Zuhair Murad opened a macaron box of pastel colors for a decidedly optimistic — and opulent — collection rooted in craft.
Backstage he was among the few designers to acknowledge the world’s uncertainty this season, particularly resonant for the Beirut-based designer, and he wanted to counter that with gowns of extravagant beauty. The collection was meant to look at history for reassurance and hope.
He drew on the Renaissance and the postwar period, two moments when art and beauty reasserted themselves after troubled times.
“We are living in a world where there is a lot of darkness,” he said. “After the Middle Ages came the Renaissance to celebrate art, painting, music, the beauty of the woman.” That idea translated into silhouettes that placed the female body at the center of the narrative. Ditto the New Look of the 1950s.
Across his collection, Murad returned to the hourglass shape.
Corsets sculpted tightly cinched waists, while hips were accentuated through structured skirts, draped overskirts and volumes of almost pannier-like proportions. The references occasionally veered toward theatrical, but Murad said his intent was not intended as costume but shape.
“I wanted to celebrate her body, her beauty — this is what makes a woman different,” he said.
Duchesse satin and mikado provided architectural structure while chiffon softened the effect. Embroidery and plenty of sparkle — a Murad signature — took inspiration from Renaissance frescoes and gilded architecture, which he translated onto silk with metallic thread, chains and pearl detailing.
The palette stayed light, full of pale pinks, aqua, sage and champagne, imagined as the hazy sfumato of Renaissance painting technique. Gunmetal was about as dark as he got here, while bow detailing and florals further emphasized a frilly femininity. Short capes completed some looks, as if framing the dresses for museum display.
While Murad’s collection celebrated the female form and the craft of couture, its opulence read as an almost surreal form of optimism, a reminder that couture’s power is symbolic, if largely impractical.
Still, he remains a red carpet favorite for his sensuous shapes and sensibility, and the more restrained, solid-color pieces should provide plenty options for the coming awards season.
Elsewhere, he paired some looks with items from his upcoming jewelry line, which will launch soon, as will his new flagship in Paris.