By naming his autumn-winter collection ‘Society’, Alexis Mabille gave a nod to today’s café society, a society that is constantly traveling the world and can at any moment be confronted with an invitation to a gala or a last-minute charity benefit. That customer needs a dress in her back pocket, so to speak, and that is where Mabille’s evening capsule comes in.
Drawing on details from certain couture numbers, the designer here presented eveningwear that he described as sartorial BFFs, for example a dress in double-sided stretch satin that is “more sportswear, even if it’s not sportswear at all.” The idea, he said, is to bring a little freshness and spontaneity to the fancy dress. For example, instead of pre-intensive corsets, he thinks it’s more modern to use luxurious materials like radzimir, silk piqué or satin for easy one-and-done pieces, like his signature shirt dresses, a little black A-line dress tied simply with two tie straps at the back, or a simple evening sheath with asymmetrical neckline, in black crepe.
The line-up included some new additions to Mabille’s usual palette, for example a strapless sheath dress with a draped neckline in a rich, warm brick shade, which he also used for a long shirt dress with diamond buttons that could be worn with a belt or open become. as an evening coat. Another twist was his use of passementerie, for example as a choker that somehow managed to skew couture and tattoo at the same time. That little accessory was made by the same atelier that worked with Yves Saint Laurent in the 1980s, the designer explains. He also worked with them to create a belt inspired by the frogging that was so popular during Napoleon’s time. That Mabille, with his arsenal of culture, continues to find ways to keep such crafts relevant – and in an increasingly crowded field – puts him in a class of his own.
