Translated from French into English, “Dance to the Sound of the Drum” is the title that Sandra Mansour bestowed upon her latest collection with its two unrelated yet upbeat reference points: traditional Zaouli dance and the French Riviera. “It was really about movement,” she said. Like previous seasons, her dressy lineup yielded a potpourri of statement looks that could satisfy myriad special occasions and soirees. And as she spoke about her expanded showroom in Beirut—“minimalist yet feminine”—this reviewer was imagining the hypothetical experience of being there and deciding between a crimson mousseline, floor-dusting sheath flocked with stripes and a black button-front bustier dress with a dropped ruffle. Mansour singled out a few of her key creations, starting with a dress that featured her themes embellished playfully down the front, followed by a semi-sheer number covered in a delicate spray of fireworks and encircled by lustrous fringe.
For all the playfulness of the colorful print, plus jewelry in the shape of drums and umbrellas, the woven fringing seen in the first lookbook image and a swirling pattern of sequins applied directly to net in the third spoke to Mansour’s pursuit of distinctive technique, which would be persuasive for anyone choosing her designs over the masters of second-skin embroideries. To this point, there was also something revealing about the dresses covered in small Lurex jacquard flowers: They weren’t revealing at all. As a young female designer predominantly focused on eveningwear, she is aware that there are women who prefer romantic over risqué.
Her business partner, Yasmina Layla Farha, noted that they have been reconsidering pricing, given that their production is all in house. This could make the label more attractive to more international retailers, not just direct customers. Of course, the individuality that comes forth in Mansour’s designs is her value proposition: You march to the beat of your own drum.
