With Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s wedding little more than a month away, the couple’s whirlwind romance has captured the hearts (and headlines) of many—including Monique Lhuillier. While the designer stripped away the florals and flounce of past seasons, her Spring 2019 collection wasn’t without a grand finish befitting Markle. “If I were to be commissioned to do Meghan’s dress, this is what I would envision,” Lhuillier explained of the reembroidered lace ball gown that closed her presentation at the Palace Hotel. With a plunging neckline and detachable shoulder streamers that would quite literally float down the aisle, the look, appropriately dubbed the Majesty, made a statement both coming and going. “It has all the Monique elements, and it’s larger than life,” she said, adding, “You wouldn’t be able to miss her.”
The bigger message here, though, wasn’t of regal grandeur but rather timeless simplicity. Lhuillier sought to create a well-edited lineup of heritage wedding dresses that could be passed down from one generation to the next. (Royals have always had a thing for family heirlooms.) The sense of tradition was a departure from last season’s more trend-centric offerings (see: the white leather moto jacket). And save for a few velvet sashes and pleated cummerbund accents, there was an absence of embellishments and frills. Lhuillier added drama with trumpet- and full-skirt silhouettes, placing a stronger emphasis on shape. The select unstructured gowns—the clear winner being a strapless number in point d’esprit tulle—felt effortless.
