Alexis Mabille hinted at the iconography of the femme fleur in his couture collection—a reference that could sound a bit trite and cliché today, as women don’t live lives of perfection, botanical or otherwise. But in the French couture, dreaming still reigns supreme. “I was actually thinking about the beauty of blooming again after the hardships we’ve been through,” he said on a Zoom call from his atelier. “Under the circumstances, women haven’t been given the chance of enjoying glamour and looking their most sensational selves. I was thinking of a spirit of renaissance, of blooming again to a joyful life.”
Mabille said that for him couture is a space of experimentation, a sort of playground where he can indulge his creativity. “Couture isn’t only a dream, but the panache of savoir faire which gives you the tools to go further, to master detailings and fabrications, giving shape to incredible architectural volumes,” he said. “As a créateur, in couture you can give yourself the pleasure of being selfish, as you aren’t burdened by marketing worries. The more exceptional a piece is, the more chances it has that a client will fall in love with it. Couture is a rather emotional experience—obviously, if you have the means to afford these emotions.”
Mabille’s idea of the femme fleur was translated quite literally, yet beautifully, in a series of sculptural silhouettes, including an empire-waisted gown featuring flower bouquets blooming on its décolletage and a golden lurex tuxedo with a hood in the shape of a rosebud. Elsewhere, pouf sleeves were filled like crystal vases with silicone tulips. “They look and feel so real to the touch, it’s almost disturbing,” he joked.
The designer’s “borderline sense of color,” as he called it, was let loose in a series of spectacular millefeuille tulle capes. Gradient-hued in tones of amaryllis red, wisteria, and Pierre de Ronsard pink, they indeed looked like psychedelic, crazy blooms. “I wanted a flattering feel of sensuality, excitement, fun,” said Mabille. “Couture for me has to exude an ésprit ludique.”
