Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Alexis Mabille AW 2011 at PFW - Review


Alexis Mabille chose the lovely Maison de la Chimie for his AW 2011 ready-to-wear collection presented at Paris Fashion Week. Like so many other designers, Alexis Mabille had a strong 70's presence in his collection. In fact, 'presence' would be an understatement in this case. 

Amongst other things, one of the strong points of the collection was the use of texture. There was a good mix of fabrics which was complemented by clever layering. Some of the pieces were quite complex with a lot of detailing and interesting cuts whilst the shapes were feminine and true to the 70's.

Whilst the collection had some very strong pieces, it didn't quite hit the spot for me. It would seem that Alexis took the retro feel a bit too far as the pieces were very much 70's as opposed to 70's inspired. Although the colour palette was every bit autumn/winter appropriate, some of the colours, especially the ones in deep shades of brown, took away the youthfulness and lightness of the clothes. 

The main theme of the collection was a bit hard to follow as it veered from retro… to what at times made me think of 'eastern europe does boho'… to almost folky… and then back to beautiful flowy dresses. 

Another let down was the models, who not only tripped on a number of occasions but actually tumbled down Naomi-style. It is unfortunate and it happens but it sure does take away from the intensity of the show, as every show is a spectacle, a performance.

I do not think Alexis found 'the edge' so to say with this collection but I very much believe that all the ingredients are already there and he just needs to find a way to make them work.. which he will no doubt do in his future collections.


Here is a little slideshow (all photos and editing by me): 


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