Elie Saab: ‘A Thing Of Beauty Is A Joy Forever’
By Mari Davis
Photos by FW

PARIS, Jan 22, 2004/ FW/ --- John Keats wrote “A thing of beauty is a joy forever” almost 200 years ago, yet that was the first thing that came to mind when I saw Elie Saab’s Spring 2004 Haute Couture runway show.

And like John Keats poem when he wrote in ‘Endymion,’ the models were like “sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.” They did not walk, they floated in their barely there gowns and dresses.

With embroidery and beading, the Lebanese designer made flowers come to life. With masterful draping, he made polka dots look elegant.

Again, John Keats takes over, because as each model passed, you see that the “loveliness increases.” As they leave the runway, you are sure that they will “never pass into nothingness.”

There is something dreamlike about Elie Saab’s creations. You know its there, and you want to grasp it, hold on to it. Yet a part of you is scared that if you do, you will get lost in it.

Taking another line from ‘Endymion,’ we say “Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing a flowery band to bind us to the earth,” so that we will keep our reality.

With quality of work like that, Elie Saab might as well follow the footsteps of Hubert de Givenchy and Jean-Paul Gaultier in Hollywood, dressing the leading characters in a movie like they did in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “The Fifth Element,” respectively.

We already know that Elie Saab is Hollywood’s latest darling when it comes to red carpet dressing. So, the big screen is the next logical step.

Backstage, when FW asked the designer if there is a chance to see his creations in the movies, he smiled enigmatically and said, “Maybe. Just wait and see.”

And as for who will be wearing his creations on the red carpet, again, he immediately replied with an enigmatic smile, “The nominees have not been announced yet.”

Elie Saab

Elie Saab

Elie Saab

Elie Saab