Dedicated to Beauty
By Christine Suppes

Paris, July 8th - Elie Saab is one of the most popular and successful couturiers of all time. His recipe is deceptively simple: he makes beautiful gowns for beautiful women, always with utmost respect for his clients and devotion to detail. His gowns are worn at almost every red carpet event in the world, and he counts among his clients royalty, movie stars, socialites as well as the most hardworking fundraisers and charity organizers. Not bad---so why isn’t he accorded the same respect by journalists as many of his peers, whose businesses are not nearly half as successful? Perhaps it is because Elie Saab does not push the envelope. He is comfortable making women look their most beautiful, in feminine and glamorous gowns utilizing the finest fabrics and embroideries. There was a time when Christian Lacroix, one of the most intellectual of couturiers, was accused of the same thing. Saab’s refinement is at its peak with a soft brown chiffon gown with graduating tiers from the hip to the floor, each one finished with blue embroidered borders. It was so striking and so unusual for this season---as the last show on the calendar, we know the general feeling-- and this amazing and provocative gown came out of left field, truly a couture moment. Elie Saab’s models, too are the most beautiful, and the whole experience adds up to a memorable show and a great way to end the week.

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