Alexis Mabille continues to frame his Resort offering as an eveningwear capsule, making the most of his penchant for panache. With this latest reprise, he considered all manner of preference, wearer, and occasion—youthful shirtdresses, formal coatdresses, wedding party dresses, corporate cocktail dresses—even if he didn’t label them as such. He landed on such an array of pink and peach tones after noticing the nuance of Picasso’s Rose Period paintings. But of course, pink is as much an Alexis Mabille signature as the bow (spot them seamlessly placed into the cap sleeves of a ’30s nightdress or more dramatically projecting from the neck of a dressy blouse).
Alongside thoughtful arrangements of broderie anglaise (the dimensional waves of it on a classic shirt being quite lovely) there were frothy sprays of birdcage netting and tulle blanketed in cherry blossom embroidery. There were also some interesting optional flourishes: a fringed belt or scarf that can be unbuttoned and detached for a more streamlined look. Other than the varsity jacket striped with Lurex that belonged in another collection, this lineup was reliably feminine, its timeless styles spanning soft to strong.
Mabille is never not thinking like a couturier whose chief objective is to make clothes that fit flawlessly, which explains why he gets excited about using a figure-flattering silk faille or perfecting a dress whose cape covers the upper arms but can also be swept back in cinematic style. “We can cheat here and there,” he said with an encouraging smile.
