Type Private Founded 1996 | Industry Luxury Clothing Key people Monique Lhuillier | |
Headquarters Los Angeles, California, United States Products Clothes, accessories, fragrance, china, | ||
Monique Lhuillier (born September 15, 1971, Cebu City, Philippines) is a fashion designer most prominently known for bridal wear. She launched her eponymous line in 1996.
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Spring/Summer 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection
The Monique Lhuillier Spring 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection was presented on September 7, 2012 at Lincoln Center during Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week. The designer found inspiration in a Mediterranean holiday. Drawing from more aquatic themes for her 45 looks, the designer incorporated abstract cranes, fish scales and koi into her prints. The gradient color story featured white, black, blue, fuchsia, and lavender. Brad Goreski, Odette Annable, and Padma Lakshmi were among the front row guests.
Kimono sleeves, seamed pants, peplums, and the trumpet flare were design details Mrs. Lhuillier employed to define the waist and lengthen the body. According to the program notes, “Evening is all about fluidity and movement, almost mermaid-like. Shimmering golds, sea glass beading in silhouette close to the body, showing lots of skin to create a very sensual woman…” While the designer has been experimenting with a darker, more mysterious side, she has no plans of alienating her signature romantic gowns.
“I was on vacation in the summer, off the coast of Turkey and the beautiful water inspired Spring 2013,” explained Monique Lhuillier backstage. “ Day is all about these vibrant prints, digital prints that I’ve created from abstract fish… You’re not sure what it is, but you can see the scales. It just makes it edgier and more interesting. It’s all about the movement and fluidity of water… For evening, I wanted her to feel like she was mermaid-like, submerged in water, and that’s the whole feeling of the show!”
“I love Monique!” raved Odette Annable. “I think she is such a talented person. I wore one of her wedding dresses at my own wedding, so it’s special to be here and to be at fashion week. I love everything about it. It’s like my Super Bowl!”
“I’m a huge fan of hers; first of all, she’s a sweetheart, the nicest person ever,” declared Jay Manuel. “We’re going to get high glamour here!”
Val Garland for M-A-C Cosmetics described the make-up as having a gorgeous, glamorous, aquatic feeling with a cobalt blue eyeshadow and lots of highlighter, bronzer, with a very rich complexion.
Fall/Winter 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection
The Monique Lhuillier Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection was presented on February 8, 2013 at Lincoln Center during Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week. The collection’s starting point and runway entrance backdrop was a piece of malachite. Baroque beading, lace dresses, digitized prints, and copper embellishments helped shape the cocktail frocks for which the designer is often celebrated. She raised the hemline just above the ankle for a fresher approach, one which also allowed her to show her new shoe collection. The palette included shades of green, scarlet, black, and cream. We saw a use of ombre, optical illusions, and abstract prints, which helped shift and shape the silhouette. Key trends included: brocade, decadent embroidery and colored fur.
“Fall 2013 was all about a strong woman,” explained Monique Lhuillier. “ I wanted to incorporate Art Deco and opulence and really bring luxury back.
The designer began her line-up with a series of angelic, winter white looks, to create the counterpoint for the absence of color that later gained momentum into deeper colors for evening. Color-blocking the furs also felt more opulent.
“She has the ability to give women their own red carpet moment in their personal lives,” declared Ken Downing of Neiman Marcus. “And certainly the Neiman Marcus woman, she has a lot of social events—be it cocktail or high drama, high glamour, where she needs to make and entrance and sometimes a little bit of an exit as well.
I’ve been a huge fan of Monique Lhuillier’s clothes for the last fifteen years,” said Mary Alice Stephenson. “I shoot it for magazine covers; I style it on the celebrities I work with; and I wear it as a woman… Her clothes are sexy; they’re glamorous; they’re easy on the body. A lot of designers can send incredible things down the runway that look hot on six feet tall skinny-winnies, but Monique’s clothes, not only are they beautiful, they really embrace a woman’s body and I love that!”
Spring/Summer 2014 Ready-to-Wear Collection
The Monique Lhuillier Spring 2014 Ready-to-Wear Collection was presented on September 6, 2013 at Lincoln Center during Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week. The 39 looks were designed with the modern woman in mind, who needs to transition seamlessly from day to night. The collection’s key pieces were meant to be convertible, versatile, and multi-taskers in the contemporary woman’s wardrobe, which was interpreted here by detachable beaded collars and lace shells.
According to the show notes, the collection was “dedicated to delicately balanced textures, innovative layering and sophisticated ease.” Flowing red carpet gowns were balanced against sportier separates. The vibrant color story incorporated pink, orange, coral, white, grey, and black.
Front row guests included Ashley Madekwe, Emmy Rossum, Perrey Reeves, Maggie Grace, Rose McGowan, and Stacy Keibler.
Fall/Winter 2014 Ready-to-Wear Collection
The Monique Lhuillier Fall 2014 Ready-to-Wear Collection was presented on February 8, 2014 at Lincoln Center during Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week. Although Monique Lhuillier is often heralded for pretty approach to fashion, this season, she wanted to infuse her the 42 looks in her collection with a darker, edgier feeling. She employed the figure of a skull both in prints and embroideries to achieve this effect.
The designer was inspired by a mix of modern architectural details and Old World Parisian couture.
Anna Kendrick, Cat Deeley, Jamie Chung, Emmy Rossum, Louise Roe, and Julie Henderson were all spotted on the front row.
These stronger, bolder looks incorporated intricate embroideries, luxe, embellishments, and illusion detailing.
Marie Claire described the lace booties as “so elegant, yet so badass.”
“Well Fall 2014 is a darker side of Monique and I wanted it to be really dramatic and also with a twist in there,” explained Monique Lhuillier. “And I wanted it to be really dark, so what’s darker than a skull, so let’s experiment with that, and what I did was I did it in the collection, but it’s in a very subtle way. And I wanted her to feel more mysterious this season, so I also experimented with new fabrics; there’s a lot of vinyl in the collection; there’s also a lot of netting in the collection… I just wanted to shows the darker, more dangerous side of my woman this season. “
For day, the designer showed fitted silhouettes in midi lengths under luxurious cashmere jackets, with exaggerated patent leather pockets. There were skull, scorpion, and angel motifs. There were lacquered belts, slimmer silhouettes, and dark beading for a more daring collection.
“It’s a lot more dramatic than what we usual see from her, but I think it’s really beautiful,” observed Emmy Rossum. “I love Monique and I love her aesthetic. And for somebody like me who doesn’t work with a stylist, this is the perfect opportunity to come, kind of handpick first the things I want to wear on the red carpet.
“Her clothes are so wearable,” said Anna Kendrick. “Everything is so beautiful… She manages to make things special and unique, but they’re still elegant and they’re still timeless. She does feminine, but there’s structure to it, which makes you feel secure in your body and the way that you look.”
“They definitely get you noticed,” declared Cat Deeley. “I love her appreciation of color. I think it’s beautiful and for me they fit my body; they look good on me and I think that’s what it’s all about. It’s about knowing your own body and knowing what suits you.”
Spring/Summer 2015 Ready-to-Wear Collection
The Monique Lhuillier Spring 2015 Ready-to-Wear Collection was presented on September 4, 2014 at Lincoln Center during Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week. Inspired by a recent trip to Harbour Island, the designer wanted to shift her focus more to daywear. The designer experimented with new fabrications to give the collection a more avant-garde feeling.
"When the sun rose over the ocean, the sky turned beautiful shades of blush and lavender, and there was this reflective quality to the water," she explained. "I wanted to instill that sparkle in every piece," explained Monique Lhuillier.
The silhouettes included garden-party dresses with floral appliques and drop-waist shirtdresses. With the focus on daywear, the designer showed more separates including: floral applique tops, flouncy short skirts, and iridescent trousers.
The sunrise palette featured hues of sky blue, canary yellow, pink, peach, lavender, aquamarine, mint, and copper. Landscape prints, iridescent sequins and three-dimensional flowers were evocative of the seaside theme. Hemlines varied from mini to midi, and maxi.
The ethereal, yet playful collection played with proportions; the designer achieved more volume with layered peplums; structured full skirts; folded necklines; and exaggerated sleeves. Front row guests included: Sophia Bush, Hannah Simone, Jamie Chung, Jennifer Morrison, Abigail Spencer, and Perrey Reeves.
Julia Frauche opened the runway presentation, while Auguste Abeliunaite closed it. Meaghan Waller, Katya Riabinkina, Antonina Vasylchenko, Vasilisa Pavlova, Dana Taylor, Agne Konciute, Hollie-May Saker, Anna Cholewa, Anastasia Lagune, Alma Durand, Frances Coombe, and Mona Matsuoka also walked the show.
The show ended in a finale of metallic confetti flakes that showered from the rafters.
Hairstylist Bob Recine sought to emulate the iridescence and luminescence of the fabrications with straight, shiny hair created a sophisticated, yet simple look.
Val Garland of M-A-C Cosmetics chopped cellophane into tiny pieces and applied along the outer corners of the eyes to recreate the look of stained glass. The lips were apricot. And the overall effect was young, healthy skin.
“Spring was all about this beautiful sunrise, the early morning hours and the light that you see and those beautiful pastel colors,” explained Monique Lhuillier. “I wanted to capture that luminosity and you’ll see it in all the foil fabrics and the lames, the liquid laces. This is a more playful side of Monique. Everything’s bright and crisp!”
The designer also played with proportions, by exaggerating shapes and volume in the skirts, trousers and rompers for a more youthful interpretation. The models wore shoes with Lucite heels to create a look of walking on water. Monique Lhuillier prides herself on her demi-couture construction. With an atelier of 200 artisans, she says that her garments are as well made on the inside as they are on the outside.
“It was a stunning show!” offered Mary Alice Stephenson.” I have been a fan of Monique’s for years now and watched her grow as a designer and I feel that this season was spectacular. The clothes were so feminine. They leapt of the runway—so feminine, pretty, yet classic with a twist. Even though it was feminine and pink and pastels and very, very feminine, there was a modern-cool-girl twist, that I thought was fresh for Monique. These are party clothes! Monique has been great at giving the actresses in Hollywood and girls across the country pretty, girlie, feminine party clothes to wear whether it’s for the red carpet or cocktail dresses. She understands construction. She understands how women want to look.”
“Anyone that is looking for something spectacular, something that’s going to stand out. Something that’s going to make you feel like the celebrities that she dresses—that’s’ why people come to Monique,” noted Modern Luxury’s James Aguiar. “She’s a master at understanding technique and fabric… Those types of clothes and the fabrications, it doesn’t have to be glitz; it doesn’t have to be sequins; it doesn’t have to be beaded. It can be a little shine. It can be iridescence. It can be a simple black dress, but she has the strength and the DNA of red carpet dressing down!”
Fall/Winter 2015 Ready-to-Wear Collection
The Monique Lhuillier Fall 2015 Ready-to-Wear Collection was presented on February 13, 2015 at Lincoln Center during Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week. While the designer is known for bridal wear and red-carpet downs, this season she shifted to a more fluid silhouette, devoid of corsetry. The designer noted the 20s as a starting point with a hint of the 70s glam rock for the 36 looks.
Eschewing her signature tulle princess-style cocktail dresses, the presentation opened with form-fitting lace sheath dresses and later transitioned to slinky metallic gowns. The dimly lit runway added a sense of drama and mystery to the presentation. Floral embroideries, laser cutouts, chevron patterns, asymmetry, peplums, and strategic paneling were signature hallmarks. Many looks featured jewel-tone coats and fur-trimmed blazers. Mrs. Lhuillier created tension by juxtaposing the hard against the soft. The presentation also concluded in dramatic fashion, when during the finale, the models posed on a series of stairs.
The rich palette incorporated emerald, teal, plum, okra; there is also a lot of shimmer for evening with metallic and mercury-like fabrics.
The silhouette featured midi skirts, cigarette pants, structured jackets, embroidered catsuits, cocktail dresses, and Art Deco-inspired gowns.
Citing Kate Moss as a muse for the collection, lead M-A-C Cosmetics artist, Val Garland, developed three distinct looks for the runway presentation. The first was a smudged eye with a red lip. The second was a lighted, toned down first of the first; while the third emphasized the eyes and softened the lip.
Gina Edwards of Morgan Taylor also created three nude looks: a nude; a teal; and an aubergine with a hint of metallic, which echoed the collection’s jewel tone palette.
Hair stylist Bob Recine designed three looks for day, casual, and evening: a topknot; down and a little messy; then half up and half down.
“You’re seeing a darker, more confident woman for fall,” explained Monique Lhuillier backstage. “I use the word smoldering to describe her. There’s three hair and make-up looks n the show, showing her during her lunch hour into cocktail to full-on dramatic evening. And she looks quite fierce this season! The silhouettes are longer and leaner, but even if the silhouettes are closer to the body, there is so much detail in the clothes… It’s all about these beautiful, dark jewel tones… teals, plums, midnight, and it’s all about these dramatic colors. And I also felt it was time to bring the masculine and strong shoulder back into the collection and have these tailored outerwear pieces; together with the fluidity; it just brought this wonderful rock star feeling to the collection... I looked at a lot of dresses from the 1920s; it was all about these fluid silhouettes, so this season, I got rid of the corset… This woman is liberated. I cut a lot of things on the bias, so it’s very liquidy and very sireny. She’s dressed from head-to-toe, because now I’m also doing accessories… Cut a little more close to the body, it’s just a little more sensual. This girl is a little more confident. She is in charge of her destiny.”
“ I really like the new format of this show,” observed Brittany Snow. “You really got to see how it fits together and the cohesiveness of it all.”
“I thought it was amazing!” noted Kelly Rutherford. “It was so feminine and chic and beautiful and I love all the florals.”
“ I was so impressed with Monique’s show tonight!” raved Modern Luxury’s James Aguiar. “There are statement-making pieces mixed with the ready-to-wear. Season by season she’s taken it away from just being red carpet dressing to something that is a fully-realized collection. The color palette was extraordinary and I just loved the way that the dresses flowed.”
Spring/Summer 2016 Ready-to-Wear Collection
The Monique Lhuillier Spring 201 Ready-to-Wear Collection was presented on September 12, 2015 at The Arc at Moynihan Station during New York Fashion Week.
For Spring, the vibrant palette included shades of poppy, electric blue, tangerine, turquoise, and emerald. The collection of 39 looks focused on a more structured silhouette with sculptural shift dresses, bustiers, tunics, skinny trousers, and cocoon coats.
Inspired by Ellsworth Kelly and Jackson Pollock, the artistic collection’s design details included color-block, graphic prints, beadwork, and floral embellishments.
Bella Thorne, Skyler Samuels, Ashley Madekwe, Jamie Chung, Jessica Lowndes, Analeigh Tipton, and Gillian Jacobs attended the show.
With a collection focused on evening separates, the underlying message was empowering elegance and feminine sophistication.
The runway show’s set design echoed the geometric influences with cutouts that suspended from the rafters.
"Ellsworth Kelly was a big inspiration. The collection is bright and bold, with color-block styles and abstract floral patterns," said Monique Lhuillier. "It also contains unexpected design elements, including Lucite, saturated leather, prints, matter, and shine," she added. " I want women to be able to incorporate a sense of playfulness into their style."