Zuhair Murad's 'Sheer Desire' Couture for Fall/Winter 2025-26

By Jesse Scott

Make no mistake: Zuhair Murad’s Fall/Winter 2025-26 collection, as we have come to expect from the Lebanese maestro, immersed us in a swoon-worthy fairy tale. Semi-sheer gowns with dramatic trains combined ethereality with graceful structure (Look 13), touches of fur were perfect for a snow queen, (Look 1) and dazzling jewels dripped down golden dresses in a rococo fantasy worthy of the court of Louis XV. But an antiquated story this was not. Instead, Murad continued his penchant for creating nuanced, modern heroines (e.g., the Lumineuses Cicatrices collection in which he envisioned wounded warriors who ultimately triumph in bullet-torn crystal). Blending timeless touches with modern silhouettes, Murad swathed the collection, and the show experience, in a distinctly 21st century feminine ferocity.

Zuhair Murad Fall/Winter 2025-26: Look 1, 13 (Images courtesy of Zuhair Murad)

Ornate Setting, Exclusive Guest List Set Tone for the Show

A grand hall in the Musée des Arts Decoratifs was the venue for the elaborate spectacle. And the discerningly dressed guests, many dripping in jewels themselves, enhanced the atmosphere. Swiss Belarusian artist Kristina Bazan looked incredible in an innovative white look with a silver corset around the waist. Davika Hoorne dazzled in a brilliantly colored “birds of paradise” dress that was one of my favorite Murad looks from recent seasons. But it was Mara Lafontan who had the best look of all, eschewing her normal brown locks for a platinum blonde look and wearing a semi-sheer intricately patterned, and exquisitely ethereal white gown paired with an oversize heart and cross pendant.

A Romantic Epic of Empires Old and New

The first look immediately made me recall imperial Russia, as the fur-collared and gem-covered dress would blend perfectly with the gilded halls of the Winter Palace or Tsarkoe Selo some 250 years ago. As the looks continued down the runway, Louis XV/Louis XVI France were also suggested; a rococo-style dress given structure by a striking high-waisted belt and a rosette brooch (Look 6) would, to me, look particularly good in Versailles. For a collection to sartorially converse with arguably the two most romanticized empires in global history is deeply impressive, but as ambitious and glamorous as the show was, nothing felt overdone. And the collection was not Versailles-reminiscent but Versailles reimagined, with sharp cuts, (Look 15), angular collars (Look 4), and the seductive use of sheer (Look 16), distinctly belonging to a new, empowered 21st century “royalty” more likely to be CEOs or rockstars than princesses.

Zuhair Murad Couture Fall/Winter 2025-26: Looks 6, 15, 4, 16 (Images courtesy of Zuhair Murad)

Murad took strong inspiration from the golden era of Hollywood, a truly revolutionary time not just in the film industry but also for the roles of women in society. “It was the first time you heard their voices; these were very strong women who were also sensual, confident, and captivating,” Murad told press backstage when speaking about muses such as Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo. Entitled “Sheer Desire,” the collection spoke to the birth of the “femme fatale” concept and the duality of being both supremely seductive and powerful. In Ninotchka, the protagonist (played by Greta Garbo) is a high-ranking and ruthless government envoy who completes an elaborate and highly illegal jewelry sale while writing her own international fairy tale with a French nobleman. In Queen Christina, the protagonist (also played by Garbo) balances an epic love affair with her serious responsibilities as the leader of Sweden. One could easily see either of those two characters clothed in a full Murad wardrobe from this season. 

This was one of the best couture shows of Fall/Winter 2025, full stop. The guests recognized this, providing a beaming Murad with some of the most thunderous applause I heard all week as he took his final bows. Creating an epic collection epitomizing elegance (Look 2) throughout the ages, Murad can expect to see these looks on all the major red carpets (and it girls) this fall.