Susan crosses through the Place de la Concorde en route to Elie Saab

This season, it was Elie Saab who provided a grand finale to Paris Fashion Week, unveiling a collection that was beyond beautiful. His défilé offered a slow build-up of colors, from beige, saffron, apricot and tangerine to a burst of jewel-tones–jade green and sapphire blue–at the end of the show.

Each color appeared as both day clothes and evening dresses, all of them gorgeous, wearable and very elegant. I’d thought Elie’s show last season was his best Prêt-à-Porter ever–but this time, he managed to go just a little further and produce a collection that was even more outstanding.

Elie is a master of understatement, and even when he’s working with heavy beading and yards of flowing chiffon, he makes it all look effortless. I loved everything (which is rare for me), but the blue series really struck a chord: that color was incredibly vibrant and sensual. When it comes to fashion, I’m rarely shocked, but I can sometimes be surprised–and Elie surprised me this season. This is one designer who just keeps getting better and better!

Susan with new friend, Cassira, in the Tuileries after the Elie Saab show

After the show, I went backstage to congratulate him–and found myself in a conversation with a young fashion student from Switzerland who, it turned out, admires Elie’s work as much as I do. I also met a lovely group of Saudi women who were friends of Elie’s–we took pictures together, exchanged email addresses and then walked and talked our way through the Jardin des Tuileries. It was truly a wonderful way to end another Paris Fashion Week!

Photographs by Stephane Israël