The pandemic has shaped Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim’s approach to designing for Monse: more knitwear and athletic gear, fewer reworked suits and tailoring. Pre-fall gives hints, though, that the pendulum may be swinging back. There’s a healthy mix of all their signatures, old and new.
Let’s start on the exuberant end. A knit tangerine dress with one full length sleeve and a racerback neckline says “I’m heading to the beach” loud and clear. It’s also available in a rainbow stripe. A pink nylon jumpsuit evokes the visual language of athleticism without actually being something you’d lift weights in, and that’s a win for many fashion plates. (The same could be said for the sports bras in the collection.)
The most compelling pieces aren’t the traditional summery clothes, but rather the ones that feel a little bit more dangerous. Leather straps feature throughout the collection: as midriff floss on low-rise trousers, across the open back of a white oxford shirt, and as straps on a bustier. Pleats counter this harshness; they’re especially effective on an empire-waist dress with a black rock ‘n’ roll leather bustier and a full skirt, and on a typically Monse-ian blazer, which has become a uniform for those who like their clothing sliced and diced.
