At Lincoln Center, Vogue100 Celebrated House of Gilles and the New York City Ballet

Chloe Mendel, Vogue's Lilah Ramzi, and Gilles Mendel. Photographed by Ryan Sides

Thursday afternoon, on the eve of New York Fashion Week, Vogue100 celebrated the intersection between fashion and the performing arts. At the iconic Lincoln Center, philanthropists and tastemakers flocked to fȇte the debut of the second collection for House of Gilles, a couture atelier founded by Gilles and Chloe Mendel. The man behind his own ready-to-wear label, J.Mendel, Gilles spent decades draping First Ladies and movie stars his elegant creations. The father-daughter duo is based in midtown Manhattan and offers an American answer to French couture. The exceptional gowns, displayed on mannequins around the Stanley H. Kaplan penthouse, combined classicism, form, and creativity.

The mixture of tradition and daring also characterizes the spirit of the New York City Ballet. This autumn, at the twelfth annual Fall Fashion Gala, the company will debut a new work by Caili Quan with costumes by House of Gilles. This year marks Mendel s third collaboration with the company, an initiative dreamt up by vice chair and Vogue cover star, Sarah Jessica Parker.

Vogue’s Lilah Ramzi, a dance connoisseur as well as a fashion historian, acted as the day’s hostess. Known for her love of classic silhouettes, Ramzi looked at home among House of Gilles’ graceful creations. After enjoying glasses of Champagne and surveying the collection, guests went to the sixth floor to watch a private rehearsal of Quan’s performance.

Following welcome remarks from the NYCB s executive director, Kathy Brown, guests watched as the young dancers worked step by step through the acts. After various teaching moments, viewers glimpsed the rigor and detail that goes into creating the illusion of ease on stage. As a special preview, some of the dancers debuted the first iterations of the House of Gilles skirts and corsets to get used to the restriction. Unusually, even the male dancers will be corseted—Mendel cited Mr. Pearl and his famed 18-inch waist as an inspiration.

When they returned from the studio, guests were wowed by the space, which transformed from a moody, museum-like atmosphere to a shining, light-filled prism. The view of New York s skyline, bathed by the fading sun, is shown through the colossal windows.

Gilles was delayed as he needed to attend to some of the dancers’ skirts. Upon the designer’s return, Ramzi sat down with the duo for a wide-ranging conversation on the ballet, their company, and the future of dressing.“When you get to work with talented people,” Chloe said. “It encourages you to push boundaries yourself.”

A dedication to celebrating beauty seems genetic for the Mendel clan, from designing Chloe’s wedding custom dress to creating a sophomore collection together. “In a way, I am kind of an artisan,” Gilles said. “My dad was an artisan, my grandfather was an artisan. They were people who worked with their hands and taught you the inside of a garment is as beautiful as the outside. I have a certain pride in the making and I think I transmitted that to Chloe.”