What do you think of when you hear J. Mendel...champagne...preview of the Fall/Winter Collection...? Well, when I received an invitation from a friend, my first thoughts were of young NY socialites (and free champagne). At this point, can I just say, false advertising? The Chicago store (in the picture on the right) is...size 0 small and filled with fur, wool trimmed with fur, and $700 belts. Tonight it was also filled with about 60 people...and waiters with trays of cocktails and bizzare hors d'oeuvres (pea puree anyone?)...and...

There was a beautiful, boiled wool, fitted coatdress with mink puffed sleeves that I loved...but both fiscally and realistically was out of my reach. There were some beaded dresses and geometric furs that had a 30's veneer. But in the end, the impression that I got was of a store that had an older clientelle and stocked pieces for its customer base. Which is wonderful if that fits your profile but is definitely not for me.