“Style Equals Self”: Monet Recio Schemm Believes in Timeless Pieces Made to Last

Retired international fashion executive and consultant Monet Recio Schemm’s clothing has stayed with her for over 40 years. Her secret to lasting wardrobe? Prizing construction, fit, and uncluttered silhouettes.

When Monet Recio Schemm was a teenager, she attended her high school and college soirees wearing the latest fashions from Paris and Milan. This is not because she bought designer clothing, but because her mother, a skilled seamstress, could whip up anything Schemm pointed to in a magazine. “From her, I learned about fabric, cut, and finishing of a garment at quite a young age,” she reflects. “That’s when I started to form my style sensibilities.” 

Those early lessons evolved into lasting principles. Schemm prioritizes impeccable construction, perfect fit, and uncluttered silhouettes in black, white, and beige, which she punctuates with splashes of a bold color like chartreuse or bright orange: “I like my look to be one statement, rather than a paragraph.” She often completes her look with multiple rows of pearls or a classic single strand.

Her career as an executive for luxury houses Louis Vuitton and Fendi took Schemm from Hong Kong to Rome, where she has lived for over two decades. The constant business travel demanded pragmatic clothing; think Giorgio Armani suits from the ’80s and ’90s that can be remixed and transformed from office to dinner with just a change of accessories.

In Schemm’s wardrobe of uncompromisingly chosen pieces, one can trace the influences of both Hepburns (Audrey’s elegance, Katharine’s effortlessness), Jackie Kennedy’s timeless sophistication, and Chanel’s bold accessorizing. She takes pride in wearing garments she has owned for 40 years, following a lifelong philosophy that is distilled in the equation “fashion equals factory, style equals self.”

Vogue Philippines: December 2024/January 2025 Issue

₱595.00

Buy Now

Fashion Director: PAM QUIÑONES. Fashion Editor: DAVID MILAN. Photographs by Enrico Brunetti. Makeup: Chiara Varesi. Hair: Simona Mari. Producer: Bianca Zaragoza.

Share now on: