Rami Al Ali haute couture show

Rami Al Ali Haute Couture. Courtesy of Rami al Ali

Dubai based designer Rami Al Ali unveiled his latest haute couture collection last night in Paris. The designer's ninth show as a couturier was a quiet conversation about understated refinement and was shown in the grandeur of the Pompadour Salon of the Le Meurice Hotel.

The collection of discreetly elegant evening gowns moved through a palette of golds and greys, and oceanic greens and blues.

Simple dresses were elevated using sculptural folding, skilfully placed around a bodice or seen hanging from a waist. Beadwork was sparse yet focused, drawing attention to precise points: on one dress it was the hem, on another, the neckline.

As expected, there were also subtle elements of Arabic geometric designs. These motifs — a familiar feature of Al Ali’s work and a nod to his Syrian roots — were portrayed discreetly in hand worked beading.

Al Ali is one of a handful of designers recognised by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, inducted in 2012, and therefore legally entitled to call himself a couturier.

With the award season about to begin in America, one can expect to see these creations gracing a red carpet or two.