PARIS: Lebanese designers showcased their latest collections at Paris Haute Couture Week, with Elie Saab and Zuhair Murad taking over the runway on the official calendar on Wednesday, after Georges Hobeika’s show earlier in the week.
Designer-to-the-stars Elie Saab showed off the label’s haute couture autumn/winter 2023-24 collection – dubbed “A Glamor of Yore” – at Le Musee des Arts Decoratifs on Wednesday. On show were intricate textures lavishly woven into refined gowns boasting crystalized crepe and velvet dentelle.
Designer-to-the-stars Elie Saab showed off the label’s haute couture autumn/winter 2023-24 collectio, (Getty Images)
Jade green jostled with gold embellishment and darker shades on a runway that showed off Saab's penchant for dramatic glamor. Interestingly, hooded gowns made a comeback on the runway — proving some trends from last year may be here to stay.
Saudi model Amira Al-Zuhair was on hand to show off the new collection and walked the runway in two elegant looks in neutral shades.
A model presents a creation by Elie Saab during the Women's Haute-Couture Fall/Winter 2023/2024 Fashion Week in Paris on July 5.(AFP)
Shown on Monday, Hobeika’s new couture collection was titled “Un Reve” (“A Dream”) and certainly delivered on the dreamlike glamor, with a heavy dose of lilac, deep purple and shots of lime green and soft pink. Al-Zuhair also took part in that showcase as Chinese actress Fan Bingbing lent a dose of star power to the runway while showing off a billowing, one-shouldered gown in baby blue — a color that seems to be popular with the Oscar red carpet regular.
The collection featured the celebrity-loved designer’s usual red carpet-worthy gowns as feathers, embellishments and high-sheen textiles floated down the runway.
“In Georges Hobeika's Fall 2023 Couture collection, imagination blossoms in a poetic tapestry of colors and silhouettes,” the label posted on Instagram. The designer took to the runway with his son and collaborator Jad as the show drew to a close.
For his part, Murad showed off his signature glamor in a collection showcased on Wednesday night.
Saudi designer Mohammed Ashi has joined the coveted lineup of designers at the event — alongside the likes of such luxury labels as Dior, Chanel and Valentino — and is showing his collection on Thursday morning, this marks the first time a Gulf designer has scored a spot on the official calendar.
Designer Zuhair Murad showed off his signature glamor in a collection showcased on Wednesday night. (AFP)
"This appointment is the highlight of my career,” Ashi said in a statement posted on Instagram when the announcement was made in June. “I will honor it in the memory of the great couturiers who came before me and whom I now join in the pursuit of this grand tradition of excellence in creativity and savoir-faire.”
Off the official calendar, Syrian designer Rami Al-Ali and Italian Lebanese designer Tony Ward launched their latest couture collections in Paris this week.
While Al-Ali was inspired by celebrated French artist Henry Matisse’s organic graphic shapes and contrasting colors, Ward’s Fall/Winter 2023 couture collection was titled “Under My Skin” and featured the celebrity-loved designer’s hallmark glittering offerings.
