To see Elie Saab s haute couture show and pre-fall lineup on the same day gives you a good sense of how much his company has grown. It wasn t all that long ago that his ready-to-wear collections were devoted strictly to cocktail and event dressing. His pre-fall offerings put the emphasis primarily on clothes to wear before dark.
Saab is justly famous for the attention he lavishes on beadwork; here, his laser focus was directed at fit. His customers like their sleeveless sheaths second-skin snug, with a kicky peplum at the waist, and their suits cut with an exacting precision. You couldn t slouch in these clothes if you tried. To keep the familiar silhouettes fresh, he explored the idea of collage. A chesterfield came with doubled revers, a velvet blazer with contrasting wool sleeves, and dresses in geometric blocks of color. Sheer insets featured on many of the looks.
Counterbalancing all of that rigor was a series of caftans, both short and long, some with asymmetrical sleeves. He s often put caftans on the runway, but they re usually beaded to the hilt. These had an unfettered appeal that made them believable for day.
