Maison Rabih Kayrouz RTW Fall 2021

Rabih Kayrouz is anchoring his label with a ready-to-wear thrust, applying his couture hand to building a wardrobe for daily life — of the sublime sort. The fall presentation film, directed by Nasri Sayegh, featured a youthful model with a gently punkish hairdo, moving around the Boulevard Raspail headquarters to Yasmine Hamdan’s soothing rendition of “All Is Full Of Love.”

The look: Kayrouz offered a pure and precise lineup of familiar house silhouettes — tailored velour jackets with side slits, tent dresses, loose outerwear — in rich fabrics, patterns used sparingly. This was his first collection at a lower price positioning, as the house widens its reach.

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Quote of note: “I love moving between couture and ready-to-wear, masculine and feminine, the East and the West, fluidity, structure — it can sometimes be a bit ambiguous. A play on ambiguity that adds richness,” said Kayrouz.

Key pieces: The trench coat with a prominent collar and wide belt; tent dresses in crisp stripes or solid olive and fluid; separates in a deep, blue velour. Even the dressiest pieces carried a certain ease — whether structured, like the floral brocade skirt-vest ensemble and the gold culotte pants with matching jacket; or flowing, as the leopard-print dress with a plunging V-neck. “It’s comfort that gives elegance — nothing else,” he insisted.

Takeaway: There is an intimacy to his approach — subtly adding openings here or there, for unconstrained movement, to reveal a flash of leg or free up the arm. It was a great consolation to see that the warmth and energy of his catwalk shows could be relayed through the screen. Kayrouz is a designer who conveys feeling with his clothing — earning him a fervent following.

Launch Gallery: Maison Rabih Kayrouz RTW Fall 2021

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