Alexis Mabille called his couture collection “Mondaines,” a French word for charming social butterflies with a penchant for high-flying lifestyles, and for the flirty nocturnal activities that go with it. It can be loosely translated into “socialites,” but the French give the word a slightly naughtier undertone.
Nan Kempner, Bianca Jagger, Nico were the “Divine Mondaines” Mabille referenced—women coming from rather different milieux sharing “a similar sense of style and charisma, a zest for life très naturel, much like my friends or my clients do. This collection is rooted in real life,” he said backstage.
The défilé was held at Christie’s headquarters, whose white-walled rooms felt like a modern rendition of a classic salon de couture—a format a few designers are going back to this season. It nicely framed a collection that pivoted on the slender silhouettes of today, très à la mode. Mabille dug into his archives and dusted off his repertoire of masculine tuxedos, updated here in cropped hourglassy versions; the volumes of his robes papillon were far less billowy than usual; the flou construction of draped chiffon dresses was reinterpreted with toned-down flamboyance and a neat approach. A standout in this direction was a series of elongated column dresses in black crêpe cut close to the body, with plays of asymmetries revealing bare legs or framing the neckline for sensuality. Sparingly embellished, their lithe, svelte allure felt right for today.
