Elie Saab is in a 1970s state of mind. Like the styles of that time, his pre-fall collection covers a lot of territory. But he had one muse in mind overall: the inimitable Vogue editor Diana Vreeland. In her spirit, he titled the collection Perfectly Marvelous.
The designer also took other of her admonishments to heart, as he explained in a showroom interview. “Never be boring!” was one, for example. “There’s a magic about that period, and not just because of liberation, there were also the flares, the prints, the shoes,” he said. “I loved that period because I lived it, but also because I opened my eyes to the world during that time, and in the end it’s always present in everything I do.”
Saab, who turns 60 this year, said that free-spirited American style is a constant source of inspiration for him. On the rack, mod florals mingled with graphic cut-outs, zebra stripe prints and sequins, pleats and, especially, flared trousers, paired to photogenic effect with a
voluminous bustier. “In my head, I am very American when we talk about fashion, in terms of flattering silhouettes,” he said. “I’m very straightforward. Americans have an easy freedom: They were the first to put a pullover with an embroidered skirt. A white t-shirt with jeans and a bag that costs $100,000. I love that mix.”
He also rocked out on sleight of hand, treating satin to look like leather and lasering it into into broderie anglaise, lavishing tweeds with sequins, or giving a bomber a malachite finish. “It’s daytime with a couture touch,” Saab offered. It also showed a certain restraint, relatively speaking, offering his clientele versatility while also dovetailing with an ever-expanding lifestyle galaxy of perfumes, bags, and (soon) interiors. As Vreeland also said, “the eye has to travel.”
