It wasn t that long ago that the idea of a spring collection from furrier J. Mendel seemed indulgent, silly even. Who south of Saskatchewan really needs mink after March? What a difference a year makes. Gilles Mendel s front row was socialite city, and can t you just see them clamoring for his broadtail bolero vests? Ultraluxe pelts aside, there was plenty to love in this collection, starting with a smart little suit pieced together from panels of washed gold canvas and chiffon trim. As with most of his numbers, its edges were frayed; for all of Mendel s talents as a tailleur, he loves to deconstruct his fabrics.
At night, he really shined, but not in a predictable way. The sparkle of last season s bullion embroidery has been replaced with matte white beads or, more frequently, with an absence of ornamentation that let his sinuous silhouettes in barely-there face-powder shades take center stage. By this point in the season, the tiered evening column gown has already become familiar, but Mendel s hand-worked numbers, with their chevrons of chiffon, were in a category of their own.
