There’s always a tongue-in-cheek detail to discover in a Monse collection, from last season’s “seed packet” embroidery patches to the “Monse LLC” shipping label prints of resort 2019. Finding those details usually requires taking a closer look: One of those resort dresses was printed with vintage stamps that had been cleverly reworked with the brand’s phone number. But prefall 2020’s dominant motif was impossible to miss: Two oversize knits came with a hand-stitched Monse logo underneath a very recognizable, bow-tie-wearing bunny. The concept of robe dressing got designers Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia thinking about Hugh Hefner’s iconic style, which inevitably led to a collaboration with Playboy. Photos of Hefner in the ’70s were tacked to their mood board alongside crystal bunny logos, scraps of silk, vintage travel postcards, and a still from The Grand Budapest Hotel. The Playboy collaboration only accounted for a few pieces, so the rest of the collection nodded more generally to the idea of luxe leisurewear.
On that note, the robe-like wrap dresses and blazers were a softer, more sensual counter to the boxy, ultra-oversize jackets Monse has become known for. Garcia explained that they tried to rein in their proportions this season and keep things feeling a bit lighter. That was most impressive in their deconstructed blazers, which had the same trompe l’oeil touches and handwork as ever, but felt a bit more wearable. A gray checked jacket looked as if a panel of wool had been ripped off one side, with the “interior” peeking out from frayed edges; the effect was similar in the back, with nearly a yard of wool hanging down like a train. If that sounds like a lot, the narrower construction of the jacket kept it feeling polished, not costume-y.