What: J. Mendel fall runway show.
Where: Cedar Lake Space during New York Fashion Week.
The look: A favorite of the Hollywood red carpet set, J. Mendel's Gilles Mendel offered plenty of slinky, shiny gowns with thigh-high slits and cut-outs at the bodice for starlets and their stylists to get excited about. In fact, Oliva Munn wore a J. Mendel green gown with cut-out bodice and micro-bugle calla lily embroidery straight off the runway to the chi-chi Vanity Fair party after the Oscars.
And for the woman who doesn't feel like wearing a gown but still wants to dress up, Mendel showed a nifty micro-bugle-beaded blouse with shiny Lurex trousers. Mixed it were lots of daytime separates, such as tomato red trousers and dresses with slashed hemlines, and the luxurious coats the brand is known for, like a two-tone crocodile trench and furs in eye-popping shades of blue, red and green.
The flowers: Several of the gowns, along with dresses, blouses and skirts, feature calla lily patterns in contrasting black and white, ruby and cobalt, or turquoise and blue colors. Mendel drew on the calla lily motif, citing its elements of strength, fragility and beauty, for the collection, which he said was inspired by Tamara de Lempicka’s graphic Art Deco paintings and Sheila Metzner’s soft-focus photographs. Both used calla lilies in their work.
The pattern showed up in both bold graphics and delicate embroidery on various gowns and other looks throughout the collection.
More than 3,00 black calla lilies served as the backdrop for the runway show, with a eggplant-hued calla lily on the seat of each guest.
Guests can sip sweet tea and shop Draper James’ latest collections during The Decade Tour.Photo courtesy of Draper James