With the heat wave in Paris raising temperatures to boiling point, Alexis Mabille’s flower-themed show came as a welcome respite – if only for the eyes.
Fresh off dressing Beyoncé in a sculptural cape for her recent “Apeshit” video, the designer switched to a flirtier mood, bringing the freshness of a summer garden into his fall collection. His inspiration was an old Charles Trenet song, with its lyrics that begin with: “The heart of Paris is a flower.”
Kicking off with a trio of gowns in black or white Lyon lace, he loosened up with a swirling shirt dress in mauve and white pinstriped silk, its shoulders cut out for added ventilation. A sari-like one-shouldered kaftan in iridescent white radzimir was handpainted with watercolor blooms.
To contrast with the tent-like volumes, he showed variations on his signature shirt and tuxedo dresses in a spectrum of colors. Standouts included a satin shawl-collared wrap dress in a vibrant shade of purple, and a black crepe gown framed by a halo of ruffled tulle.
“I love to work on elegance and to create shapes on the body. This relationship we have in couture with the clients, it’s all about that: to make them beautiful,” said Mabille. Since not all women want to be as pretty as a flower, he also offered a sportier alternative: an olive-colored crepe hoodie dress. Green power, indeed.