Neutral Runway Couture Edit
Elie Saab Close-Ups Reveal Feminine Details, Understated Makeup

These close-up images from Elie Saab Couture Spring 2009 show a number of details attendees at the runway show might have missed—specifically, the models’ faces.

Saab chose to have a nude makeup palette applied to his models, a move that has been met with mixed reviews on websites like the one cited below. Commenters indicated that the models looked haggard and in need of a good night’s rest.

The extreme close-ups also afforded a look at some of the finer details of Elie Saab’s couture collection that often get missed from afar. Feminine details like ruffles, lace and sequins abound, in neutral shades that echoed the drab makeup on Saab’s models.

Couture collections are known for being avant-garde and unexpected. Are Saab’s lackluster couture models meant to mirror the lackluster economic climate?