Elie Saab Channels 90s NYC Edge
Elie Saab's Fall 2026 show paid homage to the duality of New York's uptown and downtown style in the 1990s. The runway featured dramatic looks including a cherry red leather bustier dress and croc-stamped pencil skirts, all enveloped in a film noir atmosphere that offers a modern reinterpretation mixing sophistication with rebellious edge.
This collection marks a distinct pivot from Elie Saab's renowned aesthetic of ethereal, heavily embellished gowns. The Lebanese designer, who launched his Beirut atelier at 18, is a red-carpet mainstay celebrated for romantic and opulent creations. This season's focus on structured tailoring and leather introduces a grittier, more authoritative edge to his typically fluid and delicate silhouettes. The "uptown" influence reflects the polished minimalism of 1990s New York icons like Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. This was channeled through a capsule of tailored jackets, crisp white shirts, and classic bootcut trousers. The uptown aesthetic of the era favored a restrained and timeless elegance, often realized in a neutral color palette. In contrast, the "downtown" edge pulls from the eclectic, arts-driven scene of 90s SoHo and the East Village. This was the era of influential galleries like Mary Boone and Leo Castelli and a street style defined by mixing vintage finds with denim and relaxed fits. The show's croc-stamped leather and darker, "stormy" hues speak to this more rebellious and less conventional sensibility. The runway presentation itself amplified the collection's "film noir" mood. The show was staged with an amber haze and dramatic beams of light, creating an illusion of a rainfall curtain. Geometric laser lines guided the models, enhancing the cinematic and mysterious atmosphere of the collection.
