NYFW

MONIQUE LHUILLIER FALL 2015

Like last September, the first show on our programme was Monique Lhuillier's. Friday night around 7 o'clock, at Lincoln Centre. Last September, we would arrive at our flat around 2 o'clock, so we had plenty of time to get ready for a show full of gala dresses and princess creations. I was greatly looking forward to that, a little dramatic dress is right up my alley. But as loyal readers may remember last year, our flight was cancelled, we only arrived in New York hours later and so I missed the show. And I was not amused. So this year things had to be different, and thank God they were.

A flight that arrived neatly on time at JFK, a driver who smoothly took us to our beautiful flat and a hot shower that washed off all the flight vomit ensured I walked up to Lincoln Centre on time at 7PM. In showland, that's pretty early, the first collection to be presented on time has yet to be designed. So plenty of time to have a good look at the show crowd trickling in.

And then, showtime. Where normally people sit on both sides of the catwalk, now there are only people on one side. The models walk down the catwalk and then zigzag up the platform again, making all the looks very long and, more importantly, very visible. The show opens with ‘Deimante,’ a long-sleeved see-through lace dress in a deep purple colour. That and the looks that follow are cut quite tightly around the bodice, done in dark colours and made of shiny and solid materials - very different from previous shows where the colour palette was much lighter and so were the fabrics. Pastel shades and tulle, those were kind of the magic words for Monique Lhuillier.

But so this year was different. “My Fall 2015 collection plays on the juxtaposition of masculine versus feminine for effortless sophistication” she tells us in the letter lying on our chairs. She took inspiration from the seductive 1920s and contrasted that with ’structured shoulders and tailoring to create dramatic lines.“ The models were sporting heavier make-up than in previous collections, ingenious hairstyles and even the catwalk itself was black instead of white. In that sense, it was a bit reminiscent of her Fall 2014 RTW collection, which was also a bit darker, heavier and therefore more dramatic. For the latest looks, the princess dresses hit the stage again anyway, so we will see plenty of stars in Monique again in the near future passing by on the red carpets.

Once all the models have completed their runs and are lined up on the platform, they walk down the steps and then stand facing the spectators. It is an impressive sight and thus a fitting finale to an equally impressive collection. For me, Fashion Week could not have started better.