Fall 2012 collection, where the beauty was all in the details. Designer Gilles Mendel cited a memory of his mother's Courrèges boucle suit: "the first time she opened it, I was about age 14, and seeing the flash of the metallic lining shining from under the black, it was stunning and surprising, even then. That peek-a-boo effect . . . [is] alive in this collection." That translated into dresses with crescent cutouts, peplum tops, crocodile trim on fur jackets, and chiffon evening gowns embellished with embroidery. Mendel lined a black jacket in metallic gold, and combined multiple furs for a degrade effect on his outerwear. The collection was completely, utterly luxurious, and we look forward to seeing the gowns on the red carpet, while we expect to see the furs on front-row attendees Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen.