Alexis Mabille believes that once all this is behind us, Paris will be one massive party.
When that happens, chances are the scene will be raging at Le Boeuf sur le Toit, the new reboot of a legendary watering hole frequented during the interwar years by Le Tout-Paris, including Jean Cocteau, Josephine Baker, Max Ernst, Gabrielle Chanel, and Christian Dior. Redecorated in the spirit of the Années Folles by Mabille himself, it’s expected to reopen in the fall but gets an advance preview here, as the setting for his look book.
Mabille fills out the scene with reworked iterations of his classics, for example a strapless gown in chestnut radzimir with diamanté cuff link–studded shirtsleeves wrapping the bust. A highlight in midnight blue and gold reprises in brocade a motif borrowed from an 18th-century aesthetic movement known as “Les Bizarres.” Mabille mounted the dress with the fabric inside out and added a lacy gold yoke to make it look more modern, and it worked. The designer also favored silk piqué for its structure and lightness, for example in a gold bustier gown, a corolla tuxedo dress, or a sapphire dress with a shirt collar, stretch bodice, and full skirt, which he calls not a shirtdress but a “sock dress.” A number in blue dévoré velvet reedited from a ’70s floral motif had the ease of a T-shirt, yet neatly channeled decadent Art Deco slink.
Over the past several seasons, Mabille has developed his business by personalizing his designs for various retailers such as Harrods, so this 16-look outing is just a hint of what will eventually materialize on shop floors—and perhaps dance floors—from Paris and London to Los Angeles and Seoul, South Korea.
