Many of the most beautiful pieces from Reem Acra’s pre-fall collection, like the silver boatneck sleeveless gown blinged-out with crystals and pearls, and the strapless satin number in an eye-catching metallic floral finished with a cascading train, are in Los Angeles, sent by the designer to celebrity stylists ahead of the busy awards season that’s currently underway. It will be a while until those designs hit the red carpet, though, as the wildfires in California have put a pause on any upcoming red carpets.
This season, the designer was thinking of her homeland of Lebanon and its neighboring countries for inspiration. “I was inspired by the Desert Rose because I went to the Middle East just before this collection. So you see lots of delicate and fragile flowers, a little bit of lace, all set against dark colors from black and gold to showcase the stark beauty of the desert landscape against the resilient flora,” she explained. There, her best-selling silhouettes are loose-fitting caftans that certainly differ from Europe and America’s taste for the more overtly form-fitting and sexy, but they certainly don’t lack for glamour.
