PARIS, Mar 11, 2010 / FW/ — Not shying away from black this season, Lebanese couturier Elie Saab proposed a very dark color palette to his well-heeled clientele making mystery and inscrutability the “it” factors for Fall 2010.
Perhaps, the Elie Saab woman for Fall 2010 is the 21st century Catherine Earnshaw, the lifelong love of Heathcliff of Wuthering Heights. And in his re-imagination of Wuthering Heights, Elie Saab has also re-envisioned gothic, as he sent out different variations of lace, from bodysuits to a dress, in mocha wool crêpe, by turns sheathed, cut out and gathered.
Sexuality simmers just under the surface. Oh yes, sexiness is there as seen in the interplay of cut and transparency that creates abstraction on a dress in purple-red or larch green. The shoulders had become the most sensual part.
And as always, Elie Saab dresses his clients from day to night and for evening, lace bustiers and sequined gowns in peacock blue, chrome green, grenadine and metallic black are de rigueur. Again, the shoulders are emphasized and they stand out for their graphic construction.
[MARI DAVIS]
Photos by THOMAS BARNES
