Elie Saab visited an enchanted garden this season, opening his fall couture collection with a burst of bold black dotted with magenta and teal flowers.
Strength was conveyed in leather opera-length gloves that added an edge of toughness to Saab’s traditionally feminine silhouettes. Those were slimmed down this season with fewer princess shapes replaced by columns or trumpet skirts that ensured volume would not be missed.
The Lebanese designer was inspired by Russian Khokhloma art, the traditional painting of florals and nature elements on black lacquered wood, a color contrast Saab embraced here embodied via vines twisting up the bodice and bustiers extending away from the body for added shape. He looked to Gothic tones for the core of the collection.
Standout pieces included fringed gowns in brighter colors with plenty of swoosh and swing as they made their way down the runway, and played with swirls on epaulettes or back detailing that resembled wings.
Saab, who added men’s couture to his lineup two years ago, has continued with strong looks for the gents, including an embroidered, kimono-style coat.
Along with the garden theme, the brand is growing in new ways, most notably real estate in the Middle East.
“The vision that we have for all the new verticals we’re going into is very strong. We’re not going into verticals such as real estate and furniture just for the sake of it. We are going into the segments because we have something to say,” company chief executive officer Elie Saab Jr. told WWD in an interview before the show.
The brand is carefully considering its positioning in the real estate and interiors sectors to complement its fashion business. Saab is building on its 15 existing real estate and interiors projects with four more in the pipeline through 2025, and is in the process of evaluating an additional 10 proposals.
Instead of stamping the brand name on late-stage projects, as they did when they first entered the sector, they will now partner with developers from the inception to have a greater influence on the process, from land acquisition to architecture, construction and the final product.
“We want to have more and more control in the projects. It has always been the philosophy from Day One but now we are being more specific in how we approach it,” he said. Saab Jr. emphasized the importance of the collection, which drew Ellie Goulding and Avril Lavigne to the front row.
“Our vision is to be able to position the brand as a luxury lifestyle brand, and at the end, the core essence of the brand is haute couture.”