Spring 2015 Haute Couture: The Femme Fleurs of Alexis Mabille

Alexis Mabille continued his love affair with the femme-fleur for Spring 2015's Haute Couture season, finding inspiration in the French symbolist poet Albert Samain’s 1893 poem Au Jardin de l’Infante, which enthuses about “strange evenings when flowers have a soul.” The couturier interpreted his flowers structurally by creating a corolla-like white gazar collar around the shoulders of an elegant black sequined evening gown (the evening's piece de resistance) or overlapping fabrics to resemble tulip petals, but also sent out more literal interpretations in the form of giant, sparkling embroideries of poppies, pansies, peonies and camellias.

Bows and butterfly shapes could also be found in Mabille’s flower garden, which offered rich color hues of emerald green, fuschia and buttercup.

The overall silhouette was slender and extremely feminine, with volumes created by heavy capes.

While the couturier continued his use of delicate lace, dark-colored sequins adorning the entire length of his column gowns were a winsome look, providing the perfect celebratory note to the 10th anniversary of Mabille's couture house.