Alexis Mabille is a designer who likes to play with the idioms of French style. This season, he took on one of the bête noires of non-natives seeking to ape Parisian chic: the scarf. The most vivid looks in Mabille's new collection paid homage to those devilish fabric squares, with squared-off silk scarf dresses, bandanna prints, and details such as ties on blouse sleeves that mimicked the insouciant knotting of a neckerchief. There were other recurring motifs, such as the lacing that embellished quilted sweatshirts and kicky minis, and Mabille showed some suave tailoring, notably his long-limbed trousers with stripes of lace running down the leg. The looks here with the most immediate appeal, however, were the ones in which the lace took center stage: The designer's short lace dresses and skirts had a winning sporty attitude, and his lace turtlenecks made for distinctive layering pieces. All in all, the collection didn't offer any particularly strong propositions, but it did sell you on its carefree, summery vibe.
