Monique Lhuillier Fall 2012 Ready-to-Wear Collection on Style.com: Runway Review

Monique Lhuillier

NEW YORK, February 11, 2012

By Alison Baenen

For Fall, Monique Lhuillier envisioned a tougher girl than Spring's counterpart. "Darker," the designer said in her showroom a few days before hers how. "More sultry." The palette was red and black—"It is the Year of the Dragon," she pointed out—and prints were inspired by lava and volcanic stones. One of Lhuillier's goals was to create an illusion of linearity, so she used waist-narrowing leather corset belts to deflate volume throughout. Overall the silhouette was lean and long—thanks, in part, to the teetering, patent-heeled Manolo Blahniks that played up the collection's bondage feel. Long sleeves were a constant, too, skinny enough that they required zippers for getting in and out. How's that for foreplay?

Back to the prints. The fiery pattern on the opening dress had been printed directly onto lace (much to the consternation of the Italian mill), stripping the fabric of all its dainty connotations. Sequins accounted for other embellishments. They formed the shimmering gold epaulets on an evening-appropriate jumpsuit with a sheer mesh back. The jumpsuits were part of Lhuillier's effort to expand her non-gown offerings, but fear not: There were lava-hot dresses, too. Leather and organza strips made up the skirt of one while metallic paillettes in the shape of licking flames glittered along the entire length of another. A gown with a red organza skirt that was anything but linear closed the show. Celebrity stylists, get on your marks.

See all from Monique Lhuillier › Timeline

A.F. Vandevorst	A.L.C.	A.P.C.
Acne	A Détacher	Akris
Alberta Ferretti	Albino	Alexander McQueen
Alexander Wang	Alexandre Herchcovitch	Alexis Mabille
Alice + Olivia	Altuzarra	Andrew Gn
Anna Sui	Ann Demeulemeester	Anne Valérie Hash
Ann-Sofie Back Atelje	Anthony Vaccarello	Antonio Berardi
Antonio Marras	Aquascutum	Aquilano.Rimondi
Araks	Azzaro

Badgley Mischka	Balenciaga	Bally
Balmain	Banana Republic	Band of Outsiders
Barbara Bui	Barbara Casasola	Barbara Tfank
Basso & Brooke	BCBG Max Azria	Bebe
Behnaz Sarafpour	Belstaff	Betsey Johnson
Bibhu Mohapatra	Bill Blass	Billy Reid
BLK DNM	Blumarine	Bottega Veneta
Bouchra Jarrar	Brood	Burberry Prorsum

Cacharel	Calla	Calvin Klein Collection
Camilla and Marc	Carlos Miele	Carolina Herrera
Carven	Catherine Malandrino	Cédric Charlier
Celine	Central Saint Martins	Chado Ralph Rucci
Chadwick Bell	Chalayan	Chanel
Charlotte Ronson	Chloé	Chris Benz
Christian Cota	Christian Dior	Christian Siriano
Christophe Lemaire	Christopher Kane	Christopher Raeburn
Clements Ribeiro	Collette Dinnigan	Comme des Garçons
Commuun	Costello Tagliapietra	Costume National
Creatures of Comfort	Creatures of the Wind	Cushnie et Ochs
Custo Barcelona	Cynthia Rowley

Daks	Damir Doma	Danielle Scutt
Daryl K	David Koma	Dean Quinn
Dennis Basso	Derek Lam	Diane von Furstenberg
Diesel Black Gold	Dion Lee	Dirk Bikkembergs
DKNY	Dolce & Gabbana	Donna Karan
Doo.Ri	Douglas Hannant	Dries Van Noten
Dsquared²	Duro Olowu

Edun	Elie Saab	Elie Tahari
Elizabeth and James	Emilia Wickstead	Emilio de la Morena
Emilio Pucci	Emporio Armani	Erdem
Erin Fetherston	Etro