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Fall 2007: Monique Lhuillier
Like Vera Wang, Monique Lhuillier is known first and foremost for her bridal dresses (she designed Britney Spears' ill-fated gown, for one) but has made a foray into eveningwear. We've seen her dresses here and there on the red carpet and on socialites, but for some reason, like Vera, she can't seem to shake that "bridal designer" label. I'm assuming that's partly why she designed an "industrial chic" fall collection, inspired by architect Frank Gehry's work (there was a huge, Gehry-like sculpture at the end of the runway, in case you missed the liner notes)--the collection was basically Lhuillier's way of saying, "Hey, I can do edgy stuff too!" And I'd say it worked about half the time.

As you could imagine, there was a lot of metallic fabric in the show, and many of the designs had a futuristic look to them, such as this, the first dress down the runway.


Here's a slightly more flattering, feminine interpretation of the metallic/futuristic look, in draped lamé, on Korean model Han Park.


Another great execution of the metallic trend was this sheer dress (and similar others, in a nude and a floor-length version), dusted with goldtone pailettes.


While some of the looks had a definite '80s bent, others seemed downright Star Trek-y to me. This one, while, yes, a little Trekkie and definitely '80s, made me think of Alaia--a reference that almost always makes fashion editors swoon. I will admit, it was one of my favorite looks.


This looks futuristic at first, but up close, it had this gorgeous mousseline chiffon detailing at the neck--a better execution of similar looks seen at BCBG on Friday.


Speaking of BCBG, Lhuillier used a ton of feathers in this collection. I'm not quite sure how feathers are "industrial chic," but I've definitely seen a lot of them this week. However, feathers and a Dynasty silhouette just don't mix--if this skirt makes a model look boxy, think what it would do to a normal-size woman.


So even though Lhuillier was going all industrial on us, she couldn't stay away from the pretty. Which is good, because I think that's what she does best. Take this dusty chiffon high-neck dress on the lovely Chanel Iman.


Finally, I thought this gown was breathtaking. It was unlike anything in the show, which made me realize, I think I've seen something simliar to this...in a bridal gown. Oops.


Can Lhuillier move beyond bridal gowns? Probably. But based on the sparse attendance at the show (which, to my benefit, landed me in the fourth row of the Condé Nast section, right at the end of the runway), I don't know if anyone other than retailers who stock her wedding dresses will be around to see it.