DUBAI: Lebanese couturier Elie Saab revealed his Spring/Summer 2026 collection at Paris Fashion Week on Saturday, with a pragmatic attitude to glamor evident in the line of blouses and pencil skirts.
Deva Cassel, Monica Bellucci’s daughter, opened the show wearing a khaki pencil skirt and a silk blouse.
And the beaded gowns synonymous with Saab were nowhere in sight. Instead, animal-print silk trench coats, blazers and wide-leg organza denim trousers were the order of the day.
The show was staged at Paris’ Palais de Tokyo. (Getty Images)
“I wanted the collection to speak of a courageous woman,” Saab said backstage, according to Vogue. “Women are born courageous, I know that, but now the world needs them to be more fearless than ever.”
The collection was not without evening-ready glamor, but instead of voluminous ballgowns, printed chiffon was artfully draped in shorter dresses, while belted skirts and lighter-than-air blouses offered options for boardroom-to-restaurant outfits.
Lebanese couturier Elie Saab revealed his Spring/Summer 2026 collection at Paris Fashion Week. (AFP)
The show was staged at Paris’ Palais de Tokyo and attended by the likes of supermodel Heidi Klum and Saudi influencer Nojoud Al-Rumaihi.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Nadege Vanhee-Cybulski presented her Spring-Summer 2026 collection for Hermes in the barracks of the horse-backed Republican Guard security forces, staying true to the house's equestrian heritage.
“I wanted to bring a much more bohemian touch to horseback riding —- to show that it can also mean letting go, freedom, and a hint of ecstasy,” explained the French designer, who has designed women's collections for the label since 2014.
At Vivienne Westwood, inspiration came from old curtains, explained Austrian designer Andreas Kronthaler as he showed off a colorful new collection at the historic Institut de France that featured fluid, draped dresses and corseted baroque-style silhouettes.
Klum closed the show wearing a white, rhinestone-embellished bustier with a long cape, followed by the designer himself, who appeared with a bouquet of sunflowers so large he could barely carry it.
