In a lot of ways, Alexis Mabille is a very French designer. His pre-collections tend to include tweaks on familiar French staples, like the tuxedo, the trenchcoat, and the men’s shirt, but Mabille is also interested in the offhand way Parisiennes wear them. (Think of the French girl cliché, and a woman in jeans, her boyfriend’s button-down, and messy hair probably springs to mind.) The Mabille twist often comes down to unlikely combinations and fabrics: See Pre-Fall’s simple blouses with mink-trimmed cuffs or the razor-sharp suit in a lush floral jacquard. Whipping up casual pieces in fancy fabrics has become one of Mabille’s signatures; similarly, he has been experimenting with less-fancy gowns, like a pink taffeta number that mimicked a men’s shirt wrapped around the bust. A member of his team reported that it has been a best-seller; we’d bet the steel-blue gown with off-the-shoulder bows will be popular, as well.
Mabille’s customers will be happy to see more of his usual flou here, from lacy blouses to joyous tulle frocks. But the tailoring was more memorable, like the close-fitting jacket with flared sleeves that you could open or close with gold buttons. He interpreted the idea for a gown, too: It came in a black body-sculpting fabric with a thigh-high slit and long, button-trimmed sleeves. It was at once sleek, demure, and sexy—a winning new combination for the designer.
