January 28, 2016 |
Elie Saab looked to India – Maharanis and Raj ladies, richly dressed in sumptuous layers of embroideries and lace – for his spring 2016 haute couture collection. That wound up transposing the riches of that subcontinent – embroideries, silks, exuberant sari drapes – into dresses that echoed the finest French haute couture. The finale wedding gown, a glittering golden crinoline modelled by Anna Cleveland and draped with a whisper-find tulle veil, was the sublime summation of the approach. The colour palette was muted, shades of white, grey, platinum glitter and a soft Indian Ocean blue the subdued canvas to show off the toiletries for which Saab is internationally renowned, and indeed coveted. This season, there was much ado about fringing, adding un peu d’animation to slender silhouettes with a hint of the Edwardian.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans
