Share
16th Jul 2019
The world of haute couture has long held fascination in the public eye. Each year, a select number of designers approved by the Fédération de la haute couture et de la mode show their collections in Paris to an exclusive audience of top-tier editors, influencers and clients.
This year, among the featured designers who showed at the esteemed fashion week, Lebanon-born designer Elie Saab, who alternates between his workshops in Lebanon, Milan and Paris, presented his haute couture autumn/winter ‘19/’20 collection.
Back in 2003, Saab’s magnificent creations caught the attention of the official governing body of haute couture in the world, The Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, inviting Saab to join as a membre correspondent in 2006.
Since then, the 55-year-old designer has dressed the likes of Beyoncé Knowles, Kate Winslet, Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Nicki Minaj, Emilia Clarke, Priyanka Chopra-Jonas and more, making his designs some of the most coveted in the world.
Now, reflecting on his latest collection, Saab sat down with Vogue to discuss the evolution of his brand, the influence of celebrities in catapulting him to fame and his entrée into the world of fashion.
How would you define the Elie Saab style?
“It is a very feminine style, it’s a style that’s balanced. [We achieve] the right balance because it’s not obvious that we make dresses with enough embroidery and enough work to not to disturb the eye. It’s not too flashy… When you work a lot, things [become overworked], you always have to look at things, swing things around to get the best [balance].”
What are your inspirations?
“Lebanon is an inspiration. I present my country in a way that I am proud of, but really the woman and the beauty of the woman remain the most important things in my visions and in my thoughts.”
Do celebrities influence your brand?
“Celebrities are women who like to be beautiful, like all women and I really only work for this, so that I can see beautiful women… I present creations that always flatter them, that enhance them and their beauty.”
Do you have a muse?
“I think to build a collection, you have to have several muses in your head. Every time, you try to have several characters and several types of women in the collection. I think that if a woman likes it – what you present – surely she can find what she wants [in the clothes].”
“[The woman who wears] Elie Saab [appreciates] unique fashion, where she tries to do things in her own way; things that have not been done before. Since the first days I started in this business, I have an objective to see beautiful women. [The objective is not] to show how brave I am or what I’ve added in terms of volume. What interests me is to see the woman in front of me with eyes that shine, [that suggest] that she is very happy with her dress.”
Is Paris a source of inspiration for you?
“I consider Paris my second home. Paris is a really fascinating city; it’s really a very inspiring city.”
Can you tell us about the process of creating a haute couture dress?
“I work differently [to other designers]. I don’t believe much in the sketch. I like to see the dress grow little by little in front of me. I’m moulding, I’m removing, I’m putting on… [That’s how] I figure it out… Every inch of a woman’s body is very important, and [details as small as] two centimetres or a centimetre on a haute couture dress can make a lot of difference.”
What inspired you to become a fashion designer?
“When I was 10 years old, our family [moved from Lebanon] during the Lebanese war. This move changed our family situation and because I am the eldest son of the family, I decided to help my father and take care of the family although I was very young, and suddenly I liked working a lot. I liked to work with my hands, in a traditional way.”
“I was born with a vision; a vision of being, of seeing the most beautiful things. Suddenly, I found that I could make dresses and from then on I started cutting, making creations until, when I was 12 years old, I started working to earn money. I have always loved designing haute couture.”
How do you feel before a show? What is your state of mind?
“Every time feels as if it were the first time, really, honestly, that’s the real feeling I have.”
How have your designs evolved over time?
“I find that every season there is a change, especially since I am a very creative person… I am a real Lebanese who always likes to be better; it’s my true quality, even in my creations.”
Who is the Elie Saab woman?
“I started with the grandmother, with [the mother] and now with the granddaughter… I remember how when I was 14 years old, I used to make the grandmother’s dress, after that [the mother’s] and now the granddaughter’s. That’s real legacy, and it impresses me a lot.”
“[Now, the Elie Saab women] are young girls, really young girls—and it surprises me a lot—the ability of young girls to love haute couture and who like to look really exceptional.”
Is there an Elie Saab signature?
“I think it’s impossible to see [an Elie Saab] dress on two women [and have them exude the same signature]—the same creation. [Each] dress is born for a woman, and it’s a lot of work.”
Are there any celebrities that have worn your creations and left an impact on you?
“Halle Berry made the name Elie Saab more popular… She managed to really put the name Elie Saab on the international market. [That time] was a better time for cinema in general. [Halle Berry] was the first woman of colour [to receive the Oscar award for Best Actress in 2001]… It was elegant and daring and chic. I think this moment was a very exceptional moment for cinema.
“[Queen Rania of Jordan is another celebrity example], Queen Rania is a woman who presents the women of our region. [She is] very pretty and very chic… worldwide. She has given women in the region an attitude that is very valuable.”
Can you tell us about your haute couture autumn/winter ‘19/’20 collection?
“I worked around a garden—a Garden of Chinese Angels. Every time, there is a detail on the shoulders [or on other parts of the garments] that makes the collection [Asian-inspired], oriental in a very elegant and very simple way… [And] always with balance.”
“We tried to play with really royal colours, a little more pastel. I find that if a collection is too dark, it stifles the guests. We tried to show that we can’t [exude an air of being] angelic with red and gold in a colour balance; a balance of colour to go with a collection that is neither winter, nor summer, nor angelic is a story of magic in my opinion.”
How have ideas of luxury and haute couture changed in 2019?
“I believe that haute couture and luxury will remain as long as human beings [exist] because for very, very important occasions, women like to be different and exclusive, and haute couture is exclusive.”
Elie Saab occupies a special place in Paris haute couture. Can you speak to this?
“I think today Elie Saab is one of the most requested houses, and it is true during the [haute couture] week. Since my first fashion show in Paris, everyone knows that I have my clients and my entourage who move with me… [There is] big demand that comes [with that]…that gives me a really huge responsibility every season.”
Click Here: Celtic Football Shirts