Many designers see Pre-Fall as an opportunity to tweak and reissue their most essential, core pieces. Sometimes that translates to familiar and easy-to-sell items, but Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia don’t really do basics. Their “fundamentals” are twisted men’s shirting and deconstructed pin-striped dresses. They refreshed both of those categories here, reporting that the “half and half” striped pajama blouses and “Wall Street” suiting dresses from Spring ’17 were the season’s most popular items. So there was a new, very oversize silk button-down that was 50 percent stripes, 50 percent polka dots, worn untucked with “dad jeans,” as Kim jokingly called them. And they introduced their first “tuxedo,” which was actually broken down into a dress.
There were some new ideas that Monse fans might find desirable, too. Kim called out a black polka dot double-breasted blazer as one of her favorite pieces; with padded shoulders that sit slightly away from the body and a bow in the back, it was the kind of basic-with-a-twist that put Monse on the map. Kim and Garcia’s early collections relied heavily on deconstructed shirting, a trend Monse helped kick-start but feels a little ubiquitous now; fresher versions of their signature tops came in jewel-toned silks, like a pretty emerald and blush number and a shiny teal dress with vaguely ’80s poufed sleeves.
Kim and Garcia’s next collection will be presented around the same time as their Oscar de la Renta debut in February, and to say they’re having a busy end of 2016 would be an understatement. But Garcia said, “More than anything, we’re just excited. Alex [Bolen, ODLR’s CEO] knows us and trusts us.” Plus, the concise, straightforward vision they’ve maintained at Monse will give them the headspace to manage both the growing label and the heritage one.
