A fantasy of imperial Mexico inspires high-voltage glamour brought to life by the designer’s home atelier.
Elie Saab stood backstage beside a “Golden Girl” – a model wearing a dress whose puffy elbows were decorated with full blooms of gilded and silvered flowers. Even the big, bold earrings were flamboyant.
But this glorious evening glamour was not just a vision of how Elie Saab’s Lebanese workrooms continue to cut and stitch in such fraught times for the country. The audience was provided with swipe cards that revealed the behind-the-scenes in Lebanon: The hands sewing golden threads on translucent fabrics, or adding ethereal, pastel touches to evening gowns, were the defiant stand of beautiful clothes over the current tough situation.
© Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty
And to show that the designer was referring not just to his homeland in 2020, the inspiration for the glimmering clothes and imperial evening gowns referenced the grandeur of the past.
Mexico City was the surprising seed of creativity as Saab imagined a woman called by her lover to his castle. That concept allowed him to mix what he called “the regal past of both Europe and imperial Mexico”.
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The overload of opulence was hard to digest for the daylight hours. And a short dress, its wide sleeves crunchy with lacework, which appeared early in the presentation, suggested that it was already the cocktail hour. Full evening gowns overwhelmed the show, with red-carpet glamour focusing on a long dress cut as a mini at the front – the better to show off perfectly toned legs.
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In today’s world, concentrating on holding back – from reducing carbon footprints to fashion taking a more modest attitude in materials and production – Saab’s attitude seemed almost defiant. Yet there were some more gentle pieces, such as fluffy pink dresses or the flowery rose and green leaf patterns. They too could be envisaged down Mexico way.
As he stood backstage among the models in their gleaming gowns, I asked Elie Saab about creating this collection. “Not easy,” the designer said.
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