Elie Saab’s Couture Escapism Finds a New Edge in Paris

A model wears a creation as part of the Elie Saab Haute Couture Spring- (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
A model wears a creation as part of the Elie Saab Haute Couture Spring- (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
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Elie Saab’s Couture Escapism Finds a New Edge in Paris

A model wears a creation as part of the Elie Saab Haute Couture Spring- (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
A model wears a creation as part of the Elie Saab Haute Couture Spring- (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

The sounds of spring, with babbling brooks and birdsong, set a serene yet surreal tone Wednesday as Elie Saab unveiled his latest couture collection inside the soaring Palais de Tokyo in Paris. It was punctuated only by whoops and clicking camera shutters as Eva Longoria swept in.

While the setting evoked pastoral bliss, the collection was a study in high-drama couture, as Saab’s signature opulence met a new architectural precision.

This season, the Lebanese designer, a red carpet mainstay, tempered his signature cascades of embroidery with an almost armor-like structure. Sweeping architectural flourishes curved around shoulders and hips, recalling the grandeur of Art Deco but with a modern sheen. Geometric bands of sparkles reinforced the sculptural intent, carving out silhouettes that felt more commanding than Saab’s typical fluid romance, The AP reported.

Models emerged on three parallel runways framed by classical white arches, wearing gowns dripping with jewels and embroidered feathers that echoed foliage. The effect was cinematic, an invitation into a world of 1920s glamour — Gatsby decadence reimagined with Saab’s unerring eye for fantasy. But in a world of uncertainty, the excess took on a different weight, a reminder that fashion has long been a glittering escape from reality.

Saab’s touchstone aesthetic — luxurious embellishment, silhouette-flattering cuts and red carpet allure — was intact, but there was an added sense of structure, a couture boldness that gave the collection its edge. The designer has never strayed far from his core of femininity and grandeur, yet here was a whisper of something stronger: a woman draped in fantasy, but armored for the future.



LVMH Brand Loewe Names 2 Creative Directors to Replace Anderson

FILE PHOTO: A sign on the exterior of a Loewe luxury boutique operated by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis SE is pictured in Paris, France, January 25, 2024. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A sign on the exterior of a Loewe luxury boutique operated by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis SE is pictured in Paris, France, January 25, 2024. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
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LVMH Brand Loewe Names 2 Creative Directors to Replace Anderson

FILE PHOTO: A sign on the exterior of a Loewe luxury boutique operated by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis SE is pictured in Paris, France, January 25, 2024. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A sign on the exterior of a Loewe luxury boutique operated by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis SE is pictured in Paris, France, January 25, 2024. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

LVMH label Loewe said on Monday that Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, the co-founders behind the New York fashion label Proenza Schouler, were appointed as the creative directors of the Spanish luxury house, effective April 7.
They will replace creative director Jonathan Anderson who recently left Loewe after 11 years in the role, Reuters reported.
"Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez will have the entire creative responsibility of all Loewe collections across womenswear, menswear, leather goods and accessories," the statement said.
After first meeting at the Parsons School of Design, McCollough and Hernandez founded Proenza Schouler two decades ago.