Saab promised pleasure, power, and playfulness—and he delivered.
If there’s anyone who knows romance all too well, it’s Elie Saab.
The Lebanese designer has long been associated with luxurious, intricate, and elegant evening wear and bridal gowns. Saab founded his namesake label in Beirut in 1982, when he was just 18 years old, and since then has been creating haute couture that’s marked with impeccable craftsmanship, elaborate embroidery, and delicate fabrics. He is celebrated for his ability to create elegant and sophisticated silhouettes that honor the female form.
Saab’s codes are familiar yet endlessly fascinating. He has perfected romance, but also doesn’t shy away from a little rebelliousness. His creations are both timeless and stylish, with a grace that’s effortless yet breathtaking, no wonder he is favored among the royalty, counting among his clients Queen Rania of Jordan (who wore Saab for her enthronement); Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Madeleine; and Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece. He is also a red carpet favorite among tinseltown’s leading muses: Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sarah Jessica Parker, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lopez, Emmanuelle Béart, Sophie Marceau, Beyoncé, Maggie Cheung, Halle Berry, Diane Kruger, Sandra Bullock, and many more.
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With such a formidable resume and client list, you would think that Saab is about to start slowing down. In his latest 2025-2026 autumn/winter collection titled “La Nouvelle Cour” (“The New Court”), however, the 61-year-old designer shows us that he still has so much to give after over four decades in the luxury fashion industry. Showcased at the Paris Fashion Week, Saab’s newest capsule proves once and for all that he is the master of romance—an art he has perfected across four decades of haute couture.
Saab, in his show notes, dedicates the collection to the “contemporary, audacious, and unapologetically feminine woman,” one who embodies “irreverent elegance.” True enough, watching the show is like being spirited away to a different era—the Victorian period to be exact, where the women were as feminine but also as irreverently elegant as they could be.
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Romance and femininity are palpable in the luxurious velvets, sumptuous silks, feathered gowns, and elegant pearls. Then there are the floral appliqués that are an Elie Saab hallmark.
Irreverence, meanwhile, can be gleaned from the dramatic and sculptural silhouettes, flirtatious corsets, unexpected volumes, and seductive lacework. Few does contrasts as well as Saab does.
The palette is also equal parts shy and bold, reminiscent of “macaron hues,” using Saab’s own words. Nude, rose pink, water blue, and mint deliver on the romance, while splashes of black and gold add a tinge of seduction.
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Each of the 50-plus looks bears the Elie Saab stamp: intricate, opulent, regal. Critics may argue Saab played it safe, that the collection is too familiar. I would argue otherwise: Saab didn’t set out to shock but to show perfection—and that can be even more satisfying than surprise.
Saab promised pleasure, power, and playfulness—and he delivered. Forty-three years in the industry and Saab is still not done showing us that true glamour—one that’s defined by effortless elegance and exquisite craftsmanship—will never run out of style. And glamour in the truest sense of the word is something Elie Saab has perfected.
You can watch Elie Saab’s fall 2025 couture show here.
