Zuhair Murad FW2016

The one before last show from the official Fall-Winter 2016/2017 Haute Couture calendar was presented by Zuhair Murad (the week was closed by Valentino). Held in the right wing of the Grand Palais, it set before the admired audience a legitimate question from the accompanying the show “Bohemian Rhapsody” soundtrack: Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

A triumph of a bohemian chic of a fashion nomad girl whose travel paths lie between New York, Milan, Hong Kong and Dubai, with a summer break on Saint-Barthelemy glorified in his collection the Lebanese designer. His muse is not just young, modern and elegant at the same time, she is (what a nice coincidence!) also incredibly rich. After all, those outfits glittering with precious embroidery and handmade satin-stitching, baring seductive curves of a young body through dozens of meters of Chantilly lace, tulle and muslin – can be seen as real investment objects.

Certain looks (for example #15: a burgundy satin floor length dress with structural shoulders, embroidered with sequins matching the central dress-long lace insert supplemented by a fedora hat) worth not even a red carpet – they seemed to be made for a royal coronation ceremony!

My favorites looks however are more “restrained” ones, if such an epithet is applicable in this context. Take, for example, the opening set of a translucent sheath dress worn under a draped black velvet cape and a black felt hat – a real victory of the perfect taste over an irrepressible desire of the couturier to show everything his talent is capable of in a single look.

Or the sixth dress: light, flowing, with a broad skirt, long bell-sleeves and a deep slit from the stand-up collar to the waist – in a combination with a hat it produces a bomb effect!

The most advantageous, in my opinion, for Murad is the night color palette: black, cobalt, royal blue. While pink, green and golden skin tones are somewhat lost amid all this luxury.

Though, the matter of taste ultimately comes down to the commercial side. And as long as the maestro constantly expands his customer base, we should not worry about it.

Photo credits: Zuhair Murad