Resort collections don’t arrive in stores until October or November, but Alexis Mabille had spring on the brain. Of course, the women who buy these clothes for holiday vacations are likely to keep wearing them into the warmer months, too. Mabille focused much of his attention on spring’s fresh flowers, developing giant pansy prints, daisy embroideries, and a lovely floral cotton eyelet. On their own, the slip dresses, shirting, and handkerchief skirts had a girlish, youthful appeal, but layering was key in this collection. For instance, in one look, a floral skirt was layered over matching pants, and in another, a floral skirt was tossed over a lace-trimmed slip dress, which was layered over a white T-shirt. Mabille has never been a minimalist, and while those layers encouraged creativity and a throw-on-and-go ease, it might be difficult for women without a stylist at the ready to pull it off in real life.
As for the evening looks, which were part of Mabille’s relatively new capsule of ready-to-wear gowns with couture flourishes, the fabrications and details were the same. Dresses in bright, eye-catching shades of yellow and nail-polish red—including one in the pansy print—would stand out at a high-wattage gala, but the ones in crisp cotton weren’t so successful; they felt a bit stiff and shapeless, and they could have done without the big crystal buttons.
