It was a starry, starry night at Zuhair Murad’s fall couture show. Given the designer’s trademark — all-over crystal embroideries — it was probably just a matter of time before he turned to the sky for inspiration.
“I have a big telescope in my house and I see a lot of things. I love the mystery,” he said backstage before showing the collection, which was built on a series of familiar red-carpet silhouettes ranging from short tutu dresses to sexy columns and long gowns with flaring skirts. They were covered with a sparkling cosmic dust created from sequins, crystals and beads as well as a galactic-type print that was re-embroidered for extra twinkle.
Murad paired the looks with luscious velvet or foxy fur capes in various lengths, and occasionally sent out Seventies disco-inspired jumpsuits with cape sleeves for the sportier type.
The soundtrack pumped a remix of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” as models walked against a light installation mimicking the nocturnal sky, which eventually opened to reveal the bride, a fantasy Marie-Antoinette. Engulfed in a pannier wedding dress with a ballooning train, festooned with what Murad described as “galactic dust” embroideries that took 20 people 350 hours of work, she didn’t bother to turn around — and you couldn’t blame her.
