Ever since Alexis Mabille shifted his ready-to-wear strategy by proposing his dressier looks during the pre-collections and dialing down the drama for the main seasons, he seems to have found the focus that eluded him for some time. This latest offering consists of 18 outfits that speak to a rarefied lifestyle in Saint-Tropez, Miami, and California—from terrace lunches to gala soirées. Certainly, for many of us, a trench coat–inspired full skirt or a fitted gown with sprays of plumetis hardly qualifies as everyday attire. But Mabille knows his clients, and knows to leave the denim and streetwear to others. What factors into his designs are considerations of a privileged sort: whether a maxi skirt will fold up into a suitcase (instead of needing to be sent by airmail) and how to give a mermaid gown a fun new twist (make it in a stretchy brocade used for swimsuits).
The designer says he often works with retailers, both physical boutiques and online, to modify the pieces precisely to their requests. But he also conceives many pieces as multifunctional so that his well-heeled women can style them as they wish—see the elongated perfecto that does double duty as a dress and a dress with a removable striped plastron. And then there were pieces such as a shirtdress bordered in beautiful broderie anglaise that will require no effort aside from the right shoe.
When Mabille talks about his materials and silhouettes, he uses the language of an old guard couturier, which counts for something today when so many designers are more proficient as stylists. Yet he also understands the power of Instagram bait, and revived his kissing cat dress for its second life within this collection. Showing it in white instead of the original black, he pointed out its playful potential as a bridal dress. Presumably, the partner would be a cat person too.
