Monique Lhuillier wants you to say ‘yes’ to her evening dresses
A nude illusion gown encased by heaps of tulle and a matching, hooded cape would be theatrical at any trunk show. Especially as an opening look. But when the name on the wall reads “Monique Lhuillier,” the effect is all the more surprising.
Several heads were turned in Tootsies’ back room in November, when two dozen of Lhuillier’s top customers sat for a presentation of the designer’s spring 2020 collection.
And later, as the model lowered her flesh-colored bonnet in dramatic fashion, onlookers gasped.
Gauzy layers from both the cape and gown swished at her ankles. Upon closer inspection, a keyhole-shaped cutout exposed a slice of midriff.
This, from a designer best known for sugary wedding dresses?
Since 1996, Lhuillier has been almost exclusively synonymous with bridal. Celebrity darlings such as Reese Witherspoon, Carrie Underwood, Lauren Conrad and even Britney Spears have each said “I do” in one of the strapless and lace confections that have become Lhuillier’s signature.
And though her ready-to-wear offerings may be lesser known, they’re just as studied. She’s shown special-occasion wear on traditional runways for the past 23 years.
“It’s an offshoot. She started the business in bridal, then moved into color and real-life,” said Angelo Devito, Lhuillier’s global ready-to-wear sales director. “A wedding gown in mostly white or ivory, though, that’s all changing as the modern bride is becoming different. Monique wanted to experiment with color to dress the mother of the bride,
the wedding guest, the bride’s sister … or a young woman celebrating her bat mitzvah.”
Given Houston’s rigorous social calendar, there’s plenty of demand for formal attire.
Dr. Sippi Khurana had Houston Symphony Ball in mind when she purchased an aqua, silk faille crop top with matching skirt — the trunk show’s other jaw-dropping look.
“I picked it because I thought the color was amazing, and that a two-piece was a new, fun take on a ballgown,” Khurana said. “What I think (Lhuillier) does really well is add a feminine touch to all of her clothes. You feel incredibly pretty and sophisticated at the same time because she hits the trends in a very delicate way.”
Two years ago, Khurana hosted an intimate “Mother’s Day Lunch with Monique Lhuillier” shopping event for the designer. That’s when Khurana says she began to appreciate how applying the effort and construction of a bridal gown can really elevate a black-tie garment.
“Trunk shows are great because you meet the designer or the creative director and get a lot of information about the upcoming season,” she explained.
“You can take away the important trends and plan for upcoming events. A lot of the special pieces are produced in very limited quantity. So you’re almost assured that what you wear will be unique.”
Devito concurred. A retail buyer purchases an edited version of what’s shown on the runway, he said.
But for a trunk show, he brings everything. The client sees the full breadth of the collection.
“And we can do exclusive things, like take a color and fabric and make something else,” he continued. “If the plunge of a neckline is too deep, we can raise it a few inches. Or make a cocktail dress into a gown.”
For Kelley Lubanko, a longtime customer who’s attended Lhuillier’s trunk shows for more than 10 years, the ability to tweak is a valuable perk. One of her earliest interactions with the designer was modifying the sleeve of a dress during an instore appearance.
“There was this olive-green taffeta ball gown that I still wear,” Lubanko said. “If the occasion ever calls for a Marie Antoinette theme, I’ve got the dress.”
She added a paradise-print sheath to her collection at the spring 2020 trunk show. “I was thinking of wearing it to (Hermann Park Conservancy’s) Evening in the Park. Or, I have a wedding in Mexico City in February — it would be perfect for that.”
And very on-brand.
Lhuillier designs with today’s social jet-setter and how she travels in mind. The latest collection was inspired by ’70s swan Marella Agnelli, Italian nobility and the shores of Lake Como. That’s where the ad campaign, which references the “regal, modern contessa,” was shot.
Hence the oversized bows, billowing “bishop” sleeves and heavy brocade. There are also iridescent sequins and metallic tassel belts — both plucked straight from an Italian disco and light-years away from anything remotely bridal.
“It’s a departure from what she’s done lately. She’s really upped her game,” Lubanko said. “There’s more strategic embellishment, and I think that this much color is very new for her.”
To illustrate just how wearable the collection is, Tootsies tapped jeweler Theresa Bruno to accessorize each outfit. The styling was convincing. Tousled, brushed-back ponytails and barely-there makeup created a fresh canvas for morganite and yellow beryl stones, which, according to Bruno, are excellent stand-ins for pink sapphires or canary diamonds.
It’s high style without being stuffy.
A relaxed, younger direction is exactly where Lhuillier is headed. By Devito’s account, Texas is one of the last places that really embraces the evolving DNA of the brand: “uber ladylike, alluring and classic at the same time.”
“A lot of what we do is creating happiness and laughter in clothes. You remember the emotion of feeling beautiful in a dress,” he said. “It’s a mood. And we sell that.”
No groom, cake or engagement ring required.