PARIS, May 14, 2007/ FW/ --- Just in time for the Paris Haute Couture Fall 2007 season, Elie Saab opens his flagship store at the renowned 1, Rond-Point des Champs Elysees.

Occupying three floors and close to 11,000 square feet, the Paris flagship location will house both ready-to-wear and accessories collections along with a separate couture salon and atelier to service private, VIP and celebrity clients.

Designed by internationally recognized architect, Chakib Richani, the three level store epitomizes a sophisticated modernist aesthetic showcasing rich materials including marble and specialty glass which mirrors the design of the Elie Saab flagship in Beirut.

“I wanted it to feel like a glamorous gallery of women’s apparel," commented Saab about his new Paris location.

Known for his royalty and celebrity clientele, Elie Saab rose to world recognition when he dressed Halle Berry the year she won her Academy Award. But, even before that, Saab was already known among the fashion set as the couturier to the Middle Eastern royalty, including Queen Rania of Jordan.

Last year, the French daily ‘Le Figaro’ named Saab as having the biggest haute couture business in the world with 800 couture pieces sold during the Spring 2006 season alone. Early this year, the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture bestowed him the honor of being a correspondent member of Paris Haute Couture, a title earned only after many years and efforts to show as an “invited member” of the Paris Chambre Syndicale calendar, and after a vote of the few Paris-based haute couture members.

The opening of the Elie Saab flagship store in Paris is the beginning of an expansion plan into key international markets to further develop the Elie Saab ready-to-wear and accessories collection while enhancing the exclusivity of the house’s haute couture collections with an atelier in Paris.