Elie Saab Pre Fall 2024

Elie Saab is in a 1970s state of mind. Like the styles of that time, his pre fall collection covers a lot of territory. But he had one muse in mind overall: the inimitable editor Diana Vreeland. In her spirit, he titled the collection Perfectly Marvelous. The designer also took other of her admonishments to heart, as he explained in a showroom interview.

“Never be boring!” was one, for example. “There’s a magic about that period, and not just because of liberation, there were also the flares, the prints, the shoes,” he said. “I loved that period because I lived it, but also because I opened my eyes to the world during that time, and in the end it’s always present in everything I do.” Saab, who turns 60 this year, said that free spirited American style is a constant source of inspiration for him.

On the rack, mod florals mingled with graphic cut outs, zebra stripe prints and sequins, pleats and, especially, flared trousers, paired to photogenic effect with a voluminous bustier. “In my head, I am very American when we talk about fashion, in terms of flattering silhouettes,” he said. “I’m very straightforward.

Americans have an easy freedom: They were the first to put a pullover with an embroidered skirt. A white t shirt with jeans and a bag that costs $100,000. I love that mix.” He also rocked out on sleight of hand, treating satin to look like leather and lasering it into into broderie anglaise, lavishing tweeds with sequins, or giving a bomber a malachite finish.

“It’s daytime with a couture touch,” Saab offered. It also showed a certain restraint, relatively speaking, offering his clientele versatility while also dovetailing with an ever expanding lifestyle galaxy of perfumes, bags, and (soon) interiors. As Vreeland also said, “the eye has to travel.”.