Fashion Brightlight: Elie Saab's The Man

1. Elie Saab is self-trained. (Wow.)
2. His interest in dressmaking began when he was just 9.
3. He launched his own fashion label when he was only 18.
4. The Lebanese press has dubbed him the 'precocious genius'.
5. He is responsible for the dress Halle Berry wore to win her Oscar in 2002.
6. He was the first non-Italian designer to become a member of the Italian Camera Nazionale della Moda.
7. He is sometimes known as 'ES'.
8. He is couturier for Jordan's Queen Rania.
9. He makes absolutely beautiful clothes. (Duh.)
10. Like I said. He's Lebanese!

It is never a pleasant surprise when you look through your favourite designer's latest collection and you find that you cannot find anything you admire. I almost did. And then I saw this: (No, no stop reading the words here for 5 seconds. Look at the picture! Yes, thank you.)

Granted, it was slightly more than a little disappointing, but it does look pretty - in an all right kind of way. Love the colour (it was a nice change from the pastel palette that dragged itself through the runway show before this caught my eye), and the ruffles add interest.

I do hope the Autumn 2009 Ready-to-Wear collection will be more encouraging. More updates to come!

For the fans who ah-dore Saab's handiwork, or the critics who don't believe he's worthy of any praise: photographic proof of Elie Saab's genius. Featured here is a close-up of the design from my Pick of the Day (Spring 2009 Couture Collection). Bon appetit!

I know those lovely people who write fashion/runway reviews are capable of waxing lyrical about bows and stitching and draping (and so am I, really) but I do like to keep things short and simple - see the Point Form Fairy sitting on my shoulder? Yeah. She wins this round. So here goes:

1. I like a dress that makes me go 'Wow.' at first glance. (Who doesn't?) This one certainly did.

2. Drama, drama, drama! The silhouette created here is rather exciting; I had to look at least twice to get a clearer idea of what I was looking at.

3. Breathing new air into old design. Yes, he's famous for that one-shoulder goddess look, but it's been revamped somewhat - and the best part? It works.

4. Interesting without being weird (i.e. it's wearable). Kudos to Christian Lacroix for his imaginative showcases - but what would us folks do without clothes we can see ourselves wearing?

5. It's all in the details! Get a closer look at the design and you'll know why the press called him a 'precocious genius'. For a man who's self-trained, it's so much more of a marvel.

Think it's a gorgeous piece, like I do? Or does looking at this picture leave you with a lingering distaste? Feel free to comment below.

It's all relative, but looking at Saab's latest couture showing one might think he was going minimalist. (You'll have to take a look at his earlier works to get what I mean.) The trimmings are still there, but they're not so much shouting for attention as whispering, bringing a new shade of elegance to the Lebanese designer's work. Check out the complete collection at http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/S2009CTR-ESAAB.

Call me frivolous, but I much preferred the dramatic antics of Saab's past collections. The flounces, ruffles and extravagant draping not only made for an exciting exhibition last year, but also provided further proof (at least for me) of this 'precocious genius's abilities. Showcased here at http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/F2008CTR-ESAAB is the designer's 2008 fall couture line, also my favourite collection of his work so far. Agree? Disagree? Feel free to leave a note at the RUNWAY REVIEWS section below.