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NEW YORK (AP) - Does Monique Lhuillier have perfect timing or what? New York Fashion Week hits right before the Emmy Awards _ and then again in February right before the Oscars. Hollywood surely is her bread and butter.
The looks on her runway Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week were lovely, and she clearly catered to her celebrity crowd with the many gowns and cocktail looks. But her own wardrobe was a factor, she said in a backstage interview: "I always look at women that I know and myself, and I'm like. `What do I want to wear next?' I always tell myself I want to have to want to wear these clothes because if I don't, then women won't."
She offered for the next fashion cycle _ which would include the Hollywood awards season _ several looks that played with lace, sheerness, shape and a palette rooted in pinks and reds. "It's corals, reds, fuchsias, nudes and chocolate brown. Those five colors. Just over and over and it felt right."
Most of the looks took the pretty-and-feminine route, with asymmetrical hems and the now-trendy belly baring silhouettes. But there were a few dresses that went against the grain and were full on sparkle with Lucite collars and sequin embroidery: Those were among the most special outfits here.
Gone were the big ballgowns or super-slim sheaths. Do we miss them? Not really.
"I love Monique's design _ she's a wonderful designer. I love her feminine aesthetics," said Emmy Rossum. And, Stacy Keibler said before the show started: "I will be taking pictures. Like `Hey! Can you send me this? Can you send me that?'"
She might want to ask for the white looks with impressive lacework and sparkle, or the floral-brushstroke prints.
"Spring 2014 is all about the art of sheer elegance," Lhuillier said in her notes. "This season is dedicated to delicately balanced textures, innovative layering and sophisticated ease."
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AP reporter Nicole Evatt contributed to this report.
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