Fashion Designer Week - Elie Saab

Fashion designer Elie Saab was born on July 4th, 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon. He is a self-trained designer and began sewing as a young child. At only 8 years old, he used to cut patterns out of newspaper and searched his mother's closet for any lace he could find. He used his sister as a model for his designs; his family was very impressed with his talent. In 1982, Saab launched his Beirut-based fashion label when he was 18 with a team of 15 employees, which is pretty incredible. At first, his atelier was specialized in bridal couture using rich fabrics and details like lace, embroidery, pearls, crystals, and silk threads. Elie Saab's style is a unique fusion of western and eastern culture. He uses materials like tafetta and organza and pairs them with more fluid and light fabrics such as silk or satin.

In 1981, Saab moved to Paris to study fashion, but ended up returning and opening his workshop in 1982. His main workshop is in Lebanon but he has additional workshops in Milan and Paris. In 1997, Saab showed his first collection outside Lebanon in Rome and in 1998, he started ready-to-wear in Milan, and during the same year, he held a fashion show in Monaco. He was a very busy man in 1998!

Elie Saab became an overnight success after he became the first Lebanese designer to dress an Oscar winner, Halle Berry, in 2002.

Halle Berry in Elie Saab, 2002

In 2003, he showed his first haute couture collection in Paris. In 2010, he dressed 102 international celebrities for key global events. Saab has 100 retail outlets all over the world and his designs are sold in 42 countries.

These are a few of my favorite looks from his Spring 2015 Collection:

Elie Saab is my number one favorite designer because the way he blends elegance and feminitity with bold and unique patterns and silhouettes. He also seems to be the celebrities' favorite designer as in 2010, he dressed over 102 celebs. That was 5 years ago; I can only imagine how much larger his company has grown since then. Here are just a few of the women Saab has dressed on the red carpet:

Beyonce in Elie Saab, 2007

Angelina Jolie in Elie Saab, 2014

Mila Kunis in Elie Saab, 2011

Emma Watson in Elie Saab, 2011

Taylor Swift in Elie Saab, 2013

Jennifer Lopez in Elie Saab, 2015

Emma Stone in Elie Saab, 2015

Lea Michele in Elie Saab, 2013

Elie Saab is one of the only designers whose collections have actually made me emotional. This Spring/Summer 2015 show was absolutely breathtaking, especially the finale dress. I highly reccommend watching the show.

Thanks for reading and check back tomorrow for a post on the famous designer Valentino.

-Haley xx