His new haute couture spring-summer 2016 collection Alexis Mabille presented in gilded decors of Hotel d’Evreux, overlooking the Place Vendome. The top Parisian mannequins of the “old guard”, all longtime friends of the designer, strolled through the halls, demonstrating to a tired, after a whole day of defilé (the show was held late in the evening), public a quintessence of female evening gowns aesthetics.
«Timeless Beauties», the title of the show chosen by Mabille, includes looks, which, in his opinion, were and will always remain in vogue. It’s a matter of style rather than fashion.
Carmen Kass opened the show in a snow-white tuxedo dress, trimmed at the hem with ostrich feathers. Together with the look #7 – a long bustier-tuxedo of black crepe – and the look #10 – a black and white spencer dress with slit sleeves – are enough to accomplish the task of entering the eternity of couture.
Within the variations of LBD (little black dress) – another “must have” of a fashionable young lady, making a bet on the style – the most successful, in my opinion, is a bustier dress with black silk embroidery and “rounded neckline’’ décolleté in white radzimir (look #4) – the most “classical” yet timeless of the presented models. Laced mini cocktail dress (look #2) would perfectly suit a party of in Carine Roitfeld’s: for the dark time of the day and put on for certain purposes – a way too much transparency for an common mortal girl with no age, to which the author modestly classifies herself.
Gentle negligee à la Ulyana Sergeenko (#28) would not necessary enter the eternity, but will certainly pleased some of red carpets stars, who decided to deviate the established monopoly of Lebanese-Italian designers.
In the end, the most important in the work of haute couture designer is inspiration, and judging by the abundance of muses-friends dressed by Alexis Mabille, the fashion designer has no shortage of it.
Photo credits: Alexis Mabille / Dominique Maitre