Elie Saab Couture Fall/Winter 2025-26: 'La Nouvel Cour' for the Modern Queen

By Jesse Scott

 Elie Saab was one of the most-anticipated shows of Haute Couture Week Fall/Winter 2025 and the renowned couturier did not disappoint with a spectacular collection entitled La Nouvelle Cour. Unmistakably feminine and unapologetically sumptuous, the dramatic collection embodied the elegance and glamour for which Saab has always been known while also conversing directly with our specific sartorial flashpoint.

Saab presented the best fur looks of Ready-to-Wear Fall/Winter 2025-26, a feat made particularly impressive given that the presence of fur increased on the runways by an astounding +400% during this fashion season. While fur did appear in the form of spectacular stoles (most notably the pink ones paired with ornately embroidered yellow dresses) (Looks 7, 9), this couture season saw Saab shift to velvet and silk as the main protagonists. 

Elie Saab Couture Fall/Winter 2025: Looks 7, 9 (Images courtesy of Elie Saab)

Velvet capes added a touch of aristocratic luxury (Look 23) while elaborately patterned and generously bejeweled silk gowns encapsulated a powerful femininity that transcends ages (Looks 24, 29).

Elie Saab Couture Fall/Winter 2025: Looks 23, 24, 29 (Images courtesy of Elie Saab)

In terms of shape, bigger was better this season. Saab has mastered the consummate ballgown, proposing regal billowing silhouettes that seem to have drawn inspiration from the Rococo and Victorian eras (Looks 22, 37). 

Elie Saab Couture Fall/Winter 2025: Looks 22, 37 (Images courtesy of Elie Saab)

Their voluminous forms commanded the runway with an unshakeable poise; meanwhile, their sleek shades of periwinkle blue, mint, and light grey encapsulated a quiet grace. Many of the gowns were complimented by exquisitely crafted corsetry, effectively creating inverted V shapes that were both sculptural and seductive. Roses and bows served as recurring motifs that provided additional structure to the looks while also emphasizing the collection’s femininity (Looks 17, 36).

Elie Saab Couture Fall/Winter 2025: Looks 17, 36 (Images courtesy of Elie Saab)

Here Comes the Bride: Saab Closes Show with Moonlit Romantic Fantasy

 The impressively extensive yet succinct collection (57 looks is rare for a couture show) closed with an exquisitely embroidered fantasy in pure white. Most of the final fifteen looks centered on white, most in cascading lace or silk and each one more worthy of a queen than the last (Looks 44, 45). Just when we thought the show could not get more spectacular, it did. The bridal look, an elaborately ruffled gown embroidered with hundreds of moonlit flowers and an ethereal sheer veil, transported us off the streets of Paris (or perhaps any earthly realm) into the fairy tales and dream worlds we fantasized about as children.

Elie Saab Couture Fall/Winter 2025: Looks 44, 45 (Images courtesy of Elie Saab)

Eschewing the final walk, Saab chose to conclude the show with the models assembled on a grand staircase in a scene reminiscent of the Great Gatsby. As the exclusive guest list, including Heart Evangelista, Anna Dello Russo, and Leonnie Hanne, left their seats to shoot close-up photos of the looks, one could not help but be moved by a joyous atmosphere that recalled scenes from the iconic ballet The Nutcracker and the opera Die Fledermaus. A true winter fairy tale, with protagonists that belong in the pages of an epic Russian novel, Saab’s Fall Winter 25/26 couture show offered romantic drama swathed in jewels, velvet, fur, and sensual silk.  This was a couturier’s couture - as Saab told guests, “A sumptuous playground for a modern queen.” It is a playground that I would never want to leave.