Kiki de Montparnasse launched in New York in 2005, and its name is not decorative. Alice Prin, the French cabaret singer and artist known as Kiki, was a famously liberated presence in 1920s Montparnasse, and the brand has built its whole identity around that same confidence rather than around modesty. The bras, briefs and thongs keep the reference modern through mesh, satin and embroidery instead of nostalgia.

The Calla Lily balconette bra and its matching thong lean on floral embroidery for detail, while the Juliette Longline bra brings lace trim to a more structured, underwired shape. The Fleur Veloutes bra and briefs go quieter still, embroidered mesh without the lace edge. I think of the Coeur Cheeky bikini briefs as the easiest starting point, a simple shape that still carries the brand's attention to finish. Treat any of these as a complete look, not an emergency basic hidden under clothes.

Lingerie was always going to bleed into swim eventually, and Kiki de Montparnasse handles that crossover with the same lace-aware attitude rather than pretending a swimsuit needs to be anonymous. The Juliette embroidered bikini top and briefs carry the same detailing as the underwear line, just built for water. The Juliette lace-trimmed one-piece and the Louise ruched swimsuit take that further into a single, more considered shape. If you want to keep going, Eres Swimwear: Paris Swim and Lingerie Without the Fuss is the one I would read next.

The Two-tone piped swimsuit and the Athletic bikini top and briefs are the plainer end of the range, built around shape rather than surface decoration. If the cut is doing the work, a plain cover-up is enough. If the print is quieter, I would add texture instead.

Kiki de Montparnasse describes its pieces as handcrafted in a New York atelier, and that language shows up most clearly once you get past the underwear drawer. The Juliette laced silk robe is the clearest example, a piece built to be worn as an actual layer rather than a robe substitute. The Sabine lace coverup and the Crocheted silk coverup extend that same idea in lighter fabrics, while the Sabine lace bermuda shorts read as a real outer layer rather than loungewear. I went deeper on a related idea in Barefoot Dreams Robe: CozyChic Robes From Malibu With a Family Story.

The Simone cropped broderie anglaise cotton shirt and the Echauffe draped jersey mini dress push furthest from the bedroom, and the Kiki polka-dot coverup and shirt round the group out with a lighter print. These are pieces for getting ready slowly, which is a genuinely useful kind of luxury.

Kiki de Montparnasse is not interested in practical minimalism, and that is exactly why it works as a fuller wardrobe rather than a drawer of basics. The strongest buys here are pieces that move between more than one private context, especially the Juliette silk robe and the cleaner swimsuit shapes like the Two-tone piped swimsuit. Lace and embroidery need a little more care than a plain cotton tee, so I would hand wash rather than toss these in with everything else. The swim styles work best when the shape carries the look and the cover-up stays simple next to it. Choosing this label means accepting that everything is a little exposed by design, and that is not something to dress around. Start with texture, and let how much skin shows follow from there.