Sea is currently blowing up in China. Having opened a store there last year, the brand is already scouting for a second location. What Monica Paolini and Sean Monahan are exporting is an aesthetic that mixes (Eastern European) rustic motifs with prep, and New York edge with a bit of sportiness—at moderate prices.
While this fall collection participated in many of the trends we’ve been seeing of late—corduroy, heritage fabrics, lace-trimmed lingerie pieces, caped cuts, track pants, asymmetries, and Take Ivy touches—it was difficult to place it within the context of “domestic surrealism” that Paolini had envisioned. The addition of pearls on a jersey number was clever; lace inserts on crinkled balloon pants were busy, if not de trop. Perhaps the issue was the attempt to frame an offering that is desirable without being especially narrative. Context enough was provided by the mention of a reference like Grey Gardens or Diane Keaton.
The way embroidery was placed at the side of a dress, visually creating a silhouette, was a nice step forward, as were the shearlings that were in the showroom, but aren’t in the lookbook. The racks held other treasures that weren’t captured on film, pieces like a fleece-lined Fair Isle pullover, a hybrid Aran sweater windbreaker, and sweaters embroidered with Alpine themes. Those displayed Paolini’s talent for transforming archetypal classics into something unexpected and new.