Elie Saab’s woman is sweet and sexy, but hardly original

Sweet sexinesss at Elie Saab

PARIS — Hollywood’s favorite Lebanese designer, Elie Saab, on Wednesday delivered a sexy and sweet spring-summer 2010 haute couture collection of heavily beaded slip gowns in muted pastel tones.

It was a slimmer silhouette than usual for Saab, whose full-skirted princess gowns have helped make him a perennial red carpet favorite. Dresses made up of delicate, transparent layers of lace and chiffon were cut close to the body and covered with elaborate beadwork.

At the end of the show, held in a theater in Paris’ stately 16th district, the mirrored catwalk was littered with fallen beads, tubes and chiffon scraps.

Bias cut spaghetti strap gowns had long swishing skirts, while a series of dresses with draped bustiers had skirts with bold slits that nearly reached the model’s prominent hip bones.

While pretty, the collection was a bit deja vu, with little to distinguish it from other catwalks in Paris and beyond.