Zuhair Murad’s haute couture shows are always a feast for the eyes. Therefore, the invitation to his show is always a special gift for me. It is always a highlight in my haute couture fashion week agenda. This year, Zuhair Murad invited his guests to an Indian summer night. Cherokee, Inuit, Etowah, Navajo, Sioux, Creek, Apache and Seminole Tomahawk: Native American culture – observed from an fantasized and respectful perspective – was at the heart of the Zuhair Murad Haute Couture Spring Summer 2018 collection.
The Lebanese couturier paid homage to the craftsmanship of an array of ancient tribes, notably the Sioux, the Navajos, the Iroquois, and celebrated their traditional prints, embroideries, and pictograms.
Triangle-shaped dresses are adorned with pearls, fringes, bold V-shaped cutouts, and are belted. Tunics come with an audacious frontal split and multiple layers, or deconstructed and paired with a cape, or worn with matching cigarette pants. A Peplum jacket is twisted with feather work and a muslin skirt; a minimalist blouson is worn with matching embroided leggings.
VIDEO: ZUHAIR MURAD HAUTE COUTURE SPRING SUMMER 2018 SHOW
The color palette evokes the symbolism of Native American art: white suggest purity and peace, red stands for fire, gold symbolizes the sun, black hints at a dark night, and brown is a celebration of the earth we live on.
A game of transparencies appears in the juxtaposition of lace and macramé, as well as in the triangular slits that run throughout the collection, allowing for the wearer’s skin to shine through the textures.
Feathers and headpieces organically embellish the hair, and the fabrics – silk, tulle, brocade, and jacquard – bring together opacity and lightness.
PHOTOS ZUHAIR MURAD HAUTE COUTURE SPRING SUMMER 2018
Photos: Courtesy of Zuhair Murad
