- Jun 3
- 2 min read

FASHION: FANTASY DESIGNER OF THE MONTH

Elie Saab, Fashion School Dropout dressing Royalty and Celebrities alike.

Words by: LK Shear

This month our focus is on designer Elie Saab, a Lebanese fashion designer who started his business in the early 1980’s. We love his work as he specialises in bridal couture, using luxurious fabrics, and detailed embellishments. Since starting his fashion house as a fashion school drop-out, he has designed red-carpet gowns for a long list of stars, as well as royalty.

Saab’s work features classical Western silhouettes, with clean lines and flattering shapes. It is the combination with his native Middle Eastern sense of ornamentation and decoration that is a part of what makes his gowns other-worldly.

Each detail is carefully thought out, and highlights not only the dress itself, but the woman wearing it. This eye for the ethereal is what led to him being the first non-Italian designer to be accepted into the Camera Nazionale della Moda, the country’s governing body for Milan Fashion Week. Shortly thereafter, in 2003, he was invited by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris to be a member and still remains one of the few officially ordained haute couture labels in the world.

Want to bring a touch of Saab’s ethereal designs to your own dress?

It really is all about the decoration and embellishments. Embroidery with beading that will catch the light. There are lots of options out there, from premade appliques to decorating your gowns with your own embroidery. Think of luxurious colours like golds, blacks, jewel tones. If you decide to go the option of a cloak or train, a loop in the bottom of it that can go over your wrist will save you from having it stepped on all night.

There is no single season of Elie Saab’s work that stands out as the most fantastical. It wasn’t easy but here are our top Celestial picks. x Laura