The three faces of designer Monique Lhuillier – Emmy Rossum pretty in princessy pink;  Keri Russell a bombshell in metallic lamé and Kaley Cuoco at once regal and sexy in a sweeping, strapless two-toned gown. Photographs courtesy Monique Lhuillier. Princess / Bombshell By: Georgette Gouveia At the Academy Awards Sunday, Feb. 24, many a star will no doubt be wearing Monique Lhuillier, a mainstay of our collection at Mary Jane Denzer. And why not? In this the most romantic of months, Lhuillier may be the most romantic of designers working today. Gauzy, bell-shaped skirts sweep into the room, announcing your arrival. Bows play at the throat. A peekaboo diagonal only hints at decollété. But there are really two Lhuilliers, it seems. There is Princess Monique, as evidenced in the pink gown with the fitted, ruffled bodice that Emmy Rossum wore to the recent Golden Globe Awards. Is it any wonder that Lhuillier is one of the queens of the bridal industry? And then there is Bombshell Monique, whose columnar lamé numbers feature cleavage down to here and slits up to there. In wearing a shimmering silver column gown to the Golden Globes, one whose draped décolletage plunged to the waist, “The Americans’” star Keri Russell echoed the stars of yesteryear, like ’30s platinum sex goddess Jean Harlow. That was no doubt by design. The House of Lhuillier’s fall 2019 collection takes its cue from such ’70s and ’80s Hollywood divas as Marisa Berenson and Joan Collins, yes, Alexis Carrington Colby herself of “Dynasty” – which has been revived on The CW but alas without dear Joan and her castmates. She and Berenson aren’t afraid to be strong and sexy. Lhuillier herself came from a far more demure background in the Philippines – where her French-Vietnamese father, whose business concerns embraced diplomacy, jewelry and real estate, and her mother, a former model who turned making the family clothes into a business, forbade their daughters from wearing black at too young an age. Lhuillier was educated in Switzerland at Château Mont-Choisi and Saint Theresa’s College. So protective was her family that she wasn’t allowed to travel to New York alone to study fashion design, an early interest. So, she attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, where her two brothers lived. There she met Tom Bugbee, her future husband, father of their two children and business partner. It was their nuptials that set Lhuillier to designing outfits for the wedding party. Her bridal collection debuted in 1996, and she was off and running. Ten years later, she received the Philippines’ Medal of Honor. But Lhuillieur has never been one to rest on her laurels. Last year, she launched a home design collection at Pottery Barn that included crystal vase lamps, silver taper candleholders, etched glassware and silk bouquets of peonies and roses good enough to scent. It seems that Lhuillier is determined to make every aspect of our lives as romantic as possible.

           

Jason Wu: Power and Femininity

Jason Wu’s heady blend of sleek sophistication and ethereal romanticismwill be on display in our Jan. 30-31 Jason Wu Trunk Show. Guest Blogger: Georgette Gouveia. What becomes a goddess most? A one-shoulder, tiered gown by Jason Wu in a diaphanous fabric? Or perhaps one of his sleek, structured columnar gowns that accentuate the feminine silhouette? “I create clothes for women who are not only fiercely fashionable but also own their power and femininity,” Wu declares on his website. It’s this intoxicating combination that you’ll find in the Jason Wu Trunk Show at Mary Jane Denzer Jan. 30 and 31. From feathery ball gowns to striped shirtwaist dresses that anticipate spring to boatneck pencil dresses that can take you from day to night, Wu has the ability to blend American and European sensibilities, which helped make him an international star in just 10 years. And all at 35. As a child, he’d use dolls to create clothes he fashioned on the sewing machine his mother bought him. He debuted his first ready-to-wear collection in 2007 and was a finalist in the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund in July 2008. A year later, Michelle Obama made him a household name when she selected his one-shoulder white gown for the first inaugural ball. Among the other women who’ve embraced their power and femininity in his clothes are the former Meghan Markle, now Meghan, Duchess of Sussex; actresses Reese Witherspoon; Julianne Moore and Diane Kruger; models Liu Wen and Christy Turlington; and Gemma Chan, the “Crazy Rich Asians” star, who hit the red carpet of the 24th annual Critics’ Choice Awards Jan. 14 in a voluminous, off-the-shoulder, hot-pink and black Wu gown. The former artistic director of Hugo Boss women’s ready to wear and accessory collection, Wu was the recipient of the Swarovski Award for Womenswear at the CFDA Fashion Awards in 2010 and, the following year, was nominated for a Swaroski in accessory design. In 2015, Wu received the Fashion Star Award at The Fashion Group International Night of Stars and, a year later, was named International Designer of Year at the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards. Among his latest endeavors is a partnership with Taiwan-based EVA Air to bring sparely elegant sleepwear and slippers with an Asian overtone to Royal Laurel/Premium Laurel Class passengers beginning this month.  Meanwhile, Mary Jane Denzer is pleased to present him to our clientele. For appointments please call 914-328-0330.

Aethern Skin Nutraceuticals: You Deserve It!

Beautifully packaged, easy to consume daily vials of Aethern
A game changer

First and foremost, Happy New Year !!!

I hope you haven't felt too neglected by me...Life as a partner and Co-Owner of our store, Mary Jane Denzer is absolute thrill, but I am busier than ever.

While I have had less time to focus on trying new products and blogging about them, the one constant, has been my daily dose of  FDA approved, clinically trialed Aethern.  Aethern's blend of bio-active peptides, Hyaluronic Acid, Silicon, Pure Astaxanthin, vitamins and minerals, is proprietary. And it works.

6 years ahead of GOOP, Jane Iredale, Bobbi Brown and others who are hopping on the ingestible beauty bandwagon, Aethern has been blazing a trail of raving fans worldwide.  Board certified Dermatologists, Dr. Lisa Airan, and Dr. Ava Shamban, stars in their own rite, recommend  Aethern to their devoted patients.

The magnificent Cate Blanchett,  is also an Aethern fan!  She includes in her beauty and health repertoire and mentioned it in this Allure article.  Of note; she is not a paid spokesperson.

Who wouldn't want to achieve firmer, more elastic, radiant looking skin???  When I look back at my own untouched photos, (which I recommend taking), I am amazed and delighted at the dramatic change in just under 4 months of taking Aethern daily.

See for yourself!!!