By calling his Fall-Winter collection “Society,” Alexis Mabille said he was giving a nod to today’s café society, one that travels the world constantly and might at any minute be confronted with an invitation to a gala or last-minute charity benefit. That customer needs a dress in her back pocket, so to speak, which is where Mabille’s evening capsule comes in.
Picking up on details from certain couture numbers, the designer here presented eveningwear that he described as sartorial BFFs, for example a gown in double-faced stretch satin that’s “more sportswear, even if it’s not sportswear at all.” The idea, he said, is to bring a little freshness and spontaneity to dressing up. In lieu of pre-intensive corsetry, for example, he finds it more modern to use luxe materials like radzimir, silk piqué or satin for easygoing one-and-dones, like his signature shirtdresses, a little black A-line dress fastened simply with two ties in the back, or a simple evening sheath with an asymmetrical neckline, in black crêpe.
The lineup included some new additions to Mabille’s usual palette, for example a strapless sheath dress with a draped décolleté in a rich, warm shade of brick, which he also used for a long shirtdress with diamanté buttons that might be worn either belted or open, like 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 done by the same atelier that used to work with Yves Saint Laurent in the 1980s, the designer explained. He also worked with them to create a belt informed by the frogging that was all the rage in Napoleon’s time. That Mabille, with his arsenal of culture, keeps finding ways to keep such crafts relevant—and in an increasingly crowded field—puts him in a class of his own.