Monique Lhuillier

Perhaps no one has revolutionized the wedding industry more than Monique Lhuillier. Born in the Philippines, the designer moved to Los Angeles to study at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. While planning her own wedding, she was frustrated with outdated silhouettes and the use of excess lace and taffeta she found in most bridal gowns. So, Lhuillier decided to design her own — plus the bridesmaids’ dresses. After the wedding, she was inundated with requests from other brides-to-be and decided to launch her own brand in 1996. Five years later, she opened her first retail shop in L.A., and in 2007, the Melrose Place flagship followed. Not only have celebrity brides, including Reese Witherspoon and Pink, worn her gowns, but she has also become a red carpet mainstay, dressing everyone from Michelle Obama and Drew Barrymore to Jennifer Lopez and Katy Perry. Her less formal ready-to-wear and accessories lines have been a hit, with its effortless dresses, handbags and sunglasses, cementing Lhuillier as a sartorial icon of our time.