NYFW

MONIQUE LHUILLIER FALL 2015

Just like last year, Monique Lhuillier’s was the first show on our schedule. Friday night, seven o’clock, Lincoln Centre. Last September we were supposed to arrive at our apartment at around two, so we would have plenty of time to dress up for a show full of evening looks and princess dresses. I was really looking forward to it since I love the odd dramatic dress or two. Unfortunately, as my faithful readers may remember, our flight was delayed. We arrived in New York hours later, and missed the show. I was not amused. This year it had to be different and thank heaven’s it was.

Our plane touched down at JFK airport right on time, our driver took us to our beautiful apartment without any trouble and a hot shower took care of our jetlag symptoms. I walked into Lincoln Centre at seven o’clock sharp. That’s considered early in fashion show land, as the first collection to be presented on time has yet to be designed. So I had plenty of time to check out the arriving fashion folks.

And then; show time. Usually both sides of the runway are lined with people, but here the crowd was seated on one side. The models walked down the runway and then slowly zigzagged back up, giving the public plenty of time to check out all the looks.  The show opened with ‘Deimante,’ a see-through long-sleeved lace dress in deep purple. The looks were cut quite close, made from rigid, shiny fabrics in dark colors. A change from previous shows, which presented much lighter fabrics and color palettes. Pastels and tulle used to be Monique Lhuillier’s signature. This year was totally different.  “My Fall 2015 collection plays on the juxtaposition of masculine versus feminine for effortless sophistication,” she explained in the letter we found on our chairs. She was inspired by the seductive nineteen twenties and contrasted this style with ‘structured shoulders and tailoring to create dramatic lines.’ The models wore ingenious hairdos and more make-up than in previous collections. The runway was black instead of white. In that sense it reminded me of her Fall 2014 RTW collection, which was also darker, heavier and more dramatic. However, for the last looks she did bring out the fairy-tale dresses. We will be seeing plenty of stars sashaying down the red carpet in Monique in the near future. Once all of the models finished their run and were lined up on the runway, they took their places on the stairs to face the audience. It was an impressive sight, a fitting finale to the equally impressive collection. For me, Fashion Week was off to a perfect start.