As you may know, fashion shows are occasionally obscure in their reasoning and impenetrable in their semiotics, but give Alexis Mabille credit : the opening tableau of this season's collection told you everything you needed to know. Four models in rolled white cargo pants, espadrilles, and printed tees stood side by side. The first's top read "ALEXIS M'HABILLE" (i.e. "Alexis dresses me", the verb pronounced just like his surname). The second : "ALEXIS ME DESHABILLE" ("Alexis undresses me"). And with that, the models whipped off shirts and dropped pants. Et voilà : Alexis Mabille's new underwear collection, created in collaboration with French underwear label Hom. Briefs are big business, so hard to blame Monsieur Mabille for branching out. Backstage, he noted that their entry-level price point would open up his brand to an entirely new clientèle. He mentioned that with his clothes -interior and exterior- he's always been interested in the inner workings and structures as much as the outer shows. The collection's nominal theme was "bain de soleil" ('sunbath') which accounts a bit for the disrobing (in some cases, shedding actual robes). Summer by the sea called for swimwear in addition to underwear; lightweight suiting pieces, a few with a brocade chain pattern snaking up the legs and around the waists; and numerous twists and turns on marinière stripes, from those peeking out from the lapels of a gray jersey peacoat to others adorning a cotton-knit poncho. The Mabille man will be a seasoned adventurer open to new discoveries, charming in classic cuts, jazzed up with unexpected fabrics such as inside-out cotton piqué, lacquered canvas and honeycombed jersey.
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