Here Comes the Bride

With so many amazing ready-to-wear collections, it's easy to forget that there are also bridal collections, especially since not all of us are brides-to-be!  Luckily, at the request of Dear Girl, who is designing a wedding dress for her friend, bridal collections will no longer be forgotten.  I will be taking a look at three very popular bridal designers: Monique Lhuillier, Marchesa and Vera Wang.  This review will also mark the end of my Fashion Week Marathon.

Monique Lhuillier Bridal is just as beautiful as her RTW line, but for Fall 2012, I wouldn't consider walking down the isle in a lot of the dresses that she showed.  The collection consisted of sparkling beaded bodices, light ruffled skirts, lacy fabric, and varying hemlines and silhouettes.  This collection asserted that it's all in the intricate detailing.  My favourite look has got to be the last photo.

Overall, I found the sweetheart necklines too repetitive, and not always the most flattering.  However, the decorated shoulder straps were quite pretty.  For someone like me who wants a simple, yet stunning ethereal wedding dress, all the embellishment isn't very appealing.  But for a girl who wants a bit of drama, this collection could well be for her!

Marchesa's Bridal Fall 2010 consisted of organza and tulle floral motifs, and jeweled detailing overtop relatively spare bodices.  All the dresses were floor length, except for one mini dress, and the overall look was that of a soft, quiet presence.  My favourite goes out to the fourth photo.

And finally, no bridal review is complete without Vera Wang.  Surprisingly, her collection for Spring 2011 doesn't quite match up to Marchesa, and in the end, my favourite collection goes to Marchesa.  But as for Vera Wang, she went with a collection full of structural expertise, limited floral embellishment, and soft edges.  My favourite dress is the second purple one.

While the architectural organza requires a lot of skill, I find that sometimes the shapes are more fashion than bridal.  I do like the softness of the whole collection though.  But whichever collection catches your fancy the most, there's no doubt that when your husband sees you walking towards him in any of these dresses, he'll think he's marrying an angel - that is, if he doesn't already.

See and watch the entire Monique Lhuillier collection here.
See the entire Marchesa Bridal collection here.
See the entire Vera Wang collection here.

Monique Lhuillier Fall/Winter 2011 RTW

As some of you may know, I have recently added Monique Lhuillier onto my list of designers to follow, and so it works out wonderfully that stylemefab has requested a look at her Fall/Winter 2012 collection.

For Fall 2012, Lhuillier restricted herself to a small colour palette, but let herself free in the details.  She started off with mostly black outfits, all in a similar silhouette - modestly covered arms, with tapered hemlines stopping at the knee:

Then after a transition created by floor length dresses, Lhuillier dotted her collection with pops of red and metallics:

As Lhuillier's gowns came out, a lot of the attention rested around the shoulder area, then later shifted to the skirt area:

With this new limited colour palette, Lhuillier introduces a sensual, sultry undercurrent to her collection, and it's sure to attract some red carpet regulars.

Watch an abbreviated version of the show here.

Image Source: Style.com

Monique Lhuillier Pre-Fall 2011

With my recent discovery of Monique Lhuillier, she has become a permanent on my list of "Designers to Follow".  So when I saw that she had presented her Pre-Fall 2011 collection, I just couldn't resist drooling over more of her fabulous gowns.

Lhuillier is not particularly famous for her daywear, but that doesn't mean her daywear isn't just as fantastic as her eveningwear.  For daywear, the waist was the focus, as she showed high-waisted pants and dresses that drew the eye to the slimmest part of the torso:

After that, there were no more pants to be seen, as short dresses that touched on all her signature design aspects came out.  Shoulders were also another focus of this collection, as many of the dresses were either strapless or one-shouldered:

Then finally, the full length gowns that everyone looks forward to from Lhuillier came and satisfied our desires:

And as a dramatic end, two stunningly ruched ball gowns were shown:

Lhuillier's Spring collection was all about luscious decadence, but her Pre-Fall collection was about darker glamour, achieved through several smoldering jewel tones.  With another successful collection, I doubt I'll be taking Lhuillier off my list any time soon.

See the entire collection here.

Monique Lhuillier

After posting the December 2010 cover of Flare, stylemefab asked to see the runway photo of Monique Lhuillier's dress, and here it is in her Fall/Winter 2010 collection:

I must say I think it looks better on the magazine cover, but this little runway photo search has opened up a new designer to me.  I never really heard much about Lhuillier before, but I'm glad I've discovered her.  She makes Cinderella-worthy bridal, as well as ready-to-wear looks.  Below are a couple of my favourite looks from her Spring/Summer 2011 collection, all of them thoroughly lush and decadent:

And here's one from her Resort 2011 collection that I sure wouldn't mind having as a grad dress!

If you want to check out more of her designs (and I strongly suggest you do), head on over to her website.

Image Source: Style.com