Stacey Bendet, about to pop with her second child, modeled Fall s girl on a modern-day Auntie Mame. The concept, that is, and not the clothes—it was Mame s eclecticism, Bendet was careful to point out, and not necessarily her fab dressing gowns that inspired this season s collection. But there was an unmistakable flapper-era vibe to the presentation. Set in a gilded entry hall at the Plaza hotel, it included a live performance by the burlesque dancer Hazel Honeysuckle.
Before the crowds descended, Bendet said she d been focusing on pants and experimenting with knits: "I wanted more separates, not just dresses," she explained. And while there were a few nice examples of trousers and tops—a pair of chocolate brown high-waisted cords worn with an open knit cardigan and a fur-trimmed blazer, for example—it was the dresses that really called for attention. Shiny with sequins or sheer with lace, they were party-ready. If they were a bit too costume-party-ready, a change of venue and a few styling tweaks—a simpler shoe here, one less strand of pearls there—should help lessen the shtick factor.
