Elie Saab 2015 Paris Fashion Week Collection

Elie Saab is never going to send athletic attire down his runway not even in the sense of clothes for running errands and such. But an unmistakable sport influence fueled his Spring collection, adding a few new points of interest to his reliably glamorous formula.

As usual, Saab’s decorative flourishes and finery were informed by an overarching theme, this time titled "Dive Into the Deep Blue." There were undulations of encrustations and hemlines that rippled like shorelines. The primary print suggested light reflecting off a koi pond. Lace inserts in blouses and slits in slinky twisted viscose cut the torso like fins. Still, there was more to this show than a life aquatic. Midway through, Saab sent out a grouping of dresses that are sure to make a splash on the red carpet. Their colors were rendered in Pointillist dégradé so that the ’70s silhouettes warmed up from yellow to red or cooled down from cobalt to turquoise depending on how the colors were oriented. The two versions in black and white projected a contemporized chiaroscuro.

As for the sporty bits, they played out as lace strips that contoured around the leg from outer hip to inner ankle, swimsuit-inspired dress bodices, and, wait for it, flat sandals. Whether they were a concession to the prevailing winds or an adjustment of his own eye, they confirmed that Elie Saab is not above evolution.