"Graphic surgery" was Alexis Mabille s apt tag for the geometric, color-blocking games he played for Spring. Vertically splicing bi-colored looks from the models middle-parted hair down to their mismatched shoes—an outfit might be shocking pink on one side, black on the other—the collection was a departure for a young designer more known for bows and dressy, delicate lace. Is he, too, feeling the Celine-led urge to pare back? "Well, I don t know," he said. "I was looking at Cubist and Suprematist art, and Calder. But, yes, I wanted something cleaner, with less embroideries."
The geometric theme gave Mabille a chance to train the eye on his skillful way with cutting, piecing, and jigsawing fabric into tailored pantsuits and coats, supple skating dresses, and a plethora of eveningwear. His bows haven t gone entirely missing—they turned up as a side-tied sash on a narrow pantsuit and formed a frill on a neckline, and also appeared as fat, lush sequined bags. But the problem was that plethora. The economy Mabille applied to line and cut didn t extend to the show s edit. Halfway through, he meandered onto different subjects: black pailletted halter dresses with white collars, a skinny black sweater with a sweeping skirt, silk sailor tops with a minute raw edge. They were all great, but this is a talent who still has to learn that, in terms of putting on an attention-grabbing show, less can be more—especially when that s the technical idea he set out with.
