With the romantic 19th century ballet “Giselle” serving as Elie Saab’s stimulus, his almost glitter-free ready-to-wear collection mainly featured “dark, romantic stuff,” as he described it.
Ballerina style layers of tulle, velvet, feathers, ribbon, extremely thin lace and silk chiffon all appeared as the Lebanese designer’s mix of heavy and light fabric choices for his dark-spirited and sensual collection. Lilies, whether appliqués, gold-studded or embroidered, and the colour purple, were two major themes on this runway.
Standout pieces included a one-armed velvet opera cloak and a ruffled pink gown that would be on any ballet dancer’s wishlist. As well as delicate dresses, there were some sportier, streetwear-inspired pieces like thigh-high leather boots and a black biker jacket. A multitude of top models, bloggers and fashion influencers, including Hailey Baldwin, Sara Sampaio, Olivia Palermo and Karen Wazen Bakhazi, attended the show at the Grand Palais.
