PARIS, Mar 4, 2006/ FW/ --- She might have been gone for decades but Marilyn Monroe is still one of the best-loved screen sirens of all time. And for Fall 2006, Herve L. Leroux paid homage to her sensuality and allure, previewing a collection that has the glamour and magnetism of Marilyn yet modern and cosmopolitan at the same time.

On a glittery runway oozing with glitz, Herve L. Leroux sent slim silhouettes of day dresses, coats and jacket, daywear ensembles and evening gowns that, to use a vernacular, were ‘all to die for.’

The main color palette is black, which is the main trend of the season. Interspersed with black & white houndstooth, solid white, regal purple and silvery gray, it’s the uptown girl with a Hollywood sensation.

Daywear featured closed collars, from faux turtlenecks to standing. The buttons that run from the neck all the way to the length of the hipline gave a slimming effect. Torsos were taut, the garment tracing the line of the woman’s figure, then, the skirt was either sheered or given a bias cut at the thigh line, facilitating ease in walking.

Trench coats were also cut slim and double-breasted cinched slightly at the waist with a thin belt. Outer coats were retrofitted with outside veined stitching that created vertical panels, again resulting to slimming and lengthening effects.

Trousers were pencil thin; in fact, one of them was a catsuit. Paired with a long-sleeved half jacket that featured inverted pleats, it became an understated play on texture.

Everything was divine and striking, yet it was the evening gown that Leroux truly excelled. Whether it was off-the-shoulder, long-sleeved or strapless, Leroux once again traced the female form giving them taut bodices.

With the precious use of lace and velvet, it was elegant, refined and polished. Too bad that this collection is already too late for Oscar night which is being held today in Los Angeles; but don’t be surprised to see any or all of the evening gown next awards season.

Guy Laroche

Guy Laroche

Guy Laroche

Guy Laroche