Fall 2023 Couture Collection by Zuhair Murad

There is nothing particularly groundbreaking about the colour black in terms of fashion. But for Zuhair Murad, it is: he is most renowned for his flamboyant use of rich tones and adornment, with past collections finding lavish inspiration in the 1970s French Riviera or the Belle Epoque era, respectively. Because of this, the Lebanese designer’s couture collection, which included clothing in a dark and sombre colour palette, seemed like a significant shift from his previous work.

Murad stated that “the entire mood of the collection is gothic,” referring to the collection as a whole. “I went back to the era of mysterious work, which involved deserted mansions and late-night excursions.” With point of fact, several of the models strolling down the catwalk felt like contemporary muse interpretations of Edgar Allan Poe with their costumes that included peekaboo lace corsets, cage skirts, or raven-like feather accents.

Other enigmatic animals of the night were referenced throughout the collection in a variety of ways, including silver embellishments resembling moth wings, spider web-like embroidery, tulle bows, and necklines that resembled the profile of a bat. In the meantime, a leather trench coat was adorned with studs in the shape of spiders.

A horrific rose, which decorated the final appearance of a bridal dress, was another element that kept appearing throughout the collection. The rose was a very significant component of the overall collection. According to Murad, “it is a symbol of romance as well as tragedy at the same time.”

Many of the materials that Murad embraced were new to his couture line. For example, he employed latex for the bodices and gloves in his designs, and some of the gowns in his collection came in a draped jersey. (The designer explained that his goal in creating these jersey pieces was to experiment with high-end simplicity.)

Murad’s elaborate black lace work stood out as sensually beautiful despite the fact that several of the items gave the impression that they had crossed over from couture into costume. Wednesday Addams would definitely put them on, but so could Poe’s “rare and radiant maiden.” And judging by the amount of audience members’ phones that lit up as the speakers passed by, quite a few of the audience members themselves would do the same thing.

The Collection