Elie Saab named his resort2024 collection “The Swan” in honor of the original specimen, Marella Agnelli. “Unfortunately, I never knew her, but I knew her grandchildren and a lot of people around her,” the designer said via Zoom from her Beirut home.
“She is the rare style that has left her mark on the fashion world, chic and elegant. I have always been inspired by her glamor and aristocratic air.” In terms of location, that Italian elegance and art de vivre exudes the atmosphere of the whole Mediterranean, touching his large base.
Saab approaches the resort in three chapters, from an urban, structured mood to a “more fun” and finally a romantic piece. While the collection can be subtly defined by a pink-to-fuchsia ombré silk gown with a jeweled brooch closure, other pieces—such as a deep-V beige jersey dress with gold-trimmed ruffles—can equally suit most any type of morphology.
Saab has been leaning towards daywear lately. Here, he showed off his tailoring skills, including ruffled tops and jackets trimmed in “moonshadow” white crepe, a crisp black trench coat, or a cherry red tweed jacket paired with shorts. A white cotton caftan is embellished with a guipure pattern that recreates the brand’s logo for a crisp, summery look.
However, night is the designer’s heart. Party jumpsuits, beaded off-the-shoulder midi dresses and gold lamé camisole tops are complemented by curve-hugging black jersey dresses embellished with gold chains or typical flowy evening gowns in sage green, aquamarine or magenta. Even the designer’s beloved embroidery was restrained, with pale pink flowers and green stems on a corset gown, or gold flowers on a dark blue single-breasted coat. Whether it’s day or night, the simplest looks are the strongest.
The designer notes that the resort collection is “suitable for the traveling woman, but uses the same code in a different way.” By the time this review is published, those customers will have shiny new Elie Saab outpost. It was followed by another race in Sao Paulo, just two examples of the brand’s move towards new horizons.
