For his Moschino resort 2018 and men’s spring 2018 collections, which he showed together in Los Angeles for the second year in a row, Jeremy Scott went on a Wild West road trip to celebrate symbols of Americana.
“I was thinking hot rods and dusty roads from L.A. to Las Vegas and that Route 66 life, like the boneyards with all the old neon signs and pin-up girls and Playboy bunnies and these archetypes of Americana,” he said. “I’m feeling a little nostalgic about America. Is our America being lost by some psychopath?”
It was a rhetorical question, but the collections Scott sent out provided concrete answers for Moschino fans in search of playful, colorful clothes that celebrate pop culture icons.
From Betty Grable to Cher to the Marlboro Man, Scott referenced a cast of familiar characters in some of his time-worn — and some new — silhouettes.
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The show opened with a sheer pink silk creponne dress appliquéd with strategically placed, hand-drawn images of vintage pin-up girls. The Thirties silhouette and the sweetly feminine motifs felt new for Moschino, which in recent seasons has embraced in-your-face takes on Hershey bars and McDonald’s fries, or more pop-tastic riffs on Barbie. This season he used Betty Boop’s image on several T-shirts and tank suits. But Scott’s take on the slip and the prairie dress, which he sent out in several pastel versions, was more elegant. He paired them with either sweet cardigans or boxy sweatshirts appliquéd with the same pin-ups.
Some of his Southwestern references included the serape blanket, which he translated into a sharp striped suit and thigh-high leather boots; snake and lizard skin, which he fashioned into exotic patchwork hotpants, minis and suits, and cowhide, here used for a bra top or a chic overcoat. There was plenty of patchwork denim, too, mixed with sweet lace and florals.
Transitioning from the dusty road to the glittery city, the focus turned to showgirls, both on-duty and off. There were spangled satin bodysuits as well as bright bustier tops paired with embellished boyfriend jeans. “Maybe she’s leaving the casino half-dressed in showgirl gear and going back to her place, and maybe they are between shifts and went to get something at the buffet,” mused Scott.
He also couldn’t resist “some Cher-headlining-Vegas kind of a nod” with a sequined jumpsuit and several rhinestone-studded suits for men, inspired by Elvis.
Unlike many designers who stick to a utilitarian uniform for work, Scott was dressed in a piece from his latest collection, a sweater emblazoned with SpongeBob SquarePants and hot rod flames. The capsule is a partnership with Nickelodeon and its cartoon character, from which a percentage of sales benefit the (RED) charity.
This being a sartorial road trip, hot rod car culture and biker gangs also played into the collections in a straightforward way (read: flame suits and studded leather moto jackets), and for the most part offered complimentary looks for women and men (since it was resort, there were plenty of bathing suits, offering men a chance to dive into some crystal-embellished Lycra as well).
The playful cast of models, from Miranda Kerr and Jessica Miller to Hailey Baldwin and Presley Gerber (who just graduated from high school earlier that day), also added to the infectious vibe.
“That’s what I love about a resort show and doing it at home here in L.A. I feel like it can be more open in a way. Sometimes in Milan or New York it feels like it has to be a bit more narrow, and here I feel like you can let your freak flag fly and mix it up. It feels more cinematic in that way too,” he noted.
The front row included many of Scott’s loyal Hollywood following — Dita Von Teese, Vanessa Hudgens, Tracee Ellis Ross, China Chow and musicians Charli XCX and Fergie.
As the latter put it, “I don’t know about you, but now I want to go on a road trip to Vegas wearing a sequin jacket. And I will get the SpongeBob backpack for my son. Whatever trip Jeremy is on, I want to be there.”