The work of nineteenth century Dutch painter Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema was the starting point for Elie Saab’s haute couture spring-summer 14 collection.
His paintings inform Saab’s colour palette of “ravishing blooms” – budding pinks, blue hydrangea, lilac, rose, pure white and imperial purple, as well as “subtle gestures towards classical antiquity”.
To this Saab has re-imaged an idealised past and created a collection with the modern woman in mind while remaining true to the tradition of haute couture. Each gown painstakingly handcrafted – prints that evoke watercolours, and fabrics appliquéd and embroidered where crystals glint like dewdrops amongst intricate three-dimensional thread work.
The key silhouette for this collection is defined by empire lines.
