Monse’s Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia dress the working woman and the party animal. Deconstructed tailoring has been their calling card since the label’s inception in 2015. In recent seasons, mesh panels, corsets, mini hemlines, cutouts and leather have played a prominent role, adding an extra dimension to the trouser suits. Logical: Selena Gomez, Doja Cat and Rosé from Blackpink are fans of the brand. But there are more executives than professional musicians.
“We still have some things for our kpop girl, but going back to our working customer, there’s a lot more customization,” Garcia said during a showroom appointment about the Resort 2024 collection. Kim laughed and pulled out a dark floral evening dress with sheer sleeves and a cutout at the waist. “This is our maid outfit,” she said. It’s all about balance.
A sense of humor, which Garcia and Kim appreciate, is also reflected in the prints. This season it is a floral pattern inspired by the Dutch old masters, in which bones are incorporated. A memento mori in a silk dress. It’s subtle due to the soft woven fabrics, but there’s a knitted sweater and dress that puts the skeleton front and center, decorated with 3D flowers. (Perhaps Phoebe Bridgers, the high priestess of fashionable bones, will be their next celebrity client).
Although there is only one true, classic trouser suit in slate gray in the collection, there are plenty of attractive blazers, vests and jackets, as well as a cape. Their youthful customers will be happy to see pleated mini skirts and a super structured leather mini dress with a cupcake skirt. They also brought back a pair of pants with a sheer, corseted waist, which has become a Monse bestseller.
