2012 was a big year for designer Monique Lhuillier. Her namesake shoe collection made its debut in September and she opened her first New York store a month later. Still, Lhuillier had the future on her mind when designing her cool new pre-fall collection. In fact, the inspiration was thousands of light-years away. "I was going for a sci-fi, celestial feeling," Lhuillier said. For day, a sculptural gunmetal and copper tweed dress with a crystal neckline and a forest green leather frock with a cutout back were mixed in with tailored separates in an abstract galaxy print. The night sky was represented in a series of ombré pieces that faded from a deep blue to a silvery steel. Lhuillier played with texture on a "chic and easy" sweatshirt in a woven animal-skin pattern. The same fabric appeared on a long, strong-shouldered coat.
Cocktail dresses were treated with lace and draped strategically across the bodice. Metallics weaved their way through other frocks in the form of cut-up leather and burnt copper embroidery that was layered over nude chiffon. Elsewhere, Lhuillier created the illusion of graphic prints with crystals and beads meticulously hand-sewn onto the garments. Celebrity stylists are bound to fight over the last look, a column gown with a voluminous layer of tulle covered in blue and silver sequins. For the lucky girl who shows up on the red carpet in that number, the future's looking bright.
