Monique Lhuillier bridal comes to Manhattan

Light and airy. Photos by Elton Lugay

By Elton Lugay

Reese Witherspoon, Britney Spears, Ashlee Simpson and our own Lea Salonga all wore Monique Lhuillier bridal to their fairy tale weddings. The California-based designer recently opened her eponymous boutique on the Upper East Side for the New York brides-to-be who want the look of Hollywood glam on their special day. (But no guarantees of happily ever after.)

On October 13th – or a week after the store opened to the public – Monique had an unveiling of her 2013 fall collection as New York was celebrating International Bridal Week.

“Light and airy” was how Monique would like her wedding gowns to be.

“Whenever I approach bridal, I always wanted it to be magical,” she told The FilAm. “I want the dresses to look like they’re floating in the room.” The gowns have the signature ML look: blush colored lace, sheer sleeves and delicate petals. Monique said the overskirts in tulle and lace project “volume with a sheerness” to accentuate the slimmer silhouette.

To complete the overall look and feel, Monique also debuted her footwear collection. “I wanted to dress them from head to toe now,” she said.

She revealed how the New York store was ready to open in 2008 when the recession happened and the whole economy came crashing down. “It’s not a good time, so we waited.”

Tom Bugbee, Monique’s husband and business manager, said the waiting led them to the “right space.”

“It just so happened that the store is aligned on this townhouse. And so here we are. The architects came up with a great plan and we’re open,” he said.

Tom added how the entire ML brand – from women’s apparel, ready-to-wear, bridal, shoes as well as tabletop and gift items — is viewable in one “great” location in New York.

“Our entire identity is here and the curation of the collection is about our DNA and to see how our things are presented,” he said.

ML Stylist — Tina Laakkonen
Hair — Brandon Yamamoto for Kerastase Paris
Makeup — Romero for Mac
Nails — Angi Wingle for CNDC
Jewelry — Monique Lhuillier Fine Jewelry available Oct 22 at Blue Nile
Shoes — Monique Lhuillier Footwear



One Comment

  1. M. Matthews wrote:

    Elton, cool article and cool photos.

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