With four weeks left until Paris Fall Fashion Week, Beirut-based designer Elie Saab decided to show the world his elaborate couture draping. Attendees and models lined up at the Theatre National de Chaillot in Paris a theatre that typically debuts various contemporary dance performances to view Saab’s Spring 2011 Haute Couture collection. The audience saw forty-one gowns, cocktail dresses, and a stunning nude floral wedding gown finale worn by model Gertrud Hegelund.
Saab’s palette consisted of light nudes, gold, pastel lilac, a deep crimson red, and a popping black. His creations were illuminated by the exaggerated draping and fabric flowers that overtook the collection. Models darted down the catwalk like rays of subdued light, donning silk organzas the color of rose garderns-- crimson, lilac, and nude. Saab’s dresses emulated the signature Marchesa draping, yet Saab was able to add his own flare to each design with intricate floral details. His use of the chiffon to create sharp silhouettes created a complete red carpet worthy collection of gowns and cocktail dresses. From low to high necklines and one-shouldered gowns to sweet-heart cuts, the soft colors and flowers worked in unison to compliment one another. The floral effect that dominated the collection created a blurred effect and feather-like movement to each piece on the runway.
Each piece on its own stood as Oscar-worthy A-listers. Tim Blanks of Style.com says that the pieces “evoked…the up-to-the-neck missy-ness of Norma Shearer, an Oscar winner from centuries ago.” The variation of styles in Saab’s used Haute Couture collection makes it probable that these elegantly fashioned gowns with open fronts will see the red carpet at the Academy Awards. The shiny black sequin dress seems worthy for co-host Anne Hathaway.
Like each Haute Couture designer, Elie Saab created each piece in a fashion house in Paris under confounding rules that preserve the art of Haute Couture. The emphasis on the organza floral detail created an ethereal impressionist feel to the Spring 2011 Couture collection. This collection reminded me of painters such as Monet who painted things they way they saw them, blurred, and without really blending colors. The floral effect of Saab’s pieces created a blurred effect.
xoxo,
RoJo
