Alexis Mabille is a designer who likes to play with the idioms of French style. This season, he took on one of the bête noires of non-natives seeking to ape Parisian chic: the scarf. The most vivid looks in Mabille s new collection paid homage to those devilish fabric squares, with squared-off silk scarf dresses, bandanna prints, and details such as ties on blouse sleeves that mimicked the insouciant knotting of a neckerchief. There were other recurring motifs, such as the lacing that embellished quilted sweatshirts and kicky minis, and Mabille showed some suave tailoring, notably his long-limbed trousers with stripes of lace running down the leg. The looks here with the most immediate appeal, however, were the ones in which the lace took center stage: The designer s short lace dresses and skirts had a winning sporty attitude, and his lace turtlenecks made for distinctive layering pieces. All in all, the collection didn t offer any particularly strong propositions, but it did sell you on its carefree, summery vibe.
