Photo: Getty Images
She designs engagement rings, fine china, and red-carpet dresses for your fave celebs like Taylor Swift, Emily Ratajkowski, Emma Stone, and Anna Kendrick, but for Monique Lhuillier, it started with a wedding dress.
Two decades ago, the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising graduate discovered her calling when she was shopping for her own big day — and found very few fashion-forward options: “Everything was so one-dimensional and traditional,” she says. She settled on a duchesse-satin gown with a drop waist and cascading bows and resolved to fix the hole in the market.
The next year, at a trade show in Las Vegas, she presented her first collection, five dresses that shook up the industry with sheer fabrics and body-hugging silhouettes. “I wanted beautiful and timeless — but not stuffy,” she says.
Photo: Erich McVey
Lhuillier has stuck to that mantra ever since, letting brides shine through all that tulle and lace. “A wedding gown should make the bride feel the most beautiful she’s ever felt and reflect her personal sense of style,” muses Lhuillier. And now, brides have more choices than ever to show off that personal style thanks to the designer. In 2012, Monique expanded her bridal presence to include engagement rings and wedding bands, and her contemporary collections always feature on-trend details, like soft washes of color. In fact, Monique loves blush so much that it now appears in all her collections! But there are some things that don’t ever change. Lhuillier’s classic lace wedding dress “Scarlet” is one of her all-time best-sellers and the designer still hails the veil as her favorite wedding accessory.
See More: 14 Celebrities Who Wore Monique Lhuillier on Their Wedding Day
So what’s her favorite thing about bridal fashion now? “There are fewer rules, and there’s more room for individuality,” she says. “I love how girls are open to trying dresses that have different components to them, like a skirt that’s separate from the corset.” Here’s to 20 more years of trendsetting, show-stopping bridal looks!
Subscribe to BRIDES now for the best wedding dresses, advice, and big-day inspiration.