Elie Saab brings 1970s jet-set glamour to Paris Haute Couture Week

Elie Saab’s spring/summer 2026 haute couture show unfolded like a fever dream of light and music, and titled “Golden Summer Nights of ’71”, it certainly wasn’t unexpected.

It was a collection steeped in nostalgia, not only for the 1970s jet-set glamour it evoked, but for Saab’s own beginnings. Born in 1964, Saab founded his atelier in Beirut in the early 1980s as a teenager, and this season felt like a return to the spirit of youth – a designer looking back at the era that first shaped his imagination.

The show opened onto a moonlit runway, where blush, bronze and warm desert tones dominated the collection. These hues continued the colour trends that have defined this couture week, with molten golds, rich chocolates and soft roses shimmering beneath the lights.

The louche, Seventies style dominated the collection (Aurelien Morissard/AP)

Pops of lilac and soft seafoam – two of the week’s standout shades – punctuated the warmth. Yet the collection felt overwhelmingly sultry and sunburnt, much, as I imagine, like the Seventies.

Lilac has stood out as a trending colour (Aurelien Morissard/AP)

Skinny scarves, fringe and open waistcoats gave a nod to the decade, while deep V-necks, asymmetric lines, dropped waists and fluid capes gave the silhouettes a modern looseness.

The shimmer never stopped. Sequins rippled across dresses, crystal cascades spilled over bodices and metal mesh caught the light like constellations. Intricate embroidery recalled traditional Beirut techniques, grounding the collection in the founder’s heritage.

Column skirts created stiff structure – some so narrow they proved difficult to walk in, following one model’s stumble – reinforcing the sense that these garments were made for impact first, practicality second.

Silhouettes were structural and at times exaggerated (Aurelien Morissard/AP)

Like Chanel and Dior earlier in the week, Saab embraced manufactured forms and cartoon curves. It seems designers are now offering their clients the opportunity to fashion the shapes of their bodies however they want – instead of having to fit into the classic, hourglass silhouette that has dominated collections for decades.

While some shapes were restrictive in part, they also served as a reminder that haute couture can be about freedom as much as fantasy.

Feathers have stood out as a major trend, overtaking fur (Aurelien Morissard/AP)

Feathers rose from bodices and swept across shoulders, echoing a detail seen repeatedly throughout the week.

The finale delivered on every promise. The Elie Saab bride emerged from the darkness in a soft beige-rose slip interwoven with lace and embroidered with stones.

The Elie Saab bride wore a crown of thorns (Aurelien Morissard/AP)

A bejewelled, thorn-like crown, dripping in gold, framed her face, while a floor-length train trailed behind her, light as air. She looked ethereal – like an image totally conjured from a myth.

With minimal make-up, no flashy jewellery and softly tousled hair, the looks carried an understated sensuality. This stripped-back styling offset the opulence of the clothes, tempering even the most lavish creations and allowing their craftsmanship to take centre stage.