The first inkling of the sartorial shift at the Elie Saab show could be found in the thank you notes placed with the show notes. At the top of the list was the news that the live musical performance at the presentation was by MØ. You usually would not associate a brand like Saab with an electro pop singer who has the the most streamed song in Spotify’s history and counts over 250 thousand followers on Instagram. But change seems to be afoot at Saab.
The music ended up being a great backdrop to a collection that put aside the designer’s sweeter romantic side for something dark, a bit racy and thoroughly bewitching. The predominantly black collection explored the after-dark beauty of the gypsy glam rocker, a woman who isn’t afraid of a lot of fringe, delights in the idea of a dress and cape covered in plum and cranberry-hued pearl polka dot embellishments and has no problem wearing velvet platform heels as she weaves her magic spell in a fishnet lace and leather semi-sheer gown.
The designer really pushed out of his comfort zone this season and the reward for that risk was a lineup that had a fierce femininity to it. With this collection you get the sense that the Saab woman is very much in control of her sensuality and knows exactly how powerful her beauty is. Most importantly, she has absolutely no qualms about wielding it.
