Alexis Mabille’s couture collection was champagne all the way—in the afternoon, in a bubble bath, and “like Marilyn,” as a section of the soundtrack went. In a piece of meta-theater, the designer staged his outing at the Lido—the iconic Paris venue he also recently redesigned—making him the first designer to show there and giving him ample room for showmanship. Clients turned up dressed to the nines and every guest had a front row seat for a spectacle complete with a surprise finale by Dita von Teese, swirling all but naked in a martini glass.
Logically enough, “Champagne” was the name Mabille chose for a collection high on embellishment, shine and fun. “We weren’t going to give into the ambient morosity,” the designer said backstage before the lights went up on a stage famed for a hydraulic floor fitted with waterworks. “We wanted to be playful and powerful, like when you throw an ice cube into a glass of champagne—it foams, it’s pretty, it’s dazzling, and it’s exciting.”
Mabille gamely played on different kinds of personality, moving from the easy swing of a shimmering sky-blue coatdress to an improbable sweep of feathers arced high above the shoulders on a leopard-print sequined gown. A towering, feathered panther headpiece was rustled up from the archives and paired with a black velvet sheath showered in silver sequins. A black “fountain” dress with a plunging neckline, in black jersey with mosaic embroidery, was inspired by the ones freshly reinstated in this Paris landmark.
Amid those statements were familiar shapes, like shirt dresses or a cardigan now fully embroidered in silver sequins and trimmed with ivory crepe and jeweled buttons. Not everything convinced: feats of corsetry aside, some of the billowing flourishes—a monumental black bow on one shoulder, for example—felt a bit out there for real life; the occasional pointed peel-down shoulders skewed a tad Malificent. But it was all in good fun. Mabille likes dressing confident characters, and there were plenty of options here to keep those women happy, on or off the red carpet. It was as strong a showing as the designer has made in recent memory, and as effervescent as the buckets of bubbly served at every table.
