Elie Saab’s spring/summer 2013 collection, held on the last day of Paris Fashion Week on Wednesday, was feminine, elegant and cheerful.
There were plenty of day-wear office looks shown in addition to the stunning sparkly long gowns that the designer is best known for. Models presented soft blouses paired with slim pencil skirts or trousers in upbeat colors like royal blue, turquoise and fuchsia. A masculine pantsuit was sweetened with a coquettish lace trimming.
The Lebanese designer is an established name when it comes to haute couture in the Middle East, dressing princesses in his glamorous, crystal-encrusted gowns at his Beirut atelier which he opened in 1982 at the age of 18.
When asked by Reuters about the inspiration behind his latest collection, Saab replied: “This time, I thought about an active woman, a kind of working girl who has character, who has her own style. I also wanted to create clothes that could be worn all day long. This way, the young woman doesn't need to go home to change; she can carry on with her day... multi-functional clothes. It’s for this reason that we worked a lot on the accessories this season like big bags that a woman could carry with her from day until night.”
Despite Saab’s rather minimalist collection, compared to his ornate red-carpet creations he is best known for, glamour was not amiss in this collection. For evening wear, there was a blue full-length gown with a transparent lace bodice and a billowing skirt with a high slit as well as a floor-sweeping lace long-sleeved white dress with a plunging neckline.
Saab launched his ready-to-wear label in 1998, which possesses the same feminine aesthetic as his couture line. His gowns have been regulars on the red carpet since 2002, when the designer was thrust into the limelight after Halle Berry accepted an Oscar award wearing his burgundy gown with a full skirt and see-through top.
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