Following the grand celebration of his label’s 45th anniversary in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last November—featuring live performances by longtime friends of the House Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez, and Halle Berry—Elie Saab unveiled a spring couture collection in Paris with a lighter, more polished vibe. The lineup also captured a renewed joie de vivre following a turbulent time in his native Beirut. “I wanted to express the happiness that peace has brought and the desire to celebrate beauty once again,” Saab said. “Fashion can convey a powerful message of positivity, hope and humanity.”
As symbols of grace and romance, flowers were lavished en appliqué on sinuous sequined dresses with matching sweeping shawls, embroidered onto rounded boleros and voluminous capes, and woven into the intricate patterns of encrusted lace. Feathery petals swirled across crystal-embellished fluted gowns in pale pink or absinthe; flimsy layers of fine gossamer, dusted with shimmer, were draped into airy, ethereal concoctions. In contrast, column dresses with sculpted bodices exuded a bold, commanding presence. Dark denim was crafted into sweeping gowns, and a black mermaid dress with a flower-shaped collar stole the spotlight—the collection’s striking black swan.
