A few years ago, you would’ve had a hard time imagining that Sean Monahan and Monica Paolini had any affinity for sports or athleisure. Their signatures at Sea are of the earthy, feminine, crafty variety—quilted coats, ruffled collars, breezy tent dresses. Pre-2020, plenty of Sea girls probably hadn’t even set foot inside a Lululemon store. But much has changed in our year of COVID-19 lockdowns, and leggings and sneakers have become an integral part of most women’s uniform, especially here in New York.
Neither of those items appear in Sea’s pre-fall collection, but Monahan and Paolini did respond to the broader shift toward sportier, more functional clothing. A voluminous parka and joggers came in a graphic floral-printed nylon, but the more novel idea was a “windbreaker dress” in the same fabric. Its quarter-zip neckline and slick material lent an athletic touch, but the ruffled collar and loose silhouette will be entirely familiar to Sea fans. A similar midi-dress with smocking at the shoulders came in a waxed cotton, which created the same volume as a synthetic sport fabric, but with a softer hand.
In contrast were the quilted, tie-dyed, and embroidered items that are synonymous with Sea. The quilted skirts and cocoon jackets in bright red, cobalt, and pink motifs came in a summer-appropriate weight, inspired by quilts Paolini found in Hawaii. The large-scale flowers, ferns, and coral shapes had an appealing sharpness about them, whereas the brand’s quilted coats felt more homespun in the past. The wider concept of surface texture appeared throughout the collection. In our moment of Zoom and virtual shows, the need for touchable, tactile clothes has been a constant. Paolini’s nanny hand-crocheted the fuzzy rainbow-striped vest and sweater (she’ll teach Sea’s team of knitters how to re-create them), while otherwise simple dresses were upgraded with rows of springy smocking.
