From a new Paris showroom, Zuhair Murad came across as particularly buoyant. He showed off pictures of his delicate, lacy designs for the New York City Ballet dancers and revealed that he will be designing J.Lo’s wardrobe for her gig at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, his starting point for Spring was “sailor sensuality,” which, despite the campy coupling, offered a sea of opportunity to expand on his strengths. Daywear largely consisted of nautical elements, from marinière dresses in mixed-gauge knits to wide-leg sailor pants. Sensitive to his clients’ lifestyles, he steered the theme away from fisherman and toward yacht-level luxe—standouts included the crisp, white double-breasted captain’s suit and chic separates resembling naval pennants in satiny scuba material. If the plunging-V, shorter-than-short jumpsuit in striped sequins went overboard on cheek, it’s exactly the type of piece that could prompt a celeb stylist tug-of-war.
But the cheek continued with lipstick lips planted in jacquard, embroidery, and more sequins. “In each port, the women are leaving kisses,” mused Murad, who pointed out that even the monochromatic knits featured lip motifs embedded into the mesh. A coral-floral patterning reverted back to his predictable mix of sheer and sparkle. Yet the look that outshone all the others was not the least bit glitz; instead, the satin scuba had been transformed into a solid red gown, its elongated top trussed with thick grosgrain. Let’s call it five-alarm siren.