It seems that Gilles Mendel was feeling nostalgic about the past. “The Jazz Age is always so inspiring to me,” he said. “It was the first time women had a certain freedom. It was a very exciting moment in time, though it was not without its problems — a bit like today.” Mendel channeled actresses of the Golden Era such as Katharine Hepburn and Lauren Bacall, and referenced the works of French artist Francis Picabia, integrating a graphic undercurrent in the cuts and surfaces. “I was looking into a lot of Cubist paintings, and they steered me into more graphic patterns, and away from the floral motifs I have used in the past,” he explained.
Dresses came in all sorts of glamorous styles. Standouts included flapper styles in apricot or soft teal burnout velvet; long ruffled column gowns; hand-pleated dresses, and a great black silk jacquard fringe lame.
Meanwhile, the designer took the same luxurious approach for daywear: Blouses were sequined; a lace coat was mounted in pink fur; a great white crepe dress featured a flared hem; and a “seasonless” fur stole and pants were fitted at the waist and extra wide. “We must give our customers pieces that are timeless, that she will have forever, and hopefully pass onto her daughters,” Mendel said.