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Paris Couture: Elie Saab’s Shimmering Mirage
Godfrey Deeny
January 22nd, 2007 @ 00:15 AM - Paris
They dropped one million cluster bombs on Lebanon last summer, and the country veers on the brink of civil war, yet that small nation's most famous couturier, Elie Saab, still managed to put on a collection of considerable poise and panache Monday morning in Paris.
Fashion is probably the last thing on most Lebanese minds amidst the struggle to rebuild their country, but it's a tribute to Saab that in the midst of the turmoil he could still come to Paris and open the four-day haute couture season with clothes of such quality.
"One has to keep working hard," smiled the dapper Saab backstage after a show that attracted everyone from a burlesque stripper and an austere first lady, i.e. Dita von Teese and Suzanne Moubarak of Egypt.
The world's number one runway - as opposed to advertising, celebrity or spokes – model Natasha Poly opened the action in the Musée de l'Homme in Paris' Place de la Trocadero. Attired in an ever-so-asymmetrical beige robe with paillettes Poly looked stunning.
Saab's greatest asset is his understanding of women's bodies. For the less than perfect figure he's a godsend. His careful cutting, a slim but forgiving silhouette, over which he drapes loose, transparent folds of embroidered lace or organza, makes lots of women look very good. Draped taffeta bustiers and mini boleros with kimono sleeves all were chic additions.
No wonder the place was packed with a Middle Eastern nomenclature of grand dames and a large haul of leggy western Ladies who lunch-in-training.
Saab called his collection "a Roman vision clad in the first rays of the sun," though most of his looks were for evening. It's true Elie does have a limited range. The show needed more daywear and some sense that his clientele actually have something to do before cocktail hour. Antiquity and mythology are fine for inspiration, but none of us live there.
All that said; one had to applaud Saab's shimmering imagery. Isn't grace under pressure the epitome of style?
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