Monique Lhuillier has classic tastes: She loves a tweed jacket, a floral print, a frothy, frilly gown—and she does them well. It s no surprise, then, that her spring show contained all of these elements—but against her chosen theme of California dreaming, Lhuillier s own strengths looked out of place.
The white linen jean pants and coat that opened the show, as well as the tropical-print bathing suits and cover-ups, conveyed the beachy message. But things got downright confusing when lace and tweed were paired with safari-esque khaki (not very California) and when multi-tiered gowns in Laura Ashley-like florals shared the runway with beautifully minimal examples, like a stunning asymmetric pleated bias number. The problem here was that Lhuillier s theme didn t play to her best qualities. Next time, she d do best to stick closer to home.
