Huishan Zhang vs Elie Saab: The Gown Comparison Nobody Makes Honestly
Huishan Zhang vs Elie Saab: The Gown Comparison Nobody Makes Honestly
This comparison usually gets written as if the two houses were rivals. They are not. Elie Saab is a Paris couture house with a forty-year red carpet record and prices to match. Huishan Zhang is a London independent founded in 2012. What makes the comparison worth making is that on the actual garments the gap is much narrower than the price gap.
The numbers, from live stock
| Huishan Zhang | Elie Saab | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2012, London | 1982, Beirut |
| Shows | London Fashion Week | Haute couture and ready-to-wear, Paris |
| Pieces in stock at Coveti | 240 | 191 |
| Full price range | $500 to $9,430 | $690 to $30,514 |
| Median piece | Just over $2,100 | $4,370 |
| Gown range | $1,740 to $9,430 | $10,307 to $25,680 |
| Median gown | Around $4,400 | $11,471 |
| Register | Architectural, restrained, London | Overtly glamorous, red carpet |
Read the gown rows twice. The most expensive gown Huishan Zhang makes in this collection, at $9,430, is cheaper than the least expensive Elie Saab gown we hold. That is the entire commercial argument and it is not a marginal one.
What the extra money buys at Elie Saab
Three real things, and it is worth being honest about all of them.
- Haute couture infrastructure. The house shows couture in Paris, which means a scale of atelier and a density of hand work that a London independent does not have.
- Forty years of red carpet. If the objective is to be photographed and identified, Elie Saab has been the answer to that question since Halle Berry wore one to the Oscars in 2002. Recognition is a product feature and it is priced accordingly.
- Volume of embellishment. At the top of the Elie Saab range you are buying more hand-applied work per garment than almost anyone else makes.
What Huishan Zhang does that Elie Saab does not
- Covered dressing as standard. Sleeves and higher necklines are in the main patterns, not a modest variation of them.
- Tailoring. Blazers, jackets, trousers and suiting skirts, which is not what Elie Saab is for.
- Separates. 82 skirts, tops, knits and trousers, most under $2,000, from the same atelier as the gowns.
- Restraint. Several of the best pieces in the collection have no decoration at all. That is not an option the Elie Saab customer is generally shopping for.
Choose by the room you are walking into
| The occasion | The house | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Film premiere, awards red carpet | Elie Saab | Built to be the photograph |
| Somebody else’s wedding | Huishan Zhang | You are not supposed to win the room |
| Gala and benefit, where you are seated | Either | Comfort decides it, so check the bodice |
| Diplomatic and state function | Huishan Zhang | Covered, formal and not loud |
| A budget under $6,000 for a gown | Huishan Zhang | Elie Saab gowns start above it |
Three Huishan Zhang gowns that make the case
- Micheline Gown in Black Embellished Tulle, $9,430 — the fullest embellishment the house makes, and still below the Elie Saab entry point.
- Augusta Gown in Black Tulle, $6,260 — black tie, done quietly.
- Ravina Gown in Green Gold Embellished Organza, $5,320 — colour and hand work, for the event that is photographed.
Frequently asked questions
Is Huishan Zhang cheaper than Elie Saab?
Substantially. Measured on the stock Coveti holds today, Elie Saab gowns run from $10,307 to $25,680 with a median of $11,471. Huishan Zhang gowns run from $1,740 to $9,430 with a median around $4,400. The most expensive Huishan Zhang gown in the collection costs less than the cheapest Elie Saab gown we hold.
Is Elie Saab better than Huishan Zhang?
On a red carpet, Elie Saab is the reference and has been since 2002. On covered occasion dressing, tailoring and separates, Huishan Zhang is the stronger house. They overlap on the embellished evening gown and diverge everywhere else.
What is Elie Saab known for?
Embellished evening gowns and a long red carpet record. The house was founded in Beirut in 1982, shows haute couture in Paris, and became internationally known when Halle Berry wore one of its gowns to the Academy Awards in 2002.
Which should I buy for a black tie wedding?
Huishan Zhang, in most cases. Elie Saab gowns are built for being the most photographed person in the room, which at somebody else’s wedding is the wrong objective. Huishan Zhang gives you the same construction register in a quieter key, and at roughly a third of the price.
Do both brands make sleeved gowns?
Both do. In the Huishan Zhang collection here, 32 of the 109 dresses and gowns have full-length sleeves and another 8 have cape and kimono sleeves, counted from the featured images. Sleeves are built into the main patterns rather than offered as a modest variation, which is why the brand is a common answer for conservative and religious dress codes.
Keep reading
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