2012 was a big year for designer Monique Lhuillier. Her namesake shoe collection made its debut in September and she opened her first New York store a month later. Still, Lhuillier had the future on her mind when designing her cool new pre-fall collection. In fact, the inspiration was thousands of light-years away. “I was going for a sci-fi, celestial feeling,” Lhuillier said. For day, a sculptural gunmetal and copper tweed dress with a crystal neckline and a forest green leather frock with a cutout back were mixed in with tailored separates in an abstract galaxy print. The night sky was represented in a series of ombré pieces that faded from a deep blue to a silvery steel. Lhuillier played with texture on a “chic and easy” sweatshirt in a woven animal-skin pattern. The same fabric appeared on a long, strong-shouldered coat.
Cocktail dresses were treated with lace and draped strategically across the bodice. Metallics weaved their way through other frocks in the form of cut-up leather and burnt copper embroidery that was layered over nude chiffon. Elsewhere, Lhuillier created the illusion of graphic prints with crystals and beads meticulously hand-sewn onto the garments. Celebrity stylists are bound to fight over the last look, a column gown with a voluminous layer of tulle covered in blue and silver sequins. For the lucky girl who shows up on the red carpet in that number, the future’s looking bright.
The Living Fashion 