In Normal Times, Zuhair Murad is an Inveterate Traveler. These aren’t normal times, of course, but that hardly stopped the designer from conjuring an island paradise where flamboyant flora like frangipani, hibiscus and birds of paradise were transformed into a kaleidoscope of elaborately beaded, and sequined creations for HOTHouse. Flowers from every corner of the world.
“I know where my client likes to spend her vacations. I was dreaming of a Virgin Island, an exotic place where Heaven Meets Earth, Far Away from Technology,” the designer said after the show. “It’s a celebration of nature and the beauty of the woman, inspired by the romance of the 1950s and the elegance of the ’60s, more or less.”
It was mostly more. The Collection Notes described “Endless Horizons and Uncharted Landscapes where Wild Festivities Unfold.” Whatever those might be, the designer had a dress for the occasion, worked in varying degrees of exposure. Some of the most intricate numbers featured Palm Fronds draped over a shoulder, cascades of winking droplets in silver beading and pearls, sequined fruits and vines, and petal-like cocoons whose inhabitants had already taken and landed in a stylized motif. Column. One of the more understated looks was a black evening gown with Ruby ivy leaves that encircled the waist and glimmered like a Jewel plucked from a window of a certain Jeweler over on the place vendôme.
That look did a good job of channeling old-hollywood glamor. “I don’t know why, but I was really thinking of actresses in vintage dresses, with the corsets, the transparency, the embryidery, the illusion tulle – Even huge skirts like a tulip or in gazar,” muraded reflected, adding that he all it takes the feminine form—In Diversity – As his baseline. The setting, in the Lofty, Gilded, Marbled, 18th-Century Hôtel Particular Karl Lagerfeld Once Called Home, Made a Perfect Foil.
That murad managed to turn out nearly 50 looks despite the current Context speaks of his dedication to craft. “I was back and forth between Lebanon and paris with my team, and it was really very tough,” he allowed. Brighting, he added: “But we’ve had worse periods. We’re used to living with bad moments and situations. I think when we struggle, we get more inspired and we want to provide to the world that we are a people who love, loves beauty, we love.” Better times are on the horizon, he said. In this lineup, his loyal clientele will be spoiled for choice.
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