Words like “casual” and “everyday” aren’t typically associated with Monique Lhuillier, but this fall collection proved she’s expanding her vocabulary.
The designer known best for fantasy gowns soft-launched the most real of all clothing articles: jeans — never mind that hers come strung with hand-cut calla lilies. According to Lhuillier, something as quotidian as denim “can still feel special, infused with special details from our eveningwear,” she said via email. To her point, why not make every carpool pickup or grocery store run feel special, like walking the red carpet?
For the office, Lhuillier offered a curvaceous double-breasted topcoat in wooly glen-plaid, which she interpreted elsewhere as a mixed floral print on sheath dresses. Sartorial, yet feminine, these pieces could easily close deals in the boardroom before transitioning to celebratory drinks at happy hour.
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Lhuillier herself is celebrating 30 years in business and even as she looks forward, dabbling in daywear, she’s also looking back. Several key silhouettes were updated from her archives in fresh colorways and new fabrications — some quite recent, like a caped and draped chiffon maxi and a lacy mockneck that first appeared on her bridal runway in October, reintroduced here in bubblegum pink and electric fuchsia, respectively.
Lhuillier’s nostalgia carried with it a dose of ‘80s glam as well, seen in the stretch velvet bodices exploding with bicolor satin or pebbled mikado skirts. They brought to mind a young Princess Diana, who no doubt would have creative ways of styling all of the detachable sashes, bows and brooches. Elsewhere, a scoop-neck mini glittering in silver sequin scales embodied Diana’s saucier ‘90s look.
The People’s Princess strategically used her outward appearance to communicate a complex inner life, making her a fitting muse for Lhuillier. “Designing as a woman, for women means being deeply aware of how clothing makes you feel, not just how it looks,” she said. “This season, I focused on honoring the female form by sculpting it with strength and softness at the same time.”