A Fashion First: Monse and Oscar de la Renta in One Show
It was a ballsy move: designers Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia, the duo behind new label Monse and storied New York label Oscar de la Renta, decided to present the two collections back-to-back, with barely a break between them. It would mean the collections could be instantly compared, criticized, picked apart. It almost felt like a dare.
On a checkerboard runway against a silver curtain shielding something (what could it be!?) from view, Monse walked first. It’s only the fourth major collection the brand has put out, but it felt like everything gelled: the riffs on menswear shirting that have become a hallmark for Monse; trenches and suiting re-cut into shoulder bearing belted dresses; bold splashes of primary colors on velvet and sequined evening wear – sure to be a hit with the stylists and celebs who have embraced the label on the red carpet.
And then, with not so much as a pause, the curtain was... almost pulled. The rigging hit a snag, and one half of the curtain remained in place, which meant that half of the showgoers didn’t get to see the clothes as they walked through a set of stark white walkway inset with windows. Still, the show must go on and the new Oscar de la Renta was revealed.
After a few years under Peter Copping and collections met lackluster reviews, Kim and Garcia, both of whom spent years working at de la Renta, were named co-creative directors in July. Could they bring the same youthfulness and urgency they’d injected so quickly into Monse back into Oscar de la Renta, a label known to cater to an uptown lady who lunches?
Tentatively, yes. The collection felt like a reverential interpretation of Oscar de la Renta (big embroidered ballgowns? Check. Suiting nipped at the waist? Check.) with a sleeker, modern veneer. Jackets were voluminous and recalled couture shapes, evening wear was more form fitting, sexier, a good fit for vamp Bella Hadid, who closed the show.
For their final trick? A double finale: on one side the models from Monse, the other, Oscar de la Renta, walking from either side of the runway until they intersected – so you could literally compare the lines as they crossed each other. If I had to pick I’d say Monse came out stronger, but it was a strong start for a new Oscar. Still, it was quite a feat to pull off two distinctly different collections and show them back to back.