Monique Lhuillier is a famous fashion designer known for her beautifully feminine eveningwear and wedding gown creations. Her name is a constant in Tinseltown, because many of Hollywood’s famous actresses choose her designs in many red carpet events and weddings of their own. Among the celebrities she has dressed includes Britney Spears, Natalie Imbruglia, Angelina Jolie, Mariah Carey, and Famke Jannssen.
She hails from a city in the Philippines, Cebu, where her family is prominent and owns several pawnshops that are located throughout the country. Monique Lhuillier can easily be a model for her creations because of her Eurasian beauty and toned figure. She is a mix of Spanish, French, and Filipino heritage.
Growing up, Monique Lhullier already expressed her love for fashion. She nurtured this by enrolling at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise in Los Angeles in 1989, where she took up fashion design. Over the course of her studies, she realized there was a niche in the bridal wear industry that she could very well fit into. A year after she graduated, she married Tom Bugbee, a very business-minded man who eventually helped her with her business by taking over the business matters.
She opened her first boutique in 2001, aptly named Monique Lhuillier, where she exclusively sold her bridal gowns. It garnered so much positive feedback and was immensely successful. In the spring of 2001, she came out with her first eveningwear collection. Her soft, feminine pieces made use of lots of lace, beading, and soft silks.
Monique Lhuillier was an instant favorite among her women clients because she understood the woman’s silhouette, and combined great craftsmanship and dedication into every piece she produced. She is very hands-on when it comes to dealing with her clients, in order to come up with a design that truly reflects the bride’s personality. She has customized her services that have been helpful in easing the wedding woes of each bride, mother, and fiancé that walks into her shop.
Monique Lhuillier’s creations first attracted media attention when she designed the wedding gown for Christine Baumgartner for her wedding to Kevin Costner in 2004. She then went on to design gowns for many high-profile weddings.
She has also appeared in the documentary entitled Fashion Week Diaries, back in 2005. The documentary helped in increasing her exposure, as it featured her alongside many notable names in the fashion industry, such as Micheal Kors, Anna Wintour, Vera Wang, Zac Posen, and many more.
Since then, Monique Lhuillier has gone a long way. Her designs have not only been worn by famous celebrities, but have been featured in fashion glossies considered bibles by many women. This includes W magazine and even Modern Bride. Today her business is one of the most successful in bridal wear. Her hard work has received wide recognition by fashion lovers and professionals in the industry, and this was noted with her induction into the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
