Paris haute couture: highlights from Zuhair Murad

Murad served up satin shawl collars and slick tuxedo pants as a nod to men’s eveningwear, but on the whole this was red carpet, leg and lightbulb flashing, lady of leisure stuff, as was to be expected. Models in heavy kohl eyeliner with slicked back hair walked the runway to Son Lux’s “Easy,” showing off a series of heavily-worked fabrics cut close to the body.

There were some interesting touches with asymmetric elements (pleats twisted over hips and a webbed effect in crystal embellisment) and loose zebra stripes of sequins which fell into abstraction as they tumbled down gowns. Murad relied on his usual design influences, which worked their way to the surface from the start. Colorwise, the mostly monochrome opening pieces gave way to gowns with multicolored hippyish prints and paillettes, then blocks of blues and pinks.