Oscar nominee Bérénice Bejo wore a mint green couture confection by Elie Saab at the Academy Awards last month. With that feather in his cap, the designer put the accent on daywear today. Urban Elegance was the name he gave the collection. For the most part, it was as gray as the skies have been all week here in Paris, but it offered more variety than you usually find on a Saab runway.
The oversize tailoring that has dominated other catwalks this season isn't this designer's thing. His skirtsuits and sheaths are cut to fit, with hourglass color-blocking made to further enhance a woman's shape. A dove gray one-sleeved blouse looked simple and chic tucked into high-waisted black pants. Saab is a little less sure-handed when it comes to prints: The bronze tree branches on both knee-length and to-the-floor numbers looked busy.
For evening, Saab showed some sparkly emerald green column gowns followed by a few more in gold or silver sequins. A couple of the slits extended dangerously high up the leg—that's the wrong kind of exposed lingerie. But presumably, details like that will be sorted out before the dresses make their inevitable way to Hollywood.
