Fruit salad colours are served for Alexis Mabille’s sports-luxe SS16 collection.

Watermelon

The colour palette for the couturier’s collection this season was based on the greens, pinks and reds of his central print – graphic repeat watermelons. There was no doubting that this, then, was a collection designed for the cosmopolitan summer woman – with paper-bag-cum-obi-belt high waisted palazzos in a pin-prick sports luxe fabric slit to the thigh, or a silky bikini pyjama short combo covered in watermelon slices… When you got it – flaunt it! If you’re looking for seasonal brights then look no further. Erring on the garish side, some of Mabille’s pieces were workable, and others would stop traffic (although who says that’s a bad thing?).

Updated Princess

The more commercial shows in Paris always seem to somewhat stereotype the female body into an expected role. At Mabille the focus was ‘the princess’, or perhaps ‘the princess… on holiday!’. Huge swathes of fabric were cinched at the waist and kicked out and out and out into huge gown like skirts, of course still slit to the thigh. These, in white and coral, were pleasing to the eye and the fabric swished and swayed so beautifully; short shirt dresses flitted out at the hem too – with ruching at the hip. Yes, a lot of the offering was beautiful – but the collection was incredibly linear in its options for how to dress if you’re a woman: skimpy, pinky, sexy. Ultimately sellable, politically stagnant. This felt unusual from the designer, whose previous fall collection felt much more considered.

Photographer: Thurstan Redding

Words: Tom Rasmussen