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Given how Rabih Kayrouz always shows his collections in Paris, often within his Left Bank headquarters, it’s easy to forget that he has a whole other setup in Beirut. There since March, he took me for a virtual visit, walking me through the Old World splendor and tasteful refurbishments of an early 19th-century home that he transformed into his atelier, showroom, and boutique last year. Amidst the country’s current economic crisis and political instability—to say nothing of the pandemic—the designer seemed concerned but calm. Over the past few months, he has had more family time than ever, lending a hand at their popular bakery, while putting his maison’s priorities into perspective.
“We have been able to step back and look at what we are doing and to think in a positive way,” he said. The most immediate decision: Instead of conceiving and orchestrating a full collection remotely, Kayrouz opted to focus on a single haute couture dress—one that builds upon a design he began developing two seasons ago. “More than a lifestyle, couture is a matter of know-how,” he said. “This is the story of a dress—and the story is a long-distance relationship.” The grosgrain lattice has been shaped according to such an intricate technique that it is completely absent of fabric.
Kayrouz notes how such “intimate constructions” end up conducive to movement. In the accompanying film, director Nasri Sayegh creates a link between Beirut and Paris, between the hand movements that craft a dress and the dance moments that the dress evokes. Hours of workmanship—230, to be exact—come across with the sensuality and fluidity that have long defined Kayrouz’s approach.
As the film ends, we see the goldfish that is kept in the Paris showroom, its color almost a perfect match for the brilliant orange of the dress. Kayrouz said that this was not a deliberate homage but rather the ribbon color that the atelier had in the quantity required to assemble the dress—263 feet of ribbon and 1,050 feet of cord. Compared to the previous designs, this version presents a more elaborate skirt structure, with fluted undulations that appear rigid when stationary only to expand freely as the model (and Crazy Horse dancer) Yousra Mohsen twirls.
The designer said he is now thinking ahead to his next Maison Rabih Kayrouz collection, as well as a new strategic direction that he plans to announce in the fall. If long-distance relationships come with inevitable challenges, the designer seemed pleased with how this experience worked out. “You realize, I have yet to touch it,” he said of the dress, missing the double entendre. “I feel really good about it—I wouldn’t have thought I would have this feeling. But now I’m ready to give it away.”