 Elie
Saab
- Born on July
4, 1964, Lebanon.
- 1982: Self-trained, launched his own atelier, at 18 years old,
with 10 employees, in Beirut.
- First Collection is shown at the Casino du Liban, Beirut.
- 1980’s: Establishes his Couture house, reaches satisfaction of
princesses for his evening dresses.
- 1997: Invited to take part in the prestigious Camera Nazionale
della Moda, as the only non-Italian designer.
- 1997: Begins to show his couture collection in Rome, during Alta
Moda fashion week.
- 1998: Launches his first ready-to-wear collection, Milano, Italy.
- 2000: Opens a Salon and showroom in Paris.
- 2002: Stardom achieved when Actress Halle Berry, wearing a gown
of his creation, wins Oscar for Best Actress. E.S. starts designing
for A-list celebrities.
- 2003: Shows his Haute Couture Collection in Paris, as an officially
invited member of the Prestigious Chambre Cyndicale.
- October 2005: Launches his expanded ready-to-wear collection in
Paris and in Beirut, at the same time.
- 2006: Is nominated as “Membre Correspondant” at the Chambre Syndicale
de la Fédération Française.
- March 2007: Opens flagship store in Paris, at 1, Rond Point des
Champs-Elysées.
- July 2008: Opens his first UK Boutique at Harrod’s.
Spring-Summer
2009: Haute-Couture
Pinky sweet dresses majorly decorated with elaborate roses and then
re-embroidered with pearls.
Some dresses add a strong feminine sexy feeling by showing extra
volume on the hips, which contrasts with the slimness of the entire
silhouette.
Tender sweet colors are used, like beige, pink, using refined silky
materials.
Complicated and rich looking embroidered roses give fullness and
shape to many of the dresses, whether they are short or long. Some
dresses included Swarovski Crystals which are used in a way which
does not steal the success from the very dress.
Other dresses had the same refined and richly decorated material
used for both the dress and the coat which comes along with it.
Noticed big thick yet very feminine belts inspired by the Kimono
belts.
The Kimono inspiration sometimes inspired the entire dress.
Nice surprising trains seen on the back of very modern dresses.
Cheeky low-cut backs added fantasy in order to balance with the
high-cut necklines or some very casual short dresses.
Autumn-Winter 2009/2010:
Strong and sexy short dresses are balanced and softened by tulle
and dentals.
Noticed self-imposing Jacquard suits in beige, along with unexpected
crystal sewn on it.
Very refined and richly embroidered materials are used for all the
dresses.
Daring very short dresses which also include low back-cut are balanced
by high-cut necklines.
Many short or long dresses.
Spring-Summer 2010:
Dreamy short or very long dresses. Beautifully inspired by Fairytale
Princesses. All colors are in tender pastels. Refined materials
add a magical feeling, such as a lot of satin, a bit of cute sweet
fur here and there...And a lot of richly embroidered roses which
give the actual final shape to the short dresses, for example. Noticed
a lot of sweet transparencies which are used on either some parts
of the dress or on the full dress, may it be short or long. It all
gives a great well-balanced feeling of feminity, sexiness, and tenderness.
Article:
Elie Saab has
become synonymous with luxury and modernism. A serious couturier
with a powerful and unique vision, Saab takes luxury to its zenith,
designs for a woman that are both dreamlike and elegant.
Elie Saab has
the wonderful ability to let women look as if they are coming out
of a dream. Saab started creating dressmaking patterns during childhood,
and what helped was that his mother was already in this business.
Saab's interest in dressmaking started at the young age of 9. He
spent much of his free time cutting patterns and drawing sketches
for his sisters using his mother's tablecloths and curtains.
In 1982, Elie
Saab opened his first atelier in Lebanon at the age of 18 with ten
employees. He began designing luxurious evening gowns and exquisite
wedding dresses. Saab quickly proved that his talent surpassed his
age when he showed his first collection at the Casino du Liban in
the North of Beirut. Garnering extensive media coverage, Saab's
astounding debut collection dazzled the Lebanese press, who instantly
dubbed him in the "precocious genius."
Saab's prodigal talent for design and public renown fueled his career
throughout the 1980's. The Elie Saab couture house became a magnet
for princesses clamoring to buy his lavish evening wear. His successive
couture collection were an enduring testament to his ability to
innovate, as Saab showcased clothing that was always feminine and
alluring on the runway.
Saab's collections
are glamorous and sophisticated, fusing a cultural myriad of fashion
influences to give a distinctive and modern edge to his designs.
He experiments with the central themes of femininity and romanticism,
creating clothing that is cut-to-the-curve, with soft edges and
exquisite detail including hand embroidery and the use of luxurious
fabrics such as mousse line and silk.
In the 1990's,
as Saab's reputation spread through the media internationally, he
continued to expand his business, moving to a larger atelier in
Beirut and organizing exclusive fashion shows in Europe. Another
landmark moment came for Saab in 1997, when he was invited to make
part of the prestigious Camera Nazionale
della Moda as the only non-Italian designer to be invited at that
time. He began to show his couture collection in Rome during Alta
Moda Fashion week.
Milan, in Italy,
was the place where E.S. launched his new showroom representation
.This collection was the start of an enormous success, which has
spread worldwide since then, including countries from all around
the world.
With new showroom
representation in Italy in 1998, Saab launched his first ready-to-wear
collection in Milan to rave reviews. The collection experienced
tremendous success garnering sales worldwide including Paris, London,
Madrid, Moscow, Los Angles, New York and Honk Kong.
In 2000, Saab opened
a salon and showroom in Paris's eighth arrondissement to target
his cosmopolitan and international clientele. That same year, he
began showing his couture collection in the city creating a buzz
among the fashion elite.
E.S. reached
stardom when Actress Halle Berry, who wore a gown of his creation,
won an Oscar for Best Actress. He became a favorite for other A
list celebrities, for the likes of: Christina Aguilera, Beyonce,
Catherine Zeta-Jones, Elizabeth Hurley, Marcia Cross, Emmanuelle
Béart and Teri Hatcher. Saab is also the couturier of Royals,
for the likes of Stylish Queen Rania of Jordan.
The breakthrough
moment came for him in July 2003, when he showed his Haute Couture
collection in Paris, but this time, as an officially invited member
of the Prestigious Chambre Syndicale.
Saab's breakthrough moment came in July of 2003
when he showed his Haute couture collection in Paris as an officially
invited member of the prestigious Chambre Syndicale. The response
from the press and retailers was overwhelming. Two years later,
in October of 2005, Saab launched his expanded ready-to-wear collection
on the Paris runway and has since made his second home there.
In 2005, Saab opened his first boutique and moved
his headquarters to the heart of downtown Beirut. The five floors,
ultra-modern building houses his Atelier, Couture salon, Accessory,
and Ready-to-Wear collections.
In 2006, E.S.
was nominated as “Membre Correspondant” at the Chambre Syndicale
de la Fédération Française.
The Business
of Elie Saab carries on growing. S. opened in March 2007, a flagship
in Paris, at 1, Rond Point des Champs Elysées.
And in July 2008 was the opening of his first UK Boutique, in Harrod’s.
His 07-08 collection
was inspired by the elegant 60’s spirit, and focused on the following
main points, if one may say:
- Shirts in jeans and Lurex.
- Large sleeves with narrow wrists.
- Coats cut like dresses.
- Slim waists, large belts.
- Narrow skirts.
- Color range: purple, emerald, black…
- Dark colors play with bright ones in the same dress.
- Last but not least: dentelle and mousseline, for a delicate yet
powerful feminity.
Lately, a cake was called “Elie Saab”, at the “Café de la
Paix”, Paris, France.
And the dream
goes on…
Black dress 2007 collection
Autumn / winter 2008/2009 - Haute Couture
Long empire dress made of Siena muslin layered on a lace bottom.
Asymmetrical taffeta off-the-shoulder top, ruffle at the shoulder.
Velvet belt.
Spring / Summer 2009
Georgette printed tunic. Butterfly sleeves, play of lengths. One-piece
swimsuit.
Web
sources: wikipedia.org - eliesaab.com, fashionandbeauty.cafeversatil.com,
pronovias.us, weddingsandbrides.cafeversatil.com
Books and magazines sources:
-“Noun” magazine, March 2008.
-“Ever Young” magazine, November 2007.
-Freiha, Asma, & Ghanem, Viviane, “Lebanese Imprints”, Volume
1, Dar Assayad, Hazmieh, Lebanon, 2005.
-“Journal du Textile”, Août 26, 2008.
-“Al Balad” Newspaper, Thursday, Jan.24, 2008.
-“L’Orient Le Jour”, Friday, July 18, 2008.
>>Spring Summer 2009
/ 2010 Collection
Prepared
by artist Rana Bissat
►► Some
of the artist's artwork
Contact: editorial@onefineart.com
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