Saab’s latest couture outing was a love letter to jet-set glamour, that hazy moment when glamour meant movement - Milos to Marrakech, cocktails stretching into sunrise, clothes worn rather than preserved. The venue set the tone for his latest couture offering, the vast Théâtre de Chaillot, all soaring ceilings and pre-war gravitas, counterbalanced by a live orchestral performance infused with psychedelia, folk, and rock. High couture with a racing pulse.

Despite the embroidery-heavy silhouettes that are Saab’s signature, the collection felt easy. Cropped tops, backless moments, and skirts that skimmed rather than clung gave the impression of couture you could actually move in. The opening look said it all. A densely embellished crop top paired with a fawn-toned skirt, unexpectedly bare at the back, as if the wearer had thrown it on without a second thought.

Texture was where Saab really played. Embroidery melted into sheer tulle, woven motifs blurred into abstraction, and thin leather strips were treated like chiffon - worked into intricate, macramé-style embellishments on rich chocolate gilets. Fringe shimmered and dissolved into motion, while gowns embroidered with impossibly fine strands of silver, gold, and diamanté caught the light with every step.

The silhouettes hinted at what’s coming next. Saab offered several variations on a tank-and-skirt pairing that felt quietly directional with beaded black tops anchored by pleated chiffon skirts latticed with crystals, or woven neutrals paired with feathered skirts in sandy, seafoam tones. The effect was deliberate nonchalance - the kind that only works when everything is impeccably made.

For evening and awards season, Saab leaned into new techniques without losing his red-carpet instincts. Gradient metallics in gold and silver carried subtle Art Deco references, nodding both to the venue and to the designer’s enduring fascination with past eras of glamour.

This wasn’t Elie Saab reinventing himself - but it was him loosening the grip. Couture, usually delivered at full volume, was dialled down just enough to feel current. Less ballroom, more golden-hour afterparty.