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Just two seasons old, the up-and-coming brand Monse hit a big milestone on Monday night: dressing Carrie Bradshaw Sarah Jessica Parker for the Met Gala. The actress wore a white Monse coat with some dramatic ruffles sticking out of the sleeves, matching white breeches, and blue heels of her own design. Like a luxury pirate at a wedding. Or a Hamilton cast member.
While other designers aren't wrong to take social media heavyweights like Gigi Hadid and Selena Gomez as their dates, SJP demands a different kind of respect — at this point, she qualifies as one of the Met Gala's grand dames. Remember 2006, when she attended on the arm of Alexander McQueen and the two twinned out in tartan? Remember that Philip Treacy fauxhawk she wore to the punk-themed benefit in 2013? Remember the headpiece she wore last year? Dressing Parker isn't a small win, especially for a brand as new as Monse.
Founded by Oscar de la Renta veterans Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia, Monse debuted at New York Fashion Week last September. It couldn't have gone better: not only did Kim and Garcia's professional pedigree attract high-powered fashion types to the show, but their collection impressed those in attendance. The elegant, slouchy clothes, which emphasized classic shirting twisted off the shoulders and tied at the waist, won a good deal of critical approval and promptly got picked up by retailers like Bergdorf Goodman and Net-a-Porter.
Though reviewers found Monse's sophomore collection to be weaker than its first, the brand isn't ready to drop off the industry's radar just yet. Thanks to early support from celebrity stylists, Monse has accumulated a solid amount of mainstream exposure. Lady Gaga, Kate Bosworth, and Sienna Miller have all worn the brand; Selena Gomez has done so multiple times. At Vanity Fair's Oscar Party this year, Brie Larson wore a peachy velvet gown from Monse's fall 2016 collection to tote around her Best Actress award. (She started off the evening in heels but later subbed those out for Converse, which is a perfect endorsement of Monse's vision of "relaxed glamour.")
And now Sarah Jessica Parker. May the hype never end.