Elie Saab H&M is here: red-carpet couture, menswear included, lands on the Indian high street

The man who dressed Halle Berry for the night she won her Oscar has finally come to the high street. ELIE SAAB H&M, the Swedish retailer's latest designer collaboration, went on sale on 22 October 2026 in select H&M stores and online, and India is on the guest list: the collection has its own section and styling guide on H&M's Indian website. For once, red-carpet couture does not need a red-carpet budget.

H&M announced the tie-up in September, calling it a celebration of glamour and timeless elegance. The Lebanese couturier, who founded his house in Beirut in 1982 and has spent four decades dressing Hollywood for its biggest nights, has boiled his signatures down into a collection that covers womenswear, menswear and accessories, footwear included.

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What is actually in the drop

Expect exactly what the name promises: embellished gowns, shimmering separates and sharply cut tailoring, finished with fine lace, gradient sequins and the house's monograms. H&M's own styling guide also points to a cropped faux-fur jacket, sculptural tailored coats, a crisp white tuxedo shirt, a colour-gradient leather skirt with a matching jacket, a black lace dress, a cape, a silk jacquard scarf and a dramatic flower choker. The palette is midnight: black, gold and deep emerald green.

Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M's Creative Advisor and Head of Design Womenswear, describes the pieces as made to move between evening and everyday. Her advice is all about contrast: pair one statement piece with plain basics, then add jewellery or heels when the sun goes down. Saab himself says the collection is for everyone who admires his world, which is a polite way of saying that the people who could never afford the real thing are finally invited.

The menswear angle

Elie Saab is a name most Indian men know from their sisters' and wives' Pinterest boards rather than their own wardrobes, because the house built its fame on evening gowns and bridalwear. That makes the men's side of this drop the interesting bit. H&M confirms that menswear is part of the collection, and Vogue's coverage points to sharp evening tailoring as its centre. For the Indian groom's brother, the sangeet guest or anyone with a cocktail invite this wedding season, a properly cut dinner jacket with couture lineage is far more useful than another embroidered bandhgala.

In Europe, Vogue puts the range at €29.99 for a flower choker to around €300 for a sequined blazer or gown, with a leather jacket as the most expensive piece – €399, according to Vogue's Scandinavian and Dutch editions. H&M had not published an India price list in its announcements, so check the Elie Saab H&M section on hm.com/en_in and the H&M app for rupee prices and sizes. These drops usually sell fast, so the smart move is to shortlist online first.

Why this matters for India

H&M's designer collaborations have a strong Indian chapter. Sabyasachi's Wanderlust collection arrived in 2021, and Anamika Khanna followed with her own H&M line in 2024. Elie Saab is not Indian, but his aesthetic of heavy embellishment, drama and occasion dressing has always spoken fluent Indian wedding. A collection like this lands right in the middle of the country's party and wedding calendar, when demand for glamour is at its peak.

It also fills a gap. Indian men who want sharp evening wear usually choose between a custom tailor and an expensive luxury label. A collaboration piece sits in between: designer credibility, high-street pricing, and a fit you can try on in a mall before you commit.

The FHM take

Designer collaborations live or die on one question: does the cheaper version keep the soul of the original? Judging by the tailoring and the lace, Saab has kept his. We would skip the logo-heavy pieces and go straight for the evening jacket and the white tuxedo shirt; worn with dark trousers and good shoes, they will outlast the hype and see you through many shaadi seasons. Be quick, though. Glamour at high-street prices never stays on the rails for long.