Few designers understand the art of refined glamour quite like Monique Lhuillier. Over the last twenty-five years, her show-stopping gowns have created some of the most memorable red-carpet and bridal moments in recent history. But now, after brining her romantic and eternally chic touch to shoes, bags, intimates, homewares, and a new coffee table book, Lhuillier is setting her sights on forever with the launch of an exclusive bridal collection with KAY Jewelers.
The dazzling array of over fifty diamond engagement rings and wedding bands marks the designer’s first-ever partnership with the brand, and of course, the Monique Lhuiller Bliss collection is full of delicate nods to her signatures. From the elegant silhouettes that recall the lines of her gowns to whimsical botanical details that have become synonymous with her brand name, the styles Lhuillier dreamed up with KAY are ones her loyal fans are sure to fall in love with.
In celebration of her debut collection with KAY, Lhuillier spoke to BAZAAR Bride about her inspirations for the rings, her design process, and all things bridal.
How did the Monique Lhuillier Bliss collection with KAY come about, and what was the jumping off point for you?
I’ve always wanted to dress my bride from head to toe. If there’s no ring, there’s no dress! So this seemed like a natural and authentic next step for me to design jewelry. I’m so excited to be doing this with KAY Jewelers because they’re the authority in this space and have really been a dream collaborator from the beginning.
What were your inspirations for the collection?
I love florals and gardens so there are all these intricate vines, twisting branches, and delicate organic details incorporated throughout the designs. But the Monique Lhuillier Bliss collection is inspired by the details in my gowns and ready-to-wear collections—for example, the way necklines are cut in my gowns, you can see in the side profile of the rings. I love detail so much, and there are special design elements that you’ll discover as you wear it. For example, diamonds encircle the band of each ring, symbolizing unity and eternal love, and I’ve added an “xo” engraving which is a little love note from me to the couple.
How was the experience of designing jewelry different than you usual design process?
In jewelry, we work a lot with sketches and molds and it’s more like a sculpture you’re putting together versus fabric, where it’s about movement and the fluidity. When I’m designing fashion, I can see it transforming in front of my eye—I pin the fabric and it comes to life in my atelier right there and then. With wedding rings, it’s back and forth between me and the workroom. It’s a different medium, but I use the same design process. I start with a mood board, then develop what the center stone should be, what the baby fancy stones should be, what it looks like in the side profile, and so on. All of those attention-to-detail elements that I do in my clothing apply to these designs as well.
Monique Lhuillier Bliss Diamond Engagement Ring
Monique Lhuillier Bliss Diamond Engagement Ring
Monique Lhuillier Bliss Diamond Engagement Ring
Monique Lhuillier Bliss Diamond Engagement Ring
What were some of the moments you thought about most when designing the rings?
A wedding dress you wear once in your lifetime, but an engagement ring is a symbol that you wear every single day. I wanted my bride and the couple to look at this piece of jewelry as a symbol of their love and commitment to one another. When they look at their ring, I want the couple to think of their wedding and how magical that day was, being surround by friends and the people they love.
For me, the experience of being proposed to is so meaningful and so important. This collection is really rooted in that special movement, so I also designed a box that’s small and discreet and functions beautifully so that the groom can fit it into their pocket for the proposal. I think the presentation is half of what makes this collection so special aside from the ring.
Did you draw upon some of your own personal experience when dreaming up the collection?
Well, I have been married for 26 years now and was engaged almost 27 years ago. Thinking about that time, I was a young 22-year-old and I was already creative and had just gone through fashion school. My husband (my fiancé at the time) knew I would have an opinion about the ring, but he wanted to surprise me. He had a makeshift ring when he proposed and we went together to a custom jeweler here in Los Angeles. I remember going into that atelier and not knowing what center stone I wanted or anything! So I tried to put myself back in those shoes—this is probably the bride’s first big piece of jewelry, and it’s going to be the most meaningful.
Now people have social media and can do their research online. The grooms aren’t going in completely blind, wondering if their choice is something their partner will like. The process of choosing the right ring is now shared—it’s not only what the bride wants, it’s what the couple wants.
Monique Lhuillier Bliss Diamond Wedding Band
Monique Lhuillier Bliss Diamond Wedding Band
Monique Lhuillier Bliss Diamond Wedding Band
Monique Lhuillier Bliss Diamond Wedding Band
In what ways do you think couples right now are approaching the bridal experience differently than they did in the past?
Couples are now being more creative with their engagements and the proposal. Grooms are looking at social media and thinking of ways they can make their proposal more individual and special and unique to their lives. And I also think the brides come in with stronger sense of what they want—by the time they come into a salon, they’re more educated and more in tune with what they think they want. I still like them to have an open mind so we can blow them away with other options but I think that’s the biggest difference I’ve seen through the pandemic.
I’ve also found people being more accepting of smaller weddings that are really authentic to them and the closest people in their lives. So I think they’ve really shifted from big, over-the-top weddings. Well... I don’t want to say over the top because they’re still over the top! But the number of guests has shrunk because they want a more intimate event, because of what we’ve gone through.
How would you guide couples on making those engagement ring decisions together?
I would say that whether you’re walking into a store to try on, or you’re shopping online to buy, I feel like the decision needs to be made wholeheartedly. If that ring makes you feel like you have butterflies and it moves you, then that’s the one. It’s a gut feeling and it’s the same gut feeling you want when you’re choosing your dress.
What do you hope brides feel when they wear the rings from the Monique Lhuillier Bliss collection?
I hope that when they look at it they feel loved, and feel the excitement and optimism of starting the next chapter of their life with their soul mate. That’s all I can ask for.
