Paris Haute Couture Week 2023's spring/summer shows mark a new chapter in the history of high-end fashion design from the region, with a wealth of talents displaying their latest collections in the French Capital. Lebanese house Maison Rabih Kayrouz unveiled its new collection earlier this week, and over the past 24 hours, four more designers from the MENA region have also held shows. The established houses of Elie Saab and Zuhair Murad both delivered assured haute couture collections, while Rami Al Ali and Ashi Studio, the latter by Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Ashi, have also presented their newest collections. Although neither Rami Al Ali nor Ashi Studio are part of the official haute couture schedule — defined by strict criteria laid out by the regulating body Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode — both offer collections that warrant the description of couture. For his latest haute couture offering, Saab delivered a collection that inhabited the rare space between ethereal and bejewelled. Seemingly working with motifs lifted from antique lace, in a palette that swayed from nude and pale gold to periwinkle blue, muted salmon and sea foam, the parade of gowns — and odd men’s look — was light and delicate, yet felt rich and noble at times. The lightness came from transparent sheer looks, entirely covered in rococo curlicues picked out in raised golden frogging, as well as fragile lace teased into wide-legged trousers and matching capes. Gossamer gowns were decorated with applique flowers and trails of beading that allowed the skin to show through, while huge pussy bows at the neck brought a softness to the mood. With capes and trains aplenty, we can look forward to possibly seeing many of these treasures at the Academy Awards ceremony in March, where Saab is often an A-list go-to. While Murad seemed to shift slightly from the heavy use of embroidery that has been integral to his work in the past, the embellishment on show nodded to Art Deco, cobwebs and lace, mixed with a pinch of the 1970s and long beaded fringing. There was a series of pure Hollywood silver screen siren gowns, in silvery draped jersey or lamé<i> </i>evocative of Jean Harlow, while feather trimmed robes felt straight out of old 1930s movies. There were beaded caps from the roaring '20s, now updated and worn with catsuits, plus a sheer, beaded playsuit with a removable taffeta skirt, and a cut-out sequinned mini-dress in shocking pink. With a colour scheme inspired by the sunset, the looks started with mint-coloured chiffon, before segueing into bold yellow gazar and beaded crepe and jersey gowns. These moved into a series of gentle pink cowl hooded draped dresses, and feathered pieces, before finally shifting to a parade of truly fabulous mandarin orange dresses, including a slender, bugle-beaded, feather-trimmed dress, a grand taffeta opera cape with train, and a 1930s era plisse gown with a feather hem, that nodded to the fabled French couturier, Jean Desses. The accomplished eveningwear collection illustrates Murad's complete comfort with different styles and skills in eveningwear, while developing beyond a reliance on traditional Beiruti artisanal beadwork. Syrian-born designer Rami Al Ali's spring 2023 couture collection took inspiration from the Greek myth of the Golden Fleece. While not part of the official haute couture schedule, his elegantly cut and skilfully created pieces were just as beautiful. In shades of champagne, beige, gold, sky blue, mist green, lavender and blush pink, Al Ali explored looks for both daytime — as feminine tops worn with tailored trousers — and eveningwear, with myriad dresses and gowns. Lavish embellishment was downplayed skilfully, partially veiled with organza or softened with billowing over-layers, while much of the embroidery and sprinkled feather embellishments that did appear were in muted old gold. There were also plenty of metallics in the form of pale silver blue pleated evening gowns and a metallic beaded dress that shifted beautifully from lavender to silver. There were sculptural elements too, with stiffened silk faille folded and draped into a series of grand looks in pale lemon, white and pink shades that closed the show. Showing for the first time in Paris, in parallel to haute couture, Ashi Studio took the opportunity to explore the juxtaposition between hard and soft and form-fitting versus looseness. This appeared as a moulded, almost armour-like column dress in silver shimmer, versus a dress made of silken ruffles floating on a translucent sheath, while elsewhere, a puff of ivory feathers sat around a rigid, boned bodice. More volume arrived as a heavy satin skirt that sat proud of the hips, and as dramatic, bolero sleeves that sat in folds around a simple, A-line mini dress. Striped of embellishment, save a few silvery details, the collection was predominately black and white to highlight the precise tailoring, making for a bold and auspicious entrance into Paris for the Saudi house.
