Lebanese icon Elie Saab put on a star-studded extravaganza show on Wednesday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The 1001 Seasons of Elie Saab event was held in celebration of the designer’s 45-year successful career and was an entertainment and creative verve on a world-class level.
The historic event was a showcase of regional and international talent. The event showcased Saab and Riyadh’s place in the global fashion and entertainment industries. It was, in a nutshell, a huge success.
Performances came from Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez, Camilla Cabello, Nancy Ajram, Amr Diab and many more at The Venue in Saudi Arabia's capital.
The evening was attended by more than 1,000 guests, including Egyptian actress Youssra; Italian star Monica Bellucci; Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Poppy Delevingne and Jourdan Dunn, supermodels Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel and Helena Christensen, and Arab actresses Nadine Njeim, Cyrine Abdel Nour, and Tara Emad.
Others in attendance included Yousra, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Kelly Rutherford, Jourdan Dunn, Nadine Njeim, Cyrine Abdel Nour, Tara Emad, Helena Christensen, Eva Herzigova, and Poppy Delevingne.
The show was part of the sprawling Riyadh Season which aims to imbue the Saudi capital with the best the world has to offer in terms of entertainment.
The spectacle began with a performance by Lopez, a frequent wearer of Saab’s creations and concluded with a showcase by Dion, who gave an emotional and empowering performance that had the entire audience on their feet.
Halle Berry strutted down the catwalk in the iconic red Saab gown with a sheer bodice that she wore to the 2002 Academy Awards to take home the Best Actress Oscar for her role in "Monster's Ball".
A collection was designed exclusively for the event, drawing inspiration from the One Thousand and One Nights tales.
Composed of a staggering number of designs, it was a production on a scale that could not fit within any fashion week construct or normal industry space.
Over the past four decades, Saab has risen from a solo designer with 15 seamstresses into an empire that encompasses ready-to-wear bridal, haute couture, children’s wear, accessories, perfume, interiors, and, in conjunction with Emaar, high-end waterfront properties.
“Backstage today someone told me: 'I can't believe what you're doing.' I find my motivation from the appreciation and love from the people,” Saab said. “Thankfully, the foundations are strong and I know what the right path is. Success becomes much easier if you know the right path and then work hard.
“If I could talk to my 15-year-old self, I'd tell him what you saw tonight is a natural result for someone who worked as much as I worked.”
With workshops in Lebanon, Milan, and Paris, Saab is now a household name. He shot to international attention in 2002 when he dressed Berry as she collected her first Oscar. It was a notable moment for two reasons: Berry became the first black woman to scoop the Best Actress award and Saab became the first Lebanese designer to dress an Oscar winner.
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