Alexis Mabille Fall 2026 Couture: Double Trouble

by · WWD
Alexis Mabille Fall 2026 Couture Collection at Paris Couture WeekCourtesy of Alexis Mabille

After presenting an AI-based collection on screen in January, Alexis Mabille delivered a double-whammy with a fall lineup of reversible silhouettes that morphed in front of the observer on the runway. “In couture, you have different customers that connect with the same design, so you will have someone who loves something opulent and someone who is more minimal falling in love with the same dress, and I wanted to tell that story,” the designer said backstage. “I wanted to show that color and the interpretation of materials completely changes the mindset of a collection.”

The show opened with all the models parading in mostly black gowns, coats and capes with differing proportions, some seeming like sculptures that surrounded the body, others with sparkling hints of what was to follow peeping out from between their hems. Then two dressers appeared, and the models reemerged one by one to undergo their transformation.

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A wrapped chasuble dress in reverse was ashimmer with silver, and a square-shouldered sheath became a drape-fronted doppelgänger in gold lamé. When the complexity of the designs allowed it, the models themselves revealed the subterfuge: a flowing coat opened onto a fully sequined and embroidered lining with a geometric pattern and a fitted dress to match, and a short shift with a cowl neck detached from the shoulders to become a long frock covered in silvery blue sequins. Bias binding and horsehair, normally hidden, became graphic design details on the more elaborate version of each design. “All of the details serve as structure for the minimalist version, it’s about duality,” Mabille said.

The most spectacular transformations included a bias-cut satin dress that hid a mustard silk number with black and gold lace trompe-l’oeil details and ruffles at the hips, or a full-skirted design that, turned inside out, transformed into an explosion of white tulle ruffles with black lace incrustation details.

Often famed for his skillful hand with old-world couture and classic silhouettes, Mabille showed that he is not afraid of shaking up the status quo.