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Hips don't lie: Zuhair Murad showcases romance while Sergeenko goes back to the 1980s at haute couture week

Fashion designer Zuhair Murad put on a romantic show in Paris on Wednesday as he debuted his Spring 2016 Haute Couture collection.

The Lebanese creative put the focus on female sensuality with a collection of structured dresses that protruded bell-like at the hips, sculpting exaggeratedly womanly curves.

The effect was compounded by the liberal use of girlish lace embroidered onto sheer tops, tuxedo jackets that flared into bridal trains and corseted bodices covered in floral motifs. Waists were nipped in with narrow metal belts in a nod to chastity and innocence, while welded flower crowns and leaf necklaces conjured up a nymph-like vibe. There were plenty of trains cascading softly down to the floor, whether as part of asymmetric mini dresses or of extreme peplums. There was the odd Disney-style puffball shoulder but the tailoring was mainly sharp and elegant, making light work of the organza, tulle and silk that featured heavily throughout.

Romance was also on the menu at Ulyana Sergeenko, although with a slight flamboyant twist. The Russian house exaggerated the hips with extreme peplums and created voluptuously layered silhouettes on a series of delicate strappy dresses. There was volume in the 1980s-style puffball sleeves of flimsy jackets that floated to the floor, while flashes of silk, via a pair of ivory stirrup pants and a shell-style jumpsuit, added an element of the luxuriously languid. The influences of the decade were also visible in the candy-toned metallic ankle boots and iridescent pillbox hats that the models wore with their swanky ruffled minis and leather corsets.