Paris Haute Couture Week day 3 round up: Elie Saab, Viktor & Rolf and Yuima Nakazato brought the drama with film-worthy period gowns, headless tuxedoed mannequins and blood red tribal necklaces

Jul 6 , 2023

Lebanese designer Elie Saab’s creations were nothing short of spectacular at Women’s Haute-Couture Fashion Week in Paris on July 5. Photo: AFP

Elie Saab captivated Wednesday’s Paris couture crowd with stunning pieces that drew inspiration from Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth and Charlize Theron in Snow White and the Huntsman

Viktor & Rolf delivered a typically surrealist show commenting on the paradoxical bondage of fashion, featuring giant bows and headless mannequins

In the stone cloisters of the Musee des Arts Decoratifs adjoining the palatial Louvre, Elie Saab unveiled his latest collection to a rapt audience of VIPs, including Alicia Silverstone, on Wednesday.

Amid the historic venue, Saab presented a couture show that astounded attendees with its intricate detailing and magnificent silhouettes – and lived up to the venue’s grandeur.

Here are some highlights of Wednesday’s autumn-winter 2023 couture collections:

Saab’s cinematic sirens strut in silk

A model presents a creation from the autumn/winter 2023/24 haute couture collection by Lebanese designer Elie Saab during Paris Fashion Week on July 5. Photo: EPA-EFE

Staying true to his glamour-focused ethos, the fall collection saw Saab recraft history’s contours through a modern lens. Drawing inspiration from heroines of period pieces – Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth, Charlize Theron in Snow White and the Huntsman, and more – Saab reinterpreted these timeless figures.

Lebanese designer Elie Saab’s creations oozed femininity and luxury. Photo: EPA-EFE

Complex embellishments, intricate textures and sparkling jewel tones of ruby, amethyst and emerald danced across gowns, paying homage to the regal, cinematic muses. Medieval symbolism came to life through sequinned Tudor roses and flowering branches vining their way up the gowns, melding historical reverence with Saab’s sophisticated artistry.

Historical reverence met sophisticated artistry at Elie Saab’s autumn/winter haute couture collection on Wednesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Dramatic capes of crystallised crepe and velvet dentelle layered atop matching gowns, wrapped in an enigma of enchantment and luxury. Touches of whimsy came to life in pearl drops and gilded bees humming through embroidered foliage, and ethereal gowns with near-transparent sequins in playful fantasies.

Elie Saab’s creations at Paris’ Haute Couture Week were nothing short of enchanting. Photo: EPA-EFE

Saab has shown once more that while his inspirations may travel through time, the core of his collections – an unflinching commitment to glamour and the celebration of feminine beauty – remains the same. It is this consistency that continues to endear Saab to his clientele.