Clockwise left: Nazik Hariri, with her 22 year old daughter Hind, who grew up accompanying her mother to many of the couture shows as well as her fittings. It is said that she has also acquired a taste for haute couture; Nazik Hariri with her late Husband Rafik Hariri in Gaultier Paris couture, Spring 2002; May Arida at her home in Beirut with one of her vintage Dior pieces; Arida photographed for American Vogue in the early 60’s; The Lebanese couturier Elie Saab with models after his show.There is a group of couturiers from the Orient who are knocking heavily at the well guarded doors of France’s governing body of haute couture. No other country in recent years has been able to insert itself into the Paris couture scene quite as well as Lebanon and Beirut in particular, which not only has a long history of dressmaking, but can also boast several prominent fashion houses that stayed open even during its 15 years of bitter civil war.
Many of these designers began by presenting their collections during Rome’s couture week and gradually edged their way onto the Paris Couture schedule. Elie Saab, whose notoriety grew after dressing Halle Barry for the Oscars, is the most well known of this group of Lebanese couturiers. But there are also many others, including George Chakra, Zuhair Murad and George Hobeika. Although the later two are not as yet invited members on the Chambre Syndicale’s official calendar, they present their collections with the same pomp as the big houses, and exhibit the same level of craftsmanship and attention to detail that couture is known for.
Despite this, they are frequently called out by fashion critics for concentrating too heavily on eveningwear that is often ornately embroidered and brightly hued. Even if fashions pendulum were to swing towards a more austere aesthetic, one could assume that the Lebanese couturiers would not stray too heavily from this already established formula. The main reason for this is that most have built up their businesses catering to a Middle Eastern clientele, and their endless cycle of weddings, where such frocks are de rigueur. But what these couturiers cannot be faulted for is their ability to listen to their clients and give them what they want. This is apparent by the number of customers they attract each season, not only from the Middle East, but also Europe, Asia, South America and the United States. Although most of the Parisian couture houses have been experiencing an increase in sales, it is an unspoken fact within couture’s inner circle that the house attracting the largest number of customers is neither French nor Italian, but that of the Lebanese designer Elie Saab.
In addition to these designers, Paris couture houses have had a long history of attracting prominant Lebanese clients. Two such clients representing different generations are Nazik Hariri and May Arida.
Nazik Hariri, the wife of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, has been a fixture on the couture scene for over 20 years. In the past she was frequently photographed front row at Valentino, Lacroix, Elie Saab and Gaultier Paris. But after the tragic death of her husband she curtailed her attendance at the shows, though she still orders pieces from the couture houses privately.
An international beauty who was photographed by American Vogue in the 60’s, May Arida is largely responsible for establishing Lebanon’s Baalbeck cultural festival, by enticing such luminaries as Jean Cocteau, Ella Fitzgerald, Maurice Béjart and Miles Davis to perform under the towering Roman columns of Baalbeck’s ancient amphitheater. From the 1950’s-70’s she was a prominent customer at Christian Dior, where she developed a close friendship with the famous designer himself. Today she owns one of the largest collections of Dior couture at her home in Beirut, which she takes meticulous care of.
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Princess Lalla Hasna of Morocco is the youngest daughter of the late King Hassan II. Over the last couple of years she has placed special emphasis on environmental issues in Morocco, creating in 2001 The Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of the Environment. She’s married to cardiologist Dr. Khalid Benharbit, with whom she has two daughters.
Clockwise left: Nazik Hariri, with her 22 year old daughter Hind, who grew up accompanying her mother to many of the couture shows as well as her fittings. It is said that she has also acquired a taste for haute couture; Nazik Hariri with her late Husband Rafik Hariri in Gaultier Paris couture, Spring 2002; May Arida at her home in Beirut with one of her vintage Dior pieces; Arida photographed for American Vogue in the early 60’s; The Lebanese couturier Elie Saab with models after his show.
Anh Duong is a New York-based painter specializing in portraiture, whom Vanity Fair called "the Frida Kahlo of the 21st century." Born in 1960 in Bordeaux, France to a Spanish mother and a Vietnamese father, Duong studied architecture at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and danced with the Franchetti Academy of Classical Dance before her regal and exotic looks launched into a successful modeling career that spanned the late 80’s through the early 90’s. She’s posed for fashion photographers Michel Comte, Peter Lindbergh, Steven Meisel and Deborah Turbeville, as well as serving as muse to designers Donna Karan, Christian Lacroix, John Galliano and Diane von Furstenberg. In 2006 she married architect Barton Quillen in a Couture dress designed for her by Christian Lacroix.
The Manhattan socialite, philanthropist, art patron, and ex-wife of billionaire investor Sid Bass, has amassed a serious couture collection since she began attending the Paris Haute Couture shows in the 1980’s. Frequently appearing on the Best Dressed list, her collection includes pieces by every major Couturier. She was a devoted client at Yves Saint Laurent before he retired. Today she is frequently seen at major events such as the New York MET’s Costume Institute Gala in Christian Lacroix and Gaultier Paris.
British heiress Daphne Guinness is one of couture’s more flamboyant dressers, and comes from a long line established couture customers. Her grandmother was Diana Mitford, one of the famous three Mitford sisters, who were society beauties in their youth as well as regular clients at the house of Givenchy amongst many others.
Houston socialite Lynn Wyatt is not only a charter member of the international jet set but she is also considered one of haute couture’s most glamorous and loyal customers. Frequently appearing at charity galas (there is not a major event in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London or Paris that she’s liable to miss) Mrs. Wyatt can often be seen in the pages of Vogue and W in couture’s latest creations.
