PARIS, Jan 27, 2005/ FW/ --- Elie Saab, the last couturier to present on the official calendar, started his show with an expected twist this season. He began his Spring-Summer 2005 collection with a majestic wedding gown. The bustier is in gray duchess satin.

In this collection, Saab worked more with pleats and draping. Turquoise and coral had privileged places in the collections. And we also saw the addition of more structure to the designer’s work as he did several suits.

Saab’s ensemble composed of a skirt and top in beige silk muslin with re-embroidered gold and silver is fun multiplied by three. His draped robe in yellow silk is just as exciting. However, I do admit to being rather smitten by the multicolored and embroidered ensemble of a dress and jacket. It has more structure than what we are used to seeing in Saab collections, yet it retains all of the designer’s trademark fluidity.

His skirt ensemble in brocaded turquoise and re-embroidered silver is brilliant, as his dressed made in white silk muslin. This number has marabou feathers and is simply divine as it moves and caresses a woman’s body.

With pieces like this in the first part of the collection, one could have wondered if Saab could do better? Well, I prefer to answer that by saying why ask a question when you already know the answer. Case in point, Saab’s golden muslin dress with re-embroidered pearl finishing brought a sheer moment of happiness to us all. And his re-embroidered pearl and silk dress in white was magical.

As I said earlier, the couturier worked a great deal with pleats in this collection. His dress in shantung green with re-embroidered sequined bolero with pearls is proof of his expertise in working with pleats. This dress has open-ended pleats and adds movement to women’s hips, making them more desirable and feminine.

Saab once again brought the house or rather the Ecole de Beaux Arts to its feet with a second wedding dress to close out the show. This dress was created in white tulle and was just as beautiful as the first that opened the show.

Elie Saab

Elie Saab

Elie Saab

Elie Saab