COMPLETE COLLECTION DETAILS

PARIS, January 23, 2008

By Sarah Mower

"Diamonds Are Forever" was the theme song Elie Saab had in mind for his Spring couture show. It wasn't literally on the soundtrack, but the entire collection was based on the sparkle and color variations of the world's most expensive rocks. It certainly looked as if he'd invested in a mine of silver sequins and crystal—they were lavished on every number: sprinkled over tissue-fine silk, chiffon, and satin; smothered over bolero cardigans; and clustered in chunks on bustiers. The cumulative impression—all those flouncy skirts and body-line siren dresses, the pastel pinks, blues, yellows, and violets and trimmings of ostrich—called to mind Dancing With the Stars. (Well, let's not forget it's a TV hit all over the world.) If that makes Saab a designer who understands the popular appeal of all-out glamour more than the high-minded conceptualism of traditional haute couture, it certainly hurts his business not one jot. The audience was packed with clients who visibly appreciated every minute.