Cream of the Fashion Week Crop

There were a few years when I obsessively followed New York Fashion Week--or as obsessively as one can without any invitations. But now I find all the shows and parties and breathless celebrity coverage to be a little exhausting, so I follow the Fug Girls coverage and check out the slideshows of my favorites, and that's it. But one designer that's always worth my time? Monique Lhuillier. She may not be reinventing streetwear, but when it comes to awe-inspiring red carpet gowns, she's my goddess. Here are three dresses I'll be daydreaming about wearing to the Oscars, on Joseph Gordon-Levitt's arm:

And here's one more dress I'm swooning over, from Marc Jacobs. I'll ignore the sheer top and focus on the glorious mix of colors, perfectly complemented by the flower in the model's hair.

Fashion Week: Part Monique Lhuillier

I may not know how to pronounce her last name, but I do know that Monique Lhuillier rocked the shit out of Fashion Week and I would kill to wear any of these dresses.

I want to start out big: this gold beaded dress is exquisite. Nice classic shift shape, covered in glowing golden beads. I love how the beading swirls around a bit around the hip, making it that much more awesome.









This gold dress is slightly more subdued in color, but the skirt of cascading ruffles adds plenty of drama. This would be great on someone with really strong coloring; I think it would totally wash me out. It would also look great on Maritska Hargitay, since everything looks good on her.










Taupe is tough color, but the details of this dress totally eliminate the possible blah-ness. The crossed halter top will appear again in this post; despite my worries that wearing it would feel like being choked, it's extremely flattering (if you have great shoulders).









This printed dress is less red carpet, more "I am by far the most fashionable person in the office right now and you should make me your queen." I don't know if the belt is part of the dress, but it is the perfect accessory. Belts are great with prints, since it breaks up the pattern and keeps it from getting too busy.









Turquoise and gold? Perfect for both cocktails in Saint Tropez and bringing a burst of color to the drab streets of any city. I love how the gold neckline is looped into the top, so it's hidden for a few inches and then reappears, just as glorious as before. Also, very sexy glimpse of skin in the center of the top; nice compliment to the more modest pencil skirt.











More gold! More halter! More impeccable, wearable design! This white dress looks like a blinged-out cloud, totally weightless and comfy. It looks a bit like a bathing suit cover-up, and I'd be worried about how high cut it is in the front, but I would wear it everyday no matter.









To bring it back to earth a bit, you could wear this dress all fall (even though it's spring 2009). This grey shift dress sort of looks like it has bedazzled bra straps, but in a very chic way. The tiny belt is a serious counterpart to the shiny cap sleeves, and combined you have a great hourglass silhouette.










Here's a more formal version-- you can really tell that Lhuillier started in bridal wear, because it's so classically beautiful and elegant. The one-shoulder look was seen repeatedly during NY Fashion Week, and this is a gorgeous example. This screams Angelina Jolie, glamorous UN Ambassador and Mother Extraordinaire, to me.








Another lovely draped dress, with a gold belt, in a vivid teal. Another dress I want almost as much as I want Ryan Lochte. In unrelated news, the dvd on Michael Phelps that NBC was hawking came last week, and I'm watching the 4x200 freestyle relay (the one in which Phelps, Lochte, Berens and Vanderkaay totally destroyed both the world record and every other team) as I type this.








One final dress: a strapless column in the palest green. Love the gathered top, loose skirt, and the big statement necklace on the model.