Paris Haute Couture Week: Georges Hobeika brings a taste of la dolce vita to the runway

The Lebanese designer took inspiration from an Italian island for his colour-strewn, ultra-romantic collection

Maya Henry closes the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. AFP

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. AFP

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. AFP

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. AFP

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. AFP

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. AFP

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. AFP

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. AFP

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. AFP

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. AFP

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. AFP

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. AFP

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. AFP

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. EPA

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. EPA

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. EPA

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. EPA

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. EPA

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. EPA

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. EPA

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. EPA

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. EPA

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. EPA

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. EPA

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. EPA

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. EPA

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. EPA

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. EPA

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. EPA

A look from the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. EPA

Models walk the runway at the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. EPA

Models walk the runway at the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. EPA

Models walk the runway at the Georges Hobeika spring / summer 2020 show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 20, 2020. EPA

Lebanese designer Georges Hobeika greets the audience at the end of his show. EPA

It might have been a wintry day in Paris but yesterday, Georges Hobeika infused the runway with memories of sandy, salty summers spent in the Mediterranean.

The Lebanese designer presented his spring / summer 2020 collection at Haute Couture Week in the French capital on Monday, January 20, transforming the Palais de Chaillot into an idyllic catwalk.

Hobeika took cues from "the glistening beaches of Sardinia" for the collection, sending out models decked in sherbet pastels, fluid chiffons and froths of feathers.

Scroll through the gallery above to see highlights from Georges Hobeika's SS20 couture show in Paris.

Many outfits were topped off with dramatic hats, fringed with beads or feathers, that harked back to the fifties.

Model Maya Henry, the partner of British singer Liam Payne, closed the show in a crystal-studded bridal gown, reminiscent of the voluminous, corseted dresses once worn at the palace of Versailles.

Hobeika also used the show to present his first couture menswear looks, with models donning beaded mesh tees and oversized jacquard coats.

Also presenting his SS20 couture collection in Paris on Monday was Rabih Kayrouz, who last year became only the 17th fashion label to be granted prestigious haute couture status.

The Beirut designer showcased his work in his Left Bank headquarters, unveiling a collection that honed in on the construction process of couture.

Scroll through the gallery below to see highlights from Maison Rabih Kayrouz's SS20 couture show in Paris.

From deconstructed dresses to structured skirts that resembled crinolines of days past, the collection offered a masterclass in tailoring, with the streamlined, unfussy aesthetic that Kayrouz is known for.

The collection was technical, but glimmers of gold and sequins offered options for evening, which are bound to find a place in the wardrobes of the designer's legion of loyal fans.