One of the most blatant adjectives to describe Monique Lhuillier’s Autumn|Winter 2013 collection: fuctional. However, one can’t overlook attractive, diverse, and feminine either. But what else is to be expected by a designer who knows her craft and market, marrying them ever so effortlessly season after season? Ms. Lhuillier exhibits this synergy of the two most vital sectors of a fashion brand with such consistency, it would be a lie to say that she’s not a genius businesswoman. Applause.

In dissecting her seasonal debut, one of her many propellers in elevating her business, one will notice that she’s left it devoid of any simplicity. Whether it be prints, feathers, texture or embellishments, the visual movement is appealing and neither boring nor overdone. There are pieces for the conservative, there are pieces for the modern. Looking for something for a formal evening? Out for a special lunch? Important business meetings? It has all been covered. The range of choices even extends to age group or color preference.

The dresses, which have discreetly become the Lhuillier Standard, are constructed with slightly fitted silhouettes and appear in various lengths. Elegantly gilded blazers resonate boldness. And what about the yeti-inspired coats and jackets? They’re done in such a way that they add some sort of barbaric grace. There is one particular print that almost seems like an example of a Rorschach test. If it’s subliminally so, Ms. Lhuillier is playing fashion psychologist… thus, making anyone who follows fashion her artistic specimen. | Giuseppe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

pictures courtesy Thomas Iannaccone