True Romance
Elie Saab’s dreamy eveningwear confections are impossible not to fall in love with
To say that Elie Saab is a master couturier would be an understatement. Throughout his time-honored career, Saab has earned a reputation for creating romantic, dramatic and intricately constructed dream dresses. Unsurprisingly, his client list now reads like an Oscar nominee roll call – Kate Winslet, Halle Berry, Naomi Watts, Angelina Jolie, Lupita Nyong’o and Scarlett Johansson are all fans – and his name has become synonymous with the red carpet. But it isn’t just Hollywood starlets who turn to Saab when they need a ‘wow’ dress that is guaranteed to give them a sartorial confidence kick – he famously dressed Queen Rania of Jordan for her husband’s coronation in 1999, and Beyoncé and Rihanna are also devotees.
The Lebanese designer had taught himself how to sew by the age of nine by making dresses for his two sisters using pieces of fabric from their mother’s closet. In 1982, by age 18, he had opened his first couture atelier in Beirut. In 1997 he was invited to show his couture collection in Rome as an official guest of the Italian fashion body, and the following year, he launched a ready-to-wear line during Milan Fashion Week. In 2000, Elie Saab presented his first Haute Couture collection in Paris before being invited as a Membre Invité by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in 2002.
Saab’s key enticements are his ultra-refined silhouettes and extravagant handiwork and embellishments, which take inspiration from both Paris and Beirut where his ateliers are now based. For SS19, he gave his cult eveningwear a heady dose of glamour, amping up the drama on floor-sweeping gowns, and making finely tailored separates an equally desirable proposition for after-dark, too.
“Saab’s key enticements are his ultra-refined silhouettes and extravagant handiwork and embellishments
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According to his show notes, the collection was an artistic expression of “today’s bold yet utterly romantic woman”. One dress in particular perfectly encapsulated this proposal: a delicate floor-skimming, sheer lace gown was laid over a body suit, instantly emboldening it with a seductive edge. Elsewhere, a languorous, white bohemian dress with a plunging neckline was dramatically spliced with diaphanous lace vertical stripes.
“Flowery utopia flourishes” were key to the collection too, and they bloomed as elaborate hand-embroidered floral bouquets and appliqués across delicate gossamer gowns. The tailored pants felt fluid and effortless in capacious flared silhouettes, but there was a sharpness and a sculptural finish to them, too. Saab tempered any strictness by styling them with a relaxed scarf-neck blouse which nodded to the ’70s mood that threaded the collection together. Perfect for summer galas and extra-special events, these are exactly the type of clothes that remind us why getting dressed up is such a fun and indulgent experience, and why we should do more of it.