Once again, Zuhair Murad—like his peers in Beirut—has had to flex his capacity to work amid incertitude. In the weeks before November’s ceasefire, the designer found himself moving mountains just to keep on keeping on: When shipping services shut down, he commissioned a special freight to deliver fabrics that had been stuck in Italy. Once in hand, the studio worked around the clock to turn out this pre-fall collection in 10 days flat.
A traveler at heart, the designer this season trained his eye on northern horizons, working the natural drama that unfolds in Nordic skies into a kaleidoscopic aurora borealis print. But he also acknowledged his clients’ taste for simple, timeless silhouettes. On one number, a stylized snow dune turned the shoulders and sleeves of a black cocktail dress into a sinuous, glistening scarp; a sweep of contrasting white became the single flourish on a black halter gown in duchesse crepe.
Murad also experimented with negative space: laser-cutting techniques turned a white duchesse trench into something a little edgier than usual; ditto for a pair of white dresses with a comparatively restrained paper cut-out effect. Brand loyalists will find plenty of options from his repertoire of sequined, pleated and embroidered evening looks, particularly in saturated jewel tones. Picking up on the season’s theme, lavish embroideries in silver and strass were inspired by Viking knots, an ancient tradition steeped in subtexts of strength, protection, and resilience.
