Monique Lhuillier's Mermaid Sirens
Inspiration can come in the moments when you least expect it. It seems like that was the case this season for ready-to-wear and bridal designer Monique Lhuillier, who presented her Spring 2013 best at Lincoln Center on Saturday, Sept. 8, at New York Fashion Week.
Sea tones of aqua, teal, ocean and seafoam came together on the stage in patterns beautifully crafted to look like fish, and all of the colors the ocean prism releases to the eye. Aqua reptilian motifs shined as chic two-ply crepe blouses with a scale pattern manifested gills where you could virtually see the air and water as life and sustenance.
"It all came to me while I was on vacation in Turkey and lounging on a boat, and there I was looking at the beautiful landscape and the water and it came to me, that's spring right there," said Lhuillier after the show. As ironic as it is, the times we try to clear our mind from the day to day, sometimes, are just the moments when our mind is most clear to think about the mundane. Textured elements were a key part of most looks such as the threadwork organza structured dress with the foil splash and the laser cut jacquard dress that had just that certain shimmer the moon makes as it reflects off the surface of the water and back into the midnight sky. A paralyzed leather one-shoulder asymmetric dress will flatter any figure and undoubtedly be one of the more versatile pieces of the collection. The aqua paralyzed shell dress made you want to reach out and touch it, as if 3-D, and is the perfect length with the perfect shine for hosting your own outdoor sea-themed soiree.
Lhuillier debuted her eponymous footwear line this season which is an exciting addition to her ever-growing empire. "I launched shoes. They are made in Italy and it was a four month process of what I want them to feel like, what I want the fabrications to be. That was very exciting," she told FWD. "And tonight was their big debut."
Feminine body hugging garbs gave these sirens their signature shape, but it was the finale of gowns that we were holding our breath for. Lhuillier reinvigorated a sensuality in this gown collection with tulle necklines, lace bodices and illusion hems, reassuring us, rightfully, why Monique Lhuillier is a name associated with bridal and formal wear. Whether embroidered or simply draped, there is something for everyone for evening and in that area lies her success.
Wearing a koi fish patterned blouse from the collection, a fish commonly known to bring good luck, Lhuillier might not need any charms on her continued road to victory as she forges ahead into new terrain.
