Well-served, Moschino!
Jeremy Scott’s Resort ’22 turns out to be a more of a culinary connoisseur than a collection
It has been a hot minute since I stalked Moschino, and it still manages to amaze me. Just when people thought nothing can be greater than the peak it was to behold puppet being models, and the little chuckle between puppet Wintour and Bolton, Moschino turned our regular dine-in brunch rendezvous into an afternoon disco.
Known for overthrowing and questioning the logic behind the industry Jeremy Scott is a part of, he has managed to name Moschino synonymous with the blatant truth of consumerism.
The brand often explores how people would kill to buy just about anything in the name of fashion, no matter how ridiculous it would be.
In the recent Resort ’22 collection, our protagonist waitress Karen Elson takes us through her optimistic and playful imagination while working in a rather unrelieved café, the kinds you see in movies with the characters always having a white whipped cream milkshake (with a cherry on top, of course).
The narrative is set with usual Hollywood archetypes in a diner, going about their ways cladded in fine-dine Moschino line (and I mean it, ’cause we see literal representations of fast food as looks, something quite expected for Moschino to approve of.)
A total of 69 looks are seen in different set-locations of Universal Studio lot. “I wanted to take the excitement, the glamour, and the whimsy of all the old Hollywood musicals and use them as a vehicle to show this collection”, mentions Scott on the official Instagram of Moschino. The old-telly recitals get a frenzy with the forte of Moschino: ironic mockery, which is ubiquitous throughout the euphonious presentation titled “Lightning Strikes: The Moschino Musical”.
With the trend of playfulness and colorful optimism seen throughout various collections of 22, Moschino’s theatrical performance, at first glance, reminded me of ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams.
“I wanted to take the excitement, the glamour, and the whimsy of all the old Hollywood musicals and use them as a vehicle to show this collection”
“He (Jeremy Scott)enjoyed my Radio Redhead EP that I made in the height of the pandemic. I sent Jeremy a bunch of new tunes that I’d been working on-” Karlson mentions on her Instagram with a clip from the musical, “-and Lightning Strikes fit perfectly for the surreal pinball dream sequence.” The inviting song along with the color blocked numbers of the designer will make you want to move yo’ feet and clap yo’ hands.
The giddy and joyful nature of the musical starts from a diner, transitioning to various places ending up in a pinball sequence with Elson donning five outfits throughout.
As much as I would love to, I cannot cover the nitty gritty and astonishing details of each garment and accessory, but I sure can take you through the premise of the whole musical, and some of my personal favorite elements from Lightning Strikes.
In a gist, be ready to behold commercial mickey mouse, film, pop-art, disco and fast food iconography all at once.
Scene 1: The Moschino Drive-in & Restaurant
Nobody can question the masterpiece when it is created by Scott and styled by none other than Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele. We see the remarkable wow-factor with two friends ordering their meal at the diner wearing garments adorned with fried eggs, one of which was accessorized by a delicious pancake-on-a-plate fascinator. We also observe Elson serving a few tables before reaching out for a song at the classic jukebox we find at such places.
An accessory highlight of the collection would definitely be the salt and pepper shaker heels. Yes, you read that right. Many would’ve missed this detail unless they watched it at least three times.
Such a pair of heels would beg you to think “How on earth did he think of that?”.
And as you recover from that thought, let me point out that the dress accompanying the heel has the continuous print of the diner’s menu card, with items like ‘Moschino’s Special Sausage Links’ served as side dishes.
On a personal standpoint, I don’t dress to impress, but I do enjoy giving my suggestions on what might or might not work. I rarely come across designer pieces that make me think “Damn I need these in my life…”, and these salt-pepper-shaker-heels bring in another question: “…but me buying them is equivalent to me being bought into consumerism.” Such dichotomy is what I believe gives Moschino the ‘quirky’ audience it deserves.
I am not sure of the name of the dresses, but the Pancake and Menu dresses were the ones which caught my eye. Isn’t it fascinating to see how someone can depict irony with such simple details like fried eggs and menu prints?
Taking his FW14 Collection (remember the infamous McDonalds Collection?) to the next step, Scott also takes food items from the menu and brings them to life. Waffle cones acted as the new cone brassiere and a hot-dog dress covered in glitter mustard were paired with brogue heels.
Talking about literal representation, a fun take on a burger-skirt with an upside-down plastic cup was also seen with a graphic sweatshirt which read ‘Moschino Couture’.
You just cannot deny but at least smile, if not laugh, at the travesty.
Scene 2: Street Steps
Elson turns to a songstress for the whole crowd to jump up into a fantasy-like choreography leading us to ‘Funky Town’, a street scene where everyone jumps into a synchronized composition of lively steps. This is where we see the complete color palette used in the collection. The ensembles comprises flower brooches on pinstripe formals for the males and some females alike, color blocked with overcoats and midi-dresses by others.
Comparatively a rather understated ensemble which mingles in with the rest, a red and white striped romper with white collared shirt, along with a blazer-dress in the same pattern were one of my red-hot favorites, and by that I mean I would seriously wear them with the salt-pepper-shaker-heels.
Scene 3: The Pinball Machine
The finishing sequence takes place in what seems like the inside of a pinball game, with flipper bumpers and blockages. Elson donned one of the most spectacular ensembles for her stage performance: a cropped blazer and an off-shoulder dress in-line with the prior piece. Spheres of different sizes and colors, resembling pinballs, hang as ornaments from both of the shimmery elements.
The set and the other outfit compliments not only the glitter aspect of Elson’s attire, but also the graphics used for other ensembles in the frame. The bold colors of the visuals depict what you would see in gaming arcades (think meters, stars, winning points etc.). Every turn shifted the narrative of a diner-dance number to a full-fledged performance, only for it to be broken by “Karen! Your orders are up!”
Definitely have a look at the Moschino Musical.
…
What were your thoughts on the collection? Feel free to take any information for your own use on credit. Want anything you want me to cover? Let’s connect through Instagram or Linkedin. You can also support my work by giving me a tip on Ko-fi!
