Jane Birkin may not be French, but you’d be hard-pressed to name a woman more synonymous with “French girl style.” The fact that Alexis Mabille, a French designer known for haute couture gowns, would cast the tomboyish Birkin as his Pre-Fall muse further speaks to her pseudo-Parisian allure. To wit, the best looks in his new collection were the ones that nixed the bells and whistles in favor of a subtler, more Birkin-esque femininity. A trim peacoat was paired with silk pajama pants and sneakers, while a navy sweatshirt studded with nautical gold buttons was tucked into a chambray skirt. “Simple” may not be Mabille’s thing, but those quieter items were easily the most desirable. He could have done without the sailor-style skinny jeans—better to leave jeans to the experts; elsewhere skirts and dresses with stiff ruffles felt dated, not insouciant.
Mabille’s pre-collections usually focus on daywear, but a sequined tuxedo (styled with Converse) was a cool twist on his nighttime signatures. He also introduced a new capsule of evening gowns, which sit somewhere in between couture and ready-to-wear; lower price points and few embellishments should attract a wider range of customers. A drop-waist lace gown in sherbet shades of lilac, blush, and coral stood out, but it’s the pool-blue sequined dress that we’ll see first on the red carpet; Mabille often dresses the girls behind the French duo Brigitte, and sequins are their trademark.
