Opulence! You Own Everything! Zuhair Murad - SS20
Ok, let’s talk about the Zuhair Murad SS2020 couture collection! First of all, it’s stunning! I find myself hitting the play button on the show over and over again. I love the fact that the collection is so clearly ancient Egyptian-inspired. The designer calls this collection Féminines Sacrées. As written on the designer’s site: “…Murad pays homage to Egyptian queens who left a mark on history by their beauty and power.” The show opener sets the tone of the entire collection. A golden cropped top exquisitely embellished and embroidered exposing the midriff, paired with a maxi pencil skirt equally adorned with hieroglyphics! Now…maybe it’s just me but, paying closer attention to the details of the skirt; some of the glyphs depict figures with…uncharacteristically pale skin. This gets a side eye from me, but I’ll talk a little more about race as it pertains to this collection a little later. For now, the clothes.
The opulence of the collection really shows the regality and power of those ancestral rulers. I love that Murad didn’t shy away from making the looks borderline costumey. Instead, he embraced the ornateness and over-the-topness of bygone Egyptian dynasties. There’s gold, there’s stoning, there are show-stopping gowns and floor-length CAPES! There’s nothing more majestic than a cape! (I often imagine owning a piece that has a cape, no cap…or whatever the children are saying these days.)
Obviously, a model’s job is to “sell the garment,” right? Well, the Casting Director of this show definitely did their job! These ladies walked! Their gaits demanded the respect and attention that rulers and women command. The pieces flowed perfectly and effortlessly. Now, with that being said, while the pieces are undeniably gorgeous, some choices give me pause. Let’s go back to the rather light-skinned figures on that first skirt. Maybe it’s the lighting, maybe it’s the materials, maybe it wasn’t done purposefully; but, it’s something I have to look at closely. Additionally, while it’s obviously not a requirement, I think what would have translated the message of this collection would have been to feature an all-Black, Egyptian or African model casting. Imagine watching those gowns and capes come down the runway, piece after piece being walked by Black women; showing the power, femininity, confidence and unapologetic sex appeal of the Black féminine. Considering this collection was all about ancient Egyptian queens, I feel like there was a missed opportunity to tell a different story; to weave a tale of magic, majesty and modernity by draping the pieces upon melanin skin.
Nevertheless, I continue to press play on this collection. I’m in awe of almost every look: The high slits, the somewhat subtle details of scarabs, wings and feathers; the colors and tones, the plethora of shapely silhouettes, the opulence! This collection is couture.
This piece was written prior to the devastating explosion in Beirut where many people were killed and injured. Murad is a Lebanese designer whose Beirut office was destroyed in the blast. Here’s hoping that the city and people of Beirut can recover.
Photo credit: zuhairmurad.com
