Élie Saab, the undisputed king of oriental elegance was showing his collection on the last day of Paris Fashion Week. It seems like the trend of the season was demureness and discreet luxury as the clothes shown for this season were less shiny than usual at Élie Saab.
Black and navy blue ensembles open the show for more masculine looks than what our favorite Lebanese designer got us used to. The silhouettes are structured, sharp and the only decorative aspect comes form the draping. The blouses are see-through, let’s not forget that the Elie Saab woman is a seductress and it’s « strictly decorative ».
Now about the dresses…there are so many things to say about the dresses !
Panelling, colors, lurex and the signature Élie Saab belts are all the ingredients of the Élie Saab recipe for this show. The lace is delicate and emulates the henna tattoos of Oriental people. The colors are either bold (I think of the yellow ones….oh-my!) and clean-cut or black and more serious.
Floor lengths is the go-to look, it’s winter after all, which makes the clothes dramatic and elegant, sophisticated and they exude a sense of royalty and nobility of another era, an era of timeless glamour.
Élie Saab sure knows how to do eveningwear, his gowns complements the woman’s silhouette in a way that is eerily surreal, his designs are perfect, god-sent. White looks close the runway show. White as in pristinely luminous and pure, the Élie Saab woman embraces different emotions and attitudes, and can wear the richest dresses and the most demure gowns and pull these looks perfectly
Mary Yasmine Arrouche