Alexis Mabille

Channeling the flamboyance of Lacroix and the glamour of Galliano, the Paris-based designer Alexis Mabille became an instant star in 2008, when he dazzled the fashion world with his first collection. Since then it’s been a steady ascent for the 35-year-old designer, whose new boudoir-pink-and-black boutique on the rue de Grenelle is the perfect backdrop for his theatrically flirty, “unisex” clothes that sometimes sidle dangerously close to the edge of camp. That’s no big surprise from a designer whose emblem is the bow, both feminine and masculine, a signature embellishment he lavishly attaches to anything and everything.

With the new boutique, Mabille seems to have a fresh focus on elegance, especially in eveningwear. Some dresses and gowns dispense with the bells and whistles (but hang on to the bows) in favor of a purer line that more clearly reveals the technical expertise that goes into the clothes, no doubt a lesson learned during the designer’s nine years with Galliano at Dior before striking out on his own.

Fans of Mabille’s more flouncy styles will not be disappointed, though. There is fur, there are feathers—sometimes both—and plenty of sex appeal in the form of plunging necklines, for example: a floor-length crimson charmeuse shirtdress open to the navel, or a ruched minidress with black satin bows at the shoulders and bodice.

The new shop also offers jewelry—bows in gold, peacock feathers, you name it—along with accessories and scented candles. A second, chic little Mabille boutique, reserved solely for clothes in black and white, is found in the Galerie Vivienne covered passage.

11 rue de Grenelle, 7th, 01.42.22.15.29; and 34 Galerie Vivienne, 2nd, 01.49.27.05.02. www.alexismabille.com

Originally published in the December 2012 issue of France Today