3 Red Carpet Trends a Designer Showroom Owner Says Will Dominate in 2023.

As an editor, I’ve been to so many showrooms I can’t even count them all. But walking into Janet Mandell‘s showroom in New York City is a whole new kind of experience. Mandell first got on my radar after I noticed she was tagged in look after look worn by celebrities dressed in vintage designer pieces that you can’t just walk into a store and buy. Mandell was credited for sourcing archival looks such as a Gianni Versace Couture 1991 top worn by Keke Palmer and Shania Twain’s vintage Chanel set for the CMT Awards. I just knew I had to check out this showroom for myself.

Once you arrive at Mandell’s showroom, you are greeted with racks and racks of designer dresses organized by hem length and color. Vintage archival pieces are everywhere, and there’s a wall of accessories that almost made me cry. (Sometimes, vintage Chanel has that effect on me.) It was like my dream wardrobe. I was seeing a Jean Paul Gaultier dress I was in love with one minute and then would be completely distracted by a Saint Laurent dress I remembered melting over as it came down the runway a few years ago. I was curious about Mandell before, but after checking out her showroom, I was waiting on the edge of my seat to know about her sourcing process, the iconic red carpet looks she and her team played a role in, and runway trends she’s predicting will dominate the 2024 award season.

I tapped Mandell for answers to all of these questions and a few more. Keep scrolling to read our conversation.

What photo shoot or red carpet look that you were a part of stands out to you as most iconic?