Elie Saab Pre-Fall 2022

Elie Saab is banking on the fact that his upscale clientele will be in a buoyant mood come pre-fall and have plenty of postponed occasions to celebrate. This came across most vividly in the collection’s sweeping evening looks, where sequins and crystals created exuberant displays — flowers or fireworks, depending on whom you asked.

Bold hues likewise dominated, going from jewel tones and rich blacks to pinks and sunny yellows at the lighter end of the color spectrum, while black offset metallics to brilliant effect.

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Cocktail lengths played with the tenets of party-heavy decades, with ’70s-inflected flowing jumpsuits, crystal-bedecked shifts à la “Queen’s Gambit,” or jewel-toned taffeta numbers with puffball sleeves that nodded to the 1980s.

Daywear, a growing category for the house, was not left wanting, either. The brand’s monogram, introduced last year, was peppered throughout, appearing as polka dots on a silk shirt; turning up in the quilting motif on bomber jackets, or blown to XXL proportions for tone-on-tone prints.

Simpler fare like fuzzy white sweaters, boxy double-breasted jackets, textured blousons or a hoodie — albeit one with quilted sleeves — still carried a hint of drama when paired with full-length pleated skirts or long-and-lean trousers. A handsome duster, placed over the shoulders just so, completed the impression of glamour raring to go, go, go.

Launch Gallery: Elie Saab Pre-Fall 2022

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