For Spring, Alexis Mabille said he was thinking more generally and inclusively than in prior seasons during which he crafted a defined narrative for each of his collections. His words of choice today were “sensuality” and “combining eveningwear with daywear.” That kind of broad-stroke inspiration can essentially mean anything; what he sent out was an array of separates and dresses, widely informed by a palette of primary colors. In terms of specific associations, the whole collection felt like taking a drag through an ultralight, seventies-era California filter.
The lineup had hits and misses. Mabille is a proven dressmaker, and there were a number of frocks that felt fancy but fresh for waking hours, like a chambray coat dress trimmed in broderie anglaise lace or a black-and-white cotton tunic, also embroidered with broderie anglaise. His best was a shirt dress in white taffeta with trendy ruffling at the neckline. The use of red, yellow, and blue stripes on a handkerchief top was also chic.
One got the sense, though, that if Mabille tempered his flashier impulses, this presentation would have been stronger. Tops with “Alexis” spelled out at the shoulder were too full-on, and styling each look with crystal-embellished sneakers seemed incongruous. The key to his success today was in lightness and cleanliness, foremost.
