By Jesse Scott
In the world of Elie Saab, the golden era of travel is back. Inspired by the 1970s jet set, with all of the Slim Aarons worthy hedonism that the phrase implies, Saab launched us into Spring/Summer 2026 with an irresistibly carefree collection that sparkled, danced, and flirted through a grand Palais Chaillot show space. The Saab girl has always embraced a bit of playful decadence, but this season saw her bare her soul more than ever before to the delight of A-List guests lining the front row.
Permanently ensconced as one of the most-anticipated shows on the Haute Couture calendar, Elie Saab drew the who’s who of the Parisian fashion scene once again this season. Heart Evangelista, Amy Jackson, Richard Orlinski, Leonie Hanne, Poppy Delevingne, and Olivia Palermo were among those arriving at the venue through a crowd of frenzied paparazzi outside. Once in their seats, they found a stately runway highlighted by a live orchestra, setting the stage for a show that was equal parts fun and effortlessly sophisticated.
Golden Summer Nights of ‘71
Elie Saab’s Spring/Summer’s 2026 muse was not from the social media age. Born of an era where less accessibility meant more exclusivity, she couldn’t care less about taking the perfect Instagram shot on the Amalfi Coast. Rather, she prefers to enjoy her luxury away from the public eye. While her dress sparkles with hundreds of jewels, it does so without trying too hard; she may be at an “it girl” party on a yacht or in a private villa but she is probably enjoying her champagne barefoot. There was a particular nostalgic and bohemian charm to this collection, which Saab specifically cited in the show notes as suiting Milos or Marrakech. It speaks to the artists, adventurers, and nomads who exist amidst the upper social milieu but remain unfettered by a specific position and the responsibilities that go along with it. Wild, rebellious, and euphorically free, the world is their oyster and they are determined to make the most of it.
Gold, crystals, and elaborate abstract prints, once the romanticized symbols of gypsies before being adopted by the global leisure class, were omnipresent. The show opened with a billowing mottled gold gown, a metaphor for freedom, anchored by a richly jewel-frosted top in Look 1. Later on, gold and silver were tastefully mixed in geometric patterns on elaborately adorned cocktail dresses that appeared to bear a treasure hunter’s entire plunder in Looks 4, 8. The bohemian spirit was never far from the fore. Sheer, a symbol of both the sexual and sartorial liberation that swept the world during the 1960s and 70s, recurred in a variety of irresistibly bedazzled floor-length dresses (think pieces from the souqs of Fes added to the slinky looks synonymous with the most glamorous Ibiza clubs) in Looks 34, 47.
Elie Saab Haute Couture Spring 2026: Looks 1, 4, 8, 34, 37 (Images courtesy of Elie Saab)
Fur fringes added texture play and decadence to gracefully draped vests accompanying richly beaded dresses in Looks 33, 37. Meanwhile, leather fringes appeared unexpectedly and playfully, taking the place of cascading jewels on a tiered intricately woven dress with sandals in Look 31. If you plan to be in VIP for an afro-house sunset set in Sardinia or Mallorca this summer, this look is the one you simply must have in your wardrobe. If you plan to dance all night afterwards, bring one of the covetous beaded tanks such as in Look 46 to change into.
Elie Saab Haute Couture Spring 2026: Looks 31, 33, 46 (Images courtesy of Elie Saab)
The “It Girl” Collection for Mediterranean Summer
At beach clubs across the French Riviera, Noizu’s song “Summer ‘91” serenaded the global jet set as we danced barefoot, bejeweled, and without a care in the world this summer. “When you don’t realize you’re in the moment until it’s a memory,” the song begins. “How it used to be… living for the ecstasy… got this hunger to feel it again.” The song has lived permanently in my mind since I walked out of the Saab show, for the Lebanese maestro distilled its euphoric and hedonistic spirit into a singular sartorial_tour de force_. It Girls take notice: as you begin securing your summer villas around the Mediterranean, secure appointments at Elie Saab as well. Summer 1971 is back, and glorious champagne-soaked nostalgia has never looked better.